The São Paulo Grand Prix Preview
- Teagan Crump
- Nov 5, 2025
- 3 min read
By Teagan Crump
As we prepare for the twenty-first round of the 2025 F1 season, let’s take a look at what you need to know and what happened at last year’s race.
This week’s São Paulo Grand Prix is at Interlagos, where it has been held consecutively since 1990 (with the exception of 2020 due to the COVID pandemic), will offer 71 laps of dramatic racing as the title battle edges closer and closer to completion.
2024 São Paulo Grand Prix recap
The 2024 race saw a wet and windy race with an aborted start following a spin and consequently getting stuck in the gravel for Aston Martin’s Stroll. There was then some confusion about the starting procedure with Norris, Russell, Tsunoda and Lawson facing an investigation after the race. Additionally, as a result of the extra formation laps, the race was cut down to 69 laps.
A Red Bull team member spoke to Max Verstappen on the radio, and claimed that:
“All sorts of procedures have been breached here Max, it should not have started.”
When the race eventually began, Russell stormed to the lead and several drivers scrambled for position. Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez faced a spin, but managed to keep his car going. By lap 2, Max Verstappen had already made up seven positions and made his way into the points.
Lap four saw ‘super sub’ Ollie Bearman spin and receive a ten-second time penalty for causing a collision with Colapinto.
On lap 26, Lawson was spun by Piastri, and the latter was handed a ten-second penalty. Just one lap later, Haas’ Hülkenberg also faced a spin as the heavens opened, a Virtual Safety Car was also thrown.
On lap 30, Ocon took the lead of the race and on lap 31 a full Safety Car was sent onto the circuit. This Safety Car proved critical, as Williams’ Colapinto suffered a heavy crash.
A red flag was shown on lap 32. It was also announced that Hülkenberg was shown a black flag, meaning that he was disqualified from the race. He faced a disqualification as he had received outside help when the marshals pushed his stricken Haas back onto the circuit.
Bearman spun and hit the wall on lap 36 following an over-confident move, he managed to get his Haas back on-track and finished the race. A hefty spin and crash for Sainz on lap 39 saw another Safety Car period.
Lap 43 was the Safety Car re-start and Verstappen claimed the lead. Norris went wide at the first corner and suffered as he descended down the order.
On lap 69, Verstappen crossed the finish line in first and was joined by the Alpines of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly. This was Alpine’s first double podium in 11 years.
What to expect at the 2025 São Paulo Grand Prix
Going into this race, four drivers are still mathematically able to claim the title- Norris (357 points), Piastri (356 points), Verstappen (321 points) and Russell (258 points). Whilst it looks unlikely that Russell will claim enough points to destroy the deficit, it does prove his idea that consistency is key within Formula One.
The weather for the race looks to be wet and cold, a far cry from the previous race at the Circuit of the Americas. If it does rain, fans may be treated to something similar to Max Verstappen’s 2023 ‘storm lap’, which quickly became one of the most iconic Formula One images.
This weekend is also a Sprint weekend, adding an electrifying element and opportunities for the title rivals to gain an advantage over one another. Max Verstappen could be seen as having a competitive edge, given that he has taken three victories (2019, 2023 and 2024) and a further three podiums. He also claimed victory from seventeenth position last year, an incredible feat that helped him claim the title.
Without a doubt, this weekend will offer incredible racing and an exciting yet tense atmosphere as we approach the final rounds of a very memorable season.
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