Lando Norris will start today’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix on pole position after a chaotic qualifying session at Interlagos yesterday. A red flag was thrown a matter of moments into qualifying, which led to a lengthy delay of around an hour and a half. When racing did resume, the conditions were treacherous but it was the 2025 world champion Norris who coped best by claiming his third straight pole at Interlagos.
“It has been a long day,” Norris said after taking pole. “It has been a great qualifying. To be on pole again here, two years in a row, different conditions to last year, but I am very happy.
It is not easy conditions out there, especially when you know it is going to rain a lot more. It was about getting two laps in at the beginning, not making any mistakes, and that is exactly what we did, so it has been a very good day. “This was my first time driving the car in the wet, so I think I figured it out pretty quick.
It is tough because you are wet, intermediates, all different tyres, and it was very windy the last couple of laps. It was certainly a good day for learning for me and good to take into tomorrow [today]. These guys [Mercedes] are also very quick.
Just happy. Today [yesterday] is about getting on pole. It does not really matter how you do it, so very pleased with that.” Last year, Norris converted a pole position here into a victory en-route to winning the world championship.
George Russell, who knew going into qualifying he would be taking a five-place grid penalty, was left frustrated as he aborted a crucial lap in Q3 before the rain suddenly got a lot heavier and his chances of claiming pole went up in smoke. Therefore, Russell will start seventh because of his penalty.
As a result, Russell’s teammate Kimi Antonelli will start on the front row alongside Norris, meaning the last two world champions will start alongside each other. Racing bulls’ Liam Lawson is promoted to start third courtesy of penalties for Russell and Charles Leclerc, who drops from fourth to 14th.
Nico Hulkenberg starts on the second row alongside Lawson, with Isack Hadjar and Oliver Bearman on the third row. Russell, Fernando Alonso, Alex Albon and Oscar Piastri round out the top ten. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton start towards the back of the grid as they have changed power units.
The race from Interlagos is set to get under way at 5pm GMT, with plenty of rain around in Sao Paulo.
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