Lando Norris achieved his third consecutive pole position at Interlagos in a heavily delayed wet qualifying session.
In a challenging qualifying that was red-flagged by over an hour due to heavy rain and standing water, Norris topped the final Q3 shootout with a lap time of one minute, 27.470 seconds on the intermediate tyres, edging out the Mercedes of George Russell by two tenths.
Russell has a five-place grid penalty for a power unit change, but was still frustrated by his Silver Arrows team asking him to abort his second flying lap in Q3.
Kimi Antonelli qualified third, six tenths behind Norris, with Charles Leclerc fourth in the Ferrari. As well as Russell’s demotion, Leclerc’s ten-place engine penalty elevated fifth-placed Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson to third for the main race.
Lawson is under pressure to retain his seat as Racing Bulls considers promoting reserve driver Nikola Tsolov instead, but Liam delivered a standout performance in the tricky wet conditions.
Nico Hulkenberg also was a highlight with sixth for Audi, followed by Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar and Haas driver Oliver Bearman. Fernando Alonso and Alex Albon completed the top ten.
In Q2 Alonso was the first driver to switch to intermediates as he aimed to lift his Aston Martin to the sharp end of the field. Other soon followed suit, and Russell secured P1 with one minute, 26.745 seconds lap on the inters, ahead of an impressive looking Lawson and Hadjar.
Newly-crowded world champion Antonelli only just managed to advance in P10, knocking out Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who is already due to start at the back following a power unit penalty.
Oscar Piastri was unable to advance, the McLaren driver a disappointing P12. Haas newcomer Rafael Camara had done well to progress to Q2 despite spinning off, but he then crashed at the end of the session by going straight into the wall at Turn 12, bringing out a late red flag.
In the second Racing Bulls car, Arvid Lindblad dropped out in P14 due to a power unit issue, followed by Carlos Sainz in the Williams. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who joins Hamilton at the back of the grid with a power unit penalty of his own, did not go out in Q2 and was classified P16.
Following an earlier downpour and more rain on the horizon, Q1 started on time but the conditions worsening right before the session went green.
Several drivers immediately parked their cars to be pushed back and exchange their intermediates for full wet tyres. Those who did go out confirmed that was a good idea, with cars heading straight back in after reporting aquaplaning as race control red-flagged the session.
After a delay of over an hour and 20 minutes, the session was green again with 15 minutes of Q1 running on the clock and conditions still tricky enough for full wet tyres.
With conditions still poor but continuously improving, that meant it was a matter of fuelling up the car, circulating and building up the confidence to push and peak at the end of the session. Norris ended up leading the segment with a time of one minute, 30.939 seconds, ten seconds quicker than lap times just 15 minutes prior, ahead of Russell and Verstappen.
At the rear of the field Haas debutant Camara somehow survived a spin and contact with the wall after Turn 3, which broke his front wing but no big damage to the suspension, to advance in P13 to the delight of the home fans.
Alpine lost out in Q1 with both Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly eliminated in P16 and P17, complaining in a complete lack of grip. Lance Stroll was also out in P18, followed by Cadillac duo Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.
The other home crowd favourite, Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto, was less fortunate than Camara and damaged the left-rear of his car after an off at Turn 12.
So after a long rain delay with a qualifying session that last over two hours, we have a grid lineup for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Last year’s champion Lando Norris will start on pole ahead of the new title winner Kimi Antonelli.
Sao Paulo Grand Prix, qualifying positions:
1 Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes 1:27.470
2 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:28.095
3 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls-Ford 1:28.321
4 Nico Hulkenberg Audi 1:28.668
5 Isack Hadjar Red Bull-Ford 1:28.763
6 Oliver Bearman Haas-Ferrari 1:29.831
7 George Russell Mercedes 1:27.674*
8 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin-Honda 1:30.311
9 Alexander Albon Williams-Mercedes 1:30.456
10 Oscar Piastri McLaren-Mercedes 1:30.369
11 Rafael Camara Haas-Ferrari 1:31.515
12 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls-Ford 1:31.687
13 Carlos Sainz Williams-Mercedes 1:31.785
14 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:28.289**
15 Franco Colapinto Alpine-Mercedes 1:33.327
17 Pierre Gasly Alpine-Mercedes 1:33.449
17 Lance Stroll Aston Martin-Honda 1:33.653
18 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac-Ferrari 1:33.774
19 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:41.564
20 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:30.001***
21 Max Verstappen Red Bull-Ford 1:31.238***
22 Sergio Perez Cadillac-Ferrari 1:34.509***
*Five-place grid penalty for power unit change
**Ten-place grid penalty for power unit change
***Back of the grid penalty for power unit change
Lando Norris came out on top in a test of bravery at the rain-soaked Interlagos circuit, with the McLaren driver securing pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix after severe delays to the session.
The Brazilian weather once again made for an exhilarating Qualifying as drivers took on the challenge of a wet track, and Norris posted a 1m 27.470s to deny Mercedes’ George Russell and Kimi Antonelli top spot.
