F1 rolls around to Brazil next as Interlagos plays host to the Sao Paulo Grand Prix and round 21 of the 2024 season – and the penultimate sprint weekend of the year.
Carlos Sainz won an action-packed Mexico City Grand Prix last time out, as Ferrari took their second consecutive win and narrowed the gap to McLaren in the constructors’ standings.
But the main talking point was another contentious clash between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. The Red Bull driver, leading the world championship, was handed a 20-second penalty and finished sixth, with Norris coming home in second to cut the deficit in the standings to 47 points.
Charles Leclerc finished third, with Lewis Hamilton in fourth. The seven-time F1 world champion returns to one of his favourite tracks this weekend, on what is the fifth sprint weekend of 2024. Oscar Piastri is on pole for the Saturday sprint.
Follow all the latest updates from the Brazilian Grand Prix with The Independent
Start times this weekend in Brazil:
All times GMT
- Sprint race: 2pm
- Qualifying: 6pm
Kieran Jackson1 November 2024 22:47
What is the starting grid for the Brazil GP sprint?
Kieran Jackson1 November 2024 22:30
George Russell reveals one driver against changing F1 racing rules ‘today’
George Russell has said “19 out of 20” drivers in Formula 1 agree on the sport changing its racing rules “today” if necessary.
Racing rules have been under the microscope after the last two grands prix, where Max Verstappen and Lando Norris were penalised for battling intensely.
Kieran Jackson2 November 2024 08:00
Lando Norris’ spiky reaction to question about championship
Kieran Jackson2 November 2024 07:00
Max Verstappen ‘knows what he’s doing’ on track as he fires back at driving criticism
Max Verstappen said he is a “three-time world champion who knows what I am doing” after Damon Hill accused him of acting like Wacky Races villain Dick Dastardly.
A fired-up Verstappen also hit back at his critics for being “bias” and “very annoying” after his driving tactics were placed in the spotlight following his combined 20-second penalty for forcing rival Lando Norris off twice in Mexico.
Kieran Jackson2 November 2024 06:00
What is the starting grid for the Brazil GP sprint?
Kieran Jackson2 November 2024 05:00
Lewis Hamilton ‘jumped at the opportunity’ to drive Ayrton Senna’s McLaren
Lewis Hamilton said he is braced for an emotional evening when he drives his idol Ayrton Senna’s world-championship winning McLaren at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Hamilton will complete a demonstration run in the red-and-white McLaren that carried Senna to the second of his three titles in 1990 in Interlagos on Saturday.
Kieran Jackson2 November 2024 04:00
Helmut Marko on Max Verstappen grid penalty
Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko suggested that switching out Max Verstappen’s engine for the Brazilian Grand Prix could end up being beneficial to the team as the circuit is one which favours overtaking.
He told ORF: “The engine we had in there [for the Mexican GP] was no longer intended for the race.
“The older an engine gets, the more its performance diminishes […] We saw that we were missing 3-8kph on the straights.
“The penalty would be five places. That wouldn’t be so severe in Brazil, for example, where you can overtake relatively easily.”
Kieran Jackson2 November 2024 03:00
Red Bull weigh up surprise wildcard option for 2025: ‘He was faster than Franco Colapinto’
He hasn’t finished higher than sixth in any of the nine races since that extension despite teammate Verstappen finishing inside the top six in every one of those races – winning two and finishing second in two others.
Kieran Jackson2 November 2024 02:00
Christian Horner on Red Bull ‘supporting’ Perez
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has been one of Sergio Perez’s biggest supporters but even he appears to be losing patience with the Mexican, who has endured a terrible year this season.
“I think we have done everything we could to support Checo [Perez] and we will do the same this weekend in Brazil,” said Horner. “But there comes a point where you reach a limit.
“There comes a time when difficult decisions have to be made. We are now third in the constructors’ championship. We are determined to win again, but that will be hard work in the next four races.”
Kieran Jackson2 November 2024 01:01
