Neymar waved the chequered flag at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix

Lando Norris’s podium celebrations did not go to plan. It was only a matter of time before his trademark way of opening the champagne backfired and the bottle shattered. It happened in Sao Paulo, where he slammed the base of the bottle against the ground a little too hard.

A startled Norris stood up, only to put his face straight into the fireworks.

Mercedes took to the podium after the race to celebrate their championship title. The team really let loose, with Toto Wolff leading the celebrations.

Valtteri Bottas took no part in Sunday’s race. After the installation laps, his mechanics were unable to remove the right-rear wheel. They could not free the seized wheel nut even with a hammer — a decidedly crude tool by Formula 1 standards.

It brought back memories of the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix for the Finn. On that occasion, Mercedes only managed to remove the nut back at the factory.

Verstappen drove a fantastic race. Only four drivers in F1 history have made it onto the podium from 21st on the grid. Verstappen joined Wolfgang von Trips, John Watson and Lewis Hamilton.

Incidentally, Max Verstappen’s last three appearances at Interlagos have produced the following results:

2024: 17 ➡️ 1 (+16)
2025: 19 ➡️ 3 (+16)
2026: 21 ➡️ 2 (+19)

Verstappen has started a new tradition.

The first showers have started appearing on the radar, seemingly out of nowhere.

The FIA’s weather forecast indicates that a passing front will bring moisture, gradually falling temperatures and light rain, which is expected to continue on and off for much of the day.

A more precise forecast of when showers will reach the circuit is not possible at this stage. However, any rain should be light, with an intensity of 0.5 to 1, so there is currently no risk of the start being delayed.

Fernando Alonso was the bravest driver of all in qualifying. He was flat out for 28.5 per cent of the time, the highest figure in the field. That helped him get his Aston Martin into Q3.

George Russell, Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar were next in that particular ranking.

There are five hours to go until the start of the race. The weather in Sao Paulo is calm for now, but the roads are wet and rain is in the air. There is around a 50 per cent chance of rain during the race.