The starting grid for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix is set. Lando Norris is on pole, and four drivers carry engine-component grid penalties: Max Verstappen, Sergio Pérez, Charles Leclerc and George Russell. Russell, who qualified second, will start seventh, while Leclerc drops from fourth to 14th. The race starts at 2pm local time on Sunday, which is 2am Monday in Korea.
The confirmed starting grid
The grids published by The Race and PlanetF1 match for all 22 cars. Norris took pole with a 1:27.470, with Kimi Antonelli second and Liam Lawson third. Both outlets reported that heavy rain delayed the start of qualifying by about an hour and 25 minutes, and that rain fell again late in Q3.
| Pos | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes |
| 3 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls |
| 4 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi |
| 5 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull |
| 6 | Oliver Bearman | Haas |
| 7 | George Russell | Mercedes |
| 8 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin |
| 9 | Alexander Albon | Williams |
| 10 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren |
| 11 | 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 Pérez | Cadillac |
The penalties
The two outlets give these reasons. Russell fell five places for a new combustion engine above the season allocation, and Leclerc fell 10 places for his first engine change over the allocation. Verstappen takes 30 places, 10 each for a new engine, turbo and exhaust, and Pérez takes 30 for a new engine, turbo and MGU-K.
Hamilton changed his whole power unit after FP3 and starts 20th. The Race put his penalty at 75 places and PlanetF1 at 65, so the reports disagree. Both outlets agree on the order at the back: Verstappen 21st and Pérez 22nd.
Stewards' warnings and weather
According to PlanetF1, Bearman received a reprimand from the stewards for briefly reversing his Haas in the pit lane. Pérez received a formal warning after FP3 for throwing a small cable organiser out of his car onto the track, which counted as driving in an unsafe condition. The Race did not cover either decision.
In Q3, Russell backed off when he caught Alex Albon's Williams, and he protested over the team radio that it was a P1 lap. His final gap to Norris was 0.204s. PlanetF1 said wet tyres could be needed again on Sunday, but neither outlet gave a figure for the size of the rain risk.
