This session has finished. No further updates will be posted.
The 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix is coming up next
The crashes which occured in qualifying just a few hours ago have compromised several drivers’ races. None more so than Alexander Albon, who will not start.
Williams have got Franco Colapinto’s car fixed and he is due to start the race from the grid.
Carlos Sainz Jnr will start the race from the pit lane following the repair work to his car.
Here’s the grid for today’s race – though we’re still waiting to see if all the cars appear on it.
Race control says the risk of rain during the race is 100%. Norris is told rain will begin 15 minutes in.
All drivers are starting on intermediate tyres. The top four are on used rubber. Significantly, Verstappen further back has three new sets, as he did not take part in Q3.
The drivers pull away from the grid, steadily. Stroll has gone off.
Stroll has now driven into the gravel and stopped at Subida do Lago. Disaster for Aston Martin after all the work they did to repair his car.
The start has been aborted. Norris is under investigation for a starting procedure infringement. He appears to have led the field away on an extra formation lap before he was supposed to.
Norris did not appear to receive an instruction from McLaren to do a second formation lap.
Penalties for formation lap breaches tend to be quite severe. Norris could get a stiff penalty here.
The drivers head off for another formation lap. The race distance has been reduced to 70 laps.
Russell: “These brakes are 200 degrees too cold and no matter what I do, I can’t get them working.”
Rain falling as the grid forms up again.
The Brazilian Grand Prix is go! Russell takes the lead from Norris.
Perez spins! He gets going again. Russell leads at the end of lap one followed by Norris, Tsunoda, Ocon and Leclerc.
L2 Verstappen picks Hamilton off for 10th place.
L3 Norris is almost two seconds behind Russell. Verstappen’s next target is Gasly. Sainz is told heavy rain at the end of the lap.
L4 Norris does the fastest lap and is now 1.4s off Russell. Verstappen is told the heavier rain will only last two or three minutes.
L5 Norris does the fastest lap and is within a second of Russell – no DRS of course. Verstappen takes Gasly for ninth.
Bearman and Colapinto have been noted over a collision. Verstappen has taken Alonso for eighth.
Russell, Tsunoda and Lawson are now also under investigation for starting infringements along with Norris.
L9 Bearman has been given a 10-second penalty for colliding with Colapinto. Verstappen now getting stuck into Piastri for seventh place. After that it’s Lawson who will surely offer no resistance.
L10 Verstappen passes Piastri as if he’s lapping a backmarker. He came from a huge distance back at turn one and easily takes the McLaren.
Lawson pulls over to let Verstappen through at Laranjinha. Hamilton has a brief off and Colapinto pounces, passing him for 12th.
The starting infringements involving Norris and other drivers will be investigated after the race.
L15 Tsunoda is now 8.5s off Russell and Norris, and has Ocon, Leclerc and Verstappen queued up behind him.
Norris: “I’m struggling to overtake. So slow on the straight.”
L19 Russell has Norris breathing down his neck again. They’re hardly pulling away from Tsunoda now.
Both Mercedes drivers complaining about their brakes. Russell is told he has a split in braking performance across the front axle.
L21 Norris drops back from Russell again. The gaps are opening out in the train of cars behind them as well. Drivers appear to be nursing their tyres to keep them alive. Big snap of oversteer for Verstappen.
L22 Leclerc slips up at Juncao and Verstappen gets a huge run at him, but the Ferrari driver keeps him wide at the Senna S and holds onto the place. Vertappen complains: “He was squeezing me onto the white line, not leaving a car’s width.”
Russell and Hamilton have been referred to the stewards for having their tyre pressures adjusted on the grid. Leclerc pits.
L26 Lawson goes off at the Senna S but gets going again. Piastri: “Definitely getting a bit wetter out here now.”
L27 The rain is noticeably heavier now. The leaders’ lap times are rising.
L28 Hulkenberg has spun. Virtual Safety Car deployed. The top five had passed the pit lane entrance. Piastri and Alonso pit.
