Lando Norris claimed pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Saturday after a chaotic, rain-hit qualifying session at Interlagos that was suspended for more than an hour and 20 minutes by a torrential downpour.
Norris posted a 1:27.470 in the final part of qualifying to beat Mercedes’ George Russell by 0.204 seconds, with newly crowned world champion Kimi Antonelli third, 0.625 seconds off the pole time, according to Formula1.com and Sky Sports. It is Norris’s fourth pole of the season and his third consecutive pole at Interlagos.
But the qualifying order is only half the story. Grid penalties will rearrange the front of the field for Sunday’s race, with Russell, Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton all set to start well down the order.
A session stopped by the weather
Qualifying was stopped after just two minutes of Q1 when a torrential downpour hit the circuit, prompting a delay of nearly an hour and a half before it could resume. There was a further delay ahead of Q3 to repair barriers following a late Q2 crash by rookie Rafael Camara.
When the track finally dried enough for intermediate tyres, Norris found the grip first. Russell briefly held provisional pole, but Norris came back with his 1:27.470 just as the rain returned, and that ended any chance of improvement.
Russell was furious with his team in the closing moments after being told to back off as the rain intensified, believing he could have reclaimed the top spot.
Penalties reshape the grid
Russell will drop five places for an engine change, promoting Antonelli to the front row alongside Norris. Leclerc, fourth in qualifying with a 1:28.289, will drop 10 places for a power unit change.
Verstappen qualified 16th after recording a 1:31.238 in Q1 and sitting out Q2, and will start at the back of the grid. Hamilton went out in Q2 in 11th with a 1:30.001 and will also start from the back. Liam Lawson, Nico Hulkenberg, Isack Hadjar, Oliver Bearman, Fernando Alonso and Alexander Albon completed the top 10 in qualifying.
What comes next
The 71-lap Grand Prix starts at 2pm local time (noon ET) on Sunday, with more rain forecast. Norris starts from pole, Antonelli beside him in his first race as world champion, and two of the sport’s biggest names — Verstappen and Hamilton — at the very back.
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