The 2024 Formula 1 season brought its Americas triple-header to a close with the Sao Paulo Grand Prix at the iconic Interlagos circuit, officially named Autódromo José Carlos Pace. This Brazilian classic, known for its undulating turns, unpredictable weather, and passionate fans, provided the perfect stage for a thrilling showdown between Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship contenders. With the Sprint format in play, drivers and teams had two opportunities to battle for points. A format which could prove advantageous for McLaren’s Lando Norris, who was seeking to gain valuable points on championship leader and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.
Race Guide
Race weekend: 1 November 2024 – 3 November 2024
Race date: Sunday, 3 November, 2024
Race start time: 14:00 local time
Circuit: Interlagos – Autodromo Jose Carlo Pace
Laps: 71
Circuit length: 4.309km
2023 winner: Max Verstappen
| Pole position | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | |
| Time | 1:23.405 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | |
| Time | 1:20.472 on lap 67 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | |
| Second | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | |
| Third | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | |
The Brazilian race weekend often delivers thrilling action, with the José Carlos Pace circuit offering numerous overtaking opportunities. Unpredictable factors like a high likelihood of Safety Cars and rapidly shifting weather conditions add to the uncertainty, making the race outcome difficult to predict. Concluding Formula 1’s 2024 tour through the Americas, following back-to-back races in Austin, Mexico City, and now Interlagos. A notable connection among these tracks is fresh asphalt: while Austin and Mexico City had partial resurfacing, the entire 4.309 kilometres of Interlagos, including the pit lane, had been entirely renewed. The resurfacing had been completed only recently, with high-pressure cleaning to reduce the usual sheen of new asphalt and increased surface abrasiveness.
Interlagos has hosted 40 Grands Prix, though only the most recent three have been designated as the São Paulo Grand Prix; the prior 37 were named the Brazilian Grand Prix, a title shared with Rio de Janeiro’s Jacarepaguá circuit, which held the race ten times.
Before the 2024 race, Alain Prost led with six Brazilian Grand Prix victories, though only one was in São Paulo. At Interlagos, Michael Schumacher held the record with four wins. Ayrton Senna had the most pole positions in Brazil with six, split evenly between the two circuits, and at Interlagos, he was matched by Felipe Massa, Rubens Barrichello, Mika Hakkinen, and Lewis Hamilton. McLaren stood as the most successful team overall with 11 wins, while Ferrari had nine wins specifically at Interlagos. McLaren also led in pole positions, with 11 across both circuits and nine at this weekend’s track.
Weekend schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 November 2024 | Free Practice 1 (FP1) | 11:30 am – 12:30 pm local time |
| 1 November 2024 | Sprint Qualifying | 3:30 pm – 4:14 pm local time |
| 2 November 2024 | Sprint Race | 11:00 am – 12:00 pm local time |
| 2 November 2024 | Qualifying | 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm local time |
| 3 November 2024 | Race | 2:00 pm local time |
Updated weekend schedule
It was all change come Saturday afternoon, when the regular Saturday Race Qualifying session was postponed until Sunday morning due to poor weather conditions with the race moved earlier amid chaos caused by the incoming weather forecasts.
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 November 2024 | Free Practice 1 (FP1) | 11:30 am – 12:30 pm local time |
| 1 November 2024 | Sprint Qualifying | 3:30 pm – 4:14 pm local time |
| 2 November 2024 | Sprint Race | 11:00 am – 12:00 pm local time |
| 3 November 2024 | Qualifying | 7:30 am – 8:30 am local time |
| 3 November 2024 | Race | 12:30 pm local time |
Before this weekend, it had happened five times in F1 history, and a German driver had secured pole position on every occasion!
