Formula 1 returns to Brazil and the famous Interlagos circuit for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, round 20 of the 2026 season.
Kimi Antonelli became F1’s youngest-ever world champion as his podium last time out in Mexico City gave the 20-year-old Italian an unassailable lead in the championship race with four rounds remaining.
Max Verstappen continued his excellent run of form with a third victory in four races and now the Red Bull driver has leapt up to second in the leaderboard, two points clear of third-placed Lewis Hamilton and 11 points ahead of fourth-placed George Russell.
Hamilton was furious with his Ferrari team after seeing a win fall away in Mexico City following an early tangle with teammate Charles Leclerc. Hamilton is a three-time winner at the Interlagos circuit, the venue where he memorably won his first title in 2008.
Follow live action from the Sao Paulo Grand Prix with The Independent.
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F1 SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES
- The Sao Paulo GP starts at 5pm GMT on Sunday
- Lando Norris on pole; Antonelli will start 2nd; Lawson 3rd
- Qualifying red-flagged for 90 minutes due to heavy rain
- Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc hit with engine penalties
- FEATURE: 24 ‘pointless races’ in 10 years: Formula 1 has an end-of-season problem
What is the starting grid?
21:30 , Kieran JacksonI think this is right...
1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
2. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
3. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
4. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
5. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
6. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
7. George Russell (Mercedes)**
8. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
9. Alex Albon (Williams)
10. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
11. Rafael Camara (Haas)
12. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
13. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
14. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)***
15. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
16. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
17. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
18. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
19. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
20. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)*
21. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)*
22. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
*Hamilton, Perez and Verstappen have back-of-the-grid penalties for exceeding their engine allocation
**Russell has a five-place grid drop
***Leclerc has a 10-place grid drop
George Russell, who qualified in P2:
21:10 , Kieran Jackson“Congrats to Lando but definitely was the pole lap, misjudgment on our side, need to understand what went wrong our end.
“First time in a while I felt like myself, more confident in the wet then the dry, but unfortunately, when it mattered, we didn’t execute.”
Lando Norris after claiming pole:
20:55 , Kieran Jackson“It’s been a long day, great qualifying - different conditions to last year, I’m very happy! Not easy conditions, it was about not making any mistakes, it’s been a very good day.”
“This is my first time driving the car in the wet, figured it out pretty quick. Very windy last few laps, good learning to take into tomorrow.”
Kimi Antonelli after claiming third:
20:46 , Kieran Jackson"It was very tricky, didn't know what to expect, never driven here in the wet. Struggled in the inters, but still enough for P3, happy with that. Let's see the weather, overall we'll try to be ready for anything.
“A lot more knowledge ahead of tomorrow but the weather has been very unpredictable.”
Lando Norris on pole position
20:39 , Kieran JacksonThat’s it then - Lando takes pole!
Very impressive... but that’s the one that got away from Russell!
Top-10 in Q3
20:26 , Kieran JacksonThat will be it! Here’s the results - with penalties to come!
1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
2. George Russell (Mercedes)
3. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
6. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
7. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
8. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
9. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
10. Alex Albon (Williams)
George Russell on team radio:
20:22 , Kieran JacksonRussell: “Mate you told me to back off, what the hell!
Wolff: “George you’re P2...”
Russell: “P2, I don’t want to be P2, I want to be P1.”
He’s not happy. He does have a five-place grid penalty anyway...
Norris in P1
20:21 , Kieran JacksonNorris now two-tenths clear of Russell in P1 - and it’s now raining heavily!
Could that be it?!
6:35 left in Q3...
George Russell on provisional pole
20:20 , Kieran JacksonRussell is top, four-tenths clear of Norris, with Lawson in third - eight-tenths down.
The track is just about holding on!
4-10: Antonelli, Leclerc, Hulkenberg, Bearman, Hadjar, Alonso, Albon
Q3 underway
20:15 , Kieran JacksonThis is tense!
They may just get one lap in with more rain on the radar... Fernando Alonso is the driver out in front.
Could it be a dream pole for Aston Martin?!