Russell: “I think this is almost red flag conditions now. We can’t keep it on the road.”
The VSC ends as Russell and Norris pit. Ocon and Verstappen stay out so the Alpine driver now leads.
Piastri has been given a 10 second time penalty for his incident with Lawson.
The lap times are very slow now, the conditions are streaming wet. Norris passes Russell. Safety Car then deployed.
Piastri: “Even the wet will struggle in this.”
Ocon is leading behind the Safety Car. He is told the rain will decrease in one to two minutes.
L31 Piastri is concerned about the large quantities of standing water around the track.
Heavy crash for Colapinto! The red flag has been thrown.
“I guess everyone can change tyres for free now” Norris observes. That is bad news for him as he has fallen behind Max Verstappen.
The drivers have formed up in the pits under the red flag.
Nico Hulkenberg has been shown the black flag. He is therefore out of the race.
The race will restart at 2:02pm local time. Ocon leads Verstappen, Gasly, Norris, Russell, Tsunoda, Leclerc, Piastri, Alonso and Lawson.
Russell: “Is this going to be a rolling or standing?” He suggests a rolling start would be more dangerous because of the speed they’d take into turn one.
Verstappen doesn’t agree with Russell, he thinks a rolling start would be safer.
Rolling start confirmed.
The drivers are leaving the pits to form up behind the Safety Car and get the race restarted. Zhou has been sent around to rejoin the lead lap.
Bearman has gone off but the race has restarted. Ocon leads as the field keep their order.
Norris off at Subida do Lago! Russell takes fourth place off him. Leclerc also goes wide but keeps his position.
Piastri: “The visibility is too bad. Half-throttle on the straights.”
L36 Ocon leads Verstappen by 3.3 seconds, Bearman spins at Ferradura! He’s nosed into the barrier but gets going again.
Safety Car! Sainz has crashed at Laranjinha. He’s moving in the car.
Hamilton: “Is Ocon in the lead?” Bonnington: “Yes.” Hamilton: “Mega job for him.”
Bozzi to Leclerc: “There is another band of rain for the end of the race.” The drivers are preparing to restart.
L43 Verstappen takes the lead at the restart! Norris goes off at turn one and drops to seventh. It is all falling to pieces for Norris in the championship.
Alonso goes off at the end of the lap. Verstappen now leads Ocon, Gasly, Leclerc, Russell, Piastri and Norris.
Stallard to Piastri: “Let Lando past into turn four. Swap positions into turn four.” He lets Norris through into sixth place on lap 46.
Leclerc has been noted for rejoining the track in an unsafe fashion when he went off earlier. Verstappen is scorching away at the front, setting a new fastest lap with a 1’22.453.
L49 20 laps to go, Verstappen’s lead is up to 4.6s. Perez is trying to pass the RBs at the opposite end of the top 10.
Piastri goes off at Juncao but keeps going. Tsunoda tries to get him on the outside going into the Senna S but can’t quite make it.
Perez gets on Lawson’s tail but the RB driver isn’t moving over the way he did for Verstappen.
Lawson and Perez touch as they go side-by-side through the Senna S. Hamilton prowling behind them in 11th – and pounces as Perez goes wide in Subida do Lago.
L59 10 laps to go. Perez all over Hamilton for 10th place, in Lawson’s mirrors.
McLaren tell Norris to get closer to Leclerc so Piastri can cancel out his 10-second time penalty. “What do you think I’m doing?” is Norris’ somewhat predictable response.
Piastri being given Tsunoda’s lap times as he tries to pull 10 seconds clear of the RB. He’s got 6.7s at the moment. Hamilton rebuffs another attack from Perez.
Alonso, 14th, is in pain: “I will finish the race for the mechanics. They did a very good job today. But my back is hurting, man. This bouncing is not normal.”
Final lap, Verstappen is 18 seconds clear at the head of the field.
Max Verstappen superbly wins the Brazilian Grand Prix from 17th on the grid, and puts himself in a strong position to claim his fourth consecutive drivers’ championship title.
