Lando Norris took pole position at Interlagos after a qualifying session disrupted by rain. George Russell was second fastest and Kimi Antonelli third. Russell’s five-place grid penalty changes the front row for the race. Norris finished less than a quarter of a second ahead of the Mercedes driver.
McLaren’s Lando Norris took pole position for the São Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos in Brazil. Rain repeatedly interrupted qualifying before Norris finished ahead of the two Mercedes drivers, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.[1], [2]
Norris recorded 1:27.470 in the final segment. Russell’s 1:27.674 left him 0.204 seconds behind; Antonelli was third with 1:28.095. Charles Leclerc took fourth for Ferrari and Liam Lawson fifth for Racing Bulls.[1]
Heavy rain stopped the first segment shortly after running began. Drivers resumed on full wet tyres after the delay. Lawson used intermediates early in the second segment, while Rafael Câmara’s crash brought another red flag. Russell was told to abandon a lap as conditions worsened. Max Verstappen set no valid time in that segment and was classified sixteenth; Lewis Hamilton missed the final ten and finished eleventh.[1]
The qualifying order carries several penalties into the race. Russell has a five-place drop and Leclerc a ten-place drop, while Hamilton, Verstappen and Sergio Pérez face rear-grid starts. Antonelli therefore moves onto the front row beside Norris despite recording the third-fastest qualifying lap.[1]
