2024 Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix Highlights

Max Verstappen has stormed to a remarkable victory in a frenetic 2024 Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, the Dutchman climbing through the field from an original starting position of P17 to score his first race win since June amid changing weather conditions and massive drama along the way – which also saw Alpine score a double podium result.

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What can I say? It was a really busy Sunday! It had indeed happened before that we had qualified for the race on the same day, even in this period, since Pirelli was the global tyre supplier to Formula 1. But never before has it taken place so early in the day and in such a compressed time format, with many of the Formula 1 family hearing their alarm clocks going off well before dawn! I feel we should applaud all those who made it possible to ensure that the entire weekend programme was completed, despite the weather complicating matters since yesterday afternoon.

There was an extraordinary crowd of almost three hundred thousand spectators at Interlagos. I’m sure they and all those watching on television and the various social platforms were rewarded with a fascinating show in qualifying and the race. They would have experienced a whole range of emotions, which is often the case when rain comes along to lower adhesion while highlighting the drivers’ skills. From a technical point of view, we leave Interlagos having picked up plenty of useful information. In today’s qualifying, we saw the extremely wet and intermediate tyres at work and could verify their operating windows.

In the race, there was a point when one could have made a direct comparison between the two types of tyres over a long stint, but the neutralisation caused when visibility was deemed too poor meant we only saw this for a handful of laps. One should also bear in mind that the rain varied in intensity several times, and on a brand-new track surface, the grip levels in the wet were minimal, partly due to the oily layer that it created. I believe both tyres proved to be up to the job at hand.

The day on the track:

Track action began at 7.30 with qualifying, put back from yesterday because of the adverse weather conditions. Once again today, the rain played its part, with no drivers able to use dry weather tyres. The extreme wet featured in the first part of qualifying before the Intermediate came into play. There were no fewer than five interruptions caused by drivers crashing in a session that lasted almost an hour and 45 minutes, with the rain varying in intensity several times.

The race was rescheduled to start at 12.30, and apart from it being red-flagged towards the halfway mark because of heavy rain reducing visibility to a precarious degree, it went ahead with just a few Safety Car appearances. The Intermediate did the lion’s share of the work over the 69 laps (two laps reduced the race distance due to the two aborted start procedures). Only five drivers – Perez, Lawson, Tsunoda, Zhou and Hulkenberg – also used the Extreme when the rain got heavier, but then the red flag reset everything, and for the restart, the Intermediate was clearly best suited to the track conditions. There were 33 tyre changes, including those under the red flag and a total of 51 sets were used, five of them for extreme wets. Of the drivers who finished the race, only four used two sets of Intermediates, namely Valtteri Bottas and the three drivers who finished on the podium.

Following a similar event at the Imola Grand Prix, the Sao Paulo Grand Prix provided another opportunity to remember Ayrton Senna in the thirtieth anniversary year of his tragic death. Pirelli contributed by producing a special edition of the Pole Position Award, presented to Lando Norris by Ayrton’s niece, Bianca Senna, the director of the eponymous institute, as well as a special version of the iconic Podium Cap. Both items featured the Brazilian flag’s gold and green colours and the Senna logo. Bianca is the daughter of the three-time world champion’s sister, Viviane, who founded the non-profit organisation that has supported educational projects for Brazilian children and teenagers for the past thirty years.

2024 Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix Race Results

2024 Constructor Standings

Here are the team-by-team highlights:

Hear from McLaren Formula 1 drivers Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, and Team Principal Andrea Stella after the 2024 Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

During the Formation Lap, Stroll goes off and beaches his car in the gravel, aborting the start. It’s light out, and Russell gets a good start, overtaking Lando by the first corner. Oscar has a busy start, fighting with Alonso and Gasly on the first lap, moving up one place to P7. Verstappen overtakes Oscar, demoting him back to P8. Oscar and Lawson make contact, which results in Lawson losing three places. Oscar moves up to P7. A Virtual Safety Car is called on Lap 28 after Hulkenberg retires. Oscar boxes for fresh Inters and ends up in P8. Lando also pits for Inters and comes out in P5. Oscar gets a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Lawson. Lando overtakes Russell on Lap 30 for P4. A Safety Car is called due to heavy rain conditions. A Red Flag is waved after Colapinto crashes. All cars return to the pit lane. The race resumes with a rolling start. Lando locks up and is overtaken. Lando is now P5, Oscar P7. A Safety Car is deployed after Sainz retires. Lando goes wide on the restart and falls back to P7. Oscar is now P6. On Lap 46, Lando and Oscar swap positions. The rain starts to ease, and the grid settles. Sixty-nine laps later, the Chequered Flag waves. Lando finishes P6, with Oscar in P8 following his time penalty.