A triumph for Alpine, too, whose strategy delivers an unexpected double podium finish.
That stunning drive by Verstappen leaves Norris’ hopes of winning the championship this year in tatters. Here’s our report on the race.
2024 Brazilian Grand Prix
- “I didn’t really want to come back” – Hamilton explains cryptic Brazil radio message
- Ocon’s role in Gasly’s Q2 exit was almost another ‘flare-up’ at Alpine – Oakes
- Interlagos must improve “very bad” new track surface for 2025, say F1 drivers
- “That’s how we silence them”: Verstappen’s stunning Brazil win from start to finish
- Verstappen now has as many wins as F1’s first six world champions combined
BLS (@brightlampshade)
3rd November 2024, 15:15
How many have made it to the grid in the end?
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
3rd November 2024, 15:31
18 on the grid.
Albon is out and Sainz starts from the pits.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
3rd November 2024, 15:32
and Lance just put it in the wall on the warm up lap!
BLS (@brightlampshade)
3rd November 2024, 15:33
What on earth is Stroll doing there!
Riccard
3rd November 2024, 15:37
Car crashing into the wall – we can handle that, extra formation lap.
Drivers setting off in the wrong order – panic! We’ll need 10 minutes
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
3rd November 2024, 15:40
We’re nearly back to the original start time.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
4th November 2024, 6:49
@bullfrog In which case, the three-hour window limit has been broken, and everything that happened after this point cannot by regulation be counted in the results. I only got highlights and they didn’t say what time it was at any point, so what lap was the race on at this point?
BLS (@brightlampshade)
3rd November 2024, 15:41
Lando definitely started that infringement, but…. haven’t they all now broken the rules as eventually they all went?
Have fun with that stewards…..
Patrick (@anunaki)
3rd November 2024, 15:41
What is the penalty for Norris?
Ludewig
3rd November 2024, 15:41
Penalty for Norris? For most of the grid? Seems like a slam-dunk case if there was no green light.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
3rd November 2024, 15:45
Grid penalty for everyone? Lando would start 11th, George 12th, Yuki 13th etc.
Ludewig
3rd November 2024, 15:48
@bullfrog
Presumably race control gave permission to those who only went around at the very end.
Kev
3rd November 2024, 15:44
My guess is 5 second penalty for all those who went
Tom
3rd November 2024, 15:45
Love this…. Commentators looking for defences for lando
BLS (@brightlampshade)
3rd November 2024, 15:50
DSQ for everyone who went? Sainz wins from the pits!
Tom
3rd November 2024, 16:11
That would be good. Lol.
Slightly disappointed on what they’ve decided… Deal with it after the race. Puts the stewards (themselves) in an awkward position.
Riccard
3rd November 2024, 15:52
What a three-way battle between Lawson/Piastri/Alonso. This weekend keeps giving!
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
3rd November 2024, 15:52
Great first corner by the man with no brakes.
Riccard
3rd November 2024, 15:59
So cruel for the feed to cut from Verstappen overtaking a string of cars, to Perez’s unforced spin
Ray West (@raynaud2211)
3rd November 2024, 16:01
Max is driving so much faster, a joy to watch.
Riccard
3rd November 2024, 16:05
I was looking forward to his run through the field – but with the wet weather, this is almost too easy!
Hopefully Lawson and Leclerc give him more of a workout
Riccard
3rd November 2024, 16:06
… Lawson resisted exactly as much as Piastri
Ray West (@raynaud2211)
3rd November 2024, 16:07
Liam was making it a little bit to easy. Let’s see with Leclerc indeed.
PeterG
3rd November 2024, 16:07
That Bearman penalty is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever seen.
Tom
3rd November 2024, 16:12
Why though?
I believe they said in the past, it’s not about impact but the crime itself. So causing a collision…. Penalty – seems right?
PeterG
3rd November 2024, 16:23
Because it’s racing and sometimes in close racing cars will make a bit of contact.