| Pole Sitting Driver | Sunday Qualifying Session |
|---|---|
| Michael Schumacher | Japan 2004 |
| Sebastian Vettel | Japan 2010 |
| Sebastian Vettel | Australia 2013 |
| Nico Rosberg | USA 2015 |
| Sebastian Vettel | Japan 2019 |
In a rare Sunday qualifying session due to heavy rain on Saturday, Lando Norris narrowly avoided elimination in Q1, scraping through in 15th place. However, championship leader Max Verstappen was knocked out in Q2 after a crash by Lance Stroll at Turn Three. Compounded further by a 5-place grid penalty. The decision to stop the session took a contentious 40 seconds, during which Verstappen was relegated to the bottom five, unable to complete another lap. Norris capitalised on the chaotic Q3, which saw further red flags due to crashes from Alonso and Stroll. He clinched his seventh pole of the season, positioning himself with a solid opportunity to reduce Verstappen’s championship lead come the races chequered flag. RB’s Yuki Tsunoda unexpectedly qualified third, just behind the Mercedes of George Russell.
On Sunday, Max Verstappen charged from 17th on the grid to clinch victory at the São Paulo Grand Prix, bringing him within reach of a fourth world title in one of his most remarkable performances. Lando Norris endured a challenging race, finishing sixth after crucial mistakes, dropping 62 points behind Verstappen with only 86 left to fight for across the final three races. Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly rounded out the podium, revitalising Alpine’s season by propelling the team from ninth to sixth in the Constructors’ Championship. This chaotic, rain-soaked race—featuring a red flag, two safety cars, and numerous incidents—will be remembered not only as Verstappen’s 62nd career win but also as one of the greatest wet-weather victories in Formula 1 history.
Championship background
McLaren’s Lando Norris revived his championship hopes, narrowing the gap to 47 points behind Max Verstappen after an intense and controversial 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix, where Verstappen received two 10-second penalties for forcing Norris off track twice.
With only four rounds left in the season, Norris needed to continue chipping away at Verstappen’s lead and had a prime opportunity in Brazil. Interlagos, known for its overtaking-friendly layout, remained the only circuit as of 2024 to host a Sprint every year since the format’s 2021 introduction.
But the Verstappen-Norris showdown was just one storyline; Ferrari‘s back-to-back wins had also tightened the battle at the top, bringing the Italian team within 29 points of McLaren in the Constructors’ standings.
This format-packed weekend kicked off on Friday with Sprint Qualifying after a single practice session, followed by the Sprint and Grand Prix Qualifying on Saturday, and concluding with Sunday’s full-length race.
Race entries
2025 Haas driver Ollie Bearman replaced Kevin Magnussen for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend after Magnussen reported feeling unwell.
Aside from Franco Colapinto, who was now driving for Williams after replacing Logan Sargeant in Round 16, and Liam Lawson in for Daniel Ricciardo at RB after Round 18, and Bearman substituting for Magnussen, all the drivers from the start of the season took to the track during FP1, Sprint Qualifying, the Sprint Race, Qualifying, and the Grand Prix.
Tyre choices
In 2024, with a fresh track surface there would be an element of unpredictability for drivers and teams. Adding to the challenge, Pirelli had opted for a softer compound selection than in 2023, with the C3, C4, and C5 compounds serving as the Hard (marked White), Medium (marked Yellow), and Soft (marked Red) options. With only a single practice session due to the Sprint weekend format, teams faced limited time to optimise their setups, though the Sprint could help fine-tune car balance, as seen in Austin.
Interlagos’s 15 anticlockwise turns apply medium-to-low lateral and longitudinal forces on the tyres, evenly distributed across both axles. However, the new asphalt could contribute to lower lap times, thereby increasing the stress placed on the tyres, adding yet another layer of intrigue to the weekend’s race.
Typically, the fastest strategy at Interlagos had been a two-stop approach, favouring softer compounds. In 2023, almost every driver started on Softs, but an early red flag allowed many to switch to Mediums, finishing with another stint on Softs. In 2024 with even softer compounds, strategy options were more varied, promising added excitement.
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Free Practice
In FP1, Lando Norris set the fastest time in the only practice session for the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, while title contender Max Verstappen received confirmation of a grid penalty for Sunday’s race in Brazil. Norris clocked a 1:10.610 lap in the final minutes, edging out Mercedes’ George Russell by nearly two-tenths of a second, signalling strong form for the McLaren driver ahead of Friday’s Sprint Qualifying at Interlagos. While Oliver Bearman made an impressive debut for Haas, completing a British top-three after stepping in on short notice for the unwell Kevin Magnussen. Bearman would continue to fill in for Magnussen in both Sprint sessions.
