Norris extends title lead at Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Verstappen finishes third from pit lane

Lando Norris extended his lead in the Formula 1 drivers' championship standings to 24 points ahead of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, following a well-judged victory in Sunday's dramatic Sao Paulo Grand Prix, even as Red Bull's four-time reigning world titleholder Max Verstappen stole the show by battling back from a pit-lane start to finish third.

In a tense and incident-filled race, Norris won by 10.388 seconds ahead of 19-year-old Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes, with Verstappen just 0.362 seconds behind after a charging surge, overcoming a puncture, to snatch a podium finish.

George Russell placed fourth in the second Mercedes ahead of the luckless Piastri and an impressive trio of rookies in Haas driver Oliver Bearman and Racing Bulls duo Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar. Nico Hülkenberg was ninth for Sauber while Pierre Gasly came 10th for Alpine.

The chequered flag was the seventh of the season for Norris, and 11th of his career, moving the Briton within sight of a first world title with a comfortable advantage ahead of Piastri, who fought hard but incurred a 10-second penalty, with three races remaining.

"I was pushing and it was an amazing race," said Norris, who dedicated his victory to the late Gil de Feran, a former driver who nurtured his early career.

"It's so nice to win in Brazil at this amazing track and amazing fans," the 25-year-old added "This is for Gil ... My mentor a few years ago ... A perfect weekend."

As for the title race, he cautioned: "I'm not thinking about it, not yet, not at all. It's a great win, but to see Max and how quick he was today, that's where my mind is at. And there is a long way to go."