Sao Paulo Grand Prix: Lando Norris wins sprint after Oscar Piastri crashes out in Interlagos

Despite rain overnight, the track, although damp, was initially dry enough for slick tyres, and Norris held off Antonelli and Piastri in qualifying order, with Verstappen moving up to fifth ahead of Alonso and behind Russell.

Piastri’s accident occurred when he caught his inside wheel on the curb in Turn Three, causing his car to instantly spin and crash into the barriers.

He sat in the car with his fingers in his visor, lamenting the potential damage to his title hopes.

“I’m just trying to put this behind me,” Piastri said. “There are a lot more points on offer tomorrow, so the better job I can do to find myself a good starting point, the better.”

It was his fifth major mistake in as many races, following a crash-filled outing in Baku in September and a crash at the start of the sprint race in Austin three weeks ago.

Since Piastri won the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August, Norris has accumulated 43 points over his teammate over five weekends and one sprint race and has built strong momentum in the championship.

Although the yellow flags flew, both Hulkenberg and Colapinto made the same mistake, each hitting the barrier slightly earlier than the previous car.

For the restart, Norris and Alonso switched to soft tyres, while the Mercedes and Ferrari drivers and Verstappen chose medium tyres.

Medium tires were a better choice; Norris came under pressure from Antonelli in the closing laps but was able to fend him off.

Alonso faced even tougher pressure from the Ferraris, but his defenses eventually cracked when he locked up a wheel in Turn One and Leclerc was able to overtake him and pass on the inside in Turn Four.