Full Free Practice Reports
Free Practice 1 Classification
FP1 was held on 1 November 2024, at 11:30 am – 12:30 pm local time.
Sprint Qualifying
Oscar Piastri claimed pole position for the Sprint at the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix, edging out teammate Lando Norris to secure a McLaren front-row lockout. Despite leading much of Sprint Qualifying, Norris was narrowly beaten by Piastri, who snatched pole by just 0.029 seconds, marking his second Sprint pole position.
Charles Leclerc slotted into third, separating the McLarens from championship leader Max Verstappen, who ended up fourth, 0.320 seconds behind Piastri. Carlos Sainz took fifth, followed by Mercedes’ George Russell in sixth, with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and RB’s Liam Lawson completing the top eight.
Sprint Qualifying Report
Sprint Qualifying Classification
Sprint Qualifying was held on 1 November 2024, 3:30 pm – 4:14 pm local time.
2024 Sao Paulo Sprint Starting Grid
The Sprint starting grid, with or without penalties, after the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying session.
Sprint Race
During Saturday’s Sprint race, Oscar Piastri allowed title-contending teammate Lando Norris to pass him for the Sprint win, securing a valuable extra point for Norris in his championship pursuit against Max Verstappen.
Verstappen initially finished third after a late move on Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc but was later demoted to fourth following a five-second penalty imposed by the stewards for exceeding the speed limit behind Piastri under a Virtual Safety Car on the final lap.
Sprint Race Report
Sprint Race Classification
The Sprint Race was held on 2 November 2024, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm local time.
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 24 | 29:46.045 | 8 |
| 2 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 24 | +0.593s | 7 |
| 3 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 24 | +5.656s | 6 |
| 4 | 1 | Max Verstappen1 | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 24 | +6.497s | 5 |
| 5 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 24 | +7.224s | 4 |
| 6 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 24 | +12.475s | 3 |
| 7 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 24 | +18.161s | 2 |
| 8 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 24 | +18.717s | 1 |
| 9 | 30 | Liam Lawson | RB Honda RBPT | 24 | +20.773s | 0 |
| 10 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 24 | +24.606s | 0 |
| 11 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 24 | +29.764s | 0 |
| 12 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Williams Mercedes | 24 | +33.233s | 0 |
| 13 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | 24 | +34.128s | 0 |
| 14 | 50 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari | 24 | +35.507s | 0 |
| 15 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT | 24 | +41.374s | 0 |
| 16 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 24 | +43.231s | 0 |
| 17 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 24 | +54.139s | 0 |
| 18 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 24 | +56.537s | 0 |
| 19 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 24 | +57.983s | 0 |
| NC | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 19 | DNF | 0 |
Qualifying
Lando Norris secured pole position in a dramatic 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix qualifying session that saw championship leader Max Verstappen knocked out early. The rain-soaked and delayed Sunday morning session at Interlagos featured five crashes, with Norris setting a brilliant final lap in Q3 to outpace George Russell. Verstappen, holding a 44-point lead over Norris in the 2024 Drivers’ Championship, was eliminated in Q2 and, with a five-place grid penalty for a new engine, set to start 17th in the race. The RB of Yuki Tsunoda took third, his highest-ever qualifying in his F1 career.
Full Qualifying Report
Qualifying Classification
Qualifying was held on 3 November 2024, at 7:30 am – 8:30 am local time.
2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix Starting Grid
The Grand Prix starting grid, with or without penalties, after the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix Qualifying session.
2Sainz required to start from the pit lane after additional power unit and gearbox elements were used.
What happened in the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix?
Max Verstappen delivered an exhilarating performance in the wet conditions of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, surging from 17th on the grid to victory and moving to the verge of a fourth consecutive world championship. His title rival, Lando Norris, who started from pole, struggled to maintain his lead.