Q3 will start shortly
20:13 , Kieran JacksonFernando Alonso among the cars to speed up and go to the end of the pit-lane.
It’s very, very dark now - and there’s more rain coming...
Start of Q3 delayed
20:10 , Kieran JacksonA delay here just while they fix the barrier at the scene of Camara’s crash...
Out in Q2
20:07 , Kieran Jackson11. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
12. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
13. Rafael Camara (Haas)
14. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
15. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
16. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Camara crashes
20:05 , Kieran JacksonRafael Camara is in the wall at turn 5! Looks a big crash, but he’s all OK.
And with less than a minute left in Q2, that’s it - and Oscar Piastri is out in Q2!
Out in Q2 (11-16): Hamilton, Piastri, Camara, Lindblad, Sainz, Verstappen
Inters now quickest
20:02 , Kieran JacksonWoah, the difference is massive.
P1 constantly changing all the time... who will make it through to Q3?
Mercedes one-two
19:59 , Kieran JacksonRussell and Antonelli sit at the top.
Lewis Hamilton, who starts at the back with Verstappen, is having too much fun and is still running!
And now Hadjar and Alonso are boxing for inters with five minutes left in Q2...
Current bottom-six (11-16): Camara, Lindblad, Sainz, Bearman, Albon, Verstappen
George Russell on team radio:
19:52 , Kieran Jackson“I mean the water level looks inters but the extremes are still doing quite well.”
Maybe inters for Q3?
Q2 underway
19:50 , Kieran Jackson15 minutes for the next wet session - and Max Verstappen won’t be taking part.
He starts at the back of the grid and he wants to save some tyres...
Out in Q1
19:46 , Kieran Jackson17. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
18. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
19. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
20. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
21. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
22. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
Both Alpines out
19:45 , Kieran JacksonPierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto both out!
Out in Q1 (17-22): Colapinto, Gasly, Stroll, Bottas, Perez, Bortoleto
Russell now first
19:40 , Kieran JacksonSuper lap from Mr Saturday - he goes top, followed by Norris and Antonelli.
Current bottom-six (17-22): Perez, Colapinto, Sainz, Gasly, Stroll, Bortoleto
2:00 to go in Q1..
Bortoleto out
19:37 , Kieran JacksonHe’s ruined his rear-wing - he’s out.
Shame for the home hero.
Bortoleto crashes
19:35 , Kieran JacksonThe Brazilian has slammed into the wall - but has managed to rejoin the the track.
Times are tumbling every minute at the moment - currently the top-3 reads: Verstappen, Hulkenberg, Sainz.
Anything could happen in the remaining 7 minutes in Q1!
Q1 underway
19:29 , Kieran JacksonThat was quick!
We’re back underway... and they’re all out there on full wets!
FIA:
19:27 , Kieran Jackson“Some final work being done by the marshals on track to clear the most sensitive areas.
“The level of rain is expected to remain stable for the foreseeable future.”
Should be underway soon...
Bernd Maylander:
19:15 , Kieran Jackson"It's too dangerous," he adds. "There is a lot of standing water, even on the straights, and that creates high-speed aquaplaning. And safety-wise, hopefully the rain will be less and we will try again. We will try all our best.
"We were not expecting that amount of rain, so it can change here very simply - that's why it's called Interlagos ('between the lakes').
"So let's see what happens in the next 10-15 minutes and we try it again."
Rain getting worse
18:52 , Kieran JacksonNot good.
FIA: “The feedback is not positive, conditions have worsened since his last outing.
“Further intensification of rain is expected for the next 10 mins.”
FIA STATEMENT
18:39 , Kieran JacksonSafety car driver Bernd Maylander has been out on track:
“Bernd’s feedback is that Turn 2,3 and the area from Turn 4 to Turn 5 are the current issues where standing water could cause aquaplaning.”
The concern is that there’s more heavy rain expected...
FIA STATEMENT:
18:31 , Kieran Jackson“Marshals currently working at various corners around the track to clear any standing water.
“The current low level intensity of rain is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.”
Rain still falling
18:25 , Kieran JacksonThe medical car has been out on the circuit in Interlagos - but it’s still falling.
