Norris extends lead after Piastri crash in Brazil

Norris wins sprint, Piastri goes hard into wall

Lando Norris won the sprint in Brazil. He thus increased his lead in the championship.

Oscar Piastri slid through turn 3 in the early stages and ended up in the tyre step. He ran over the run-out kerb at Turn 2, lost control and got the rear off as he drove through displaced water. Moments later, Nico Hulkenberg and Franco Colapinto also went off track at the same spot.

What exactly happened

On-board footage shows it clearly. Norris drove wide and almost completely crossed the kerb with his left wheel. As a result, water was thrown off the kerb onto the track. Kimi Antonelli, who was second between the two McLarens at the time, reported over the radio that Norris hit the kerb and blew a lot of water onto the track.

Antonelli deliberately took more distance from the kerbs that lap. He said he tried to avoid the kerbs throughout the race because it was very tricky on the wet surface. Piastri was the first car behind Norris to cross the wet section. His rear broke away and he spun.

Reactions to the incident

George Russell later joked and compared it to a banana peel from Mario Kart. He jokingly called Norris ‘the smartest one on the grid’. This was not meant seriously; there is nothing to suggest Norris was intentional. However, the effect of the displaced water was real and visible.

Max Verstappen drove almost the same line as Piastri and suffered a big slide that he just managed to catch. Fernando Alonso also went through the water with his left rear wheel, but stayed on track. Hulkenberg took slightly more kerb than Piastri and also lost control. Colapinto had a big moment earlier in Turn 1 and seemed to be possibly off-line with some water on his tyres as a result.

Who were affected?

• Oscar Piastri: crashed and had to retire.
• Nico Hulkenberg: later also lost control and went off track.
• Franco Colapinto: lost grip after an earlier big moment and ended up in the wall.
• Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso: got off with a scare but escaped damage.

Championship implications

Piastri afterwards called it a ‘stupid or unfortunate mistake’. The damage is extensive. Where he might have finished in the top three, he is now nine points behind Norris instead of three. That difference is immediately felt in the standings.

Norris himself said the kerb is normally used, including in qualifying. In wet conditions, on the contrary, you normally try to stay away from the kerbs. He indicated he ran slightly wide once and saw the water coming onto the track.