Norris edges Verstappen as McLaren takes sprint race 1-2 at Sao Paulo GP

Lando Norris claimed his first career sprint race victory at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Saturday, beating McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri and narrowing Max Verstappen’s Formula One championship lead by two points. Norris took the lead on lap 22 of the 24-lap race, after McLaren orchestrated a position swap that left Piastri fending off a late charge from Verstappen.

Norris crossed the line just 0.593 seconds ahead of Piastri, with Verstappen a further second behind and Charles Leclerc in fourth. Afterward, Norris credited Piastri, saying, “I’m not proud of it, but it worked well… and thanks to Oscar. He deserved to win, but it was good team work.”

Verstappen, who will start Sunday’s race with a five-place grid penalty, faced an additional complication with a potential Virtual Safety Car rule infringement late in the sprint. “The pace was good,” he said, “but it took a while to pass Leclerc. Now, I just need to limit the damage tomorrow.”

The race capped a strong day for McLaren, boosting them 35 points clear of Ferrari in the constructors’ standings and breaking Verstappen’s streak of four sprint wins this season.

(Source: AFP)