Lando Norris took pole position for the Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, after a qualifying session that took two-and-a-half hours to complete due to heavy rainfall.
The Brit managed to set the fastest time in Q3, with George Russell mistakenly aborting a further flying lap. However, his grid penalty would have handed P1 to the McLaren driver anyway.
New World Champion Andrea Kimi Antonelli therefore took second, with Charles Leclerc – who took fourth – also a victim of a grid penalty, meaning that third place was taken by Liam Lawson, after a superb performance in the tricky conditions at Interlagos.
Rain, rain, go away
Qualifying got going under a blanket of typically Brazilian rainfall, and within minutes, it became apparent that aquaplaining would be commonplace, and the decision was taken to red flag with just over 15 minutes left on the clock.
With drivers forced to sit patiently in their respective garages, marshals worked frantically to clear standing water, with the Medical Car going out to inspect the elements, with the Safety Car following shortly afterwards.
Driver Bernd Schneider’s feedback was that Turns 2, 3, 4 and 5 were the most treacherous in terms of the water. After more work to clear the standing water, Schneider took the Safety Car out for yet another trip, and this time, the conditions got wetter.
Over an hour elapsed before rain dissipated enough for a resumption, at 16:26 local time. However, drivers including Oscar Piastri complained it was “heavy” again.
Regardless, cars stayed out, but new boy Rafa Camara, Gabriel Bortoleto and Lance Stroll had excursions off the circuit as the surface remained greasy and uncompromising.
With around five minutes to go, Oliver Bearman went top of the pile but was quickly displaced, with Russell taking fastest with two laps to go. But 2010 polesitter Nico Hulkenberg – that pole achieve under similar circumstances – went fastest in the Audi, with the Racing Bulls of Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson behind him.
Ats the chequered flag came out, Bearman spun at the final turn, with Russell going back into P1, with Verstappen and Hamilton just behind.
The usual suspects populated the danger zone, aside from Pierre Gasly, who was in significant danger of dropping out, and he duly did, along with teammate Franco Colapinto. Bortoleto’s spin caused some damage that truncated his afternoon.
Camara got the home crowd in sunny spirits, despite the rain, by making it through to Q2.
Out: Colapinto, Gasly, Stroll, Bottas, Perez, Bortoleto.
Q2
The track began to dry as Q2 began. Russell fed back to the pits that it was beginning to become Intermediates weather, but felt the Extremes were working fine.
With just under 10 minutes to go, both Ferraris locked out the top two, with Norris third, but Russell quickly went quickest again. Verstappen, already conscious of his back-of-the-grid start due to an engine change, had had enough and duly opted to take no further part.
Lindblad had been performing well in the wet, but his VCARB 03 suffered a technical fault and was forced to park the car on track. With six minutes to go, Fernando Alonso and Isack Hadjar were the first two drivers to box for Intermediates.
Despite clouting the barriers in Q1, Bearman’s Haas miraculously suffered no discernible problems and briefly went fastest again, now on Inters. But swiftly, Lawson went quickest, with Alonso sitting in fifth spot.
Predictably, though, Russell went quickest again, with Norris getting himself out of the danger zone, but only into ninth, with a minute left on the clock.
With 40 seconds to go, Camara’s almost-dream debut weekend was over, his Haas parked nose-first in the barrier in the final sector.
Out: Hamilton, Piastri, Camara, Lindblad, Sainz, Verstappen
Q3
Q3 quickly started as the rain began to intensify.
Alonso, being the first out of the blocks, went P1, but was quickly displaced by a flurry of cars, including Russell, who looked good to take P1, in name only, at least.
Norris quickly displaced him but with plenty of time to go, it looked as if Russell could still snatch it, but was told to back out of the next push lap. Cue the fury: Russell was insensed of being denied what he felt was a “P1 lap”.
As the King’s Lynn man began to stew further, the rain began to fall heavily, with cars now boxing. This time, the clock was left to run down.
Norris was therefore on pole, with Russell second, but his penalty left him drop to P7. Antonelli was now second, with Leclerc fourth, but now 14th factoring in his own penalty. Lawson would therefore take third. Hulkenberg locked out the second row, with Hadjar next, followed by Bearman, Alonso and Albon.
READ MORE – F1 2026 Sao Paulo Grand Prix – Qualifying Results
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