Lando Norris

A tough afternoon. Pitting under the VSC was pivotal, but it was the right time to box, and we were unlucky because the Red Flag followed soon after, so I have no regrets about stopping when I did. With the Red Flag rule regarding tyre changes, some days you gain, and some days you lose, it just is what it is. These things happen in racing. The main thing now is that we keep our heads down and prepare for the next one as a team.

Oscar Piastri

It was a tricky afternoon, but we got points with both cars and stayed ahead in the Championship. We just lacked pace, and the weather caused havoc, so there wasn’t much more we could have done. We’ll review it all this evening, but I’m looking forward to a bit of a reset, and we can then go again to Vegas. We still have a lot of work to do in the final three races.

Andrea Stella

It’s been an eventful day in São Paulo, which is unsurprising given the variable conditions. Congratulations to Max, who made an impressive recovery from the back of the grid, and also to Alpine for a double-podium finish.

Circumstances didn’t play out in our favour today. The timing of the Red Flag, particularly after we’d changed tyres, was unfortunate. It was difficult for both Lando and Oscar to make progress today. We didn’t give them a car with enough pace to overtake in a race without the DRS being activated. Unfortunately, we also got a penalty when Oscar contacted Liam Lawson, which cost us a position at the end of the race.

Overall, however, we come out of this weekend having increased our margin in the Constructors’ Championship. It’s an incredibly tough competition this year, so I want to praise the work of Lando and Oscar today for staying on track, finishing the race, and allowing us to outscore our nearest rivals. Also, to everyone back in Woking for delivering the upgrades and updates over the last three races, and a big thank you to the entire team for their efforts and the great work they have done in this busy triple header.

There’s learning to take onboard for today; we’ll do that in the days ahead. Our focus now shifts to the final three races of the season.

Max Verstappen produced a sensational performance to win the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix from 17th on the grid and move one step nearer to winning the FIA Formula One World Championship for a fourth time.

The Dutchman started way back after a disappointing qualifying display and grid penalty. However, he mastered the wet conditions to storm through the field and triumph in a box-office race that involved a red flag, two safety car periods and a number of crashes and incidents. Teammate Sergio Pérez finished in 11th place.

The Oracle Red Bull Racing driver will seal his fourth consecutive drivers’ title if he has a lead over at least 60 points following the next race this season – the Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 23.

Max Verstappen, Driver, Red Bull Racing

Today was honestly incredible. I am super proud to win here in Brazil as it is a special place for me, but also because we started from P17. First, I want to thank the Team: they did a fantastic job, made all the right calls and were incredibly calm. We had a really good start, made some good overtakes, and made the right decision to stay out before the red flag. I always feel confident in the wet and driving in this kind of conditions, but today, the car gave me the confidence to go for it. It felt really good to drive and was fast, so I felt unstoppable today. It was an emotional win; I was motivated, put everything into this race, and surprised myself today as I wasn’t expecting to finish in P1. Today, this was a really strong result for us, and I’m proud of it. Simply Lovely.

Sergio Pérez, Driver, Red Bull Racing:

It was a mixed weekend, and we missed out on some luck today. Our tyres were very cold at the start, which limited us, and then we pitted just before the red flag; we were on the wrong side of things from the start. We had some good battles out there, but they were quite tricky to pass. The conditions were mixed all day, with the rain coming and going throughout the session, and it was also strange to do qualifying and the race on the same day. I’m glad we were able to race today and that the fans could see track action, as there is a very passionate crowd here. A big congrats to Max, he was strong all weekend and charged through the field today, it is an excellent result for the Team. It is the end of a triple header, and it was probably our most competitive weekend as a team in a while. Hopefully, the final three races will be positive for our Championship fight.

