(Formula 1) – Lando Norris has further extended his championship lead after claiming victory in a gripping Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with the McLaren driver leading Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli home while Max Verstappen put in a remarkable comeback to finish on the podium after starting from the pit lane.

After making a good start from pole position, Norris continued to lead amid a hectic first few laps, with a Safety Car being deployed following a crash into the barriers for Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto at the Brazilian’s home race.

A Virtual Safety Car was then deployed after the restart due to another incident in which Oscar Piastri locked up and hit Antonelli, sending the Mercedes into Charles Leclerc who was forced to retire his damaged Ferrari from the race as a result.

Piastri subsequently received a 10-second time penalty for that collision in a race that saw a fascinating array of strategies play out – one of which involved Verstappen, who bounced back from an early puncture to climb his way through the order and challenge the frontrunners as the Grand Prix headed towards a thrilling climax.

While Norris crossed the line with a 10-second lead to clinch his seventh Grand Prix win of the season, a nail-biting duel played out behind between Antonelli and Verstappen for second place. Antonelli ultimately held on to claim a career-best P2, while Verstappen’s impressive afternoon ended with a P3 result.

The other Mercedes of George Russell was also under pressure from Piastri as the race headed towards its finish but managed to keep the McLaren at bay to take fourth, with Piastri having to settle for fifth on a day that perhaps could have brought more without his earlier penalty.

A strong weekend for Ollie Bearman saw the Haas racer cross the line in sixth, while the Racing Bulls pair of Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar boosted their team’s points tally in seventh and eighth respectively. An incident between the pair on the final lap was noted by the stewards, before it was decided that no further investigation was needed.

Nico Hulkenberg followed in ninth for Kick Sauber, and Pierre Gasly grabbed the final point on offer for Alpine in 10th. Just missing out was Alex Albon for Williams in 11th, who placed ahead of Haas’ Esteban Ocon and the other Williams machine of Carlos Sainz.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were well outside of the points in P14 and P16, with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto sandwiched between them in P15. Yuki Tsunoda was the final driver classified on a tough day for the Red Bull driver, in which he received a second 10-second time penalty after failing to serve a first one correctly.

It was a nightmare Sunday for Ferrari at Interlagos, the team leaving with no points following a double DNF. Lewis Hamilton retired the car in the pits midway through the race, having picked up floor damage in a Lap 1 incident that also saw him take a 10-second time penalty.

Bortoleto, meanwhile, was out on the opening lap following his aforementioned crash, which came about following contact with Stroll.