2025 Sao Paulo GP driver ratings: Kimi Antonelli comes of age in Brazil

Lando Norris produced another masterclass to move 24 points clear of McLaren teammate and F1 title rival Oscar Piastri at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

With three rounds and one sprint race to go, Norris can afford to finish in second at all of the remaining races.

Here's how we rated each driver's performance across the Sao Paulo GP weekend in Brazil: 

Lando Norris – 9.5

Lando Norris is driving like a Formula 1 world champion. Like in Mexico, he delivered when it mattered across the various qualifying and race sessions. Dare I say he has one hand on the title now?

Kimi Antonelli – 9.5

Kimi Antonelli delivered his most complete F1 race weekend to date. He drove beautifully in the sprint, pushing Norris all the way. He followed it up with a mature drive on grand prix Sunday, scoring his career-best result.

Max Verstappen – 9.5

Max Verstappen continues to show why he’s the class of the field - and in the GOAT debates. Starting from the pit lane, Verstappen drove an incredible race to come away with a podium. It’s a shame Red Bull were unable to nail their car setup earlier in the weekend, given his pace in the race.

George Russell – 7

In terms of raw pace, it was George Russell’s weakest weekend of the year. He was clearly the second-best Mercedes driver at Interlagos. The final part of his race on Sunday was hampered by a brake-related issue.

Oscar Piastri – 6

Oscar Piastri’s torrid run of form continued at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. He made another amateur mistake in the sprint, crashing out when running third behind Antonelli. After qualifying fourth, Piastri tried to make amends with an aggressive double overtake on Antonelli and Charles Leclerc. The stewards felt Piastri was to blame for the incident, handing him a 10-second time penalty as a result.

Ollie Bearman – 9

Ollie Bearman produced another magical race to come away with a top-six finish. While his sprint race was scrappy, given his incident with Liam Lawson, his Sunday drive was perfect. Ferrari will be very pleased that Bearman is on their books for the future.

Liam Lawson – 7.5

Liam Lawson was one of the few drivers to opt for a one-stop strategy. It ultimately paid off as he fended off teammate Isack Hadjar and Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg in the closing laps of the Sao Paulo GP.

Isack Hadjar – 8

Isack Hadjar produced another impressive qualifying lap to secure fifth on the grid. Unlike his teammate, Hadjar opted for a more conventional two-stop strategy, narrowly missing out on beating Lawson as a result. Overall, another strong weekend for the Frenchman.

Nico Hulkenberg – 8

Nico Hulkenberg is truly back on form, coming away from Brazil with another top-10 finish. His rating is marked down slightly due to his sprint race shunt. Aside from that, he drove well throughout at Interlagos.

Pierre Gasly – 9

Pierre Gasly was back to his best at the Sao Paulo GP this weekend. He was a consistent top-10 runner in a car that has often been the slowest on the grid in recent months. Magnificent.

Alex Albon – 7.5

Alex Albon cited a breakthrough in car setup after a tough couple of races. However, Williams appeared to lack pace compared to some of their midfield rivals - RB and Sauber in particular.

Esteban Ocon – 6

Unlike teammate Bearman, Esteban Ocon’s pace has been nowhere in recent races. Ocon was knocked out in Q1 as Bearman made it into the top-10 shootout yet again. Ocon will be keen to sort this form out or he risks losing his spot on the grid next year.

Carlos Sainz – 6.5

Having missed media day through illness, Carlos Sainz was already on the back foot heading into this weekend’s Sao Paulo GP. He was consistently the second-best Williams driver throughout.

Fernando Alonso – 8

Fernando Alonso overperformed during the sprint segment of the weekend, dicing with the two Ferraris. His hard-tyre start in the main race didn’t pay off, finishing out of the points after a brief off-track moment on Lap 1.

Franco Colapinto – 5.5

After weeks of steady progress, Brazil was a setback for Franco Colapinto. It wasn’t the weekend he wanted, coinciding with the announcement of his new deal with Alpine for 2026.

Lance Stroll – 6

A poor start in the sprint for Lance Stroll cost the Canadian a rare points finish. His Grand Prix was ruined after being spun by Yuki Tsunoda. Still, Aston Martin didn’t have the car to finish in the top 10 on merit at Interlagos on Sunday.

Yuki Tsunoda – 5

Another underwhelming weekend for Tsunoda. He was knocked out in SQ1/Q1 in both qualifying sessions. Unlike teammate Verstappen, Red Bull didn’t elect to start Tsunoda from the pit lane, meaning he was forced to race with a suboptimal setup.

Lewis Hamilton – 4.5

A really messy weekend for Lewis Hamilton. He was unfortunate to be knocked out in SQ2 on Friday, coming across teammate Leclerc, who had just spun. A good start in the sprint put him in the mix, ultimately finishing seventh behind Alonso. The remainder of the weekend was one to forget for Hamilton as he couldn’t make it into Q3. A poor start was compounded by contact with Colapinto, where Hamilton picked up front-wing damage. He was handed a penalty as a result, which didn’t make too much sense.

Charles Leclerc – 8

Leclerc was understandably frustrated that his Sao Paulo GP ended prematurely. He was caught up in the aforementioned Piastri-Antonelli incident, which damaged his front suspension. Still, another weekend where he kept Hamilton at arm’s length pace-wise.

Gabriel Bortoleto – 3

In terms of home races, there haven’t been any worse. Gabriel Bortoleto’s first F1 race on home soil didn’t go to plan. A major crash in the sprint meant he couldn’t take part in qualifying. His race then ended on the opening lap in what was an unfortunate incident.