I have never seen a bit of contact like that result in a penalty ever in any category I’ve ever watched.
If that is now a penalty then racing is dead.
I mean how many times did Gilles Villeneuve and Rene Arnoux bounce off each other at Dijon in 1979 in a battle looked at as one of the greatest moments in F1 history.
Likewise in the wet at Fuji in 2007 Massa & Kubica made contact a few times on the last lap. Again was seen as a great racing battle.
Tom
3rd November 2024, 17:01
I take your point, but it isn’t 1979 and the standards have changed somewhat.
If you can get a penalty for potentially causing contact, then getting contact is more or less slam dunk?
Ray West (@raynaud2211)
3rd November 2024, 16:13
Love the camera view of Hamilton’s car. Is it a test? It looks way more engaging.
PeterG
3rd November 2024, 16:19
They have been using that gyro camera on cars all season. It’s not new.
Riccard
3rd November 2024, 16:18
Hamilton now overtaken by Colapinto, Sainz, and Bearman
Looks like both the Colapinto and Sainz ones were due to mistakes. Then Bearman just saw a chance and went for it
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
3rd November 2024, 16:21
I know this sounds daft and will get me some hate – but –
Might Lewis be driving badly so that when he gets in the Ferrari next year he can say what a superior car it is to the Merc?
MichaelN
3rd November 2024, 16:29
No way, he won races with this car earlier in the season.
It’s just not lining up for him at the moment. Fractions of a second can mean a ton of places this year.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
3rd November 2024, 16:32
True enough.
Like I said, it was just a daft thought ;)
Riccard
3rd November 2024, 16:28
Safety car? Pit Pit Pit
Riccard
3rd November 2024, 16:29
Wow – Russell reacted quicker than Norris to the virtual safety car, and Norris almost went into the back of him. Lucky escape.
Riccard
3rd November 2024, 16:36
I don’t see why we have a safety car when the drivers were still on intermediates.
If the rain was that bad, they could have changed to wets.
Riccard
3rd November 2024, 16:38
… okay, now it’s needed. Although at this point, why does it need to be a red flag rather than a safety car?
Tom
3rd November 2024, 16:38
Agree with this…. A bit unfair on those that have switched to wets
MichaelN
3rd November 2024, 16:42
This always happens. The teams go or stick with intermediates, one of them crashes, the race is ruined by a neutralization.
Every single time.
Tom
3rd November 2024, 17:03
Yeah, but there isn’t a crash for this particular red flag right?
Have I missed something?… I am watching sky. Lol
Patrick (@paeschli)
3rd November 2024, 16:39
Red Bull gambled everything on Red and it worked out. Wow.
Ludewig
3rd November 2024, 16:40
Yeah, Max and Ocon got very lucky.
Patrick (@paeschli)
3rd November 2024, 16:42
Ocon can still ruin Verstappens race though.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
3rd November 2024, 17:15
I don’t entirely agree – McLaren and Mercedes pitting that late in a VSC was always going to be risky.
Davethechicken
3rd November 2024, 17:31
Red flag after a crash during a full SC? not a bet many would take..
MichaelN
3rd November 2024, 16:43
Looks like the old ’21 gang is back in charge up at Race Control!
Right? Wait… no?
The conspiracy crowd is going to hate this!
Patrick (@paeschli)
3rd November 2024, 16:48
RB’s strategy was looking awful until Colapinto crashed. If the race had restated under pretty heavy rain with the top 3 still on 30+ lap inters, they would all have deoppped outside the points.
Red Andy (@red-andy)
3rd November 2024, 16:55
A Williams crashing to trigger a neutralisation, conveniently timed to help Red Bull?!?!?!?!???!! Wake up sheeple!!!1?1!??1!
Patrick (@paeschli)
3rd November 2024, 17:03
Maybe this is what Horner was discussing with Vowles hmmmm
t1redmonkey (@t1redmonkey)
3rd November 2024, 16:41
I think we just witnessed the end of any remaining hopes Lando may have had for the WDC right there.
