Lando Norris, currently second in the Formula 1 world championship, won the sprint race of the Brazilian Grand Prix on Saturday, the 21st round of the season out of 24. With this victory, he takes two points from leader Max Verstappen, who finished 3rd.
Oscar Piastri gives up the victory to his teammate
The Briton from the McLaren team beat his teammate, Oscar Piastri, who had taken pole position and led the race for a while. The Australian gave up his position to Lando Norris with two laps remaining, in accordance with his team’s instructions. “We talked about it before the race, that was always the plan,” Piastri told the media.
In September, McLaren announced that it would favor Lando Norris in the drivers’ title race, given that he is only a few points behind Max Verstappen. Although “not proud” of this decision, the driver recognized that Oscar Piastri “deserved” the victory, while emphasizing that the team had to “do what it has to do”.
Max Verstappen under investigation after race
Championship leader Max Verstappen finished 3rd, saying the sprint had been “quite tricky”, but his pace was “pretty good”. However, the Red Bull driver is currently under investigation for a possible virtual safety car infraction, which occurred late in the race after a mechanical problem in Nico Hulkenberg’s Haas. A decision from the commissioners is expected today.
With this race, Verstappen lost two points to Norris, but he maintains a lead of 45 points before the traditional Grand Prix on Sunday, where 26 points will be at stake. Charles Leclerc, who has long occupied 3rd place, finally finished at the foot of the podium, while his teammate at Ferrari, Carlos Sainz, took 5th place. The Mercedes of George Russell and the Alpine of Pierre Gasly finished 6th and 7th respectively, while Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) completed the Top 8.
