Lando Norris claims Brazilian GP pole after rain-hit qualifying

Lando Norris secured pole for the São Paulo Grand Prix after a rain-disrupted qualifying session at Interlagos, beating George Russell by 0.204 seconds in the final shootout. Norris’s 1m27.470s lap on intermediate tyres came after heavy rain and standing water forced a lengthy interruption earlier in the session.

Norris edges Russell in the final shootout

Russell set the second-fastest time, but his qualifying result came with a five-place grid penalty for a power-unit change. The Mercedes driver was also frustrated after the team asked him to abandon his second flying lap in Q3.

Kimi Antonelli was third in qualifying, 0.625 seconds behind Norris, with Charles Leclerc fourth. Leclerc faces a 10-place engine penalty, which moves Liam Lawson up from fifth in qualifying to third on the starting grid. Lawson’s performance was a strong one for Racing Bulls, with his seat reportedly under consideration as the team weighs a possible promotion for reserve driver Nikola Tsolov.

Nico Hulkenberg took sixth for Audi, ahead of Isack Hadjar and Oliver Bearman. Fernando Alonso and Alex Albon completed the top 10. Norris’s latest pole adds another chapter to his qualifying record, following his Madring pole-winning performance.

Rain delays Q1 and reshapes the field

Q1 began on schedule as conditions worsened, but several drivers returned to the pits to change from intermediates to full wet tyres. After reports of aquaplaning, race control stopped the session. It resumed after a delay of more than 80 minutes, with 15 minutes remaining and the circuit still treacherous.

As the track improved, Norris led Q1 with a 1m30.939s, ahead of Russell and Max Verstappen. Haas rookie Rafael Camara recovered from a spin and contact with the wall to progress, but later crashed at Turn 12 in Q2, bringing out another red flag.

Oscar Piastri finished 12th and missed the Q3 cut, while Lewis Hamilton was eliminated in 11th. Verstappen did not run in Q2 and was classified 16th; he and Hamilton are both due to start at the back because of power-unit penalties.

Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly were eliminated in Q1, alongside Lance Stroll and the two Cadillacs. Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto also went off at Turn 12 and damaged the left rear of his car. The conditions matched the rain threat covered in our São Paulo weekend weather update, turning Saturday’s session into a test of patience as well as speed.