Lazy Thoughts on the São Paulo GP Sprint

Note: Lazy Thoughts analyses for both Brazilian races will be late this week. Due to some circumstances beyond my control, I was incredibly busy on Saturday and had to miss most of the action. For now, just pretend I delivered these on schedule. Apologies!

Well, that was an interesting race. Probably more so than the one I got to witness in person— ironic, since I had to watch this one on replay because of a busy Saturday.

From the moment the lights went out, you could sense the track wanted drama. And it certainly got it. Six laps in, now-former top WDC contender Oscar Piastri slid off the track, triggering a multi-car pileup and his second consecutive DNF for a sprint. The red flag was waved before anyone could even process what happened.

It’s been quite the downfall for the Australian since the end of summer break. Despite taking the top step of the podium at Zandvoort, a blend of “papaya rules”, inconvenient crashes, and plain bad luck is forcing Piastri to watch his championship hopes dissolve in real time. The McLaren garage still insists there’s no favoritism, but these past few races seem to be telling a different story.

Speaking of that favoritism, Piastri’s teammate increased his lead with the precision of someone who knows the team’s deck is stacked in his favor. Lando Norris didn’t just win the sprint; he glided through it without any drama or threats to his position, finishing almost a second ahead of Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli.

Much like Mexico last week, there isn’t much else to say about Lando’s racing. Sure, it was consistent and efficient, but it was still the least interesting part of the story. It’s not his fault, really; winning without resistance rarely makes for good television.

What was more interesting was the driver who placed second. Kimi Antonelli continues to make a compelling case for why Mercedes might not be as doomed as everyone thought. The 19-year-old drove with the composure of someone twice his age, keeping Norris in sight the whole way. He’s starting to embody that quiet, methodical menace Mercedes once built its empire on— only how it’s in the hands of a rookie.

And I’ll admit it, I think Kimi’s the best of the rookies this season. Yes, I know he’s the youngest driver on the grid. I know he has been with a senior F1 team since the very start. That’s a lot of pressure to put on a kid!

But even with that pressure, Kimi shows a kind of strange consistency with his driving. He turned a P16 qualifying position into a P4 finish at his first-ever race in Australia, becoming the second-youngest points finisher on record. He became the youngest driver to not only lead a lap in Japan, but also to set the fastest lap. He scored his maiden podium in Canada, and now he’s achieved his best-ever finish in Brazil. Rookie seasons usually don’t look like this (incumbent champion Max Verstappen’s rookie season certainly didn’t, for instance). And yet, Antonelli makes it look effortless. He’s definitely going to win a WDC one day.

In third place was Kimi’s teammate, George Russell. The Brit has been hanging onto the championship math by a thread, but this sprint was one of his better showings in weeks. Starting fourth, he kept his nose clean through the early chaos and managed his tires like a driver who finally remembered how to enjoy himself again. It wasn’t spectacular, but it was solid. And at this point in the season, solid feels like gold for Mercedes.

It doesn’t keep me from being surprised that he’s still in contention, though.

And now, my other random thoughts and observations that didn’t make it into the main piece:

Anyway, sorry again that the Lazy Thoughts analyses are late this week; circumstances beyond my control kept me away from a majority of the action Saturday. I shouldn’t be late for the rest of the season.

See you tomorrow with the proper race analysis.

-F