5 stories to keep an eye on during the São Paulo GP
It’s time for the last race weekend of the triple-header and the 21st race of the season. The São Paulo Grand Prix is considered one of the best races of the season because it is an old-school track where the drivers enjoy racing. With the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships dispute and the rain forecast possibility, the expectations around the Interlagos circuit are high.
1. The Championship battle
The Constructors’ Championship standings changed after both Ferrari drivers finished on the podium at the Mexico Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz in first and Charles Leclerc third. Lando Norris put the Papaya car in second. Now, McLaren leads by 29 points in front of Ferrari and Red Bull comes in third, 25 points behind the Maranello team.
2. Lewis Hamilton will drive Senna’s McLaren
Senna’s McLaren MP4/5B, from 1990, is already in São Paulo. Lewis Hamilton is the chosen driver to go around Interlagos in a tribute to the Brazilian driver who passed away 30 years ago. The British driver has honorary Brazilian citizenship and has always expressed his love for Senna, and is influenced by his driving style.
The tribute will happen on Saturday at the end of the official track activities, and it’s going to be a very special moment for the Brazilians. Besides this tribute, two other Brazilian drivers are going to be honored. Wilson Fittipaldi, former F1 driver who died in February, and Gil de Ferran, Indianapolis 500 winner and McLaren team member who passed away last year.
3. Max Verstappen double penalty
It felt like a déjà vu, when Lando Norris and Verstappen started fighting over the position in Mexico. The two incidents ended with the third time champion receiving a 20-second penalty in total. After the pit stop, Verstappen did a recovery race, but it was not enough to get on the podium, and finished in P6. Now the Dutchman leads the driver’s championship only by 47 points.
Verstappen will receive a five-place grid penalty because of an engine change. This will only impact Sunday’s race, which means that the driver number 1 will start the sprint race in the place he qualifies. After the race in Mexico, Red Bull’s senior advisor Helmut Marko explained that the Dutch driver was suffering from a lack of performance in his car and this penalty was already expected.
4. Perez’s Future on Red Bull
Sergio Perez had a weekend to forget in his home race. Now he and his contract with Red Bull are under pressure. Perez’s nightmare started in qualifying when he got knocked out in Q1. During the race, the Mexican started strongly, but a collision with Liam Lawson damaged his car and he ended up finishing in last position.
Sergio Perez’ awful results over the season are making Red Bull reconsider his seat for the 2025 season. At the end of the race, Team Principal Christian Horner, left the Mexican driver’s future up in the air even with a contract signed, “there comes a point in time that difficult decisions have to be made.”
5. Haas’ great weekend
This morning, Kevin Magnussen was unwell and Ollie Bearman took over his Friday driving duties. Bearman will remain with the Haas F1 team for Saturday’s sessions, competing in the Sprint Race and the team will review if Magnussen can come back for the Race Qualifying. The British driver had an impressive start and finished the first and only training session of the weekend in P3.
However, the surprise of the weekend in Mexico was the Haas’ performance work. Both drivers finished in the points and guaranteed the team sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship. For now, they are 10 points ahead of the RB F1 Team. Both Haas drivers have been scoring points in the last six races. In Mexico, Kevin Magnussen achieved his best result of the year, while Nico Hulkenberg has been driving consistently well.
Interlagos brings good memories for the American team, as in 2022, Magnussen secured the pole position for the Sprint Race after the Q3 sessions were rain-affected. And to make the race even more interesting this year, the weather forecast is showing potential rain for Interlagos over the weekend. A wet race can always change things around, as fans say.
