Formula 1 returned to one of the most iconic venues in its history last weekend as it went racing once again at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace – more commonly known as Interlagos – for the Brazilian Grand Prix. The sport may have already anointed Kimi Antonelli as this year’s World Champion but there was still plenty to play for in Brazil. Second place in the standings was still very much up the taking with four drivers from three teams firmly in the mix. Elsewhere, Ferrari appeared to be on the brink of civil war while TGR Haas were in the midst of their own internal turmoil and those at the rear of the field became more determined than ever to secure a good result before the season came to an end.
The stage was set then for another dramatic weekend as this season of Formula 1 approaches its crescendo. Brazil, as always, delivered.
Here are The Paddock Chronicle’s Key Takeaways from Formula 1 in Brazil.
Lando Norris Returns to the Top
One week on from being replaced as Formula 1’s latest World Champion, Lando Norris put on a performance worthy of a Champion in Brazil. Not only did he take Pole Position for the third year in a row at Interlagos, in rather wet conditions, but he then stayed calm and collected throughout the Grand Prix to convert that pole position into a Grand Prix win.
Bettered by both Antonelli and Lawson at the start of the race, the McLaren driver didn’t let either the Mercedes or Racing Bulls drivers run away from him. Instead, he played a strategic game with his team and once past both of them following the last pit cycle, he proceeded to build up a gap at the front of the field.
His commanding win was reminisce of a few of his other Grand Prix victories, such as his dominant win in Mexico City last year. Norris now sits in sixth place overall in the Championship, just three points away from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. If he and McLaren can replicate this level of performance next season, they may have a shot once again at the title.
Red Bull’s Masterclass
Starting from twenty-first place due to penalties as a result of a new power unit, Max Verstappen was once again presented with the opportunity to perform one of his Brazil masterclasses. The Dutchman proceeded to do so, carving his way through the field over the course of the race to ultimately finish in second place.
A lover of wet and mixed conditions, it’s the second time we’ve seen Verstappen do something like following the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia earlier this year. But the car was not to Verstappen’s liking and despite his second place result, the Red Bull driver was unhappy with how he achieved it.
On the other side of the garage, Isack Hadjar secured his third podium of the season, following a very strong qualifying performance. He and Verstappen worked well together in yet another example of the kind of partnership Red Bull had been looking for prior to this season. It also marked the team’s second double podium of the season, keeping them firmly ahead of McLaren in the Constructor’s Standings. Much like McLaren, if they can hit the ground running next season, both Championships are up for grabs.
Mercedes Take the Constructor’s Title
Mercedes needed to outscore Ferrari by three points this weekend to become Constructor’s Championship for the ninth time. That they did and in doing so, equalled the number of Championships won by Williams over the course of their history so far. Only McLaren and Ferrari now have more Championships than they do.
Despite wrapping the Championship up here, neither Mercedes driver finished on the podium. Both Antonelli and Russell were plagued with mysterious car issues during the race – although whatever they were didn’t seem to hamper them too much. They finished fifth and fourth respectively. Mercedes haven’t won a Constructor’s title since 2021 and unless the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull can make significant improvements next year, we may have just witnessed the beginning of another dominant streak for the Silver Arrows. Toto Wolff will certainly be hoping that that’s the case.
Lawson Continues to Rise
A driver somehow without a seat on the grid for 2027 at the time of writing, Liam Lawson continues to impress. Rain is often called the great equalizer in Formula 1 as it puts all of the drivers on a level playing field, with just their wits and skill behind the wheel to support them. So for Lawson to qualify in third place for the Brazilian Grand Prix, ahead of the likes of Antonelli, Piastri and Russell, was nothing short of sheer brilliance and a testament to his abilities.
He finished seventh in the Grand Prix (the seventh time he’s done so this season) but with drivers such as Russell and Verstappen ahead of him, who should already have been there really, it’s yet another result that shows the Kiwi as the best of the rest. He has over double the points of nearest rival behind him in the Championship Pierre Gasly and is only thirty three points behind Hadjar.
One has to wonder what more he has to do to prove his worth to Racing Bulls or the team may risk losing him to a rival.
Opportunities Seized & Squandered
Given the precarious conditions across the weekend in Brazil, the Grand Prix was ripe for some surprise results. Qualifying certainly provided us with that as Audi’s Nico Hülkenberg lined up in fourth place on the grid, alongside Liam Lawson, and Fernando Alonso performed a biblical miracle to put his Aston Martin in eighth place for the race on Sunday.
The Grand Prix sadly didn’t mix things up further but still managed to keep things interesting. Hamilton made up nine positions in the first half of the first lap of the race after having started from twentieth place due to technical penalties. Leclerc too had penalties but recovered to eighth while Hülkenberg was just able to hang on for a single point in tenth place.
Neither Williams, Aston Martin, Cadillac or TGR Haas drivers were able to capitalise on the chaos of Brazil, all having weekends that they’d rather forget.
Brazilians Aplenty
Brazil has a long and successful history in Formula 1. Heading into this weekend, Brazilians were already looking forward to home hero Gabriel Bortoleto racing at his home Grand Prix for a second time, along with adopted Brazilian Lewis Hamilton.
But the good news kept coming for Brazil with the confirmation that Rafael Câmara would make his Formula 1 debut early for TGR Haas, replacing Esteban Ocon. It was the first time in a decade that more than one Brazilian was in F1 at the same time. So how did the Brazilians fare at their home Grand Prix?
Not brilliantly is the short answer. Bortoleto had trouble throughout the weekend, going off track in qualifying and then finished down in sixteenth in the race itself. Still, it was an improvement on last year. Câmara too went off-piste during qualifying when he crashed in Q2. He finished in twentieth place but at least too managed to make it to the end. It was just the adopted Brazilian in Hamilton who put on a show for the home crowd then with his ninth place finish and a near miss crash coming onto the start finish straight towards the end of the race.
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Formula 1 returns November 19th in Las Vegas for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Feature Image: Red Bull Content Pool