Race Highlights | 2025 Sao Paulo Grand Prix

And our battle in Brazil begins when the five red lights go out. The Sao Paulo Grand Prix is underway and we're racing down to turn number one. Antonelli does not get the launch off the line, but Lando Norris felt the need to go to the inside line. He chops across. It's very, very close between Hajar and Piastri. And Hajar backed out of it there significantly, knowing that he was racing a championship contender. Liam Lawson has got up to 6th position.

Antonelli's weaving to try and get temperature in the tyres. Still Hajar puts the pressure on Oskar Piastri, but he's maintained 4th position. Norris, Antonelli, Leclerc and Piastri, the top four. That's George Russell trying to go Lawson, who's come through. So both racing bulls went on the offense from the start. Alonso is running wide, will rejoin there, but also trying to scrap for a place in the top ten.

Brave from Piastri on that first lap. Hadja's got nothing to lose. He's on a soft tyre. felt like a risky move, but he left the space and is rewarded with fourth position still. Oh, the home favourites in the barrier! We had a mixed up grid, we got a safety car. There's Lewis Hamilton with loads of damage in the background. So Hamilton has tripped over someone. Oh, and that is such a shame for Gabriel Bortoletto.

That's the closest a barrier is really at any part of the infield section. And then in the end, the contact with the Aston Martin.

It's trying to push me out.

Yeah, he just turned me so I was not there.

Whoa, that's big speed.

15th and final turn of the racetrack. Hamilton trying to pull out of the slipstream and get past the Alpine. This is what it looked like on board. Colopinto is the carpine. This is what it looked like on board. Colopinto is the car ahead. Oliver Behrmann getting to the inside of Pierre Gasly. Behrmann hoping for more yesterday. Still equalled his personal best in Formula 1 qualifying. And here he goes. But I don't think there's going to be much breathing room down to turn number one.

Charles Leclerc's got to run. Oscar Piastri's got to run. Three wide into turn number one. How brave is Piastri feeling? He hits Antonelli, who hits Charles Leclerc, and Piastri will be up to second position. But that's a dramatic moment, and there's no tyre on the Ferrari for Charles Leclerc. Piastri went all in, and contact with the top two.

As they plummet down the hill, it's Norris and Piastri, the top two in the race! Antonelli holds on ahead of Hajar, so the racing bulls move on even more. Has he got damage? Hajar applying pressure, Lawson applying pressure too. Oh, it's a brave move from Piastri again. I think he had to go for it there. He had such a good run on the safety car restart. Leclerc has to back off because he's going to clear Antonelli before the start-finish line. Piastri's down the inside. It's obviously unlucky there for Leclerc. It's a tangle between Antonelli and Piastri.

Piastri is there on the inside. He locks up in the end because he realizes Antonelli's going to come across and he doesn't want to tangle. Oscar Piastri has been given a 10-second time penalty. This is Yuki Tsunoda. Oh, with the instant and then he's going to tag round Stroll. It's a 10 second time penalty for Yuki Tsunoda for causing a collision. Verstappen has come into the pit lane and he has changed to the medium tyre. So we think we picked up a front right puncture, Max, and that was a breeze up to the box.

The virtual safety car is ending. it can be withdrawn at any moment. It's not the start-finish line for this and the two contenders for the title are separated by hardly anything down at turn number one. Lando Norris having to check his mirrors because Oscar Piastri will just continue the aggressive form. He's got no choice now. DRS is enabled. There are a crucial couple of laps coming your way. Russell's just cleared Lawson. That's what's happened on that restart.

So Lawson dropped back. Russell's got more grip and more speed and he'll get DRS again. And this time he's got an inside line, which is dry in sharp contrast to yesterday. Through goes George Russell to fourth position.

Verstappen on Hamilton.

This is the battle for 15th position, but Hamilton's looking for moves. That's a lay-breaking move from Oliver Behrmann to take P6. And if we wait back, we'll see Max Verstappen doing the same thing. 15th position for Max Verstappen. He gets past Hamilton, who's got damage on the car. Another position about to be gained by Max Verstappen. Oliver Behrmann has come into the pits. Oliver Behrmann has come into the pits.

Carlos Sainz has come into the pits. And it now means that Max Verstappen takes his place back in the points. The reason that they built this racetrack at this part of the world is because the ground shifts all the time. Another position shifts for Max Verstappen, who's gone from the pit lane to fifth.

As to the inside at Turn 1 goes Nico Hülkenberg. He goes past Fernando Alonso. Nico Hülkenberg here for a braking down into one. That was defensive from Alexander Albon. Oh, it's tight between the two of them, but Hülkenberg gets by and takes P6.

Both drivers yet to stop. Another great move at the first turn. This will be agony for Oskar Piastri, and then it is going to be such an important stop for McLaren. An exit of the pit lane. Max Verstappen takes the position on track. The driver who started from the pit lane goes past the man who started P4 on the grid.

Oh, is there going to be a gap?

Always epic when we cut to it late. Oliver Behrmann getting to the apex, got to leave a width for a car. Behrmann trying to get past Hülkenberg. Hülkenberg, who's been on these soft tyres for 12 laps. Behrmann on the more durable medium and it's fresher.

Now, can he go around the outside as we go to turn 4. Behrmann's run continues. There was room and Behrmann gets by. He's up to P7. And Verstappen, having held the lead from starting in the pit lane, hands it back to Lando Norris. Lando Norris takes back the lead. 2.5 seconds. Antonelli up to second.

Where does Verstappen come out? It's been a fairly vulnerable tyre this match so do your best. I'll take the loose. And Oskar Piastri is P6. This weekend looked really promising at the start. He was back to a good pace in practice. Going for the dive bomb move on Liam Lawson. Those two made contact one year ago. No problem this time. 36 lap old, medium tyres. Belong to Liam Lawson, that's why there's no contest

for Oliver Behrmann to get by. The driver who started from the pit lane, who is currently in P4 with the DRS open, heading to 200 miles an hour with Russell hugging the inside line and Max Verstappen getting by from the pit lane to the podium. It's inspired stuff at Interlagos once again for Max Verstappen.

Fastest in practice, sprint pole, sprint victory, Grand Prix pole and the Grand Prix win. Lando Norris wins the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Kimi Antonelli in the final metres. But Max Verstappen is charging up behind. It's the final metres of the Grand Prix and it's Kimi Antonelli who hangs on by three tenths of a second.

Amazing job, mate. Amazing job. The whole weekend on it.

Yeah, well done. Nice race. Well executed. Good job all weekend. On it. Yeah, well done. Nice race, well executed. Good job all weekend. Not quite a big enough gap for my liking though, so definitely some things to look at. Let's keep it going, Mexico.

Many were praising Mexico City as his finest drive and he acknowledges the team with another weekend to be so pleased with. The message on the radio though conveyed that he knows it is not yet done. His supporters in the crowd, euphoric with that one. And this was the Grand Prix last year, where he knew his title chances were over,

where he knew his title chances were over, had been enhanced one year on.