What Happened at 6 Winners and 5 Losers from Sao Paulo – Who got the party started in Brazil?

 

The Sao Paulo race track witnessed some incredible and unexpected actions. For some, the day was the most glorious in their careers, while others departed feeling very gloomy. 

There were a plethora of crashes, downpours, and surprising incidents during the race, which made spectators jump out of their seats. Let us narrate the names of the people who stood out as heroes and those who had a dismal day.​

Winners Who Made Everyone Cheer

Lando Norris Showed Up Big Time

Lando Norris had a blast in Brazil throughout the whole weekend. He snatched the best position and took all the points which placed him far ahead of the rest. The British racer has a whopping 24 points lead over his nearest competitor now. 

 

Norris was unbelievably quick all through the weekend and no one was able to overtake him. He took two poles and showed that he is at the top of the pack. Khelo24race viewers could see his power all through the race from start to end.​

Max Verstappen Never Gives Up

Max was a complete and utter master at driving despite his starting position being farthest back on the track. The four-time titleholder even experienced a flat tire early in the race at the same time he was still in the pits. Nevertheless, he continued to struggle and eventually took the third place which was quite an achievement indeed. 

 

He led the entire race for a short time. His car was equipped with a brand new motor and the crew had made some changes in the parts to increase its speed. Although he might not be able to catch Norris now, this race demonstrated once again the reason why he has always been regarded as so talented.

Kimi Antonelli Surprised Everyone

At the age of just 19, the young Italian had his most significant result ever. Antonelli took second place no one had expected. It was a great moment for the young driver who had proven his worth in the presence of the big guns. The audience erupted in joy when he finished in that position. 

 

Alpine Team Managed to Get Both Drivers on the Podium

The team could not remember the last time they saw their two cars in the top spots at the same time. Esteban Ocon came in second and Pierre Gasly in third during the primary race of November 2024. It was not until 2013 that they last matched this performance. The whole team must have celebrated the victory with a huge party after the race.

Esteban Ocon’s Comeback Was Powerful

The French pilot performed a surprise in Sao Paulo. Ocon, who started fourth, went on to lead the entire race for 14 laps. He then finished the race in second place which is his best result after a long time. 

 

The team made a free tire change for him during the red flag which was very advantageous to him in the front. Ocon is moving from Alpine to a new team next year so it was particularly sweet for him. He scored for a struggling team all season massive points. 

Pierre Gasly Went Up the Ladder

Gasly went off starting in 13th position but managed to get third in the end. The driver overtook 10 cars in the course of the race which is a huge challenge. The Frenchman had to be strong in his defense against George Russell in the closing laps to keep the third place. With his co-driver Ocon, they brought Alpine 33 points in one day. 

 

That is more than the entire season’s score for the team combined. Gasly commented that the entire team didn’t give up even during the toughest of times last year.

 

Losers Who Had a Rough Day

Ferrari Had Their Worst Nightmare

The Brazilian GP turned out to be a nightmare for Ferrari. The scenario couldn’t get worse as both drivers were unable to complete the race. Charles Leclerc who was in the third position lost his car after being hit by another car. 

 

At the same time, Lewis Hamilton suffered a crash and his car was too damaged after the accident that he had to retire. As a result of this chaos, the team became fourth instead of second in the overall standings. The mood at Ferrari was pretty sour after the race.​

 

Let’s summarize the major issues confronted by Ferrari:

• The two cars collided and were unable to continue
• They lost ground to two other teams in terms of points
• Heavy damage to both racing cars
• A lot of important points lost

Oscar Piastri Could Not Keep His Cool

Weekend of the Australian driver is one he’d rather not remember. On Saturday, he first crashed out of the shorter race. Then on Sunday, he received a 10-second penalty which destroyed his potentials. Without that penalty, he would have come second. Now he stands 24 points behind Norris, and the gap keeps increasing. Khelo24race viewers could see Piastri letting the pressure take its toll on him.​

George Russell Started Strongly But Then Slowly Disappeared

Russell was the first to cross the finish line at the very beginning of the race but eventually lost his position. During the course of the race, the car turned out to be very difficult to handle. Eventually, he came in fourth which is good but not what he was dreaming of when leading the race.​

Lewis Hamilton Was Completely Unlucky

The seven-time champion was involved in two different accidents early on in the race. After the second one, a five-second penalty was added to his troubles. His car had large fragments missing from the bottom which rendered it extremely slow. The Ferrari team just surrendered and retired him from the race.

Lando Norris Also Makes the Loser List

Wait, did we not just say Norris was a winner? Well back in November 2024 things were different. That time he started from the very front spot but only finished sixth. He had the pole position and even took the short race but could not handle the wet track. Max Verstappen came from way back to pass him and take the victory. That race cut his points lead by a lot.​​

What Made This Race So Special

Rain turned the world upside down and made it harder to decipher. One incident during the weekend saw five red flags stopping the action. The drivers who began the race at the back came to the front eventually. What a record – Max Verstappen went for the fastest lap 15 times in total which is incredible. It was impossible to predict what the next move would be.​​

 

There were a number of cars that cope with the wet track much better than some others. Those teams that opted for the right tire changes at the exact moment were granted with a huge advantage. A driver actually started from position 17 and was able to take over the whole field. This hadn’t been the case since 2005.​​

The Big Picture

Brazil provided us with one of the most thrilling races of the year. Spectators witnessed fantastic drives, unexpected collisions, and young drivers demonstrating their potential. The competition among the top teams became more thrilling as some drivers improved their positions while others lost theirs. 

 

The weather condition significantly influenced the fate of the drivers in terms of happiness and sadness. This circuit always creates situations full of excitement and 2025 was not an exception.