Ferrari disaster hits new low: Sao Paulo GP winners and losers

Lando Norris further extended his F1 world championship advantage with a crucial victory in an action-packed race in Brazil.

Here are our biggest winners and losers from a thrilling Sao Paulo Grand Prix…

Winner - Lando Norris

Norris’s second consecutive victory has seen him take control of the 2025 world championship with three races to go thanks to a perfect weekend in Brazil.

The Briton scored the maximum 33 points on offer by winning both the sprint and grand prix as he moves 24 points - nearly a full race victory - clear of McLaren teammate and nearest rival Oscar Piastri.

Norris has momentum on his side at a crucial stage of the season and appears to have one hand on the world championship trophy.

Loser - Ferrari

An absolutely awful Sao Paulo Grand Prix for Ferrari, who are left licking their wounds after both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton retired. 

Leclerc was running third but was taken out when Piastri knocked Kimi Antonelli into the Ferrari, causing race-ending damage. Hamilton was also in the wars, running last after two separate early clashes, the second of which earned the seven-time world champion a five-second penalty. After that punishment was served, Ferrari opted to retire Hamilton, who was carrying significant floor damage to his SF-25.

The result has not only seen Ferrari drop behind Mercedes, but also be leapfrogged by Red Bull and fall to fourth in the constructors’ championship.

Winner - Max Verstappen

Another stunning comeback drive from Max Verstappen in Sao Paulo. The four-time world champion made the most of a fresh engine and set-up changes to his Red Bull to finish third after starting from the pit lane and suffering an early puncture.

It was the latest extraordinary performance from Verstappen, who even led at one stage as he added to his growing catalogue of great drives. However, the Dutchman is now 49 points behind Norris and probably out of title contention.

Loser - Oscar Piastri

Piastri’s championship hopes appear to suffering a slow death. It was another messy weekend from the Australian, who crashed out of the sprint race, before picking up a costly penalty that ruined his afternoon on Sunday.

Without the 10-second penalty, Piastri would have finished second and lost less ground to Norris. The result leaves Piastri with a mountain to climb to overturn his form slump and championship deficit.

Winner - Kimi Antonelli

A great drive from Antonelli as the 19-year-old Italian secured his best result in F1 to date with second place. 

Antonelli resisted huge late pressure from a charging Verstappen to hold onto a deserved P2 that underlined the recent encouraging progress the rookie has made. 

With George Russell coming home fourth, Mercedes have regained second in the constructors’ championship.

Loser - Yuki Tsunoda

Another torrid afternoon for Yuki Tsunoda, who picked up not one but two 10-second time penalties on his way to finishing a lowly 17th and last in Brazil. 

The Japanese driver was first penalised for colliding with Lance Stroll, before being hit with a second time penalty for failing to serve his initial punishment correctly (Red Bull admitted they touched his car too soon), compounding a miserable race on his side of the Red Bull garage. 

Winner - Oliver Bearman

Oliver Bearman drove another outstanding race to make it back-to-back top-six finishes by taking P6 for Haas. 

The young British star finished ‘best of the rest’ behind the two McLarens, two Mercedes and Red Bull’s Verstappen as he continued to boost his rapidly rising reputation.

Loser - Gabriel Bortoleto

A debut home race to forget for Gabriel Bortoleto. Having emerged unscathed from a violent, scary crash in the sprint race, the Brazilian failed to complete a single lap of Sunday’s grand prix after being nudged into the barriers at Bico de Pato.

Winner - Racing Bulls

A huge result for Racing Bulls in the tight battle for sixth place in the constructors’ championship.

Seventh and eighth for Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar gave Racing Bulls 10 crucial points that see them consolidate P6. The team’s potential blushes were spared after Lawson and Hadjar nearly wiped each other out on the final lap.

An impressive showing from Lawson who continues to show why he deserves to stay put for another year.

Loser - Aston Martin

Aston Martin were the biggest losers in the P6-P9 scrap which is now separated by just 20 points. A point-less race for Aston Martin leaves the Silverstone outfit 10 points adrift of Racing Bulls and just two clear of a resurgent Haas.