Overview
- Lando Norris holds a one‑point lead over Oscar Piastri with four grands prix to go, including two sprint weekends that boost the available haul to about 116 points.
- Max Verstappen sits 36 points off the lead after a run of wins and returns to Interlagos, where a sprint and grand prix could yield up to 33 points this weekend.
- Zak Brown says McLaren will not favour either driver and would accept losing the title rather than pick a number one, invoking lessons from the team’s 2007 defeat.
- Team principal Andrea Stella rejects chassis concerns and links Piastri’s struggles to low‑grip conditions that suit Norris’s style more, stressing the data shows no car fault.
- External scrutiny intensifies as Bernie Ecclestone and Jos Verstappen question perceived balance inside McLaren, while Jacques Villeneuve and Martin Brundle point to a confidence dip for Piastri; McLaren denies any favouritism.