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Norris stretches lead after winning sprint
Lando Norris stretched his Formula One championship lead to nine points after winning Saturday’s São Paulo sprint while his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri crashed out in a big blow to his efforts to get back on top.
The pair had started the day at Brazil’s Interlagos circuit separated by a single point, with Norris on pole position and his closest rival, Piastri, third on the grid. The Australian’s hopes disappeared on lap six of 24 when he lost control on the wet kerb at turn three and spun into the barriers.
The race was then halted on lap eight, resuming with a rolling start after barrier repairs and Norris leading the field with Mercedes’s Kimi Antonelli and George Russell in his slipstream.
The race ended with double yellow flags waved after Sauber’s home hero Gabriel Bortoleto crashed heavily, with Antonelli having to settle for second, 0.845sec behind Norris. Russell took third place.
Max Verstappen finished fourth and Red Bull’s reigning world champion is now 39 points behind Norris in third place overall. Qualifying for Sunday’s main grand prix will follow at 6pm GMT on Saturday. Reuters
Sprint race drama in São Paulo
Lando Norris’s world championship hopes were handed a boost after Oscar Piastri crashed out of Saturday’s sprint race in São Paulo.
Norris began the race from pole position and was leading before the action was suspended on lap seven of 24 after Piastri hit the barriers at turn three. Franco Colapinto and Nico Hülkenberg also collided with the wall in the same part of a damp Interlagos track, leading to a safety car, and then a red flag.
Norris started from pole position and was in control of the race when Piastri, running in third, lost control of his McLaren. Piastri dipped his front-left tyre on to the damp kerb on the exit of the Senna Esses which sent him into a spin and an unavoidable date with the wall.
With Colapinto and Hülkenberg both following Piastri off the track, the race was red-flagged to repair the tyre barrier. Norris will extend his title advantage to nine points if he wins the 24-lap dash to the flag. PA Media
