WHAT TO LOOK FOR AHEAD OF THE BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX
Lando Norris took back the championship lead from his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in Mexico, but only by one point. Piastri had led for most of the year, yet he has struggled in the last two race weekends, while Norris has been consistently strong. This creates a new pressure dynamic: Norris is now the one being chased.
Max Verstappen also closed the gap in Mexico, even though Red Bull were not very fast. His podium put him 36 points behind Norris, meaning one big result could completely change the standings, just like last year, when Verstappen turned things around at Interlagos in wet conditions.
The teams’ championship is just as tight. Ferrari sit second by a single point over Mercedes, and Red Bull are close behind. In the midfield, Racing Bulls, Aston Martin, Haas and Sauber are locked in a very close fight for sixth.
Driver line-ups for 2025 are still unfinished. Red Bull haven’t chosen Verstappen’s teammate, with Tsunoda, Lawson and Hadjar all in the conversation. Alpine also haven’t confirmed who will race next to Pierre Gasly.
Interlagos could bring rain again, just like last year, which means chaos is possible. With the Sprint, tricky weather, and passionate Brazilian fans, this weekend could play a major role in deciding the championship.
This stage of the season always shows how one surprising result can flip the whole picture, and Interlagos tends to love surprises.
Weather at Interlagos
The 2025 São Paulo Grand Prix weekend looks set for mixed and unpredictable weather.
Friday will start mostly dry with clouds, but the risk of rain will rise during the afternoon. Showers, possibly with thunder, may arrive later in the day during the Sprint Qualifying. Temperatures will reach around 28°C, with a 40% chance of rain.
Saturday is expected to be the wettest day. There is a high chance of morning showers and some storms, although the weather may calm down slightly later on. Strong winds could affect the cars, with gusts up to 75 kph. Temperatures should stay between 21°C and 27°C, and the rain chance is around 80%.
Sunday, race day, should be cooler and calmer. Light rain is possible in the morning, but conditions are likely to improve for the race itself. The race is expected to start at about 18°C, with only a small chance of a brief shower.
What is Pirelli bringing to Brazil
Pirelli is bringing harder tyres to São Paulo this year, because the tyres wore out very quickly at this track 12 months ago.
After a week off, Formula 1 is back in the Americas for the São Paulo Grand Prix. This weekend uses the Sprint format and is the second-to-last Sprint of the season before Qatar.
For this year, Pirelli is returning to a harder tyre choice. The compounds are one step harder than in 2024, the same as what was used two years ago. C2, C3 and C4 will be the Hard, Medium and Soft tyres.
Last year the drivers didn’t use dry tyres in the race, but on Friday and Saturday morning the tyres suffered heavy wear, with a lot of graining on the rear tyres. The track had been fully resurfaced, making it very smooth, even though it still had many bumps. This new surface had less grip than in past years.
If the track conditions are similar this weekend, and taking into account that the asphalt has aged a bit, the harder tyres should last longer and keep their performance for more laps. This also gives the Soft tyre a better chance to be useful, instead of being used only for the Sprint Qualifying session.
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