Lando Norris claimed pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix after a dramatic qualifying session at Interlagos, disrupted by heavy rain and red flags, with Mercedes duo George Russell and Kimi Antonelli completing the top three.
Charles Leclerc qualified fourth, with Racing Bulls Liam Lawson completing the top five, where changing conditions proved to be a challenge. It was a session where track position was king.
Rain was forecast ahead of Saturday's qualifying, and it arrived with vengeance. As the session started, drivers lined up and down the pitlane on intermediate tyres, but after a lap, they returned to the pits to put on the full wets.
That was all in vain as a red flag was shown, pausing the session. Plenty of discussion occurred in the pits, with a one-lap shootout or even a Sunday qualifying suggested. But after a lengthy delay, Valtteri Bottas led the cars back out on track.
Home heroes Rafael Camara and Gabriel Bortoleto went off track, the latter damaging his rear wing too much to continue, finishing P22.
As conditions gradually improved, drivers continued to set quicker times. Bortoleto was joined by Sergio Perez, Bottas, Lance Stroll and the Alpine duo of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto in the elimination zone for Q1.
The second part of qualifying brought a major surprise as McLaren's Oscar Piastri failed to progress, finishing 12th.
Max Verstappen did not take part in Q2, opting to preserve his tyres for Sunday's race. Arvid Lindblad also failed to complete the session, stopping the car at Turn 4.
Fernando Alonso was the first driver to gamble on intermediate tyres as conditions changed, with others following the old master as they too looked to find time before the flag. Camara's difficult qualifying continued when he went off again, crashing into the barriers late in the session, causing a red flag.
Like Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton will also start from the back of the grid due to a power unit change. He was facing only a 10-place grid drop, but further changes mean he drops to the back of the field.
Piastri was eliminated alongside Hamilton, Camara, Lindblad, Carlos Sainz and Verstappen.
Due to the rain increasing, Q3 was short but equally dramatic.
Norris made the most of the opportunity as he secured pole while Russell, who was first for a while, could not improve after being affected by Alex Albon on one of his flying laps. The Mercedes driver's second place will be affected by a five-place grid penalty.
| Position | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes |
| 3 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls |
| 4 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi |
| 5 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull |
| 6 | Oliver Bearman | Haas |
| 7 | George Russell | Mercedes |
| 8 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin |
| 9 | Alexander Albon | Williams |
| 10 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren |
| 11 | Rafael Camara | Haas |
| 12 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls |
| 13 | Carlos Sainz | Williams |
| 14 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| 15 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine |
| 16 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine |
| 17 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
| 18 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac |
| 19 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi |
| 20 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari |
| 21 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| 22 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac |
