Sao Paulo GP Qualifying: Lando Norris claims rain-hit pole in wild conditions with Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen to start at back
Lando Norris claimed pole position after a hugely-challenging Sao Paulo Grand Prix qualifying in treacherous wet conditions, for a race that will see Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen start at the back of the grid.
On a rain-hit day at ever-unpredictable Interlagos, qualifying was suspended for over an hour and 20 minutes after a torrential downpour hit the drivers' first laps of Q1.
The rain eventually eased - but never particularly stopped - to allow running to take place, creating a thrilling and unpredictable battle for pole.
In the end it was Norris who impressively came out on top to seal a third successive Interlagos pole position for the outgoing world champion, on a weekend McLaren had already showed improved form in the dry following car upgrades.
Mercedes' George Russell was second fastest ahead of a race he already knew he carries a five-place grid penalty for an engine change, meaning he could not ultimately achieve pole position whatever he did.
He lapped 0.204s slower than Norris in Q3 and from second will drop to seventh on Sunday's grid.
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But the Mercedes driver felt he would have topped the qualifying timesheet outright had he not been advised by his race engineer to back out of what turned out to be his final representative timed lap of Q3, when he came up behind Alex Albon's slower Williams.
Russell's engineer, Marcus Dudley, clearly hoped this would pay dividends by giving the Briton a clearer run on his next lap but the call coincided with the rain worsening, meaning lap times quickly became slower and the final minutes of Q3 inconsequential as all drivers returned to the pit lane.
"I don't want to be P2. I want to be P1!" fumed Russell on team radio.
New world champion Kimi Antonelli qualified third but will move ahead of team-mate Russell to the front row alongside Norris.
1) Lando Norris, McLaren2) George Russell, Mercedes*3) Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes4) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari**5) Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls6) Nico Hulkenberg, Audi7) Isack Hadjar, Red Bull8) Oliver Bearman, Haas9) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin10) Alex Albon, Williams*five-place penalty to be applied**10-place penalty to be applied
Charles Leclerc was fourth for Ferrari but he has a 10-place penalty for an engine change to serve so will drop down into 14th on the grid.
His team-mate Hamilton was also originally supposed to serve the same sanction but a problem with his fresh Ferrari engine in final practice triggered a complete power-unit change and locked him in to a back-of-the-grid start.
He will be joined on the back rows by old title rival Verstappen, who has also taken a new power unit in his Red Bull from Saturday's running. Hamilton starts 20th with Verstappen 21st.
Both drivers dropped out in Q2, Hamilton in 11th and Verstappen, who opted not to run in the second phase at all in order to save wet tyres for the race, 16th but neither result mattered given their overriding penalties.
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Ferrari's heavier grid penalties increase Mercedes' chances of closing out the Constructors' Championship on Sunday.
Seven days after Antonelli's drivers' title triumph in Mexico, the Silver Arrows will complete a title double for 2026 with three rounds to spare if they outscore their Italian rivals by three points or more.
The grid penalties for Russell, Verstappen and both Ferraris - which were all confirmed in the sessions ahead of qualifying - mean Sunday's grid has a different complexion to normal in a season otherwise dominated by the 'big four' teams.
Russell and Leclerc's demotions move Liam Lawson - whose future at Racing Bulls remain in huge doubt despite his impressive season - to a joint career-best third on the grid after the New Zealander already impressed in the wet to qualify fifth.
There were also strong performances in the rain from Audi's Nico Hulkenberg, who will start fourth, and Haas' Oliver Bearman, who will line up sixth.
With Verstappen at the back, Isack Hadjar will be the lead Red Bull driver in fifth.
Fernando Alonso showed his old mastery of the rain to put under-powered Aston Martin into Q3 for the first time this season, while Williams' Alex Albon also made his first top-10 appearance of a difficult year.
Alonso and Albon will line up in eighth and ninth places respectively.
That is just ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri - after he dropped out in Q2 following an error on the intermediates at the end of his last lap - and Brazilian debutant Rafael Camara in 11th.
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Camara, Haas' new signing to replace Esteban Ocon, hugely impressed on his F1 debut to make Q2 before blotting his copybook slightly by crashing into the barriers at the end of that second phase at Turn 12.
Arvid Lindblad will line up 12th after his Racing Bulls car was stopped by technical issues in Q2.
Rain has largely stayed away from the 2026 season but arrived with a vengeance at Interlagos on Saturday.
A big electrical storm following the end of final practice had already drenched the track, but conditions had started to improve, and the rain even briefly stopped, to allow qualifying to begin at its scheduled time.
But just as drivers were starting to queue at the end of the pit lane for the Q1 green light, the heavens opened again and as the cars were released onto the track conditions became treacherous almost immediately, forcing drivers to gingerly complete their out laps amid ever-worsening visibility and grip levels.
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Race Control swiftly threw the red flag, mandating drivers returned to the pit lane, which would eventually lead to a suspension of one hour and 23 minutes before the track was deemed suitable for F1 cars to return.
And while the rain did start to initially worsen again just as the session resumed, conditions steadily improved thereafter with a drier line eventually appearing around the lap and drivers able to switch from the full wet to the shallower intermediate tyres from mid-way through Q2.
Impressively, while there were spins and off-track moments, only two drivers found the barriers. However, to the disappointment of the home crowd, they were both the Brazilians in the field.
Gabriel Bortoleto slithered off the road in his Audi in Q1, although was able to return to the pits where he stayed due to car damage, while Camara hit the barriers to bring Q2 to a slightly premature end at the start of the final run up the hill.
In the end, despite a frustrated Russell's feeling of what might have been, it was polesitter Norris who tamed the conditions the best to earn the most hard-won of pole positions.
"It was about getting two laps in at the beginning, not making any mistakes, and that's exactly what we did, so it's been a very good day," said the McLaren driver.
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Sunday November 83.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Sao Paulo GP build-up5pm: THE SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX7pm: Chequered Flag: Sao Paulo GP reaction8pm: Ted's Notebook
Formula 1 is in Brazil for the final leg of the triple header with the Sao Paulo Grand Prix this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW
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