Russell will be demoted following a five-place grid penalty, but qualified ahead of his team mate, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc – who will also lose 10 positions for Sunday’s race – and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson.
Nico Hulkenberg was a magnificent sixth for Audi as the conditions created chances for the midfield, with Isack Hadjar slotting into seventh. Haas’ Ollie Bearman, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Williams’ Alex Albon rounded out the top 10 in some of the greatest Qualifying performances of the season for their respective teams.
Further incoming penalties for Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will see them tumble to the back of the grid, so neither was too stressed about being eliminated in Q2 – indeed, the Dutchman didn’t participate at all.
Behind the 11th-placed Ferrari driver, Oscar Piastri suffered his second consecutive Q2 exit as a late red flag for Rafael Camara’s crash prevented him from improving and left the Brazilian rookie in P13.
An order to stop the car also resigned Arvid Lindblad to P14 – he led Williams’ Carlos Sainz and the penalised Verstappen as the final drivers who failed to progress to Q3.
Earlier in Qualifying, a breathless opening segment saw Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly knocked out as they crossed the line in tandem, leaving them in P17 and P18 ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll.
Cadillac failed to capitalise on the challenging weather as Valtteri Bottas settled for P20 in front of his team mate Sergio Perez, whilst Gabriel Bortoleto wound up last on the times after hitting the wall in Q1.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/norris-beats-russell-to-pole-position-in-dramatic-rain-affected-sao-paolo-qualifying.2V60rhlQjdS5my1uFrOKUH
Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen will all serve grid penalties for engine changes at Formula 1’s Brazilian Grand Prix.
Following a tough set of Friday practice sessions, Ferrari has decided to perform a planned engine change on both Hamilton and Leclerc’s SF-26, costing them a 10-place grid penalty each for the Interlagos race. The Scuderia has decided to use a new internal combustion engine.
Meanwhile for Verstappen, it involves a complete power unit change and therefore a penalty to the very back of the grid.
Red Bull indicated earlier this weekend that it wanted to wait as long as possible before making a potential power unit change. Ahead of the weekend, the Milton Keynes-based outfit said that a change was not yet necessary at Interlagos, but that assessment changed on Friday.
Verstappen encountered several ‘small issues’, which also contributed to him sitting out the final six minutes of the second practice session. Although Red Bull initially attributed that purely to ‘inconsistencies’, the explanation already sounded strange at the time.
After all, ending practice early also meant Verstappen gave up the opportunity to carry out a practice start on the slightly uphill grid, while Red Bull’s starts have not always been outstanding this year. After Verstappen climbed out of his RB22, mechanics were immediately seen working underneath the car.
On Friday evening, Red Bull broke the curfew, after which the complete engine change was officially confirmed on Saturday.
It means Verstappen faces another fight through the field in Sao Paulo, where he has plenty of experience with it. Last year, for example, he drove from the pitlane to the podium, while in 2024 he won from 17th on the grid, effectively ending Lando Norris’s title ambitions that year. In 2016, Verstappen also produced a memorable comeback drive in the rain during the closing stages, although that followed a wrong tyre choice by Red Bull.
Hamilton, too, is of course no stranger to legendary comeback drives in Brazil. In 2021, he also had to fight his way through the field, something he managed twice in hugely impressive fashion. The seven-time world champion climbed from 20th to fifth in the sprint race. For the main race, he was dropped back to 10th on the grid, but even that could not stop him from taking victory.
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/lewis-hamilton-charles-leclerc-and-max-verstappen-hit-with-f1-grid-penalties-for-brazilian-gp/10872560/
Max Verstappen is targeting a fun outing at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix as he attempts to work his way forwards from the back of the grid, with Red Bull opting to serve an engine penalty at Interlagos.
It was confirmed prior to Qualifying that Verstappen had amassed 30 places worth of penalties due to going beyond his season allocation for the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), Turbo Charger and Exhaust, meaning that he joins the likes of both Ferrari drivers and Mercedes’ George Russell in taking penalties this weekend.
When it came to Saturday’s session, Verstappen participated in Q1 and, despite progressing to Q2, did not run in that segment, meaning that he wound up P16. His penalties, however, drop him back to second-to-last place in P21.
The four-time World Champion managed the challenging conditions of the session – which was delayed in getting underway due to heavy rain – but conceded when speaking afterwards that the plan had been to simply record a lap.
“I know that I have to start from the back, so we don’t want to take too much risk and [we] just put a lap on the board in Q1,” Verstappen explained. “And yeah, that’s what we did.”
Verstappen famously enjoyed a stunning rise through the field during a rain-affected race in Sao Paulo back in 2024, with the Dutch racer climbing up the order to go from P17 to victory.
Quizzed on the thinking behind taking his penalty at Interlagos, Verstappen responded: “I mean, we saw an issue and we decided to take the penalty here.
“Maybe it’s the best place to take it, but who knows. We’ll see tomorrow how far we can move up to the front. [We’ll] try and have a bit of fun out there.”
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Fernando Alonso admits that “the first Q3 of the season feels good”, as the Aston Martin driver finished ninth quickest in a wet Qualifying ahead of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The two-time World Champion enjoyed his best Saturday of the season at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, during a session which was initially delayed due to heavy rain.