CHRISTIAN HORNER, CEO and Team Principal

Max put on a masterclass today. He was just brilliant. In these conditions, the driver’s skill comes out, and he is in a league of his own. We got all the strategy calls right as a team, and the car had an incredible pace. What a transformation from this morning when we thought that the top five would have been an incredible drive. Coming from 17th on the grid and through nearly the entire field was an incredible performance and one of Max’s very best. Checo also had a stronger weekend and some unlucky moments during the race. The team demonstrated today that we will never give up, which was evident both on the track and with the whole team back in Milton Keynes. What a great result for the team! We will carry this momentum with us for the final triple-header of the season.

Scuderia Ferrari HP picked up 20 valuable points across the two 2025 Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix races at the Jose Carlos Pace circuit in what proved to be a pretty tough weekend for the team. There were ten points yesterday, with a third place for Charles and a fifth for Carlos. Then, at the end of a very demanding Sunday, which began at dawn with qualifying, came a further ten points courtesy of the Monegasque’s hard-fought fifth place.

It was a day to forget for Carlos Sainz, who crashed into the barriers both in Q2 this morning and again on lap 39 of the race when fighting for position outside the points. It means the Maranello squad is still second, now 36 points behind the leaders McLaren in the Constructors’.

Carlos Sainz #55

It’s definitely a Sunday to forget for me. I’m sorry to have given the team extra work on a day already super long. I’ve struggled with this car in the wet this year, and today, I just didn’t have the right feeling either. I tried to push and take risks to gain positions, which didn’t pay off. It’s a hard Sunday to digest, but we will turn the page and reset everything before Las Vegas.

Charles Leclerc #16

It was a very long and tricky race, and the drivers on the podium today are those who did not put a foot wrong, so they deserve it. I have mixed feelings about our race. On the one hand, it was a bit disappointing because we struggled to keep the car on track in these conditions, especially towards the end of the race, due to the way that we decided to set up our car for today. On the other hand, we finished ahead of both McLarens, which was a positive surprise and helped in our battle in the Constructors’ championship. We are heading home now to recharge for the final triple-header of this season, where we will give it our all to try to secure the team championship title.

Frédéric Vasseur – Team Principal

We have mixed feelings today as we were able to limit the damage in our fight with McLaren, but on the other hand, we should have also scored points with Carlos, not just with Charles. With both drivers, the timing of pit stops was not the best, but in general, we struggled a lot with the pace and in getting the tyres to the proper temperatures after every restart. At the final restart, Charles did very well to get ahead of Lando (Norris) and George (Russell), but the Mercedes could get past again, and Charles had to defend from Lando. As the stint progressed, his tyres were performing better, and he was able to bring home a P5. This weekend was a difficult one, but looking at this triple-header as a whole, we are still the team that has scored the most points, which is an excellent way to go into the season’s final three races. We will do our best to keep the fight open to Abu Dhabi.

George Russell finished fourth, and Lewis Hamilton tenth in 2024 Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix. In a compressed Sunday schedule, qualifying and the race were held on the same day, with qualifying at the unusually early hour of 07:30 local time.

George led the field into Turn 1 after a strong start from P2 and headed the field until a VSC period was called on lap 28. Using the VSC period, which coincided with a heavy run shower, the team called George to the pits to fit fresh intermediate tyres, followed by Norris from P2.
George rejoined in P4 and was passed for P5 by Norris before the race was red-flagged.

Resuming after the red flag, George showed his resilience by climbing back to P4, a commendable feat. However, he could not make further progress without the overtaking assistance of DRS.

Lewis started from P14 owing to incidents with other cars in qualifying and drove a battling race to secure the final point. Struggling throughout for rear grip and confidence, Lewis spent the final stint stuck behind Lawson’s slower car, unable to pass in the wet conditions.

