Jacques Villeneuve names F1 star who was “really above the rest” at Sao Paulo GP

1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has heaped praise on Lando Norris for being “above the rest” during the Sao Paulo GP weekend.

Norris enjoyed a dominant weekend at Interlagos, converting pole positions in both races into victories.

It means Norris is now 24 points clear of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri with three rounds to go.

Max Verstappen is 49 points behind after a setup disaster earlier in the weekend left him knocked out in Q1.

Verstappen recovered to finish on the podium in Brazil, joining an exclusive club of drivers to do so from the pit lane.

The title is now in Norris’ hands, as he can afford to finish second in all of the remaining races to take the championship.

Villeneuve took to his Instagram account to review the race, praising Norris for avoiding mistakes throughout the weekend.

“No rain in Sao Paulo, but still an exciting start of the race, exciting until the end actually. Some chaos, like is always the case here,” he said.

“Lando, really above the rest. He drove for his championship this weekend, scored all the points he could, not a wrong foot put, really, really good.”

Villeneuve on Antonelli and Verstappen

Kimi Antonelli also enjoyed a strong weekend for Mercedes, his best of the season so far.

He secured second on the grid for both races and converted it into top-two finishes.

It’s the first weekend of his rookie F1 season where he has convincingly out-performed teammate George Russell.

“Antonelli, super impressive as well. Didn’t crack under pressure, ahead of his teammate,” Villeneuve added.

“And what about Verstappen? Coming back, starting from the pits, an early puncture, and on the podium, and almost getting P2 as well.

“Very impressive, keeping his hope of a championship alive, super impressive.”