Norris dominant, title in his hands
Lando Norris won again in Brazil. He was the strongest this weekend. He picked up two poles and two wins. In total, he scored 33 points. That gives him a very strong starting position in the championship. It now seems mostly up to him to lose the title yet.
The situation around Piastri
What happened
Oscar Piastri received a 10-second time penalty after contact in the race. The collision occurred after a poor restart by Antonelli. Antonelli was trapped on the outside by Leclerc. Piastri dived inside to grab a gap. As Antonelli closed slightly, Piastri tried to brake harder and stalled. That led to contact.
Was the punishment justified?
Many people think the punishment is too harsh. Three autos were involved in the incident. This makes it difficult to blame anyone entirely. The stewards pointed to locking brakes on Piastri. But without Leclerc's position and Antonelli's poor restart, the accident would probably have been different. Many commentators called it a racing incident.
In addition, Piastri was also unlucky in the sprint earlier. He went off track on a wet stretch. That wet track was partly caused by Norris pulling water out of the kerb. The whole weekend ended up costing Piastri 23 championship points compared to his teammate.
Verstappen's impressive remontada
Max Verstappen started the Grand Prix from the pit lane. Nevertheless, he drove to the podium. This was possible mainly thanks to a brand new engine and a smart strategic approach by his team. On the track, he had a lot of speed, especially at high speeds. This allowed him to pass several competitors and gain many places in the first corner. The comeback reminded some of Lewis Hamilton's strong performance in 2021.
Red Bull also deserves credit. The adjustments between Saturday and Sunday gave Verstappen the chance to limit maximum damage. The combination of extra power and a thoughtful strategy eventually earned him P3.
What this means for the championship
The implications of this weekend are huge. The gap to Norris has now become clear: Piastri is no longer on top. There are plenty of points ahead in the remaining races, but Norris has the initiative. Verstappen remains a threat as long as he competes mathematically.
Some analysts see parallels with Mark Webber's season in 2010. Then, too, a title contender lost part of his lead at the end due to bad luck and incidents. For Piastri, this is a warning signal: he needs to return to stable performance soon.
Main conclusions
- Norris had a dominant weekend and is much firmer in the championship.
- The penalty for Piastri is controversial; many people are calling it a racing incident.
- Verstappen showed an impressive comeback with a new engine and clever strategy.
- There are still points to be won, so the championship is not over yet, but Norris has the best papers now.
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