Formula One is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world today. Between Drive to Survive and the F1 Movie, the popularity of the sport has grown immensely over the last five years. However, if you are one of the people who haven’t caught the Formula One bug or are interested in getting into the race, the race to watch is the São Paulo Grand Prix. Here’s why:

Chaos on the track

The Sao Paulo Grand Prix is always a chaotic race, and the track is designed to cause chaos. Drivers start the race on a straight downhill section, before heading into the famous Senna “S” Curve, named for the famed Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna.

They then head into a long straight DRS zone before winding through turns six through 12, which are tight banking corners. They then round a long curve before coming down the straight again to the end of the lap.

The laps are among the shortest on the schedule, while the race is the second-highest altitude race after the Mexico City Grand Prix. Both present challenges to the driver and the car, which have to adapt to the changing air pressure and its impact on speed.

But the biggest factor is the rain. This is expected to be a wet weekend in São Paulo, and that will have an impact on the outcome. Like your own car, Formula One cars are prone to slipping and sliding in wet conditions, which impacts how drivers perform.

Last year was similarly wet and caused immense amounts of chaos. Both Carlos Sainz and Brazilian Franco Colapinot retired due to crashes, while Nico Hulkenberg was disqualified. Lance Stroll crashed during the formation lap and was unable to start, and Alex Albon crashed in qualifying, and Williams was unable to repair his car in time for the race.

A very tight 2025 Drivers’ Championship

Perhaps most notable was who won the race last year. After starting 17th, Max Verstappen came from the back to win the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in 2024, and also picked up a bonus point for recording the fastest lap. In a fight for the Drivers’ Championship, he will be looking to repeat that this year.

This year is expected to be just as wet and just as chaotic, adding even more intrigue to the title race. Last year, both McLaren drivers struggled, with Lando Norris finishing sixth and Oscar Piastri finishing eighth. Zak Brown and McLaren need to have a big weekend in São Paolo if they want to take home both the Drivers Championship on top of the Constructors Championship, which they wrapped up weeks ago.

The gap between Lando Norris in first and Max Verstappen in third is just 36 points. If Verstappen wins all the points he can and Norris wins none, the gap could close to just three points by the end of the weekend.

However, more interesting is the battle between Norris and Piastri, who are just a single point apart. McLaren has been clear about following Papaya Rules, allowing the drivers to battle each other fairly, but in practice, they have been far from doing so. The chaotic nature of the Brazil GP will undoubtedly impact how McLaren approaches this race.

The Sao Paolo Grand Prix is a race for the underdogs

Brazil is anybody’s race. In most races, it ends up being the same group of drivers battling for the win. It is a race where underdog teams and drivers have come from behind and picked up wins.

Last year, not one but two Alpines finished on the podium, with Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly finishing second and third, respectively.

2023 saw Canadian Lance Stroll end up in fifth from his usual spot at the back of the grid, while in 2022, Fernando Alonso took the Alpine from 17th up to fifth.

Unlike races like the Monaco Grand Prix, this is a race where anything can happen. It’s well worth a watch.

Where to watch the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Canada

The Sao Paulo Grand Prix will take place at 10 am MST/ 12 pm EST on Sunday, November 9th. This is the perfect time of day to catch a race for North American fans, far better than having to get up at five am to watch the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

TSN will cover the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Canada, with the race shown on TSN4 and TSN5 starting at 11:55 am EST. TSN+ will also have onboard cameras with Lance Stroll, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, which you can follow.

In Quebec, RDS will cover the race on its main channel starting at 10 am.

This should be a race for the books, and with so much on the line for both McLaren and Red Bull, there is a lot to watch for this weekend. If you’re only going to catch one race this year, make it the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.