Overview
- Friday features a single practice session followed by sprint qualifying using shortened SQ1–SQ3 segments (12, 10 and 8 minutes) with mandated tyres.
- Saturday’s sprint is a 100km, 24-lap dash that awards points to the top eight and does not set the grid for Sunday’s grand prix.
- Norris leads Piastri by one point with Max Verstappen 36 points back, placing extra value on sprint positions late in the season.
- Forecasts indicate a strong chance of rain for the sprint, a scenario observers suggest could suit Verstappen given his past wet-weather form at Interlagos.
- The weekend is the season’s fifth sprint event, with broadcast times widely published, including Sunday’s race at 2 p.m. local (12 p.m. ET/5 p.m. GMT) on ESPN2 in the U.S. and Sky Sports in the U.K., plus Channel 4 highlights in the U.K.