Verstappen’s masterful drive saw him weave through a chaotic race marked by a red flag and two Safety Car interruptions, breaking a 10-race winless streak that dated back to June’s 2024 Spanish Grand Prix.
Meanwhile, Norris finished sixth after a controversial decision to pit as the rain intensified, a move compounded by two costly mistakes during subsequent restarts. Verstappen’s lead now stretched to 62 points with only three races left in the season.
Verstappen could mathematically clinch the championship in Las Vegas, the next race, simply by finishing ahead of Norris, who now faced the daunting task of gaining over 20 points per remaining round to close the gap on the Dutchman.
Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly secured a remarkable double podium for Alpine, propelling the team from ninth to sixth in the 2024 Constructors’ Championship standings.
George Russell initially overtook Norris to lead into the first corner but compromised his victory chances by pitting from the lead at the same time as his fellow Brit, ultimately finishing fourth for Mercedes just ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
While McLaren saw Norris’ title hopes dim, they managed to extend their Constructors’ Championship lead over Ferrari to 36 points, with Oscar Piastri finishing eighth.
Sergio Perez’s race ended without points, leaving Red Bull 49 points behind McLaren and making a third consecutive constructors’ title unlikely.
Yuki Tsunoda finished seventh, and RB teammate Liam Lawson claimed ninth, placing Red Bull’s junior team just five points behind Alpine in the standings. Lewis Hamilton rounded out the points in a difficult weekend for the seven-time world champion.
Norris spent much of the race under the cloud of a potential investigation after mistakenly pulling away from the grid following Lance Stroll’s formation-lap crash, which led to an aborted start.
In a mix-up, Norris and McLaren interpreted the aborted start—which requires cars to remain on the grid as mechanics return—as a signal to begin another formation lap, leading Norris to pull away prematurely.
Both Norris and George Russell, who shared the front row, received a reprimand and a €5,000 fine for their mistakes. Meanwhile, Tsunoda and Lawson were investigated but cleared, as they had simply followed the cars ahead.
In a separate inquiry, Russell and his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, avoided any sporting penalties after Mercedes adjusted their cars’ tyre pressures following the aborted start, a technical breach of the regulations.
How Verstappen Dominated in São Paulo
Verstappen’s dramatic comeback was all the more remarkable given a poor qualifying session on Sunday, rescheduled after heavy rain delayed proceedings on Saturday.
Norris looked poised to cut deeper into Verstappen’s lead after winning Saturday’s dry Sprint, narrowing the gap to 44 points. In a chaotic wet qualifying, Norris narrowly avoided early elimination and secured pole, while Verstappen was eliminated and qualified 12th. Compounded by a grid penalty for a new engine, Verstappen started the race from 17th.
The race start was moved up by 90 minutes in an attempt to dodge the worst of Sunday’s forecast, but Norris’s luck began to turn even before the lights went out. Possibly unsettled by the aborted start sequence, Norris lost his front-row advantage to Russell at the first corner and found himself unable to pull away, trapped behind the Mercedes.
Verstappen, meanwhile, made an electric start, gaining six positions on the opening lap and overtaking Hamilton at the beginning of the second to break into the top 10. He continued to slice through the field, reaching sixth place but then getting stuck behind Leclerc in a group led by Tsunoda and Ocon.
As Norris and Russell stretched their lead, the race took a pivotal turn when intensified rain caused Nico Hulkenberg to spin, bringing out a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) on lap 28.
Surprisingly, Mercedes and McLaren opted to pit Russell and Norris just after the VSC period ended, forfeiting track position despite worsening rain that seemed likely to bring a red flag or Safety Car.
The Safety Car was soon deployed, leaving Ocon, Verstappen, and Gasly at the front on worn intermediates. The Safety Car initially looked like a lifeline for Norris and Russell, as the lead trio would likely need fresh tyres. However, that hope quickly vanished when Franco Colapinto’s crash under Safety Car conditions brought out a red flag, further shifting the race dynamic.
