Lewis Hamilton started the sprint race in twentieth position after being disqualified from Friday qualifying due to a non-conformity with his drag reduction system (DRS). He recovered to fifth place in the sprint race. For the main race, Hamilton incurred a further five-place grid penalty for exceeding the allocated quota of internal combustion engines. Despite these challenges, Hamilton caught up to and ultimately passed the leading Max Verstappen to win the race. Sprint polesitter Valtteri Bottas finished third. This result extended Mercedes' advantage over Red Bull Racing in the Constructors' Championship, though Verstappen maintained his lead in the Drivers' Championship standings.
The race marked its debut in the Formula One Championship calendar under the name São Paulo Grand Prix, with previous editions being known as the Brazilian Grand Prix. In November 2020, a deal was signed to continue racing at Interlagos until 2025, under the title of São Paulo Grand Prix. The FIA lifted the curfew that limits overnight working after weather conditions caused equipment to arrive late to the venue. This was the 38th time Interlagos had been visited by the championship. The race was originally scheduled for 7 November due to the postponement of the Australian Grand Prix, but was rescheduled again to its original date due to a reduction in the overall number of Grands Prix on the calendar from 23 to 22.
Heading into the race, Max Verstappen led the World Drivers' Standings with 312.5 points, 19 points ahead of second-placed Lewis Hamilton. Valtteri Bottas was third with 185 points, 20 points ahead of Sergio Pérez in fourth, and Lando Norris was fifth with 150 points. In the World Constructors' Standings, Mercedes led with 478.5 points, one point ahead of Red Bull Racing. Ferrari were third with 268.5 points, ahead of McLaren on 255. Alpine and AlphaTauri were fifth and sixth with 106 points each, with Alpine ahead due to having one win compared to AlphaTauri's none.
The drivers and teams were the same as the season entry list, with no additional stand-in drivers for the race or practice. Kimi Räikkönen achieved his 350th Grand Prix entry in this race, becoming the first F1 driver to reach that milestone.
Sole tyre supplier Pirelli allocated the C2, C3, and C4 compounds of tyre for use during this Grand Prix weekend.
The weekend featured two practice sessions, each lasting one hour. The first took place on 12 November at 12:30 local time (UTC-3), and the second was held at 12:00 on 13 November.
Qualifying took place at 16:00 on 12 November, with the results determining the starting order for sprint qualifying.
After the qualifying session, Hamilton was referred to the stewards for an alleged technical infringement. The technical delegate's report stated that Hamilton's drag reduction system's opening slot was larger than the permitted 85 mm (3.3 in). The rear wing assembly of Hamilton's car was removed and impounded pending investigation. He was subsequently disqualified from qualifying, forcing him to start at the back of the grid for the sprint race.
Verstappen was referred to the stewards for an alleged violation of article 2.5.1 of the FIA International Sporting Code, after he appeared to have touched Hamilton's car during parc fermé. Verstappen received a €50,000 fine.
Sprint qualifying took place on 13 November at 16:30 and was contested over 24 laps, with the results determining the starting order for the main race.
The race was won by Hamilton, with Verstappen and Bottas completing the podium. Pérez set the fastest lap.
Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings. Bold text and an asterisk indicate competitors who still had a theoretical chance of becoming World Champion.
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