F1 Brazil GP live commentary and updates: race day

THAT'S IT FROM SAO PAULO

After that spirited dice between the lakes, the world championship remains fascinatingly poised.

Interestingly McLaren's representative on the podium to collect the constructors' trophy is commercial man Mark Norris (no relation), who made this author down a shot of something ghastly at the team's 'pub quiz' in Zandvoort, the offence being to have turned up with an Aston Martin pen. Boo to you!

We'll be back for more fun and frolics in Sin City in two weeks. Join us then!

So let's catch up on the maths after that race. Norris now leads the drivers' championship with a healthier margin, 390 points, with Piastri on 366 and Verstappen now on 341.

And four races to go. Anything can happen! "F1 is 'if' backwards," as the late, great Murray Walker used to say. We of course would quietly think, "No, Murray that would surely be '1F'..."

Lando Norris, McLaren

Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images

TAKEAWAYS

Want a quick takeaway? No, not a pizza or a kebab, our writers' verdicts on the grande epreuve just past.

In the post-race interviews Norris pays tribute to the late Gil de Ferran, a mentor figure for him in his early days at McLaren. "This race is for him," he says.

Lando Norris is the winner of the grand prix by 10.388s from Antonelli, with Verstappen tripping the timing line 0.362s aft of the Mercedes.

It's been a remarkable race. Verstappen declared the championship over yesterday (not for the first time this season). Well he certainly stemmed the losses today and crept closer to Piastri.

Racing Bulls debrief will be interesting. The stewards took a look at contact between them at the start of the final lap and decided "no further investigation".

Scenes! A little wobble from Antonelli as we approach the infield section, Verstappen closes in for the kill...

Looks like Verstappen's soft tyres have given of their best – terrible traction out of the final corner enables Antonelli to stay clear again as we begin the final lap.

Verstappen surely knows he has to do it now.

Lap 70 begins and still Verstappen can't get close enough. There's some aggressive "showing of the nose" as James Hunt used to say, but Antonelli isn't for folding.

Three laps to go and again Antonelli keeps Verstappen behind him into Turn 1, then stays ahead through to Turn 4.

Norris is 9.3s ahead of Antonelli so he looks very safe for the win, but it's now a question of the remaining podium positions.

Verstappen gets to 0.9s at the crucial point – the DRS detection zone – and he closes up at the end of lap 67. Surely it's just a matter of time now.

Antonelli manages to keep Verstappen out of DRS range as they begin lap 67 of 71.

A tasty battle also developing between Lawson and Hulkenberg for P7.

Piastri 1.3s off Russell meanwhile.

Six laps to go and Verstappen is 1.4s off Antonelli.

Verstappen currently leading F1's 'Driver of the Day' poll, so for once the results of this plebiscite will not be utterly fatuous. It's been an excellent drive – we won't say extraordinary, because with Max the extraordinary is very much the normal state of affairs.

Verstappen now P3, 2.5s behind Antonelli.

Verstappen closes in under DRS at the end of lap 62 and swoops around the outside into Turn 1 as Russell moves to cover the inside.

10 laps remain and Verstappen is within DRS range of Russell. Can he get close enough to do it into Turn 4? Not this time...

The gap between Verstappen and Piastri remains static around the 4.1s mark.

Verstappen now just 1.3s off Russell and that final podium position.

Russell is being told to lift-and-coast into Turn 1 to manage brake temperatures.

Verstappen is told that P2 is on the cards, "provided you can control the deg".

Piastri is P5 and 4.1s behind Verstappen, but he's currently a tenth off per lap.

We're all set for a fascinating denouement in Sao Paulo. Norris looking safe-ish up front – Verstappen is 11.5s behind and has to pass both Mercedes to get at him – but the question is how high can Max get?

Verstappen is warned about the sensitivity of those softs, given that he has to do another 13 laps on them, and he says "We have nothing to lose".

Verstappen P4 and closing in on Russell rapidly. He's into the 1m12s bracket – fastest lap of the race.

Piastri by Lawson at the 'duck bill' on lap 55. He needed to do that to stay in contention with the Mercedes.

Norris currently circulating half a second faster than Verstappen so he'll be on him shortly.

Or not! Verstappen comes into the pits at the end of lap 54 of 71. He takes on new softs – he had plenty available, courtesy of that Q1 elimination.

Piastri goes by Bearman for P6 at the end of lap 53.

Well this is fascinating. Verstappen leads in Brazil by 7.6s from Norris. But as previously billed, his tyres are 16 laps older (in the race at least). 

Piastri pits at the end of lap 51 for mediums – a used set, since there were no new ones available. He emerges P7, 1.6s behind Bearman.

So Verstappen now P1. His mediums are 16 laps older than Norris's. Can he stick it out to the end?

Norris into the pits at the end of lap 50. He takes on a used set of mediums. 

As expected, he emerges behind Verstappen – and team-mate Piastri! Oh the conversations...

Next time around Russell pits for used mediums.

While this goes on, a proper ding-dong battle between Bearman and Hulkenberg: Nico resists a lunge up the inside into Turn 1, but Bearman collects the goods into Turn 4.

At the end of lap 47 Antonelli makes what will be his final stop. Used medium. He emerges P6, 2s behind Liam Lawson.

Synchro overtaking at the start of lap 47 as Hulkenberg overtakes Ocon for P7 into Turn 1; behind them, Bearman relieves Albon of P9.