Lando Norris conquered thunderstorms to claim pole for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix while Lewis Hamilton suffered an engine nightmare and will be forced to start Sunday’s race from the back of the grid.
In treacherous conditions at Interlagos, McLaren’s Norris rose to the top as he pipped compatriot George Russell on the track – but the Mercedes man will start seventh after a five-place grid drop.
Kimi Antonelli, who deposed Norris as world champion last weekend, will be promoted to second while Liam Lawson – whose Racing Bulls seat remains in serious doubt – is a remarkable third on the grid.
Russell was again furious with his Mercedes team, questioning why they asked him to back off on his final flying lap – believing that decision cost him pole.
Ferrari announced ahead of final practice that both of their warring drivers would take 10-place grid drops, with Hamilton and Leclerc changing their internal combustion engine to incur the penalty.
But Hamilton immediately hit trouble. First he complained of vibrations from his new engine before having to come in again with his car pouring smoke from the back.
Ferrari subsequently decided that his entire power unit needed replacing, meaning the 41-year-old will need a miracle on Sunday.
Hamilton will be joined at the back of the pack by Max Verstappen, with the pair changing several engine components. Leclerc will line up 14th after his own penalty, leaving a scrambled order for what is expected to be a wet race.
Thunderstorms hit the track in the moments after final practice and it poured down again as qualifying began.
Some cars were in the pit lane when rain started and they tiptoed round before the session was swiftly red-flagged. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar was on the radio to ask for a new race suit, having been drenched.
“I’m so wet!” added the new world champion Kimi Antonelli. The 20-year-old remained in his car as the delay ticked past an hour.
Safety car driver Bernd Maylander did exploratory laps of the track, reporting back that it was “not driveable” as the weather worsened – with thunder bellowing over Interlagos.
Thoughts swiftly turned to this race in 2024, where qualifying was postponed until early Sunday morning.
Top-10 - Brazil GP starting grid
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)
*Russell has a five-place grid drop
“Definitely the wettest conditions I’ve experienced in a race car, in a car full stop I think!” Haas’ Ollie Bearman said. “That’s a lot for someone growing up in the UK.”
Despite rain continuing to fall and the track still soaked, the FIA confirmed a restart for 4.26pm local time – an hour and 24 minutes after the red flag.
As the cars sat in the pits, the rain intensified again but the action resumed as Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas led the grid into the unknown on the lesser-used extreme wet tyre.
Home favourites Gabriel Bortoleto and Rafael Camara both banged the barriers – the latter remarkably continuing – but overall it was an extraordinary display by the drivers to keep their cars on track in appalling conditions.
Verstappen was third-fastest after Q1 but jumped out of his car to end his day early, knowing that he would start the race at the back regardless after a penalty for changing several engine components.
It is a position he is familiar with having done the same here over the last two years, famously winning from 17th in the rain in 2024.
Hamilton did not take the same approach as he began Q2 but when the grid switched to intermediates, the 41-year-old decided enough was enough and to save his tyres.
The second session came to an early halt when F1 debutant Camara drove into the barriers at Curva da Juncao, leaving McLaren’s Oscar Piastri eliminated.
Russell was on the radio to say it was getting very dark on track as the day light disappeared.
Heavy rain fell again as the cars went out again but Norris showed his world champion quality, putting his car over a tenth clear of Russell.
The 28-year-old barked at his Mercedes engineer, believing he had been cost pole as his season of frustration continued.
“Congrats to Lando but that was a pole lap and a misjudgement on our side,” Russell said.
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