Norris takes pole at São Paulo GP as rain delays qualifying
McLaren driver fastest in wet conditions; Russell's second-place time demoted by grid penalty.
At a glance
- Norris claimed pole position for McLaren in wet conditions at Interlagos
- Russell fastest in qualifying but grid penalty demoted him; Antonelli promoted to second
- Qualifying delayed by heavy rain, lasting two and a half hours
- Verstappen and Hamilton among drivers penalised for engine changes
Lando Norris secured pole position for the São Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos in difficult wet weather, with George Russell setting the second-fastest qualifying time. A qualifying session lasting two and a half hours was disrupted by heavy rain.
Russell's grid penalty promoted new world champion Kimi Antonelli to second place, with Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson third. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were among several drivers penalised for engine changes; Verstappen did not set a time after the first session to preserve tyres and will start from 20th.
Why it matters
Grid penalties reshuffled the starting order significantly, with the new world champion elevated to second place and the championship leader Verstappen pushed back to 20th.
Original reporting
- The Guardian — SportLando Norris claims pole for F1 São Paulo GP as rain disrupts qualifying
This brief was written with AI assistance from the reports listed above and checked against our editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.
