Max Verstappen, winner of the 2024 Brazil Grand Prix at the Interlagos Circuit, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo: ANTONIN VINCENT / PHOTOSPORT
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen showed in Brazil last year, winning from 17th on the grid, that he can never be counted out but McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri need no reminding of that in Sao Paulo this weekend.
The battle at the top between Norris and Piastri is on a knife-edge with four rounds remaining, with the Briton a point clear of the Australian.
Norris has momentum, despite insisting he does not believe in that, and has beaten his teammate in the last five races - although they collided in the most recent sprint in Austin.
But Piastri showed signs of a comeback and return to form in the Mexico race, if not qualifying, and with a Saturday sprint also in the mix in Brazil and paying extra points the gap is set to widen one way or another.
"Brazil is a great opportunity to score some big points, especially with the sprint race. There is everything still to play for, and preparation for this weekend has been very productive," said the Australian.
Bumper 33 point haul to be won
Verstappen will be looking to make inroads of his own with a bumper 33 point haul to be won from the weekend's two races.
Red Bull's four-times world champion is 36 points behind Norris, after being 104 adrift of then-leader Piastri at the end of August, and Sao Paulo's bowl-like Interlagos circuit is an old favourite.
The Dutch driver - who has family connections to Brazil through his partner Kelly Piquet, daughter of triple champion Nelson - is going for his third successive win there and fourth in all.
He is also the acknowledged king of the sprints, even though Norris won last year's in Sao Paulo, with more wins - 13 of 22 - in the short format than anyone.
Current forecasts suggest it could be a wet Saturday, the kind of conditions Verstappen thrives in, but a cooler, dry Sunday.
Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton is also a three-times winner at Interlagos and proud to be an honorary Brazilian.
The Briton has yet to stand on the podium since he joined Ferrari and where better than the circuit where he took the first of his seven titles with a last-gasp overtake in 2008 as a McLaren driver?
Max Verstappen leads the 2024 Brazil Grand Prix. Interlagos Circuit, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo: FLORENT GOODEN / PHOTOSPORT
Ferrari have not won there since Sebastian Vettel triumphed in 2017, however.
The constructors' championship has been won already by McLaren but the battle for second is too close to call, with Ferrari only a point clear of Mercedes and Red Bull a further nine adrift.
Brazil will have a driver to cheer for the first time since 2017 with Gabriel Bortoleto making his home debut for Sauber while an influx of Argentine fans is to be expected as Franco Colapinto returns with last-placed Alpine.
The Renault-owned team had a double podium to celebrate in Brazil last year, with Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly second and third, but their current form has been dire with fewer points from 20 races this year than in that one.
Formula 1 statistics for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, round 21 of the 24-race championship and also the season's penultimate sprint race:
Lap distance: 4.309km. Total distance: 305.879km (71 laps)
2024 pole position: Lando Norris (Britain) McLaren one minute 23.405 seconds.
2024 winner: Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull
Race lap record: Valtteri Bottas (Finland) Mercedes 1:10.540 seconds (2018)
Start time: 0600 (NZ time)/1400 local
Brazil
Brazil first hosted a grand prix at Interlagos in 1973.
Three current drivers have won in Brazil: Lewis Hamilton (2016, 2018, 2021), Verstappen (2019, 2023, 2024), George Russell (2022).
The flowing anti-clockwise circuit is named after Brazilian driver Jose Carlos Pace, who won in 1975 and died in 1977.
Sunday will be the 42nd world championship grand prix hosted by the circuit.
Michael Schumacher won four times in Sao Paulo, a record that Hamilton and Verstappen, who is also going for three wins in a row at Interlagos, can equal.
Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto is the only Brazilian driver and the first to race at home since Felipe Massa in 2017.
There is always a high chance of a safety car.
McLaren team-mates Oscar Piastri (L) and Lando Norris. Photo: photosport
Drivers' championship
McLaren's Lando Norris leads teammate Oscar Piastri by one point. Norris has beaten the Australian in the last five races.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen is third and 36 points off the lead, after being 104 behind at the end of August.
Constructors' title
McLaren clinched the team's 10th constructors' championship, and second in a row, in Singapore last month.
Ferrari are second, one point ahead of Mercedes with Red Bull a further nine behind.
Wins
Piastri has won seven times this season, Norris six, Verstappen five and Mercedes' George Russell twice.
Hamilton has not won since his career 105th victory in Belgium on July 28, 2024.
Ferrari have not won since October 27 last year and are the only top four team without a win.
Verstappen has won 68 grands prix and is third on the all-time list after Michael Schumacher on 91.
McLaren have won 13 of 20 races, but only one of the last five.
Pole position
Verstappen has been on pole seven times this season, Piastri and Norris five each, Russell twice and Charles Leclerc once.
The last six races have been won from pole, and 14 of 20.
Sprint
Norris won last year's sprint in Brazil, with Piastri second. Piastri had started on pole with Norris second.
Verstappen has won two of 2025's four sprint races so far (Belgium and Austin). Hamilton (Shanghai) and Norris (Miami) won the others.
Only two of the four were won from pole.
Podium
Norris has been on the podium 16 times in 20 races, the most of any driver, and Piastri 14.
Piastri has now been absent from the podium in four successive races.
Leclerc has been second twice. The Monegasque has seven podiums for the season. Hamilton has yet to stand on the podium for Ferrari since he joined in January.
Nine drivers from seven teams have been on the podium in 2025.
Verstappen's third place in Mexico was his 123rd career podium, putting him one ahead of retired quadruple champion Sebastian Vettel and third on the all-time list.
Alpine rookie Franco Colapinto is the only driver on the grid yet to score this year.
Milestone
Sunday marks a year since Renault-owned Alpine's last podium. They finished second and third in Brazil last year with Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly. Alpine scored more points in that race than they have so far in all of 2025.
-Reuters
