|
Having secured pole position
on Saturday, Lando Norris followed it up with victory in the Grand Prix on
Sunday. Norris won the São Paulo Grand Prix in particularly challenging
weather conditions, with rain present at the start and returning during the
closing stages of the race. During the event, all drivers used both
Intermediate and Soft tyres.
Temperatures remained low throughout the
day, with the track reaching just 16 °C at the start. All drivers elected to
begin the race on Intermediates, as the circuit was wet and light rain
continued to fall during the opening laps. After 14 laps, the first drivers
began to pit to switch to Soft tyres.
Norris came into the pits on
lap 16 and then completed a 33-lap stint on the Soft. He later made a
further stop for a new set of the same compound, which he used for only 13
laps. The 2025 World Champion was then forced to return to the pit lane for
another set of Intermediates after rain began to fall again over Interlagos.
Second-placed Max Verstappen and third-placed Isack Hadjar adopted a
similar strategy, using one set of Intermediates, two sets of Softs and then
another new set of Intermediates. This approach enabled them to join Norris
on the podium.
The two Mercedes drivers, George Russell and Kimi
Antonelli, finished fourth and fifth respectively. Their results secured the
points needed for the German team to clinch the Constructors’ World
Championship title. Russell and Charles Leclerc also completed the highest
number of laps on a single set of Soft tyres, with both the Briton and the
Monegasque managing 45 laps on the same set.
The pair opted for a
different strategy compared to the top three finishers, stopping on lap 16
to switch from Intermediates to Softs. After completing 45 laps on that set,
they fitted a second set of Soft tyres for the final ten laps of the race.
Today, all Pirelli personnel present at Interlagos wore a special
uniform to celebrate the company’s history in Formula 1 and its long and
significant association with the championship. Pirelli is the tyre supplier
with the greatest number of Grand Prix appearances and, this year, reached
the record for the highest number of pole positions achieved on its tyres.
After last weekend’s Grand Prix, it also added another chapter to that story
by becoming the tyre supplier with the most victories in Formula 1 history.
The uniform was inspired by the first shirt worn by Pirelli personnel when
the company returned to the championship in 2011.
DARIO MARRAFUSCHI –
PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR
“Variable weather conditions had a decisive impact on race strategy. Rain
before the start left the track with markedly different levels of grip
around the lap, making the Intermediate tyre the only viable choice for the
opening stint. In these transitional conditions, as the circuit moved from
wet to dry, the Intermediate delivered consistent performance and, as the
track continued to evolve, tyre lap times progressively closed in on the
crossover point for the slicks. We observed predominantly thermal
degradation, accompanied by episodes of graining caused by the drying
surface, particularly on the right-hand side of the car.
Once
conditions allowed the switch to dry-weather tyres, the Soft confirmed
itself as the preferred choice for every team. The relatively low air and
track temperatures helped keep degradation under control, to the extent that
wear became the main factor to manage in many cases. Some teams were
evaluating the possibility of reaching the finish without making any further
stops, but the return of rain in the closing stages once again reshuffled
the strategic picture. Overall, both the Intermediate and the Soft performed
in line with expectations, offering teams several strategic options in a
race defined by uncertainty over the conditions.
Congratulations to
Mercedes on securing the ninth Constructors’ Championship in its history. It
is an achievement that reflects the team’s technical excellence and the
quality of work carried out throughout the season, further enhanced by the
Drivers’ World Championship title secured by Kimi Antonelli last weekend.”
|
