2025 F1 Sao Paulo GP LIVE - Sprint Race: Piastri crashes out

Replays show Norris did run over a patch of water that lifted it out of the grooves and onto the surface-patch of the kerb and the inside line.

It was enough water on track for spray to splatter Antonelli's helmet before Piastri's runs over the kerb, gets a puff of spray onto his left front tyre and as he turns it spins him around. Not much he could have done short of changing his line.

The jury is out on whether Piastri was responsible for his crash.

On the one hand, the sketchy conditions are hard to read when you can't see standing water in the kerb, but on the other is it his job to avoid the risks? 

The fact two more cars crashed as well suggests the conditions had changed compared with the last lap, but you can't blame anyone for that.

Regardless, this is not only a blow to Piastri's title hopes, it's another bad result in a run of lacklustre performances for the Aussie just when he needed his bulletproof consistency to shine

Still a race to be run here but a win for Norris - who was in control at the front at the time of the stoppage - would see him extend his lead over Piastri to a useful nine points.

If Verstappen finishes fourth, meanwhile, he slips 39 points behind Norris, but closes to 30 points to Piastri

1- Norris

2- Antonelli

3- Russell

4- Verstappen

5- Alonso

6- Leclerc

7- Hamilton

8- Stroll

------------

9- Gasly

10- Albon

11- Hadjar

12- Bortoleto

It was a solid hit for Piastri and an even bigger one for Colapinto, who causes significant damage to his Alpine.

Hulkenberg also struck the wall hard enough to remove the front-wing but recovered to the pit-lane.

Lots of activity in the pit-lane as the drivers prepare for a restart with 16 laps remaining 

Not for Piastri and Colapinto though, they are OUT

Kimi Antonelli claims it was Lando Norris who ran wide at Turn 2 onto the kerb, which spread the track with water that had accumulated in the kerbs.

That lack of adhesion could have been enough to force Piastri around, though replays show the Australian was also taking the kerb hard - enough to cause it to spray up on his left front tyre.

Colapinto and Hulkenberg also dipped their tyre onto the watery kerb and the result was three cars in the barrier

Further back, Leclerc is putting pressure on Alonso for sixth place with Hamilton in game pursuit.

Replays of the start show both Aston Martins really bog down with both Alonso and Stroll losing ground at the lights

DRS is enabled despite some patches that are damp enough to kick up spray just on the curve down the home straight.

Norris has Antonelli teetering either side of that magic one second mark to get out of DRS, the same for Piastri to the Italian ahead. 

Russell and Verstappen are already out of DRS zone from their cars ahead

Norris leads across the line by 0.7s but Antonelli is keeping him very honest as Piastri loses ground to the Mercedes in these very early stages.

Further back, Leclerc and Hamilton are up to seventh and eighth, behind Alonso. Stroll and Hulkenberg in the top ten but just outside the points

Everyone makes it through the first turns safely despite the damp patches and in terms of the top four, it's as you were.

Brief yellow flag after Lawson tips Bearman into a spin at Turn 3, but he continues

Norris leads into Turn 1, followed by Antonelli, Piastri and Russell - Verstappen up to fifth

The tyre warmers are off and we can see who has chosen what

Both McLarens, Astons and Hulkenberg has gone for Medium

Both Mercedes', Verstappen, Leclerc and Hadjar are punting on the soft

Just seconds to go before we are lights out for the Sprint Race in São Paulo - get strapped in!

What of Ferrari? Well, Charles Leclerc in eighth and Lewis Hamilton in 11th suggests there will be relatively little to gain for the team in this short Sprint and will instead focus on getting data for a better show in this evening's qualifying session.

Or several front runners could bosh themselves out of contention up ahead and Ferrari come away with two strong results, a la Austin

Aston Martin can also feel bullish about its chances after Fernando Alonso took fifth place, the Spaniard no doubt hoping he can survive Turn 1 after crashing out early on the last time he qualified well in a Sprint (fifth in COTA).

A shout out to Lance Stroll, who despite being unable to break the run of being out-qualified by Alonso - that's now 33 consecutive qualifying sessions - is up in seventh place, a rare highlight in a season peppered with Q1 exits.

Beyond the title contenders, Mercedes look like being McLaren's biggest rivals this weekend.

A great effort by Kimi Antonelli to steal a march over George Russell - who scored his first F1 win here in 2022 - but both look poised in second and fourth.

Indeed, perhaps the most crucial part of this race will be the start - and not just a test to see who can react to the lights fast enough.

The cambered nature of the rolling start-finish "strurve" (that's straight and curve) means there are a mix of damp patches on various grid slots - some will get dry underneath them, others won't. 

It's another thing to consider on top of the fact there is already lots to think about off the line at Interlagos with some cars starting on an ascent, others on the descent and those at the back on a slight bend.

Then there is the steeply angled Turn 1 left-hander to navigate.

It invites multiple racing lines, especially at the start... a bit like COTA, and we all know what happened there

The cars are venturing onto track for their sighting laps to see where those damp patches are, but while some have headed out on intermediates, others are happy enough with slicks.

Right now, the dampest parts of the track stretch between the final and first corners - including the grid - so it looks like it'll be a slick start if the weather stays as it is

Carlos Sainz and Yuki Tsunoda will get their Sprint Race underway from the pit-lane

Sainz qualified at the back of the grid so has taken the opportunity to make a few set-up changes, while Tsunoda is reportedly the guinea pig for Verstappen's race tomorrow as Red Bull put him on a more aggressive set-up to feed back to his team-mate.

Yes, the weather is a factor in Brazil.

Not terribly surprising, anyone who has watched F1 will know the weather can turn very nasty in São Paulo just in time for racing - anyone would think Mother Nature is a hardened fan.

On this occasion, it's the tail-end of a cyclone that has everyone looking to the skies in São Paulo, though right now it is damp in patches but it isn't raining. 

But that could change... and it remains to be seen how quickly the track will completely dry. Still half an hour to go.

If it does, all eyes on Verstappen - remember his charge from 16th to third in just 16 laps back in 2016.

This isn't just an orangey two-horse race though, the ever-looming Max Verstappen and Red Bull make for a terrifying external foe.

The Dutchman has been slashing at what was at one stage a three-figure gap to the top in recent races, the margin now down to 36 points.

In short, a DNF for either Norris or Piastri in any one of the next four rounds and Verstappen is very much right back in it. 

Some relief for McLaren in Brazil though - Verstappen isn't having a terribly strong weekend as he struggles with his (quote, unquote) 'undriveable' car

Semantics aside, he has qualified sixth for the Sprint, but even from there he can't be discounted.

Oh, and it might rain...