Lando Norris took pole position for the São Paulo Grand Prix with a 1:27.470 in a qualifying session badly disrupted by heavy rain. He beat George Russell by 0.204s and has now started from pole at Interlagos three years in a row. Grid penalties for Russell and Charles Leclerc mean Sunday's starting grid looks very different from the qualifying order. The race starts at 14:00 local time on Sunday, which is 02:00 Monday in Korea.
Qualifying result: Norris on pole, Russell second, Antonelli third
Here is the Q3 top ten from the official formula1.com classification. Norris's pole lap was 1:27.470. Russell was 0.204s back and Kimi Antonelli 0.625s.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Q3 time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:27.470 |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:27.674 |
| 3 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:28.095 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:28.289 |
| 5 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:28.321 |
| 6 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi | 1:28.668 |
| 7 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 1:28.763 |
| 8 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:29.831 |
| 9 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:30.311 |
| 10 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:30.456 |
Formula1.com called it Norris's third consecutive pole at Interlagos. Norris said: "to be on pole again here, it's different conditions to last year but I'm very happy." BBC Sport's report adds that Norris has won two races this season, in Hungary and the Netherlands.
A session stopped twice by rain
The session began at 15:00 local time and was red-flagged almost at once, less than three minutes in according to formula1.com. Antonelli reported aquaplaning, and the safety car went out to report standing water in the first sector. Grande Prêmio said it took about 84 minutes to resume Q1, while the BBC put the delay at 1 hour 26 minutes after the scheduled start.
The second red flag came late in Q2. Haas's Rafael Camara drove straight into the barrier with less than a minute left, and Q2 ended without a restart. Camara was eliminated in 13th, in his F1 debut weekend. Q3 was run on intermediates.
Russell's Q2 lap of 1:26.745 was the fastest of that segment. In Q3 he was 0.204s behind Norris, and said: "The rain was coming and we should have just finished the lap."
Penalties reshuffle the starting grid
According to formula1.com, Russell takes a five-place grid penalty and Leclerc drops 10 places wherever he qualified. The BBC attributed Russell's penalty to exceeding his permitted number of engine parts. Neither outlet gave a reason for Leclerc's. Kursiv reported Leclerc's penalty as five places, but the official article says 10.
Lewis Hamilton goes to the back of the grid for a new power unit, and Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez also start from the back. Verstappen skipped Q2 and ended qualifying 16th, in anticipation of a heavy grid penalty.
With the penalties applied, the front of the grid reads Norris, Antonelli, Lawson, Hülkenberg, Hadjar, Bearman, Russell. This is a provisional order compiled from reports, because we did not see the official starting grid document. Antonelli lines up alongside Norris on the front row, and Lawson starts third, equalling his best grid slot (RacingNews365). Rain is possible again on Sunday, according to reports.
Sources
- formula1.com — Norris beats Russell to pole position in dramatic rain-affected Sao Paulo qualifying
- formula1.com — 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix Qualifying results
- Grande Prêmio — Lando Norris takes São Paulo GP pole as rain disrupts qualifying at Interlagos
- BBC Sport (Yahoo Sports) — Norris takes pole in rain-delayed qualifying
- RacingNews365 — 2026 São Paulo GP qualifying results
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