Lando Norris took pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix after a rain-affected qualifying session at Interlagos, posting a 1m 27.470s lap in a session that repeatedly changed shape as the weather worsened and then improved.
The result gives Norris his third consecutive pole position and comes after a day that already looked unpredictable. Three dry practice sessions had been completed before qualifying, with Norris, Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen topping the times. Once qualifying began, the rain quickly made conditions far more difficult for everyone in the field.
How the session changed
Just under three minutes into qualifying, the session was red-flagged because of increasing rain. After a significant delay, Q1 resumed once the weather stabilised, but the interruption had already turned the order upside down and made it harder for drivers to build rhythm or confidence.
The Brazilian weather made qualifying especially challenging at Interlagos, and several grid penalties had already been confirmed for Sunday’s race before the heavy rainfall. That combination created a much more open session than usual and opened up opportunities for midfield drivers to make progress.
What the top of the grid looked like
Norris ended the session on top with his pole lap, while George Russell and Kimi Antonelli were among the drivers who qualified behind him. The weather also helped produce a less familiar top 10, with Charles Leclerc, Liam Lawson, Nico Hulkenberg, Isack Hadjar, Ollie Bearman, Fernando Alonso and Alex Albon all reaching the top 10 in qualifying.
Further back, Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen were among the drivers affected by the tougher conditions and the penalties already in place for Sunday. The disrupted session underlined how quickly a wet qualifying at Interlagos can create a grid that looks very different from the one expected before the rain arrived.
With Norris on pole and several rivals dealing with penalty-related setbacks or difficult runs through qualifying, the Sao Paulo Grand Prix now begins with an unusual and potentially significant starting order.
