São Paulo GP Opens With Bortoleto’s Home Debut as One-Point Title Fight Faces Rain Threat

Overview

• Gabriel Bortoleto, 21, races his first home Grand Prix for Sauber as Brazil's first F1 driver since 2017, having scored points in five races with a best of sixth in Hungary.
• Felipe Massa praised Bortoleto’s progression and labeled him the season’s top rookie, as the Brazilian says he is proud of his year and believes he can be competitive at Interlagos.
• Lando Norris leads Oscar Piastri by one point (357–356) with Max Verstappen third on 321, and up to 33 points are available across Saturday’s Sprint and Sunday’s race.
• São Paulo’s emergency weather service forecasts a notably unstable Saturday with rain and gusty winds that could disrupt the Sprint and qualifying, with a lower rain chance on Sunday.
• Norris says he is ready for any conditions, while Verstappen notes McLaren’s strength in the wet; elsewhere, Alpine’s Franco Colapinto is still seeking his first points of the season.