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Preamble<\/p>\n
Lando Norris is in P1 at Interlagos and No 1 in the title race. Already a sprint winner in Brazil, he\u2019s in pole while his title rivals have struggled this weekend: Oscar Piastri \u2013 who crashed out of the sprint \u2013 will start fourth, Max Verstappen qualified in 16th<\/a>(!)<\/p>\n But let\u2019s not count our (McLaren-orange) chickens. It was only two rounds ago when Verstappen seemed to have all the momentum \u2013 maximum points from the US GP weekend briefly had him a narrow oddsmakers\u2019 favourite in this three-way title tussle \u2013 while Piastri, despite his struggles of late, is only nine points behind Norris. With this race to go, then another three plus a sprint in Qatar, that\u2019s so easily overhauled.<\/p>\n As dominant as Norris looks now, have we had the final twist in this intriguing season? I doubt it. And Interlagos is one of those F1 tracks where magic seems to happen. Last year, Verstappen started a place lower than he is today but earned one of his greatest victories from 17th<\/a> (on pole that day Norris).<\/p>\n Admittedly, that was in torrential rain and with a Red Bull he actually enjoyed driving, whereas he hasn\u2019t found a setup he likes at all in S\u00e3o Paulo in 2025. But still: Verstappen remains a threat any time he\u2019s on the track and if Piastri can get out of his funk, he has the car and the skill to challenge. Then there\u2019s the wild card of Kimi Antonelli, second in the sprint and on the grid, gunning for his first F1 win and little to lose compared to Norris. The race begins at 5pm (GMT) and it\u2019s an enticing prospect. Feel free to drop me an email with your thoughts!<\/p>\n