In the final round of the last triple-header of the season, Formula 1 arrives in São Paulo for the Brazilian Grand Prix. With only four races remaining, the rivalry between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris has hit fever-pitch on track, while Ferrari has put on a late surge to challenge McLaren in the constructors’ championship.
The penultimate Sprint race of the season provides another valuable opportunity for points, one which Norris will need to capitalise on if he is to have any chance of usurping Verstappen, who won here in 2023.
Verstappen paid the price for his aggressive racing style in Mexico, accumulating 20 seconds worth of penalties after battling with Norris. Various opinions on Verstappen’s driving have been shared in the aftermath and, reminiscent of his 2021 duels with Lewis Hamilton, the issue now dominates talk of the title fight.
However much he engages with his adversary, Norris remains a realistically insurmountable 47 points behind. It’s likely that Verstappen will take a penalty for a new engine this weekend so opportunities are there for Norris to make much needed inroads. Interlagos is a track favourable for overtaking, though, so Verstappen will surely provide some excitement if he is required to make up places.
Ferrari’s second consecutive double-podiums in Mexico saw it climb to second in the constructors’ championship, now only 29 points behind leaders McLaren. And, while recent wins for both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. have re-energised the Maranello outfit, the opposite could not be truer for Red Bull, with Sergio Pérez unable to extract anywhere close to the performance in the RB20 that Verstappen has managed.
Ferrari is undoubtedly in the stronger position in the championship as the end of the season draws near, while Haas focuses on securing a sixth-place finish following strong performances of late from Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen.
For Mercedes, its latest upgrades seem to have wholly unsettled the W15, with George Russell’s crash during Friday practice in Mexico the second incident in under a week. The expense to rebuild the cars in the aftermath has taken its toll on Mercedes’ financial state, with one eye on adhering to the cost cap. Toto Wolff has said that the latest upgrades to the floor in Brazil will be the last of the season, so Hamilton and Russell will have to do the best with what they have.
Finally, this Brazilian Grand Prix weekend will see a celebration of the legacy of the iconic Ayrton Senna 30 years after his death, with tributes including his championship-winning MP4/5B to be driven – reportedly by honorary Brazilian citizen Hamilton.
Action in Interlagos begins on Friday, with Free Practice 1, the only practice session of the weekend, at 14:30 UK time (11:30 local time), followed by Sprint qualifying at 18:30 (15:30). The Sprint race takes place at 14:00 (11:00) on Saturday ahead of qualifying for the grand prix at 18:00 (15:00). Lights out for the Brazilian Grand Prix is at 17:00 (14:00) on Sunday 3rd November.
Sky Sports retains exclusive rights to all live coverage of F1 in the UK. Every session of the Brazilian Grand Prix will be shown live and uninterrupted on Sky Sports F1.
US viewers can catch all the action on ESPN, and Australian audiences can watch on Kayo Sports. The F1 TV Pro app also provides coverage of every F1 session across the weekend to several countries the world over.
Both Formula 2 and F1 Academy will return to action in Qatar in December for the final two races of the respective seasons, while the Formula 3 season concluded in Monza, with Leonardo Fornaroli dramatically securing the drivers’ championship ahead of Gabriele Minì.
Action from the Porsche Carrera Cup Brasil and Porsche Sprint Challenge Brasil will support the Brazilian Grand Prix instead.
Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.
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Brazilian Grand Prix