Lando Norris stormed to pole position for the Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix in a dramatic qualifying session which saw Max Verstappen knocked out in Q1.
The Brit left it late in Q3 but his pole position did not look in doubt, having driven brilliantly all weekend, extending his form from his Sprint victory earlier in the day.
McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri failed to match Norris once again, qualifying fourth, with Norris joined on the front row by the Mercedes of Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Charles Leclerc took third place, with Lewis Hamilton failing to match his team-mate’s pace, after being knocked out in Q2.
Q1 started with Norris setting an early banker, around three tenths quicker than Verstappen, with Piastri’s lap some distance off.
Hamilton’s 1:10.233s was enough to go quickest, but the times began to tumble quickly with Antonelli going four hundredths faster, but Bearman went considerably quicker, his 1:09.891s taking him top by three tenths.
Piastri then went second with Albon third and Pierre Gasly fourth. Both Red Bulls were in the danger zone but still had seven minutes to free themselves.
Verstappen’s next lap did little to remedy the situation, remaining 16th, losing eight tenths on Bearman’s time just in the middle sector.
Instead of pitting, Verstappen completed some cool off laps to make one final push at the end.
Norris went two tenths quicker than Bearman, who was relegated to third by Gasly. Verstappen went into his final run with Tsunoda already out, and despite setting a better lap, he could not better 16th.
Both Red Bulls were sensationally out, along with Franco Colapinto, Esteban Ocon and Gabriel Bortoleto, who, despite a manful effort by the Sauber mechanics to try a repair the car shunted in the Sprint Race, could not do quite enough to get him out on track.
Hamilton out in Q2 with Bearman continuing to impress at the top
Q2 started in a similar fashion, Bearman on top, a 1:09.755s that was matched exactly by Piastri, with Liam Lawson the next challenger, two tenths down. Norris and both Mercedes seemed in no hurry, having yet to set a time with eight minutes to go.
But Norris did so and went third, with Russell going third, and then Antonelli going second. It was not good enough for Russell, who complained that there was “no grip” on his car.
With two minutes to go, Bearman remained top, with both Ferraris looking in danger, but Leclerc popped into third place, with Gasly continuing his good showing with fifth.
Norris reasserted his form with a 1:09.616s, over a tenth faster than Bearman. The already shocking session claimed another big name, as Hamilton failed to improve, leaving him 13th.
Despite a good showing in Sprint qualifying and the race itself, Aston Martin could not make good on their form, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll joining Hamilton, with both Williams of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz completing the eliminated gang of five.
Norris leaves it late to claim pole
Bearman and Leclerc set matching times, as Piastri went quickest with a 1:09.897s. Russell was fifth and still complaining of low grip, with Antonelli one position above.
Norris sat 10th but surely had more in the tank to mount a pole challenge, but there would be no reason to discount Bearman too, who had performed admirably all afternoon.
The Haas could not quite find the pace of Q2, and stayed provisionally third. Leclerc went on provisional pole, but for a matter of seconds, as Norris’ 1:09.511s was almost three tenths faster.
Piastri could not improve, staying third. Hadjar improved a lot, and he and Lawson both demoted Bearman to sixth, the pair going fourth and fifth.
The Kiwi was dropped down to sixth by Russell, who improved slightly on Mediums, but was outdone once again by Antonelli, who stormed up to second.
Leclerc was third, with Piastri fourth, Hadjar fifth, Russell sixth, Lawson seventh, Bearman eighth, Gasly ninth and Nico Hulkenberg rounding up the top 10.
Norris could have hoped for little more than what he got – pole position, with one title rival three places behind, and the other out in Q1, setting up a potential title-swinging race on Sunday.
READ MORE – F1 2025 Brazil Grand Prix – Qualifying Results
Discussion about this post