No resumption time yet.
FIA STATEMENT
18:15 , Kieran JacksonWe expect this level of rain to continue for about 10 minutes. Once the conditions improve we intend to send the medical on track to assess the level of standing water.
Rain, rain, rain
18:08 , Kieran Jackson“Wow, that was a nasty little shower - I’m so wet,” says Antonelli.
“I need a new suit,” says Isack Hadjar.
RED FLAG
18:03 , Kieran JacksonNo incident but, as expected, it’s much too heavy for any actual running - visibility is near zero.
15:37 left in Q1 - not one lap set.
Q1 underway
18:02 , Kieran JacksonGood drama from the off!
It’s pretty heavy now and all the cars out straight away, on inters, are being told to dive in and switch to extreme wets!
I wonder if we’ll get some proper action here in Q1....
Drops of rain
17:59 , Kieran JacksonRain is getting heavier at Sao Paulo.
How exciting!
Q1 coming up...
Qualifying in Brazil
17:52 , Kieran JacksonIt’s wet in Sao Paulo.
Not downpours, by any means, but it has rained and it’s overcast. So.. what will they present?!
A reminder: Max Verstappen and now Lewis Hamilton have back of the grid penalties, while Charles Leclerc has a 10-place grid drop. George Russell also has a 5-place drop.
Open game then!
NEW: Hamilton now back of the grid
17:50 , Kieran JacksonWe’re hearing now that Lewis Hamilton will start alongside Max Verstappen at the back of the grid...
That’ll be fun!
Are McLaren contenders?
17:48 , Kieran JacksonLando Norris hopes so. "I certainly feel like the last few weekends, the pace has not been too bad on Sundays,” he said.
"I feel like if things were just a little, little bit better, talking small amounts, we certainly could have had better results. And I'm hoping that the upgrades and some of the things we have this weekend can maybe just shift us a little bit more in this direction.
"I certainly don't expect to go out and win races all of a sudden. But the last few weekends, we've certainly not been miles away. We certainly have some weaknesses in the car and just the drivability, the difficulty of driving it is certainly one of the biggest factors at the minute.
"But the potential has been there. So I hope if it just puts us a little bit more forward in qualifying, we just have a little bit better chance in the race. And of course, I would like to be back on the podium as soon as possible."
Max Verstappen on being second in the world championship:
17:43 , Kieran Jackson"It's a big surprise to be second in the championship, but we take it," Verstappen said.
"We had a lot of difficulties as a team in the beginning. The car was not where we wanted it to be. Probably also we still had to learn quite a bit from the power units, and I think we really learned a lot throughout the season.
"From my side, it's just you never really give up or, in terms of, like, you just never really settle for P6 or P7, right?
"Even when I was in that position or fighting the midfield, I was still trying to do the best that I could get out of the situation.”
What was the top-10 in final practice?
17:37 , Kieran Jackson1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 1:11.622
2. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) + 0.025
3. Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.131
4. George Russell (Mercedes) +0.184
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.274
6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.313
7. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) +0.438
8. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +0.549
9. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) +0.591
10. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) +1.022
Constructor standings ahead of Sao Paulo GP
17:30 , Kieran Jackson1. Mercedes - 630 points
2. Ferrari - 504 points
3. Red Bull - 382 points
4. McLaren - 365 points
5. Racing Bulls - 108 points
6. Alpine - 69 points
7. Haas - 31 points
8. Audi - 27 points
9. Williams - 12 points
10. Aston Martin - 7 points
11. Cadillac - 0 points
COMMENT: Forget aura, forget Ferrari: Lewis Hamilton got his big move wrong – and this is why
17:15 , Kieran JacksonAs he so often has before, Lewis Hamilton put on a brave face. A sight more commendable than usual, given the visceral anger bubbling beneath the surface.
Upon parking up in the Foro Sol stadium section in Mexico City last Sunday, Hamilton was the first to congratulate new world champion Kimi Antonelli, his Mercedes team whom he knows inside out, and his race engineer Peter Bonnington, the man-in-his-ear for his six world titles with the Silver Arrows. His happiness for the Italian, 21 years his junior, was authentically real. And yet, deep down, there can be no doubt that Hamilton would have felt a lingering sense of what might have been.
