In Pictures: Brazil 2025
Two weeks after the previous round, Formula 1 returned to the American continent for the São Paulo Grand Prix. The Brazilian weekend featured the penultimate Sprint of the year, ahead of the season’s final one in Qatar.
Brazil holds a special place in Formula 1, with its deep racing heritage and legendary champions who have left an indelible mark on the sport’s history. Interlagos, with its unique blend of straights and corners, once again delivered a thrilling spectacle, made all the more unpredictable by the sudden rain showers that so often shape the outcome here.
THE TRACK
The circuit, named in honor of Brazilian driver José Carlos Pace, measures 4.309 kilometers in length. Built between 1938 and 1940, its design drew inspiration from three classic venues: Brooklands in England, Roosevelt Raceway in the United States, and Montlhéry in France.
Interlagos stands out for its distinctive anti-clockwise layout, which the drivers tackled 71 times during the race. With 15 corners and a balanced combination of lateral and longitudinal forces, the circuit is not particularly harsh on tires, as loads are evenly distributed between the front and rear axles.
Its mix of fast straights and twisty infield sections creates abundant overtaking opportunities, though it also increases the likelihood of Safety Cars and on-track incidents. At this time of year, São Paulo’s weather is famously unpredictable, with frequent rain showers often forcing teams to switch to wet-weather tires.
Another defining feature of Interlagos is its notoriously bumpy surface, a consequence of being built on unstable ground. That characteristic adds yet another layer of complexity to car setup and tire management, making this track one of the most demanding and fascinating on the calendar.
FRIDAY
McLaren’s Lando Norris narrowly edged out teammate Oscar Piastri by just 0.023s to go fastest in FP1, setting his time right at the end of the session. Both McLarens ran on the medium tire, the preferred compound for most competitors. Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg delivered a surprise by finishing third, while his teammate, local favorite Gabriel Bortoleto, impressed with a strong fifth place.
Red Bull and Ferrari took notably different strategic approaches. Red Bull was the only team to try the soft tires, although Max Verstappen aborted his flying lap on that compound. Both Ferraris, meanwhile, completed the hour-long session using only one set of hard tires, as track temperatures peaked at 41 degrees Celsius (106°F).
In Sprint Qualifying, McLaren’s championship leader Lando Norris carried his momentum forward to claim his first Sprint pole of the season, having already topped FP1. This made him the fifth different polesitter from the five Sprint events held so far this year. Interlagos has been a regular feature on the Sprint calendar since the format was introduced in 2021.
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli secured second on the grid for Saturday’s Sprint, crucially positioning himself between Norris and his teammate, and main title rival, Oscar Piastri. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, also in championship contention, could manage only sixth after losing time in the middle sector of his final run.
As per the regulations, all drivers used a set of medium tires for SQ1 and SQ2 before switching to the soft compound for SQ3, the first time that most of the field (apart from the Red Bull duo) had run them all weekend. Sprint Qualifying took place in ambient temperatures peaking at 38 degrees Celsius (100°F).
SATURDAY
Lando Norris converted his Sprint pole into victory in a complex race that was interrupted by a lengthy red flag period after only six laps.
Overnight rain had left damp patches on the circuit, particularly in the first corner, but all drivers opted for either the medium or soft slick tires for the 24-lap Sprint, which began at 11:00 a.m. local time under track temperatures of just 25°C (77°F).
The turning point came when Oscar Piastri went off at Turn 2 after clipping the curb, followed by Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg. Their incidents triggered a red flag for barrier repairs.
The race eventually ended under yellow flags after a heavy crash for Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto. Norris’s second Sprint win of the season, after Miami, extended his championship lead over Piastri to nine points.
Following his Sprint victory in the morning, Norris carried his momentum into the afternoon to take his second pole position of the Brazilian weekend, having topped all three qualifying segments. In the closing seconds of Q3, he was joined on the front row by Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc secured a top-three grid position for the third consecutive race. Conditions remained tricky throughout the qualifying hour, with gusty winds and track temperatures peaking at 41°C (106°F). After a brief delay to repair barriers damaged in a support race, Q1 got underway with both soft and medium compounds in use, though all drivers ultimately completed their final runs on the softest tire.
The biggest surprise came when Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was eliminated in Q1, while Haas driver Oliver Bearman impressed by topping the time sheets for much of Q1 and Q2. In the decisive Q3 session, Piastri initially went fastest after the first runs, but Norris recovered from a lock-up on his opening lap, leaving him last, to post his personal best time of the weekend when it mattered most.
SUNDAY
A wide range of tire strategies involving all three compounds helped make the Brazilian Grand Prix one of the most thrilling races of the season, with action all the way to the finish line.
McLaren’s Lando Norris completed a perfect weekend by taking his second consecutive race win, extending his championship lead. Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli scored the best result of his young career with second place, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was voted Driver of the Day after charging from the pit lane to finish on the podium.
Tire strategy played a decisive role in the cool and challenging conditions, with light drizzle early in the day and track temperatures that never rose above 29°C (84°F).
At the start, all three compounds were represented on the grid. Starting second, Antonelli opted for the soft tires to try to out-drag polesitter Norris, who began on the mediums. However, a Safety Car on the opening lap, followed soon after by a Virtual Safety Car, neutralized the early action and reduced tire energy demands at a crucial stage with cars still heavy on fuel.
Verstappen, starting from the pit lane on hard tires with a fresh setup and new engine, climbed to midfield by lap 10 but was forced to pit early for mediums after picking up a slow puncture from debris scattered during several early incidents. His comeback effort had to start all over again.
The battle at the front was largely between the two McLarens, both running identical two-stop strategies (medium–soft–medium). However, Oscar Piastri’s challenge was hampered by a controversial 10-second penalty for his role in the incident that took Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc out of the race and triggered the Virtual Safety Car.
Verstappen ultimately employed a three-stop strategy, using all three compounds and charging from last to finish within 10 seconds of the lead after 71 laps.
A weekend of bold strategies, changing weather, and fierce competition, the 2025 Brazilian Grand Prix had it all. Here’s how it unfolded, in pictures:
NEXT STOP: LAS VEGAS 🇺🇸
Excerpts and media courtesy of Pirelli S.p.A. and official Formula 1 Team Press Offices. All images are credited to their respective copyright holders and used for editorial purposes only.
