A 6am wake-up call for a doping test — Alpine's French driver Pierre Gasly was subjected to a surprise check by anti-doping officials operating under World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and FIA rules ahead of the São Paulo Grand Prix. Missing a test is treated as a failure and can lead to a ban, as Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand discovered in 2003, when he was suspended for eight months and fined £50,000. "You just made my day... I got woken up at 06:00 for a doping test this morning, so I'm not in the best mood. It was a bad night, but I love this place," Gasly told reporters. He recalled his Interlagos podiums of 2019 and the rain-soaked 2024 race. At the Mexico City Grand Prix, Gasly's stop-go penalty for failing to slow sufficiently under yellow flags was converted into a 30-second time penalty, dropping him from ninth to 17th. "Ultimately, I didn't slow down enough, so I take full responsibility for the penalty," Gasly admitted. The error proved costly.