Forget aura, forget Ferrari: Lewis Hamilton got his big move wrong – and this is why
NEW: F1 and Sao Paulo extend contract to 2035
17:07 , Kieran Jackson"Brazil is an important part of F1's history and our future, and I am delighted that this five-year extension will see us continue racing in Sao Paulo until 2035,” said F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
"The passion of our Brazilian fans is extraordinary, and every time we return to Interlagos we feel their energy in the grandstands and in the city of Sao Paulo.
"The continued success and excitement surrounding the event shows why it holds such a special place on our calendar, and this agreement underlines our long-term commitment to Brazil."
NEW: Max Verstappen also takes penalty
17:00 , Kieran JacksonAlso taking a new engine, Verstappen will start at the back of the grid!
This will be a mixed-up order later on today...
F1 Brazil GP - qualifying odds:
16:50 , Kieran JacksonWho’s the favourite for pole?
- Kimi Antonelli: 10/11
- Lando Norris: 10/3
- Max Verstappen: 7/2
- George Russell: 14/1
- Charles Leclerc: 16/1
- Lewis Hamilton: 16/1
- Oscar Piastri: 22/1
- Isack Hadjar: 33/1
PREVIEW: 24 ‘pointless races’ in 10 years: Formula 1 has an end-of-season problem
16:40 , Kieran JacksonAmidst the current hoopla surrounding sporting events in the Middle East – this weekend, MotoGP’s final round in Qatar is going ahead amid an extraordinary emergency shelter plan – there is an altogether obvious tone to take regarding the final two rounds of this year’s Formula 1 season in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Whether they are cancelled, go ahead, or a one-off round in Imola takes place, it ultimately does not matter. That is, at least, from a sporting perspective.
Full piece below:
24 ‘pointless races’ in 10 years: Formula 1 has an end-of-season problem
Max Verstappen quickest in FP3
16:30 , Kieran JacksonHere was the top-10:
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 1:11.622
2. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) + 0.025
3. Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.131
4. George Russell (Mercedes) +0.184
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.274
6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.313
7. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) +0.438
8. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +0.549
9. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) +0.591
10. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) +1.022
BATTLE FOR SECOND: Driver standings ahead of Sao Paulo GP
16:20 , Kieran Jackson1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 380 points
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 261 points
3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 259 points
4. George Russell (Mercedes) - 250 points
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 245 points
6. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 221 points
7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 144 points
8. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) - 107 points
9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) - 83 points
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 42 points
LATEST: Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc hit with Sao Paulo grid penalties in more Ferrari misery
16:15 , Kieran JacksonWarring Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will both receive 10-place grid penalties for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The Ferrari duo have both changed their engines for the first time this season and as such have been hit with the penalty by the FIA.
But Hamilton immediately hit trouble in final practice. First he complained of vibrations from his new engine before having to come in again with his car pouring smoke from the back.
He jumped out with 23 minutes remaining as his mechanics began taking his car apart. Hamilton ended the session 12th fastest.
Start times in Sao Paulo:
16:12 , Kieran JacksonTimes GMT
Saturday 7 November
- Qualifying: 6pm
Sunday 8 November
- Race: 5pm
F1 Brazil GP
16:10 , Kieran JacksonFormula 1 returns to Brazil and the famous Interlagos circuit for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, round 20 of the 2026 season.
Kimi Antonelli became F1’s youngest-ever world champion as his podium last time out in Mexico City gave the 20-year-old Italian an unassailable lead in the championship race with four rounds remaining.
Max Verstappen continued his excellent run of form with a third victory in four races and now the Red Bull driver has leapt up to second in the leaderboard, two points clear of third-placed Lewis Hamilton and 11 points ahead of fourth-placed George Russell.
Hamilton was furious with his Ferrari team after seeing a win fall away in Mexico City following an early tangle with teammate Charles Leclerc. Hamilton is a three-time winner at the Interlagos circuit, the venue where he memorably won his first title in 2008.
