Showers, Senna and Early Alarm Calls:

Four Key Moments From São Paulo

A GReat Effort on Sunday

George is no stranger to success in São Paulo – having claimed his debut win in Brazil in 2022 – and he was on form again in 2024.

A 12th front row start in F1 was secured with a superb lap in slippery conditions on Sunday morning, and by the first turn of the Grand Prix a few hours later he was in familiar territory – leading the pack at Interlagos.

As the rain continued to fall, George remained calm and composed out front, and surpassed 1,000km and 250 laps led in F1 before stopping at the end of lap 29 under the Virtual Safety Car.

Despite the red flag a few laps later, he kept his head as others around him fell foul of the conditions.

Having passed both Lando Norris’ McLaren and Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, he set about chasing down Pierre Gasly’s Alpine for the final podium spot.

Despite falling just short, P4 – ahead of both Ferraris and McLarens – was a solid effort in a Sunday full of attrition.

Senna Sempre

Rolling back the years at Interlagos in the most perfect way possible. It was hard to watch Lewis’ demo run in Ayrton Senna’s 1990 F1 title-winning car without getting goosebumps.

At times it was difficult to make out the noise of the V10 engine in the back of the McLaren MP4/5B, such was the noise coming from the grandstands.

When Lewis picked up a Brazilian flag and emulated his hero’s emotional celebration after winning the 1993 Grand Prix, the roars increased further.

It was one of numerous tributes that the seven-time world champion gave to the São Paulo native, 30 years on from the Brazilian’s tragic passing at Imola.

Spearheaded by another special edition helmet for the Grand Prix weekend, Lewis – who became an honorary citizen of Brazil in 2022 – again demonstrated his unwavering passion for the event and its fans, fully reciprocating the love he feels in return.

At Saturday’s fan forum, he headed down from the stage to get as close to those in attendance as possible, taking time to sign autographs and post for selfies.

Post-race on Sunday, a now customary visit to the pit wall to say goodbye and thank you for another year of incredible support.

Smiling Through the Showers

For the second year in a row, the heavens opened in Brazil for Qualifying.

Unlike 2023, which saw the rain arrive at the end of the session, this year’s downpour rocked up just before and was so severe it meant Quali had to be moved to Sunday morning, the first time that had happened since the 2019 Japanese Grand Prix.

Despite the change of plans, the team definitely did not let the weather dampen their spirits, and when it was safe to do so, both George and Lewis headed to the pit wall to thank those who had stayed trackside for their incredible dedication through the deluge.

George even took time to test out the puddles!

The postponement may have meant a shorter Saturday, but it did lead to a longer Sunday.

Alarms for those working in the pit lane would have been going off during the early hours of Sunday morning, many arriving before 5am, a mega effort at the end of three weeks on the road.

A huge shoutout, therefore, to those in team for all their work over a logistically challenging weekend in Brazil, and the previous two weeks in Mexico and Austin.

Kimi in Brazil

While Brazil is familiar to so many F1 fans for its history and energy, this year was the first time junior driver Kimi Antonelli had experience all that for himself.

As well as taking part in Thursday’s F1 tribute for local hero Ayrton Senna, Kimi – who will step up into F1 in 2025 with our team – also got the chance to visit the Senna Institute, an organisation aimed at increasing opportunities for young people in Brazil, before the weekend.

Kimi shared his first impressions of São Paulo with the team, here.