Norris wins sprint race at Brazilian GP to cut gap on Verstappen

SAO PAULO (AP) — McLaren driver Lando Norris won Saturday's Formula 1 sprint race at the Brazilian Grand Prix to cut his deficit to championship leader Max Verstappen.

But Norris had to thank teammate Oscar Piastri for handing him victory at Interlagos.

Red Bull’s Verstappen finished third, but lost one position due to a virtual safety car infringement.

The gap between Norris and Verstappen, with four grands prix and a final sprint race to the end of the season, is now 44 points.

Norris started second on the grid and, late into the 24 laps of the sprint race, Piastri gave way to him.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who also has a long shot at the title, ended fourth, just ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. The stewards’ decision after the sprint race pushed him to third ahead of Verstappen.

Mercedes’ George Russell, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez were next best and within points positions.

Norris appeared upset on the team radio about leader Piastri’s pace for most of the sprint race.

“I am not sure what I am doing here, mate,” Norris said. “I thought we spoke about this.”

Later, Norris said McLaren had done a good job.

“I am not proud about it but we worked well as a team together so I thank Oscar,” he said. “Oscar deserved (a win) but we did what we had to do.”

At first, Piastri did not elaborate on the McLaren decision. “A great day for the team and a lot of points. We learned a lot for the race tomorrow,” he said.

Speaking to journalists later, Piastri described the race as “a bit of a tricky one.”

“(Giving way to Norris) is not as fun as winning,” the Australian driver said. “But we’ve been talking about this for months now.”

Three-time champion Verstappen will find it tough to beat the McLarens in Sunday’s race. He has received a five-place grid punishment after changing his engine for the sixth time in the season — the maximum allowed is four.

Stewards said in their decision that Verstappen was “above the minimum time at the virtual safety car end” during the sprint race. The Dutchman received a five-second penalty that dragged him to fourth place. He also picked up one penalty point, and now has a total of seven for the 12-month period.

Later, qualifying for Sunday’s race is expected to take place under some risk of rain.

The track could be wet for a tribute to legendary three-time champion Ayrton Senna, whose title-winning McLaren will be driven by one of his biggest fans, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing