F1 Brazil GP LIVE: Sprint qualifying results and grid as Oscar Piastri snatches pole position
Max Verstappen and Lando Norris resume their battle for the drivers’ title, with Ferarri closing in on McLaren
The F1 season resumes in Sao Paulo in the Brazil Grand Prix after more drama between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris last week in Mexico City with the Briton cutting his rival’s lead.
Carlos Sainz stormed home to land victory at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez to bolster Ferrari’s hopes of beating out McLaren and Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.
The Spaniard bids to further enhance his reputation before his Scuderia departure, with Lewis Hamilton poised to join in 2025.
Hamilton, meanwhile, endured another setback as he continues to struggle head-to-head with Mercedes teammate George Russell and will be determined to pick up form before the season and his time with the Silver Arrows is out.
Follow all the latest practice updates and build-up to sprint qualifying at the Brazil Grand Prix below:
F1 Brazil GP LIVE: Sprint qualifying underway!
With dark clouds overhead, we are underway with SQ1 in Sao Paulo!
12 minutes, every car on medium tyres, and we will lose the slowest five drivers here!
Christian Horner ‘visits' Williams motorhome amid Franco Colapinto speculation
Christian Horner was spotted visiting Williams at the Brazil Grand Prix, according to ESPN Argentina.
Franco Colapinto has been linked with Red Bull and footage of the team principal further intensified the gossip in the paddock.
Colapinto will be swapped out by Williams for Carlos Sainz, leaving the Argentine with an uncertain future.
Red Bull has not finalised the lineup for their sister team VCARB after Daniel Ricciardo was dropped.
Liam Lawson’s contract expires at the end of this season and he could jump to Red Bull to displace Sergio Perez, making Colapinto an intriguing option.
F1 journalist Phillip Horton reports James Vowles has explained Christian Horner's visit due to the Red Bull chief’s desire to sample coffee sponsor's products.
Ferrari made the ‘wrong decision’ choosing ‘old’ Lewis Hamilton
Ferrari made the “wrong decision” choosing “old” Lewis Hamilton, according to former F1 driver Marc Surer.
“I would say yes,” the Swiss told Formel1.de. “If Hamilton comes, it will certainly be a very positive story at first. But in the long term, it is the wrong decision because Lewis Hamilton is getting old.
“You don’t get faster with age. You become more experienced, you may be able to do more tricks in the race. But the pure speed is lost, even if that’s only hundredths of a second per year.
“That’s why I’m convinced that Hamilton is no longer as fast as he used to be.”
Max Verstappen hits out at Johnny Herbert over ‘extreme accusations’
Max Verstappen has hit out at Johnny Herbert over what he describes as “extreme accusations”.
It comes after Herbert accused the Red Bull star of driving “over the top” with his aggressive style an “absolute no-no.”
“Well, now you know where he stands,” Verstappen said. “It’s pretty abnormal for him to say this, right?
“People act like I’m doing it all on purpose. But they can’t see inside my head. They are pretty extreme accusations. Yes, we raced hard. That’s right. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.”
Brazil GP practice updates - Christian Horner provides update on Sergio Perez future
“We’re doing our best to rebuild his confidence,” Horner says when pushed on Perez’s future.
“He had a horrible weekend in Mexico, it’s an older chassis, to give him that boost of confidence he’s a seasoned campaigner, he knows it’s a results-based business.
“This season has been under par, nobody is more acutely aware of this than Sergio, we’re trying our best to support him.”
What is a sprint race in F1 and how does qualifying shootout work?
The sprint format continues in Formula 1 this weekend as the Brazilian Grand Prix hosts the fifth sprint weekend of the 2024 season.
The sprint was first introduced in 2021 at Silverstone as a way of making more sessions over the course of the weekend competitive, with the target of driving interest in F1. In 2021 and 2022, there were three sprints a year.
The 2023 season introduced a new format. The number of sprint races were doubled to six, while Saturday was designed ‘sprint day’ - with a new “sprint shootout” qualifying session determining the grid for the sprint race. In addition, the result of the sprint race had no baring on the grand prix on Sunday.
However, the format has been tweaked again in 2024 and we will see it in action at Interlagos.
What is a sprint race in F1 and how does qualifying shootout work?
Fifth of six F1 sprint races will be held this weekend in Brazil
Norris hasn’t spoke to Verstappen since Mexico
Lando Norris finished second in Mexico City, with MAx Verstappen only able to manage sixth, allowing the British driver to move to 47 points behind in the title race with 120 to play for.
Norris described Verstappen’s driving during the race as “dangerous”, while McLaren CEO Zak Brown said the Dutchman’s attempts to keep his driver behind were “ridiculous”, adding “enough is enough”.
Norris revealed here that he has not exchanged a word with Verstappen in the 96 hours since their on-track clash.
“We’ve not spoken and I don’t think we need to,” he said. “I’ve got nothing to say. I still have a lot of respect for Max and everything he does. Not respect for what he did last weekend, but respect for him as a person and what he has achieved.
“But it’s not for me to speak to him. I’m not his teacher, I’m not his mentor. Max knows what he has to do. He knows he did wrong. Deep down he does. And it’s for him to change, not for me.
“The stewards did a good job. I think 99 per cent of people who watch Formula One and know Formula One agree with that. I don’t know what to expect this weekend. Obviously I hope for a cleaner battle than we had. But it’s not up to me.”
Will Ferrari go three from three?
Ferrari are on a hot streak with Carlos Sainz winning from pole position a week ago adding to Charles Leclerc’s triumph in Texas from fourth on the grid.
There are 34 points on offer in total for a sprint weekend, and Ferrari are expected to be quick again in Sao Paulo.
Can the Italian team make it three race wins on the bounce to put even more pressure on the fight for the constructors’ championship?
Hamilton set to drive Senna's title-winning car
The 2024 season marks 30 years since the death of three-time world champion Ayrton Senna.
Lewis Hamilton will driving the Brazilian’s 1990 title-winning McLaren MP4/5B for a special demo run after qualifying on Saturday, an experience he never thought he’d get to have.
“I never in a million years thought I’d ever get to drive Senna’s car here,” said the seven-time world champion.
Hamilton had hoped the experience would be a surprise for the fans, with the idea being he would wear a white suit and Senna’s iconic race helmet.
“It’s impossible to keep things quiet,” said Hamilton as the news leaked after of the Grand Prix weekend.
Horner on Red Bull ‘supporting’ Perez
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has been one of Sergio Perez’s biggest supporters but even he appears to be losing patience with the Mexican, who has endured a terrible year this season.
“I think we have done everything we could to support Checo [Perez] and we will do the same this weekend in Brazil,” said Horner. “But there comes a point where you reach a limit.
“There comes a time when difficult decisions have to be made. We are now third in the constructors’ championship. We are determined to win again, but that will be hard work in the next four races.”
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