Lando Norris secured victory in the Brazilian Sprint Race, as McLaren executed a strategic position swap between their drivers. Oscar Piastri, who allowed Norris to take the lead, finished second. However, Piastri had to defend his position from Max Verstappen, who finished third. Piastri was partially aided by a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) period that ended on the last lap.

The race began with polesitter Piastri moving to block an attack from his teammate Norris on the inside at Turn 1, ensuring both McLarens maintained their positions. Behind them, Verstappen locked up while attempting to overtake Charles Leclerc, who was holding third place.

In the opening laps, Norris and Piastri pulled ahead slightly, but Leclerc, under pressure from Verstappen, soon closed the gap. Norris hinted over the radio that he felt Piastri should have let him through earlier, but the team instructed him to wait until the final stages. Instead of ordering Piastri to yield, the team asked him to ensure that Norris could use his DRS, as Norris began losing pace around the 10th lap.

Leclerc kept the McLarens under pressure until he made a mistake on lap 13, which forced him to defend from Verstappen, who attempted a move at Turn 4. This slip-up allowed the McLaren duo to finally break free from the DRS threat behind. As McLaren began discussing a potential position swap, Verstappen overtook Leclerc on lap 18 using DRS, closing in rapidly on Norris.

In the race’s closing laps, Norris and Piastri briefly extended their lead over Verstappen, but Verstappen started gaining again. A technical issue forced Nico Hulkenberg to retire, bringing his Haas to a stop at Turn 8. This incident triggered a yellow flag and eventually a VSC. During this period, McLaren made a tactical call to swap their drivers, and on lap 22, Piastri let Norris take the lead.

As the VSC continued into lap 23, Verstappen closed in on Piastri. On the final lap, when the VSC ended, Verstappen briefly appeared ready to attack Piastri near Turn 4. However, as the race went green, Piastri pulled away, allowing Norris to secure the win.

Despite his strong efforts, Verstappen now faces a post-race investigation for his actions during the end of the VSC period on the final lap. Officials have announced that Verstappen's behavior during the VSC termination is under scrutiny for a possible rules violation.