George Russell

That was an intense race with lots for us to debrief and learn from. I got a good start, and I was surprised at the pace in the opening stint – we didn’t have the proper tyre pressures on the set, and we were expecting them to drop off, which was encouraging. When the VSC came with the heavy rain, I was in favour of staying out as I thought there would be a red flag – it was like driving a point at points, with the aquaplaning on the straights. I pitted, and so did Lando, and we ended up P4 and P6 at the finish, while the cars that stayed out finished ahead. But it’s easy to make the call after the race, and we’re doing this together, trying to make the best calls with the available information. I think we would have taken P4 at the start of the weekend, but after qualifying for P2 and running in the lead for the first half of the race, it’s hard not to feel some regret for the opportunity we missed today.

Lewis Hamilton

That was such a tough race for us today – and probably one of the most challenging race weekends of the season, to be honest. The car has been very difficult to drive all weekend, and it didn’t hook up at any point during the race, either. But even with the results today, it’s hard to come away upset because the fans here are incredible. It was such an unusual day with the early qualifying session, and they were queuing up from 04:00 this morning – and you just cannot beat that commitment and positivity, no matter what the result on track. It was so emotional to drive Senna’s car in front of them all this morning and connect with the five-year-old child inside me. That was a very special moment for me, and I’m very grateful we could make it happen today despite the conditions.

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

It has been a tough triple-header for the team – and the final day of competition continued in very much the same way. Qualifying and the race itself were bittersweet: Lewis struggled for confidence in the car and did not progress past Q1 in a session that saw several cars finish out of position; George was able to build greater confidence in the rear end in particular and took a strong P2 on the grid. The aborted start led to some unusual circumstances, but when the race proper began, George ran strongly at the head of the field until the VSC came out at the same time as a heavy rain shower. We wanted to use that opportunity to change his worn intermediate tyres and were followed into the pits by Norris from second place – while Verstappen and the Alpine drivers stayed out and took the gamble on a Safety Car or red flag, which subsequently came. When racing resumed, with everybody on new tyres, George could get past Leclerc into P4 but then – as we saw up and down the field today – got stuck behind an ultimately slower car and could not overtake without DRS available. It was the same story for Lewis a little further back, who climbed into the points but could not pass Lawson despite several close attempts. P4 and P10 feel like a meagre reward after leading the first part of the race, but there’s plenty for us to pick through and learn from this weekend and the last three races. We will focus on that work in the coming days to give ourselves the strongest foundation for the final triple-header of the season.

For Round 21 of the 2024 Formula One World Championship, we’re in Sao Paulo for the conclusion of the triple-header. Get the thoughts of Lance and Fernando below after Sunday in São Paulo.

Due to Saturday’s weather conditions, both Qualifying and the Grand Prix took place on Sunday. São Paulo’s passionate crowd arrived at the track early in the morning for Qualifying, where our drivers qualified in the top ten. Later in the day, Fernando finished the Grand Prix in P14.

Fernando Alonso

All in all, today was tough. We had to change some components after the crash in qualifying, which meant the car was slightly slower. We also had a brake issue after the restart.

The car was bouncing in the second half of the race – in other circumstances, I would have stopped – but the mechanics did such a good job of getting the car ready after the crash, so I finished the race for them. The triple-header has not been easy for us, with another one coming. We need to regroup and find some more performance.

Lance Stroll

It was a strange one. It felt like a brake failure because as soon as I touched the brakes, it locked the rear axle, and I was a passenger. I was stuck in the gravel, and my race was done. It is such a shame because in a wet race like today, anything can be possible, but we cannot take those opportunities.

Mike Krack, Team Principal:

It was a trip to a unique motorsport venue but a weekend to forget for our team. A point-less and brutal triple-header which takes its toll on the team working trackside and back at the AMRTC.

Looking for the positives, it was a Herculean effort by both car crews, with a reduced schedule, to get both cars onto the grid just in time today. Also, a special mention is given to the FIA and F1 for being pragmatic and flexible with the schedule, allowing the drivers and teams to put on a show for passionate South American fans.

On the formation lap, there seemed to be an issue with Lance’s car under braking. He managed to get going, but the AMR24 got beached in the heavy gravel, bringing his day to a premature end. We will need to investigate what happened entirely, but it was unexpected.

