2025 F1 Brazilian GP Sprint Shootout: Winners and Losers

The F1 Brazilian GP sprint shootout is done, and we have Lando Norris on pole for Saturday. The session ran in dry conditions, and with a lack of preparation, we had quite a few cars making a surprise entry into the top 10.

Aston Martin was one of the names, as both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll made it to SQ3. The Spaniard would start the race in P5, while the Canadian qualified ahead of Charles Leclerc's Ferrari.

With that being said, as the grid is set for Sunday, who would be happy with how the session went, and who wouldn't? Let's take a look.

Winner

Lando Norris

This was the first mini litmus test for Lando Norris, and there are going to be quite a few during the F1 Brazilian GP, a race weekend where everything that could go wrong for him went wrong.

The British driver was playing catch-up to his teammate Oscar Piastri in P1, but after that, he finally found his groove, and when it mattered, he wasn't the one who blinked. The pole for the sprint is a positive, one that Norris needed more than he would care to admit.

Loser

Max Verstappen

Well, that did not go well for Max Verstappen or Red Bull because the car is nowhere in the second sector. It does appear that the long corners are where not only McLaren but also other cars are pulling away from the RB19.

When it comes to championship contention, Verstappen should be alarmed by the pace of the Aston Martin and Mercedes, as a P6 start is far from a good result for the driver.

Winner

Oscar Piastri

In a battle for pole position, Oscar Piastri fell short for sure, but if we look at the more holistic view of things, the driver's turnaround is remarkable. From being multiple tenths behind his teammate in both Austin and Mexico, Piastri looked far more comfortable in the F1 Brazilian GP sprint shootout. He's still trailing Lando for now, but baby steps from Oscar are certainly in the right direction.

Loser

Lewis Hamilton

Even if Charles Leclerc didn't spin on his lap, Lewis Hamilton quite clearly didn't slow down whatsoever in the F1 Brazilian GP sprint shootout for his teammate to be a hindrance of any sort.

The F1 legend has been clawing back the deficit he had on Leclerc, but once again, it's all about nailing that final important tenth, and it seems to evade him for now.

Winner

Kimi Antonelli

Kimi Antonelli will be starting the sprint on the front row, as he's put together a remarkable turnaround during the F1 Brazilian GP Friday alone. The driver was trailing George Russell in P1, but the consistent progress he has made has certainly been something that's starting to catch the eye.

From consistently being a tenth off George Russell, Kimi Antonelli is starting to bridge that gap as well, which bodes well for his future.

Loser

Yuki Tsunoda

If you're driving for your future, you cannot afford to make mistakes. Unfortunately, Tsunoda did make one in P1 and then couldn't put together a good enough lap in the F1 Brazilian GP sprint shootout SQ1 to make his way through to the next stage.

Edited by Charanjot Singh Kohli