Norris wins Formula 1's Brazilian Grand Prix to extend his lead with 3 races left

SAO PAULO (AP) — McLaren driver Lando Norris significantly extended his lead in the F1 championship after winning the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday, with his main rival and teammate Oscar Piastri receiving a 10-second penalty and again failing to make the podium.

Norris, who also won Saturday’s sprint race and started from pole position, earned his first win at Interlagos with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen second and third, respectively.

Norris, who also won the Mexican Grand Prix on Oct. 26, now has 390 points in the standings, with Piastri’s fifth place leaving him 24 points behind on 366 with three more races to go. Norris had led the Australian by one point at the start of the weekend and increased that lead to nine points after the sprint race.

At a press conference after the race, Norris said that he doesn't feel he is now in a commanding position to win the title, calling it "just another weekend trying to win, get the most points I could.”

Piastri has struggled lately; he is now winless in six races and has not reached the podium since Monza in Italy two months ago when he finished third.

Four-time world champion Verstappen has 341 points in third place overall and has played down his title chances.

It was a frustrating weekend for Ferrari drivers. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton both failed to finished the race in Sao Paulo.

“It is a nightmare,” Hamilton told Sky Sports. "It is a flip between the dream of driving for this amazing team and then the nightmare of the results."

Norris won his seventh race of the season, the same number as Piastri. Asked after the race how he managed to bounce back in the championship, Norris replied: “Just ignore everyone who talked crap about you.”

He added, “Still a long way to go (in the drivers' championship), this could change so quickly.”

Piastri's chances were hurt shortly after lap 8, when he made contact with Antonelli as they fought for second position. Piastri pushed the Mercedes driver into Leclerc, who was forced to retire as a result. Piastri, who started the race in fourth spot, later received his time penalty for causing the collision.

“In my opinion, I had a very clear opportunity in the inside,” said Piastri, who argued he couldn't have gone anywhere else when the contact took place. “I can’t just disappear.”

The next Grand Prix is in Las Vegas in two weeks' time. Norris said he is not confident he and McLaren will compete for a win there.

“It was our worst race last year. I can't say I am looking forward to it,” Norris said.

The 25-year-old Englishman dedicated his win to Indianapolis 500 winner and Brazilian icon Gil de Ferran, who died in 2023.

“This one was for Gil, one of my mentors ... This one was for him. I’m sure he’d be very proud of it all," Norris said. “I was thinking of that while driving. A perfect weekend.”

Verstappen, who also has a long shot at the drivers' title, finished on the podium from the pit lane. He was supposed to start from 16th position after a frustrating qualifying session, but his team made sweeping changes to his car, including a new engine. The team's move eventually paid off.

“To be in the podium from the pit lane, I didn’t expect that at all. Even less after a puncture at the start,” said Verstappen, who won last year's race starting from 17th.

A relaxed Verstappen poured Champagne over Antonelli on the podium. The 19-year-old Antonelli had the best result of his career after a battle with the Dutchman on the final lap to keep his position.

“I don't know where this guy came from,” the Italian jokingly said after the race.

Brazilian fans at Interlagos were frustrated from lap one, when Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto crashed out in what looked to be a promising outing after he overtook three rivals in quick succession.

The 21-year-old F1 rookie was the first Brazilian to race in front of home fans since Felipe Massa in 2017.

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McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia drives during the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix at the Interlagos race track in Sao Paulo, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, left, sprays champagne on Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli of Italy at the podium during the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix at the Interlagos race track in Sao Paulo, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain celebrates on the podium his first place in the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix at the Interlagos race track in Sao Paulo, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain celebrates with teammates after winning the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix at the Interlagos race track in Sao Paulo, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain celebrates finishing first in the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix at the Interlagos race track in Sao Paulo, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

The checkered flag is waved as McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain crosses the finish line to win the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix at the Interlagos race track in Sao Paulo, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (Jean Carniel /Pool Photo via AP)

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia, center, arrives at the Interlagos race track ahead of the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix in Sao Paulo, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ettore Chiereguini)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, arrives at the Interlagos race track ahead of the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix in Sao Paulo, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ettore Chiereguini)

Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain drives during the opening parade at the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix at the Interlagos race track in Sao Paulo, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain, left, and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco wave to the crowd during the opening parade at the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix at the Interlagos race track in Sao Paulo, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump drew applause Tuesday night as he attended the opening of the musical “Chicago” at the Kennedy Center for what could be one of his last visits there for a show before he closes the performing arts institution for a two-year renovation in July.

Trump made the short trip from the White House just after signing an executive order to create a nationwide list of verified eligible voters and to restrict mail-in voting, a move that drew swift legal threats from state Democratic officials.

The president watched the performance alongside his wife, first lady Melania Trump. As the couple entered, some in the crowd booed, but they were drowned out by even louder cheers from the rest of the crowd.

It was the Trumps' first time together at the Kennedy Center since the premiere of the documentary “Melania” in January. The Republican president also attended the opening-night performance of “Les Misérables” last summer, where he was both booed and cheered.

Some of those arriving for the show before Trump didn't know he was planning to be there, despite the extra layers of security. Others said they got a voicemail or email about a special guest being in attendance, but were still surprised to learn it was Trump.

Bobi Jo Swartz, 38, an EMT and paramedic firefighter from the Harpers Ferry area in West Virginia, said she was “definitely shocked” to pull up and see security that included bomb-sniffing dogs checking vehicles. But she also said she “kind of figured” it was either Trump or Vice President JD Vance seeing the show.

“I love it," Swartz said. "I'm glad that he's a part of it.”

“Chicago,” a scathing satire set in the 1920s about how show business and the media make celebrities out of criminals, will run at the Kennedy Center Opera House through April 5. The center will award the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor to comedian Bill Maher on June 28, an event Trump could also attend.

Since returning to office in January 2025, the Republican president has wielded tremendous influence over the venue, ousting its previous leadership and replacing it with a handpicked board of trustees that named him chairman.

The board added Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center and approved the two-year closure, which followed a wave of cancellations by leading performers, musicians and groups upset that Trump had taken over the storied institution. Both the name change and the planned closure have prompted legal proceedings that are ongoing.

Swartz said she wasn't aware that the center would soon be closing, but called the prospect of remodeling “awesome.”

“Good for them,” she said.

Presidents are known for their ability to multitask, but Trump's attendance at Tuesday's opening night show comes after the White House suggested that the war in Iran and other major matters kept him from attending the Conservative Political Action Conference in suburban Dallas over the weekend.

Trump was a fixture at past CPAC gatherings, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said he still “loves” the event and “has a very good relationship with the great people who run it.”

“It was just simply for scheduling purposes this year, with it being in Texas, it was best for the president’s schedule and what he has on his plate right now not to go," she said during her briefing with reporters on Monday.

Trump instead spent the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and went to his golf club on Saturday and Sunday.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive to attend the opening nights of the musical "Chicago" at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive to attend the opening nights of the musical "Chicago" at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive to attend the opening nights of the musical "Chicago" at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)