Once proceedings resumed, Alonso circulated in the top half of the field, finishing P8, P7 and P9 across the three Qualifying segments, with the best of the conditions coming at the very start in Q3.
“Not fun because the conditions were tricky. The level of focus was quite high today,” said Alonso when asked about the session.
“Unknown conditions for everyone, especially on this year’s car. I think we didn’t have much practice on the wets. It was all experimental a little bit and the first Q3 of the season feels good.”
Aston Martin have endured a difficult season under the new-for-2026 regulations, and although a revised car mid-season has helped to improve performance, Honda’s power unit is still lacking power and reliability.
Alonso has scored the team’s only points this year, with top-10 finishes in Monaco, the Netherlands and Malaysia.
The Spaniard, who will start P8 due to a grid penalty for Charles Leclerc, believes that more points could be possible in Sunday’s 71-lap race, but only if wet weather appears.
“It opens a new possibility for us. Obviously the conditions, let’s see if tomorrow is wet all through the race, maybe we have a chance to score points,” said Alonso.
“If not, I think we will go back to our natural position. FP3 in the dry was a little bit disappointing, so we need to remain with the feet on the ground.”
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/first-q3-of-the-season-feels-good-alonso-has-feet-on-the-ground-after-best-qualifying-of-the-season-in-brazil.4OATD4hn8zsO4htkxOYBBE
Liam Lawson believes he didn’t maximise what he could achieve in Saturday’s eventful wet-weather Qualifying in Sao Paulo despite looking forward to a lofty P3 start in Sunday’s Grand Prix.
The Racing Bulls driver impressed throughout the challenging session as intense rainfall initially led to a substantial delay, before the drivers eventually ventured onto the track in sodden conditions.
With opportunities available for everyone on the grid to do something special amid the challenging weather, as well as the fact that a number of front-running drivers were carrying grid penalties, Lawson capitalised throughout to eventually secure fifth place.
With George Russell and Charles Leclerc two of the drivers taking penalties – along with the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen who are starting at the back – Lawson’s starting position in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix was elevated to third. However, despite managing to keep his car on track and impressively handling the challenge of standing water and the spray, Lawson conceded he felt there was more to extract from his Q3 effort.
“Obviously, we’re in a good place for tomorrow, but we didn’t quite maximise it,” Lawson said.
“We had really good speed today, and I tried to make a gap before the last lap. I caught Fernando [Alonso] in the first one, then I aborted, and then it rained. So, I didn’t really get to do that final lap. But obviously, we get lucky tomorrow with a couple of places.”
With the teams braced for potentially more disruptive weather during Sunday’s race at Interlagos, Lawson acknowledged that he felt Racing Bulls would have a better chance of scoring big if the treacherous conditions continued.
“I think we have more of a chance, probably, in the wet,” he added. “But there’s also a big risk with that, and we have a quick car in the dry.”
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Lando Norris has explained how he made the difference during a rain-soaked Qualifying for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, in which he beat Mercedes’ George Russell and Kimi Antonelli to pole position.
Poor visibility, low grip and less-than-ideal weather made for an exhilarating session that saw nine different teams make it through to Q3, but it was Norris who put it all together when it mattered to take top spot.
He posted a 1m 27.470s before the rain intensified and forced others to abandon their laps, marking Norris’ third consecutive pole at Interlagos and McLaren’s fourth of the 2026 season.
“I had good confidence in the car – that’s always a good start,” the Briton explained after the session. “You want a car you feel you can push on. Especially with how wet it was, every bit of confidence you can get is a good thing and rewards you heavily.
“Obviously through Qualifying you start to see the pack even out and the pecking order go back a little bit to who has a good package, who has the most confidence. But into Q3, it was a lot more about who could push the most and just make the least mistakes.
“You had two laps, two opportunities to put things together, get a good lap, get the tyres in a good window – but also to then not make a mistake, to brake later, to accelerate harder but not lock the tyre and not have wheelspin.
“In these conditions it’s so easy to make these little errors which can be costly. My lap was just very clean and, in the end, that’s what you want.
“I couldn’t have done any more today. It was just a very nice, clean lap in, no mistakes – that’s what I managed to do.”
With the potential of more rain for Sunday’s 71-lap Grand Prix, Norris also seemed optimistic that he can continue to avoid errors and hold off new World Champion Antonelli, who will start P2 after Russell’s five-place grid penalty is imposed.
He said: “If I want to win tomorrow, we need rain. I think in the dry conditions, we don’t quite have the speed of our competitors, so it’s nice that in the rain I feel like I can make a bit more of a difference.
“I make up for a little bit of the lack of speed we have compared to them. I need it to stay raining all night.
“Obviously I want a good race, so I don’t mind a little bit of rain through the whole session. With Kimi behind, who’s probably the quickest this weekend, it’s going to be a tough challenge.”
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/i-couldnt-have-done-any-more-norris-details-how-he-excelled-in-wet-sao-paulo-qualifying.3eF92OS2BRHYCcvImW3HeI