2025 Sao Paulo Grand Prix Preview: 5 Big Talking Points Heading into the Weekend

Linus O'Howell
Nov 6, 2025
3 min read

Advantage Lando?

If Mexico City is anything to go by, this Championship is swinging firmly in favour of Lando Norris! Lando absolutely dominated in Mexico City, winning by over 30 seconds, and that in turn gave him the Championship lead! Norris is also being very much helped by the fact that his teammate (and Championship Rival) Oscar Piastri is currently nowhere, with only 1 Podium since his brilliant win in Zandvoort back in August! Of course, Max Verstappen is still trying his best to remain in contention, but given he’s currently 36 points behind Lando, I think it’s fair to say that as of right now, it’s advantage Norris in the fight to be crowned as the 2025 World Drivers’ Champion!

An Angry George Russell

If we’re being totally honest, we saw a very different side to George Russell in Mexico City than we usually do! Yes, George can be quite straight with his words, but that’s to do with other people, not his own team! Russell was clearly very angry with Mercedes’ strategy calls in Mexico, particularly when it comes to him not being let past Andrea Kimi Antonelli, a moment worth remembering given Russell is supposed to be the “team leader”! However, if there are any positives to take from this whole situation, it’s usually that top drivers who come off disappointing weekends tend to bounce back in a big way next time out! Basically, what I’m saying is keep an eye on George William Russell, because there’s a great chance he’s going to be well up for this one at a track he scored his maiden Formula 1 victory at!

Lewis Hamilton’s Second Home Race

It’s become a normal trend for us to talk about Lewis Hamilton whenever we arrive in São Paulo, but that’s what happens when you have an honorary citizenship there! Lewis has an awful lot of history in Brazil; he’s won around here 3 times (including that iconic win in 2021), whilst he also sealed his inaugural World Championship at the final corner of the 2008 season at the expense of home favourite Felipe Massa! However, whilst Hamilton has a strong history at this venue, his last couple of visits haven’t exactly met the Brit’s insanely-high standards, with last year being particularly poor! Despite this, I’ve seen a lot of people predict that this weekend could finally be the moment where Lewis Hamilton secures his first Podium for Ferrari, and I certainly wouldn’t be shocked!

The Best Sprint of the Year

With F1 returning to Brazil, it means we get to enjoy not only the best weekend of the season, but also the best Sprint of the year! Since the Sprint format was originally introduced in 2021, every year has seen a Sprint Race around Interlagos, and it’s actually delivered 4 different winners on those 4 different occasions (Bottas, Russell, Verstappen, Norris)! Whilst it will be unlikely that we see 5 from 5, it’s not impossible, with Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc, and Lewis Hamilton not out of contention of winning entirely! My tip would be to watch for the Racing Bulls duo of Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar, because VCARB have gone very well around Interlagos in the past!

A True Brazilian Hero

For the first time since Felipe Massa left the sport in 2017, Brazil finally got the opportunity to call a driver its own again when Gabriel Bortoleto was announced as Kick Sauber’s brand-new driver for 2025! Now, 20 Races later, and Gabby Bortoleto finally gets to drive on home soil! Whilst Gabriel Bortoleto may be 19th in the Championship, the young Rookie has shone this season when compared to his super experienced (and talented) teammate, Nico Hulkenberg! Bortoleto’s also coming into this weekend after the back of a positive points finish in Mexico City, and I honestly think with the crowd behind him, anything is possible for Gabby this weekend!