Fernando was in the points for most of the race but also locked the rears and was shuffled down to the back of the pack. He was in a lot of discomfort at the end of the race due to the bumpy track, so our priority is to ensure he is OK.

Following our recent run of form, we must take responsibility for not giving Lance and Fernando the car they deserve. They are very patient, but we are asking too much of them now.

Visa Cash App RB duo Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson converted great grid positions of third and fifth into seventh and ninth places, respectively, at the 2024 Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Liam Lawson

It was such a crazy race, with crazy conditions today. I’m very happy the team scored some really good points, which is vital for us. I do feel like we missed out a bit, from where we started, we just got a bit unlucky. Our race got unwound a little bit when we got turned around at the start by the McLaren, which cost us a lot of time; from there, it was a bit of a battle, and then we boxed for Extremes, where we also lost time. We had good speed, especially at the start of the stint, but we struggled a bit more towards the end. Alpine made the most of getting a double podium, which is amazing. They’re only ahead now by five points. It’s totally doable for us, so we’ll focus on scoring some points in the last triple-header.

Yuki Tsunoda

I got my best-ever qualifying result this morning and was extremely happy to start the P3 race. Overall, the team did a fantastic job, and we had a good turnaround from yesterday, where we made many changes to the car after the Sprint, even if it was challenging to make a real comparison as the conditions were different. Coming to this afternoon’s race, I had a good start and first stint, and I’m generally very happy with my driving, but unfortunately, some things came against us. During the race, the Red Flag came out at the wrong time for us, and the Alpines scored many points, which is a shame for our place in the Constructors’ Championship. Overall, the rewards don’t show our results on paper, so it’s definitely a mixed-feeling day, but it’s nice to score points again. There are a lot of positives to take from this weekend, and we’ll keep pushing for the last three race weekends.

Laurent Mekies – Team Principal

We had a fantastic qualifying this morning. The drivers and team did an incredible job, and we consistently topped the timesheets throughout qualifying. The strong performance is a testament to the hard work that everyone is doing. The race was a rollercoaster. We knew it would be tricky and dependent on the weather conditions. We were in a very strong position in the race’s first half, with Yuki holding onto P3 at an incredible pace and Liam defending amazingly. Our race was affected when the red flag came out; however, it diminished both drivers’ advantage, but that’s part of racing in these conditions. We came away with eight points, which is a great result. Congratulations to Max on a brilliant drive, and well done to Alpine, even if the points they scored today will make for an even closer fight for us over the final three races. It’s still very close, and we had a fast car this weekend. We now have 19 days before the final triple-header of the season, and we will be working flat out at home to build on the upturn in performance we have seen in the past two races and extract every second from the car. We’ll be fighting hard in Las Vegas.

MoneyGram Haas F1 Team finished with Oliver Bearman 12th, while Nico Hulkenberg was disqualified from the 2024 Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Round 21 of the 2024 FIA World Championship, held Sunday at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace.

Oliver Bearman

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal

It was always set to be a tough day for the team, with an early call time for Qualifying and the 2024 Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix to follow shortly after. Still, nobody could have foreseen just how difficult it would become.

Alex Albon

Franco Colapinto

Esteban started from P4 on Used Intermediates and finished P2: Changed tyres under Red Flag to Used Intermediates. Fastest Lap: 1min 21.771secs. Pierre started from P13 on New Intermediates and finished P3: Changed tyres under Red Flag to New Intermediates. Fastest Lap: 1min 21.645secs.

Esteban Ocon

I’m very happy this afternoon, and I do not know if I’m in a dream or if it’s a reality! I’m so proud of the entire team. We scored a fantastic number of points in one race weekend. Clearly, after yesterday, such a performance seemed impossible, but when the conditions are complex, we have seen that we can fight. We had a very good qualifying session earlier this morning, which set us up nicely for the race. When I was at the front of the race, I believed in it for a little while, but Max [Verstappen] was faster than us on the last stint, so we can have no regrets about the result because that was the most we could achieve. It proves again that we can do it and must keep working hard for the final three races. I’m also super happy to share this podium with Pierre. I thought on the last lap of the race that it would be incredible to share a podium together, like in the good old days when we started karting in similar conditions. This podium will remain in my memory forever, and I’m just so pleased for the entire team.

