Sao Paulo GP talking points: Can Oscar Piastri fix F1 title slump?

A statement victory has resulted in a change at the top of the 2025 F1 drivers’ championship heading into the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Is Lando Norris the new title favourite?

Lando Norris reclaimed the lead of the world championship with four races to go after delivering a statement victory in Mexico City last time out.

After storming to pole position, Norris dominated from lights-to-flag to claim his sixth win of the season and put him one point clear of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in the title race.

Norris’s impressive performance across the weekend in Mexico continued a run of strong form from the Briton, who has clawed back 35 points on Piastri in the five events since his championship hopes looked to have gone up in smoke with a devastating retirement at the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August.

Since Zandvoort, which incidentally was the scene of Piastri’s last win, the pendulum of momentum has swung massively towards Norris, who has enjoyed not only an upturn in form, but also had a boost of confidence, at a crucial stage of the season.

Norris will be looking to further cement his bid to become world champion for the first time with another strong showing in Brazil, where last year his then-slim title hopes were crushed as Max Verstappen won from 17th, while he slipped from pole to sixth in a chaotic race.

Can Oscar Piastri stop the rot?

Piastri lost his grip on a world championship he had led since April’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - 15 races ago - after a difficult North American double-header.

The Australian has been out of sorts and struggling for pace across the past five race weekends, where he has been beaten not only by teammate Norris, but the other remaining championship contender - Verstappen.

Under increasing pressure, Piastri, who couldn’t put a foot wrong earlier this campaign, has been stuttering. It is now the Australian, not Norris, who is making little mistakes here and there, or indeed big ones in the case of his horror weekend in Azerbaijan.

Piastri’s seemingly cool, calm persona is being tested, as is his ability to recover from this run of setbacks. He is fast running out of time to turn things around, but must do so if he is to win a maiden world championship.

The most worrying aspect of Piastri’s slump is that he does not understand why he has a pace deficit to Norris, admitting it is a “mystery”.

"I've tried to change it up in the race in Mexico and once we analyse if it's effective or not that will hopefully help see some progress,” Piastri explained.

"The car's obviously not changed for a while so it's nothing to do with the car. Given how the pace has differentiated, clearly Lando has found it easier to dial into that and I haven’t.

"It's important to remember the other 19 races and the way I've been driving has been working pretty well. It's about adding some tools to the toolbox, rather than reinventing myself.”

A big opportunity for Max Verstappen?

On paper, the sweeping Interlagos circuit, with its mix of opening and closing fast sectors and tight midsector, should favour the McLaren, but Verstappen has a great record in Sao Paulo.

Last year, Verstappen produced a performance for the ages as he incredibly charged to victory from 17th on the grid to secure a crucial result on the road to clinching his fourth consecutive world title.

Verstappen has won the last two races in Brazil, as well as the 2019 edition of the race. He would have surely won in 2018 too had he not been taken out by Esteban Ocon as the Frenchman unlapped himself.

Brazil also features a sprint race, a format Verstappen excels in. Throw in the potential for unpredictable mixed weather, and it could prove to be a pivotal weekend in the title race.

If the ever-opportunistic Verstappen is going to pull off a miraculous fifth straight drivers’ crown, this feels like the kind of weekend the Dutchman could land a decisive blow should things fall his way.

Will Lewis Hamilton end his podium wait?

Lewis Hamilton will head to Brazil charged up with a point to prove after being left frustrated to be the only driver to receive a penalty for cutting a corner during the Mexico City Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion’s strongest weekend to date in Ferrari colours was ruined by a 10-second time penalty for “leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage” during a feisty duel with Verstappen early in the race.

Hamilton had qualified just behind Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc in third, and held the position prior to his battle with Verstappen and subsequent penalty, which dropped him out of the top-10 before he fought back to eventually finish eighth.

On a positive note, Hamilton feels he is finally on top of Ferrari’s 2025 car, and his recent performances underline that, even if the end result has not necessarily suggested it to be the case.

Hamilton loves Brazil and will be determined to bounce back and capitalise on Ferrari’s improved competitiveness of late. Will Interlagos be where the 40-year-old Briton finally ends his podium less-streak?

What else is up for grabs?

The 2025 constructors’ world title may already have been wrapped up in Singapore, but there is plenty left to settle behind world champions McLaren.

Ferrari moved back ahead of Mercedes after Leclerc’s second podium on the trot in Mexico, but it remains a tight battle for P2. Just 10 points cover Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull with four rounds to go.

Momentum has see-sawed between Ferrari and Mercedes in recent weeks, while Red Bull’s resurgence has brought them back into the picture, largely thanks to Verstappen’s stunning run of form.

Williams hold a distant fifth but are on course for their best finish since 2017.

The fight for P6 to P9 is equally intense, with just 12 points separating Racing Bulls, Aston Martin, Haas and Sauber. Amid a closely-fought midfield battle, any one of those four teams could emerge on top come the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi.

Haas are riding a high after three consecutive top-10 appearances and a double points finish in Mexico that was headlined by Oliver Bearman's outstanding drive to P4, which equalled the American outfit's best-ever result in F1. 

Alpine are cut adrift in last place and appear destined to finish as F1’s basement team in 2025.