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Can Mercedes or Ferrari take a step forward in their fight for second?
The final race of the triple-header gets rolling on Sunday, as Formula 1 is in Brazil for the São Paulo Grand Prix.
And there are many storylines to monitor ahead of this race.
Will Mercedes or Ferrari take a big step forward in their fight for second in the Constructors’ Championship? Will Sergio Pérez be able to fend off Lewis Hamilton in their battle for second place in the Drivers’ Championship?
Can McLaren continue their stunning rise up the table or will Aston Martin — thanks to having Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso starting on the second row today — punch back in their battle for fourth?
This Grand Prix is about to get underway, and we will have all of the action covered throughout the afternoon. So check back early and often!
(All updates in Eastern).
Race updates
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Update 12:22: In addition, we will get a standing restart so … perhaps even more chaos.
Update 12:21: Race officials indicate the Grand Prix will resume at 2:31 local time, 12:31 Eastern.
Update 12:19: If you are just joining us, the São Paulo Grand Prix is under a red flag after a chaotic start. Leclerc lost the hydraulics to his SF-23 on the formation lap and crashed into the barrier, knocking him out of the Grand Prix before it began.
Then an opening-lap crash between Albon and Magnussen spread debris all over the track, bringing out the red flag. Other drivers were caught up in the collision including Piastri, and the team is trying to repair Piastri’s MCL60 under the red flag, unsure if he can continue.
Update 12:15: Additional replays show that the impact between Albon and Magnussen spun Magnussen’s Haas into the rear of Piastri, which likely caused the problems with the MCL60 of Piastri.
Update 12:13: Leclerc is out of his car and trying to find his way back to the pits. F1 drivers in the wild or something…
Update 12:09: McLaren will try and repair Piastri’s car under the red flag, so there is a chance he will continue.
Update 12:08: And now Oscar Piastri will retire, as his team tells him that the car is “unsafe” to continue.
Update 12:06: Replays of the starat show how Norris showed absolutely no fear. Alonso in front of him slid to the outside just enough, and the McLaren driver jumped through on the inside to get up into P2.
The red flag is out due to the debris created by the collision between Magnussen and Albon.
Update 12:04: Norris takes advantage of a gap in front of him and jumps into P2. The safety car comes out as well, as there is a collision between Kevin Magnussen and Alex Albon.
Update 12:03: Leclerc radios into the team that his SF-23 has suffered a failure. He calls it a hydraulics failure. His day is over before it begins.
Update 12:01: Whoa. Leclerc has gone off the track on the formation lap and into the barrier!
Update 12:00: The formation lap is underway at Interlagos.
Update 11:58: 19 of the 20 drivers are starting out on softs. Only Logan Sargeant is going with a different strategy, as the Williams rookie opts for the mediums:
Update 11:56: This from our friends at UndergroundF1 is absolute perfection:
Update 11:51: Under ten minutes to go. Lots of discussion on F1TV about the start, and whether Charles Leclerc can somehow wrestle the lead away from Max Verstappen at the start and into the first corner, through the chicane.
Pre-race updates
Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images
Update 11:44: Whew. Adds to bucket list
Update 11:32: For those of you wondering about tire strategies, noted F1 journalist Albert Fabrega has you covered here:
Given the degradation issues we have seen this week — and during the F1 Sprint race yesterday — the one-stopper seems like a bridge too far. Expect to see many teams opt for at least a two-stop race, with perhaps some opting for a three-stop approach.