Pierre Gasly

What an incredible day for the entire team. None of us could have imagined a double podium, but we did it, and I could not be prouder of everyone. We have had such a year. We have struggled and been at the back, and it’s been tough for everyone involved. No one has given up, though, and everyone has stayed focused and motivated, and now we have two trophies in second and third place in São Paulo, which is just amazing. We knew the mixed conditions would make anything possible on a day like this. It was about being ready for anything and executing everything to the maximum. I’m very pleased for Esteban, too; he did a great race today. We have our story. It’s a unique and beautiful story. Growing up together in the same area and karted since we were kids. Not only did we both get to Formula 1, but amazingly, we became teammates, and now we share a podium together in the same team. It’s just unbelievable, and I’m happy for both of us. It’s been a busy triple-header where we’ve certainly made improvements. We must keep going and stay hungry for the final three races as the Championship battle remains so close.

Oliver Oakes – Team Principal

What a way to end the triple-header with a double podium for the team. Even more so after yesterday’s early alarm call this morning after the rain delay! Both drivers were faultless today under challenging conditions, not putting a wheel wrong all day. On top of the points in the Sprint race yesterday, it’s been a great weekend for the whole team in all conditions and a real credit to everyone across Enstone and Viry for their hard work these past two months to bring performance to the track. This gives us some momentum that we must use to finish the season strongly.

Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber faced a difficult day as Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu took on challenging conditions at the 2024 Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix. There was plenty of drama on offer in a revised timetable that saw both qualifying and the race on the same day. The qualifying session had its share of red flags, with Valtteri performing well to set the 11th time and Zhou recording the 20th time. The race, which ran under rainy conditions for most of its duration, brought more hurdles, including several retirements and tricky weather, with Valtteri finishing in P13 and Zhou coming home in P15.

With the triple header in the Americas now behind us, the team will regroup and get ready for the season’s final three races in Las Vegas, Doha and Abu Dhabi, as we aim to come back stronger for the season finale.

Valtteri Bottas

It was great to reach Q2, and I reckon Q3 could have been possible if it weren’t for the red flags. We tried everything possible in a unique race with harsh, changeable conditions and many restarts, including a red flag. Our biggest issue was tyre warm-up, which meant we fell back during the first few laps after each restart. We were better once the tyres were up to temperature, but still not enough to fight with the cars ahead. It was a weaker performance than I expected, but we gave it our all. Now we have time to regroup, as the team will work hard to bring updates as soon as possible for the remaining races.

Zhou Guanyu

This weekend was quite challenging: with the schedule reshuffled and qualifying taking place on Sunday morning before the race in the afternoon, all teams had to adapt. The morning session felt a bit more solid, but when the red flag came out, conditions worsened just when it mattered most. I had to start my final two laps in heavy spray with limited visibility, but I believe Q2 could have been within reach. Today’s race was not easy: in each stint and after every Safety Car, it took 10-15 laps to get the tyres into the right window, but by then, the race had already slipped away from us. The lack of grip and the tough conditions made it a real challenge. Still, it’s good to close out the triple header, and now we need to use this time before Vegas to understand what we need to do to be back in the mix.

Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative

Yesterday’s heavy rain forced Formula One to revise the timetable, change our Sunday routine, and eventually deliver a day that left us with mixed feelings. We had a very positive qualifying session, with Valtteri just 0.008 seconds away from Q3 and showing strong competitiveness in the midfield. However, the race was extremely disappointing for all of us. Valtteri lost a few positions initially and struggled to maintain the pace for points. Zhou’s day was challenging from the start, finishing last in qualifying and concluding the race in P15. Despite the disappointment and bitter taste left by the race results, we saw some positive signs in qualifying, which we believe are due to small improvements in our package. Therefore, the following two weeks will be crucial for us to bring further upgrades for the last triple-header and regroup. We must analyse every detail and return to the track with the right mindset to conclude the season with strong determination and a mindset to fight for points.