Norris Takes Third Straight Brazilian GP Pole After Rain-Delayed Qualifying
Lando Norris secured pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix after rain forced a nearly 90-minute suspension of qualifying. George Russell qualified second, while engine penalties pushed Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen to the back of the grid.
McLaren driver Lando Norris took pole for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil after rain delayed qualifying for nearly an hour and a half, setting up a wet-weather race that could reshuffle the field. The result put Norris first and Mercedes driver George Russell second, while engine penalties left Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen starting 20th and 21st.
It was Norris’s third consecutive pole in Brazil. Officials initially stopped the session because conditions were too dangerous for drivers to continue.
“Some of the wettest conditions” he had ever driven in, Norris said of qualifying. He credited the rain for giving him a chance against faster cars.
“We’re lucky it’s wet, because if it was dry, I wouldn’t be sitting here,” Norris said. “In the dry, we definitely didn’t have the pace.”
Russell said visibility in the opening qualifying segment was nearly nonexistent on the straight approaching Turn Four. He also said he was aquaplaning—losing tire contact with the track on standing water—while traveling above 200km/h (120mph).
“When you’re aquaplaning on the straight and you can’t see in front of you, it’s… I’m not even sure what the word is to describe it,” Russell said.
Russell qualified second and was frustrated by a team miscommunication that he believed cost him pole. He said he enjoys driving in the rain but questioned whether conditions would have been safe for a race.
“If that was a race, there was no way we should be driving in that because the chances of seeing a really, really horrific incident are very, very high,” he said.
Rain and penalties for four leading drivers produced an unusual grid. Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson and Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg qualified on the second row, while Haas driver Oliver Bearman took sixth.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Williams’ Alex Albon qualified eighth and ninth, respectively. Both reached the top 10 for the first time this year.
Hamilton and Verstappen will start at the back after changing engines and exceeding their yearly allowances. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who qualified fourth, received a 10-place penalty for engine use.
The forecast calls for light rain during Sunday’s race. Norris said he expected the track to remain damp at times and was hoping for another wet contest.
“I’m hoping for a wet race,” Norris said. “There’s a good likelihood it’ll be wet.”
