Lando Norris takes pole at chaotic Interlagos qualifying
McLaren's Lando Norris set a 1:27.470 lap to grab pole after a nearly two-and-a-half-hour rain-delayed session; penalties reshuffle the starting grid.
Lando Norris claimed pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos after a chaotic qualifying session that stretched for nearly two and a half hours because of heavy rain. The McLaren driver set the fastest lap at 1:27.470, taking his fourth pole of the season.
Weather interruptions and penalties reshuffle the grid
Qualifying was halted only minutes after it began and remained stopped for about one hour and 15 minutes as downpours battered the circuit. When the session finally resumed the rain intensified again, but the drivers still pushed hard to improve their times.
Norris beat George Russell in Mercedes by around two-tenths of a second on the timing sheets, though Russell "will be moved five positions up" because of a power unit parts change. McLaren team-mate Kimi Antonelli, the new champion, was four-tenths off Norris' pace and will inherit Russell’s starting slot; Liam Lawson in the Racing Bulls moves up to follow him on the front rows. Charles Leclerc was fourth on the times but "will be moved ten positions" on the grid after changes to his power unit.
The session produced several painful eliminations for drivers who disappointed on a day of tricky conditions. Local favourite Gabriel Bortoleto went off track and, despite recovering to return to the circuit, finished about ten seconds behind Norris. Eliminated below the cut were the Alpine drivers Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll in the Aston Martin, and the Cadillac pairing Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.
The second segment of qualifying was marred by the crash of rookie Rafael Camara, who had taken a one-off seat at Haas in place of Esteban Ocon. The accident happened in the final minute as conditions briefly improved. Even without that incident there were surprises: Max Verstappen did not go out on track, Lewis Hamilton did not attempt to improve and ended up 11th, while Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren was knocked out before the fight for pole and classified 12th. Behind him were Camara, Arvid Lindblad for Racing Bulls, Carlos Sainz Jr in the Williams and Verstappen.
The Brazilian Grand Prix will start on Sunday at 18:00 local time.
Photo: press material from the event
