Lando Norris secured pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix after a rain-delayed qualifying session at Interlagos on Saturday. The session was halted for nearly an hour and a half due to heavy rain before restarting.
Norris, driving for McLaren, set a time of 1:27.470, beating Mercedes' George Russell by 0.204 seconds. Russell was frustrated after being instructed to abort a potentially faster lap before the rain intensified. Russell also carries a five-place grid penalty for exceeding his permitted engine parts, promoting teammate Kimi Antonelli to second on the grid.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc qualified fourth but has a 10-place grid penalty, moving Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson up to third. The wet conditions leveled the field, allowing drivers in less competitive cars to shine. Audi's Nico Hulkenberg qualified sixth and will start fourth, Haas' Oliver Bearman eighth and will start sixth, Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso ninth and will move up to eighth, and Williams' Alex Albon right behind Alonso.
McLaren's Oscar Piastri was eliminated in Q2 but will start 10th due to penalties. Brazilian rookie Rafael Camara will line up 11th on his Formula 1 debut despite crashing his Haas late in Q2. Red Bull's Max Verstappen, third fastest in Q1, did not participate in Q2 knowing he would start at the back due to engine penalties. Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, also penalized, took part in Q2 but saved tires for the race, qualifying 11th.
Norris, the 2025 world champion, has looked strong all weekend in the upgraded McLaren and repeated his pole from Brazil last year. He said: "It's been a long day, a great qualifying. It was about getting two laps in at the beginning and not making mistakes and that's what we did." Russell rued the decision not to complete his final lap: "Congrats to Lando. That was definitely the pole lap. The rain was coming and we should have just finished the lap. Felt more confident in the wet than we did in the dry."
The race is scheduled to start at 17:00 GMT on 8 November.
