2025 F1 Sao Paulo GP: Qualifying - As it happened

Norris is clinging on through the twisty bits despite his fading soft rear tyres, but Antonelli with DRS can close right up under braking for Turn 1

Meanwhile, Leclerc has finally got by Alonso into Turn 4 for fifth place

Antonelli is now within DRS range as we enter into the final stages of this race - and that gets him right onto the McLarens tail as they come down to Turn 1 for with four laps to go

Norris reports he is struggling with the rear tyres, which coincides with Antonelli steadily reeling him back into near-DRS range.

The Italian rookie isn't out of this yet!

Alonso is holding onto fifth by the skin of his teeth, despite the present double threat from Ferrari, Leclerc ahead of Hamilton.

Stroll is clinging onto the final point just behind Hamilton, but is under pressure from Gasly, who is chasing Alpine's first point since the Belgian GP

Norris is getting on with this, the Briton staring down an open goal as he leads in a Sprint race that won't feature his main rival in the points.

Antonelli - to his credit - isn't letting him escape but he's crucially just over a second behind now.

The Italian has the measure of Russell though, 1.8s between them.

Verstappen, meanwhile, gave himself work to do when he mis-stepped through Turn 1 at the restart, ceding a plus-two second gap to Russell ahead

Norris immediately bolts to put just over a second clear of Antonelli to get out of DRS range

There have been tyre changes in the break

Norris has switched to the softs, Antonelli, Russell and Verstappen over to the mediums

Just 16 laps remaining, including those spent behind the safety car

The safety car leads the field out as we warm-up back up to a rolling restart

Norris leads Antonelli, Russell, Verstappen and Alonso

While we wait for the restart, can we take a moment to appreciate the return to the Gulf-sponsored livery for Williams.

Those light blue and orange hues will never get old - sublime!

(Ed: It doesn't remind me of the Manor car though)

Replays show Norris did run over a patch of water that lifted it out of the grooves and onto the surface-patch of the kerb and the inside line.

It was enough water on track for spray to splatter Antonelli's helmet before Piastri's runs over the kerb, gets a puff of spray onto his left front tyre and as he turns it spins him around. Not much he could have done short of changing his line.

The jury is out on whether Piastri was responsible for his crash.

On the one hand, the sketchy conditions are hard to read when you can't see standing water in the kerb, but on the other is it his job to avoid the risks? 

The fact two more cars crashed as well suggests the conditions had changed compared with the last lap, but you can't blame anyone for that.

Regardless, this is not only a blow to Piastri's title hopes, it's another bad result in a run of lacklustre performances for the Aussie just when he needed his bulletproof consistency to shine

Still a race to be run here but a win for Norris - who was in control at the front at the time of the stoppage - would see him extend his lead over Piastri to a useful nine points.

If Verstappen finishes fourth, meanwhile, he slips 39 points behind Norris, but closes to 30 points to Piastri

1- Norris

2- Antonelli

3- Russell

4- Verstappen

5- Alonso

6- Leclerc

7- Hamilton

8- Stroll

------------

9- Gasly

10- Albon

11- Hadjar

12- Bortoleto

It was a solid hit for Piastri and an even bigger one for Colapinto, who causes significant damage to his Alpine.

Hulkenberg also struck the wall hard enough to remove the front-wing but recovered to the pit-lane.

Lots of activity in the pit-lane as the drivers prepare for a restart with 16 laps remaining 

Not for Piastri and Colapinto though, they are OUT

Kimi Antonelli claims it was Lando Norris who ran wide at Turn 2 onto the kerb, which spread the track with water that had accumulated in the kerbs.

That lack of adhesion could have been enough to force Piastri around, though replays show the Australian was also taking the kerb hard - enough to cause it to spray up on his left front tyre.

Colapinto and Hulkenberg also dipped their tyre onto the watery kerb and the result was three cars in the barrier

Further back, Leclerc is putting pressure on Alonso for sixth place with Hamilton in game pursuit.

Replays of the start show both Aston Martins really bog down with both Alonso and Stroll losing ground at the lights

DRS is enabled despite some patches that are damp enough to kick up spray just on the curve down the home straight.

Norris has Antonelli teetering either side of that magic one second mark to get out of DRS, the same for Piastri to the Italian ahead. 

Russell and Verstappen are already out of DRS zone from their cars ahead

Norris leads across the line by 0.7s but Antonelli is keeping him very honest as Piastri loses ground to the Mercedes in these very early stages.

Further back, Leclerc and Hamilton are up to seventh and eighth, behind Alonso. Stroll and Hulkenberg in the top ten but just outside the points

Everyone makes it through the first turns safely despite the damp patches and in terms of the top four, it's as you were.

Brief yellow flag after Lawson tips Bearman into a spin at Turn 3, but he continues

Norris leads into Turn 1, followed by Antonelli, Piastri and Russell - Verstappen up to fifth