Lando Norris won the São Paulo Grand Prix sprint. The Briton took advantage of an order within the McLaren team for his teammate Piastri to let him pass.
We had to wait until the penultimate lap for what was expected to happen. Starting from pole position on the other McLaren, Oscar Piastri let his teammate pass. Because Norris needs every point in the fight for the world champion title against Max Verstappen.
At the wheel of his Red Bull, the three-time world champion crossed the line in 3rd position after a successful overtake on Monegasque Charles Leclerc 3 laps before the end. Only the Dutchman, ultimately 4th, received a 5-second penalty for accelerating too early during the virtual safety car phase, activated following Nico Hülkenberg’s retirement at the end of the race. Verstappen’s lead over Norris in the overall standings narrowed by just 3 points to 44 points.
Sauber drivers left empty-handed
The Sauber drivers left empty-handed. The Finn Valtteri Bottas and the Chinese Zhou Guanyu had no chance in the fight for the first 8 places, the only ones which earn points during the sprints. Bottas and Zhou placed 16th and 17th respectively.
ats/bur
Swiss