This gave the top three a chance to switch to fresh tires as the race paused for 30 minutes, allowing the rain to ease.
When racing resumed, Ocon managed to keep Verstappen behind, while Norris ran wide, letting Russell slip past once more.
A new opening for Verstappen emerged when Carlos Sainz crashed his Ferrari, triggering another Safety Car. This time, Verstappen seized the moment at the restart, overtaking Ocon at Turn 1.
Norris made yet another error, slipping behind Leclerc and teammate Piastri, who subsequently allowed Norris to pass per team orders.
By the checkered flag, Verstappen had pulled nearly 20 seconds ahead, capping a chaotic week with one of the finest victories of his career.
2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix race results
The 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix Race was held on 3 November 2024, at 12:30 pm local time.
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen1 | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 69 | 2:06:54.430 | 26 |
| 2 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | 69 | +19.477s | 18 |
| 3 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 69 | +22.532s | 15 |
| 4 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 69 | +23.265s | 12 |
| 5 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 69 | +30.177s | 10 |
| 6 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 69 | +31.372s | 8 |
| 7 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT | 69 | +42.056s | 6 |
| 8 | 81 | Oscar Piastri2 | McLaren Mercedes | 69 | +44.943s | 4 |
| 9 | 30 | Liam Lawson | RB Honda RBPT | 69 | +50.452s | 2 |
| 10 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 69 | +50.753s | 1 |
| 11 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 69 | +51.531s | 0 |
| 12 | 50 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari | 69 | +57.085s | 0 |
| 13 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 69 | +63.588s | 0 |
| 14 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 69 | +78.049s | 0 |
| 15 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 69 | +79.649s | 0 |
| NC | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 38 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Williams Mercedes | 30 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 0 | DNS | 0 |
| NC | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 0 | DNS | 0 |
| DQ | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg3 | Haas Ferrari | DSQ | 0 |
2Piastri received a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision.
3Hulkenberg was disqualified for receiving assistance.
2024 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings
Championship standings for Drivers’ and Teams after the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
2024 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings
| Pos | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | NED | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 393 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | GBR | McLaren Mercedes | 331 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | MON | Ferrari | 307 |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | AUS | McLaren Mercedes | 262 |
| 5 | Carlos Sainz | ESP | Ferrari | 244 |
| 6 | George Russell | GBR | Mercedes | 192 |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton | GBR | Mercedes | 190 |
| 8 | Sergio Pérez | MEX | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 151 |
| 9 | Fernando Alonso | ESP | Aston Martin Mercedes | 62 |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg | GER | Haas Ferrari | 31 |
| 11 | Yuki Tsunoda | JPN | RB-Honda RBPT | 28 |
| 12 | Pierre Gasly | FRA | Alpine Renault | 26 |
| 13 | Lance Stroll | CAN | Aston Martin Mercedes | 24 |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | FRA | Alpine Renault | 23 |
| 15 | Kevin Magnussen | DEN | Haas Ferrari | 14 |
| 16 | Alexander Albon | THA | Williams Mercedes | 12 |
| 17 | Daniel Ricciardo | AUS | RB-Honda RBPT | 12 |
| 18 | Oliver Bearman | GBR | Ferrari / Haas Ferrari | 7 |
| 19 | Franco Colapinto | ARG | Williams Mercedes | 5 |
| 20 | Liam Lawson | NZL | RB-Honda RBPT | 4 |
| 21 | Zhou Guanyu | CHN | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 0 |
| 22 | Logan Sargeant | USA | Williams Mercedes | 0 |
| 23 | Valtteri Bottas | FIN | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 0 |
2024 Post-Race F1 Constructors’ Championship Standings
| Pos | Team | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren Mercedes | 593 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 557 |
| 3 | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 544 |
| 4 | Mercedes | 382 |
| 5 | Aston Martin Mercedes | 86 |
| 6 | Alpine Renault | 49 |
| 7 | Haas Ferrari | 46 |
| 8 | RB-Honda RBPT | 44 |
| 9 | Williams Mercedes | 17 |
| 10 | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 0 |
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