Norris Clears Podium Scare, Leclerc Loses Seventh

Yesterday at Interlagos, Norris won a wet, dry and wet again Sao Paulo Grand Prix from pole, beating Max Verstappen, who climbed from 21st on the grid, by 14.6 seconds, while George Russell and Kimi Antonelli finished fourth and fifth to clinch Mercedes’ ninth constructors’ championship. The full race story is in our original breaking report.

FINAL: Lando Norris wins by 14.6 seconds in Sao Paulo. Russell and Antonelli finish fourth and fifth as Mercedes clinch a ninth constructors title.

Formula 1’s official race highlights carry the whole afternoon, from Antonelli’s jump at the start to the late return of the rain:

Lando Norris Sao Paulo Grand Prix Podium Scare Ends With An All Clear

The only mistakes Norris made all day came after he parked the car. Attempting his trademark celebration, striking the champagne bottle on the podium floor to pop the cork, he smashed the bottle instead, then stepped back into the sparks from the podium fireworks while holding up what was left of it. Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, second and third, soaked him with their own bottles while he laughed it off, but the broken glass and the flash near his head were enough to start genuine concern about a cut hand or a burn.

That concern is now closed. In a debrief video issued by McLaren, Norris confirmed he avoided any injury: “My hand is fine from the champagne bottle. The champagne bottle is not fine.” He added: “A perfect day, so congrats to the whole team, great to be back on top. Otherwise, an amazing weekend with a pole and a win.” Reuters reported that McLaren team principal Andrea Stella also confirmed Norris was all right, saying he understood the incident involved the pyrotechnic rather than the bottle, and that Norris showed no ill effects in his post race interviews. RaceFans noted the near repeat of Monza six years ago, when the same celebration move did cut him; this time he walked away untouched. Stella, in Formula 1’s team reaction roundup, joked that Norris “didn’t make even the slightest mistake, apart from the incident on the podium.”

Leclerc Penalty Settles The Final Classification

The order Norris led home also changed after the race. Formula 1’s official race report records that Leclerc and Lawson swapped positions post race after Leclerc was given a five second penalty for causing a collision with the Racing Bulls driver. The stewards’ verdict, reported in full by F1i, found that Leclerc’s lap 69 contact with Lawson at Turn 12 damaged Lawson’s left rear rim and let the Ferrari close up and pass five corners later: “Car 30 had the right to the corner and it was for Car 16 to take the necessary steps to avoid a collision.” The contact was ruled to have had an “obvious sporting consequence,” with the wet conditions and its minor force keeping the penalty at five seconds rather than ten. Leclerc drops from seventh to eighth, and Lawson gains two championship points from the promotion, his fifth consecutive points finish.

Leclerc was not the only driver sanctioned. Antonelli received five seconds for an unsafe release into the path of Franco Colapinto’s Alpine at his final stop, and Haas driver Oliver Bearman received the same for an unsafe release involving Leclerc. Neither penalty moved its driver: Antonelli kept fifth, well clear of Oscar Piastri, and Bearman stayed 17th. The settled classification matters beyond one place. Norris, still sixth in the drivers’ standings, has closed to three points behind fifth placed Leclerc, and McLaren sit fourth in the constructors’ standings, 17 points behind Red Bull in third, with three rounds left to chase that podium place.

Lawson, Piastri And Wolff Look Forward

Lawson’s promotion strengthens a case he is having to make in public. Still without a contract for 2027, with Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov waiting in the wings, he told reporters in Brazil: “I appreciate all the support I’ve seen over the last few weeks. It’s honestly really nice to see. Obviously, I would love it if it was more from a team”. His answer, for now, is on track: a season best qualifying, a run at second place on the opening lap, and points in five straight races. His team mate’s camp was not the only one taking positives from a messy day. Piastri, who recovered from 10th on the grid to sixth, told F1TV his pace once up to speed was “very strong” and “a big positive,” even as his run without a podium reached 16 races. The grid’s reactions, Norris included, are in Formula 1’s official post race video:

At Mercedes, the champions were already moving on. Russell and deputy team principal Bradley Lord marked the title with what was reported as the first Gatorade dunk in Formula 1 history, dousing Toto Wolff mid interview. Wolff, whose ninth constructors title matches the record, admitted his mind was already elsewhere: “I’m not celebrating. I’m just thinking, what went wrong in this race? Why have we underperformed? And what can we do for Las Vegas and next year?” Formula 1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali added his congratulations on Monday, calling the title the result of the team’s collective effort, determination and leadership.

Las Vegas Next, With A Calendar Decision Due This Week

The paddock moves to Las Vegas next, across November 20 to 22, where the live fight is now for second in the drivers’ championship behind Antonelli: Verstappen sits 17 points clear of Russell, with Norris closing on Leclerc for fifth and McLaren chasing Red Bull for third in the teams’ standings. What happens after Las Vegas is the week’s open question. A decision on whether the season ends as planned in Qatar on November 27 to 29 and Abu Dhabi on December 4 to 6, or at a standby race at Imola on December 6, is still expected this week, with Formula 1 continuing to plan for the Gulf races as scheduled and Imola preparing in reserve. The same tracker noted on Monday that MotoGP raced in Qatar this weekend while Yamaha sat it out under its own travel restrictions, one more sign of how unsettled the run in remains.

Sao Paulo, in the end, settled both championships and then kept moving: a winner cleared after a podium scare he laughed off, a final order rewritten by three penalties, a Kiwi driving for his future into seventh, and a champion team already thinking about next year. The racing resumes under the Las Vegas lights, with the rest of the calendar to be confirmed in the days ahead.