Patrick (@paeschli)
3rd November 2024, 16:45
We are not even half way through the race. Anything can still happen. But for now it looks like Max getting screwed by the VSC timing has gifted him the best possible strategy.
Ray West (@raynaud2211)
3rd November 2024, 16:45
Williams having a hard time with all those crashes. Looks like a very hard cars to drive since the 2 previous also crashed a lot. And also the crash of Franco was so quick losing control.
Riccard
3rd November 2024, 16:49
Oh wow – black flag. First in over a decade I think
Patrick (@paeschli)
3rd November 2024, 16:51
Bit silly that Hulkenberg gets black flagged for clearing the track ASAP.
Ludewig
3rd November 2024, 16:54
He’s getting black flagged for getting outside assistance. It was clear cut.
Patrick (@paeschli)
3rd November 2024, 16:56
Yeah the rule is clear cut. But he 100% did the right thing helping the race get back to green flag conditions fast.
Ludewig
3rd November 2024, 17:01
Did he even have a choice? Since he couldn’t get going on his own.
Riccard
3rd November 2024, 17:04
The choice was to park it in the garage when he got back.
Riccard
3rd November 2024, 16:54
Bernie Collins reckons Russell and Hamilton may also be DQ’d, for breaching tyre procedures around the aborted start
Ludewig
3rd November 2024, 16:55
That seems likely. They can’t really give a time penalty, because the benefit cannot really be determined.
Red Andy (@red-andy)
3rd November 2024, 16:56
I remember Mercedes breaching a tyre pressure-related TD once before (Monza one year maybe?) and getting no penalty. So although it seems like it should be a DQ, there might be some room for creative interpretation.
MichaelN
3rd November 2024, 17:18
Yes, it was at Monza in 2015. And Hamilton was told to build a 25 second gap in case they got a big penalty, which he promptly did. It was one of the rare moments back then when Mercedes went all out.
Riccard
3rd November 2024, 17:03
They didn’t benefit – the McLaren changed tire pressures too, they just took the tires off and did it on the ground.
It’s a procedural thing, being confused about the aborted start rules, like the people who jumped it.
I acknowledge they might still be DQ’d for it, but they didn’t benefit.
Ludewig
3rd November 2024, 17:13
Presumably they did benefit, because otherwise they wouldn’t have changed pressures.
It’s not relevant that they could have done it legally a bit earlier.
Riccard
3rd November 2024, 17:27
They could have done it legally at exactly the same time – and others did.
Kotrba
3rd November 2024, 17:15
What exactly happened please?
Ludewig
3rd November 2024, 17:20
They changed the tyre pressures when the tyres were already on the cars, which is not allowed.
Riccard
3rd November 2024, 17:30
At the aborted start, McLaren unbolted the tyres from the cars and change the pressure, then bolted them on again.
Meanwhile Mercedes just changed the pressure.
Aparrently that is fine 5+ minutes before a normal start, but not a restart from an aborted start.
More than half the drivers are going up in front of the stewards after the race for messing up the aborted start rules… but the ones who drove through red lights onto the track while there was a driver standing on it are facing potential time penalties, while the ones who forgot to take their tyres off before changing the pressures are facing potential DQ’s.
PlosslF1 (@f1-ploss)
3rd November 2024, 16:54
Its all fixed against Max, the FIA are in on it…. VSC pulled and Max benefits… All is fine, Max is great :) lol
Ray West (@raynaud2211)
3rd November 2024, 17:13
With these standings Alpine is scoring big points and could even catch Haas.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
3rd November 2024, 17:19
This is the moment for Briatore to do a deal and sell the team.
Tristan
3rd November 2024, 17:59
Max’s talent shines through! Shame this will likely make him more insufferable with his tactics.
At the end of the day his car control is second to none, well deserved.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
3rd November 2024, 18:02
Totally deserved by Max.
That’s how a Champion drives.