McLaren's Lando Norris secured pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix after a wet qualifying session at Interlagos was delayed by nearly 90 minutes due to heavy rain. Norris set a time of 1:27.470, beating Mercedes' George Russell by 0.204 seconds. Russell was left frustrated after his engineer instructed him to abort a potentially faster lap before the rain intensified.
Russell carries a five-place grid penalty for exceeding his permitted engine components, promoting his teammate and newly crowned world champion Kimi Antonelli to second on the grid. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc qualified fourth but has a 10-place penalty, elevating Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson to third. The wet conditions leveled the field, allowing several 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 moving up to eighth, and Williams' Alex Albon right behind. McLaren's Oscar Piastri was eliminated in Q2 but will start 10th due to penalties, while Brazilian rookie Rafael Camara will line up 11th on his Formula 1 debut despite a late crash in Q2.
Qualifying began at 15:00 local time but was red-flagged before any laps could be set due to dangerous conditions. Bearman described it as "definitely the wettest conditions I've experienced in a race car." The session restarted 1 hour 26 minutes later. Red Bull's Max Verstappen, third fastest in Q1, skipped Q2 knowing he would start from the back due to engine penalties. Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, also penalized, participated in Q2 but conserved tires and qualified 11th.
Norris, the 2025 world champion, has looked strong all weekend in the upgraded McLaren, repeating his pole from Brazil last year and securing his first front-row start since the Spanish Grand Prix in September. "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," Norris said. Russell rued the aborted 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."
Revised Top 10 Grid After Penalties
1. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 1:27.470
2. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
3. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
4. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
5. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
6. Oliver Bearman (Haas)
7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
8. Alex Albon (Williams)
9. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
10. Rafael Camara (Haas)
The Sao Paulo Grand Prix race starts at 17:00 GMT on 8 November.
