Overview
- Lando Norris won the 24‑lap Sprint and later secured pole for Sunday’s race at Interlagos, strengthening his title position heading into the weekend’s main event.
- Oscar Piastri spun over a wet kerb and hit the wall early in the Sprint, triggering a red flag after subsequent incidents also caught out Nico Hülkenberg and Franco Colapinto.
- Gabriel Bortoleto suffered a heavy last‑lap crash in the Sprint, was cleared after medical checks, and, with Sauber unable to repair his car for qualifying, was authorized to start the race from the pit lane.
- Qualifying set a front row of Norris and Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, with Charles Leclerc third and Piastri fourth, while Max Verstappen was knocked out in Q1 and will start 16th.
- After the Sprint, Norris leads the Drivers’ standings on 365 points, nine ahead of Piastri, with Verstappen third on 326 as teams assess safety lessons from the low‑grip conditions.