Overview
- The title fight resumes at Interlagos with a sprint format offering up to 33 points, as Lando Norris leads Oscar Piastri by a single point with four races remaining.
- Oscar Piastri has not won since Zandvoort and has missed the podium in four straight events after a crash‑hit Baku weekend and off‑pace runs in Austin and Mexico.
- Team principal Andrea Stella says data show no car fault and attributes Piastri’s struggles to low‑grip circuits and driving style demands; McLaren has already won the constructors’ championship.
- Pundit reaction is split, with Jacques Villeneuve suggesting Piastri may have hit his ceiling and Martin Brundle citing a confidence dip from Baku while dismissing any notion the team would slow a car.
- Bernie Ecclestone alleges McLaren favors Norris, a claim reported without evidence and rejected by the team, as Max Verstappen sits 36 points back and targets another strong Brazil weekend with rain possible on Saturday.