Having finished second at the Brazilian Grand Prix last year, McLaren's Lando Norris looks capable of going one place better this time around in Sao Paulo.
Norris had to also settle for second place at last weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix, with the McLaren driver finishing behind Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
Despite missing out on the chequered flag in Mexico City, it was a positive weekend for Norris in terms of the race for the Drivers' Championship, with his title rival Max Verstappen finishing down in sixth place.
Two 10-second penalties really hurt the Dutchman in the Mexican capital and now the Red Bull ace has seen his lead in the standings cut to 47 points with just four races of the 2024 F1 season remaining.
Now all eyes are set on Interlagos and another opportunity for Norris to close in on reigning world champion Verstappen at the top of the standings.
While Norris has missed out on the chequered flag in the last two races in the USA and Mexico, he has still managed to chip away at Verstappen’s lead in the Drivers' Championship.
Still, the Brit will be eager to get back to the summit of the podium at the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday and add to his three race wins this season.
Norris will face stern competition from Verstappen and the improving Ferraris of Sainz and Charles Leclerc, who have shown real signs of progress in the last couple of races.
However, there’s value to be had backing Norris to take the chequered flag at Interlagos with the Bristol, England native at +200 for the race win.
He battled for second place at the Brazilian Grand Prix last year behind winner Verstappen and the Englishman has shown significant signs of progress since then.
The 24-year-old’s McLaren is quicker and more reliable than it was on his last visit to Sao Paulo and Norris looks capable of earning his first Brazilian Grand Prix victory this weekend and narrowing the gap further on Verstappen ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
While Verstappen cut a frustrated figure after the Mexican Grand Prix, Red Bull will be hoping the reigning world champion will have learned from the experience.
Going off the track when trying to battle Norris for position, Verstappen was punished for a lack of judgement and eventually had to settle for sixth at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Verstappen’s success in F1 has been founded on pushing his car to the limit, but the three-time world champion does need to find a balance between competitiveness and recklessness.
Sunday offers an opportunity to get back in the seat and put in a display that can stall Norris' push towards a shock Drivers' Championship win.
Verstappen has fond memories of Interlagos, having won on this track in both 2019 and 2023.
While a third race win at the Brazilian Grand Prix might be out of his reach this weekend, a more composed drive can see Verstappen mix it up with the Ferraris and claim a place on the podium on Sunday.
Further down the grid, there’s value to be had backing Frenchman Pierre Gasly to earn points with a top-10 finish this weekend.
The Alpine racer has finished in the points six times already this season, and he managed to secure 10th spot last time out at the Mexican Grand Prix.
Gasly impressed at Interlagos for Alpine last year, as he finished in seventh place.
With his best finish at the Brazilian Grand Prix being second place on the podium back in 2019, Gasly has shown a liking for this circuit in the past and is an attractive +550 to finish back in the points again in Sao Paulo.
Lando Norris | +200 |
Charles Leclerc | +240 |
Carlos Sainz | +300 |
Oscar Piastri | +650 |
Max Verstappen | +1100 |
George Russell | +2500 |
Lewis Hamilton | +2500 |
Sergio Perez | +10000 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.