Lando Norris has expressed his delight after winning Saturday's Brazilian Grand Prix sprint race, with the McLaren star extending his lead at the top of the standings.
The Briton capitalised on teammate Oscar Piastri crashing out on lap six to claim eight points, with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell forced to settle for second and third respectively.
Speaking after his win, Norris revealed he was delighted after being pushed all the way by his rivals.
"It was tough. It makes the win more rewarding when you have a race like this!" he said.
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"With Kimi here, he was certainly not making my life easy.
"It's one of those ones where you have to push, because you know the guy behind will push behind a bit more.
"It was sketchy! Even with the wind and the degradation on the tyres, it was difficult.
"Not an easy race but it's always a difficult one in Brazil. Mercedes were quick.
Lando Norris is hoping to win his first F1 title this year
|GETTY
Pain for Oscar in the sprint 😞 pic.twitter.com/bdQ9ndSaDY
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) November 8, 2025
"I expected us to be a bit better, but we weren't. I don't know how much of that is down to tyres or did Mercedes do a good job."
While it was a good day for Norris, it was a frustrating one for Piastri.
The Australian's hopes of glory have suffered a blow. However, he's insisted he won't reflect on his crash for too long as he looks to reel Norris back in.
"I will try to put this behind [me]," he said.
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Lando Norris was delighted after beating Mercedes duo Kimi Antonelli and George Russell in Saturday's Brazilian Grand Prix sprint race
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"There's a lot more points on offer tomorrow, so the better job I can do in Qualifying to get a good starting spot, the better it will be."
Max Verstappen has, in recent weeks, surged back into title contention.
With the Red Bull driver only able to finish fourth, however, it appears his hopes of another championship are fading.
The four-time F1 champion said: "We will make some changes and hopefully that will bring the car in a better window.
"Hopefully that will allow us to push a bit better on the tyres, then we will see what happens.
"Like this, you're in no man's land. I can't really stay with the guys ahead. I want to.
Max Verstappen was left frustrated after Saturday's Brazilian Grand Prix sprint race
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"If we can find a bit more, maybe I can fight with Mercedes."
Meanwhile, Mercedes star Antonelli reacted by saying: "It was a very fun race.
"It was very tricky conditions, especially at the beginning.
"We tried to keep the pressure on Lando. Just came up short, but it was a fun race.
"Definitely the confidence is high but the field is so tight.
"We’ll see today what we can do, but hopefully we can achieve the same result or even better."