Norris takes pole in dramatic rain-delayed São Paulo qualifying

Lando Norris came out on top in a test of bravery at the rain-soaked Interlagos circuit, with the McLaren driver securing pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix after severe delays to the session.

The Brazilian weather once again made for an exhilarating Qualifying as drivers took on the challenge of a wet track, and Norris posted a 1:27.470s to deny Mercedes’ George Russell and Kimi Antonelli top spot.

Russell will be demoted following a five-place grid penalty, but qualified ahead of his team mate, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc – who will also lose 10 positions for Sunday’s race – and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson.

Nico Hulkenberg was a magnificent sixth for Audi as the conditions created chances for the midfield, with Isack Hadjar slotting into seventh. Haas’ Ollie Bearman, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Williams’ Alex Albon rounded out the top 10 in some of the greatest Qualifying performances of the season for their respective teams.

Further incoming penalties for Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will see them tumble to the back of the grid, so neither was too stressed about being eliminated in Q2 – indeed, the Dutchman didn’t participate at all.

Behind the 11th-placed Ferrari driver, Oscar Piastri suffered his second consecutive Q2 exit as a late red flag for Rafael Camara’s crash prevented him from improving and left the Brazilian rookie in P13.

An order to stop the car also resigned Arvid Lindblad to P14 – he led Williams’ Carlos Sainz and the penalised Verstappen as the final drivers who failed to progress to Q3.

Earlier in Qualifying, a breathless opening segment saw Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly knocked out as they crossed the line in tandem, leaving them in P17 and P18 ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll.

Cadillac failed to capitalise on the challenging weather as Valtteri Bottas settled for P20 in front of his team mate Sergio Perez, whilst Gabriel Bortoleto wound up last on the times after hitting the wall in Q1.

Q1

The drivers had been treated to three dry practice sessions – which saw Norris, Antonelli and Verstappen top the times – but it felt inevitable that the unpredictable weather Interlagos is known for would arrive at some point, and it did so in the build-up to Qualifying.

Prior to the heavy rainfall, a number of grid penalties had been confirmed for Sunday’s race – Russell would lose five places, Leclerc would drop 10 positions no matter where he qualified, and Hamilton would join Verstappen and Perez at the back of the grid.

With four leading drivers ruled out of contention for the front rows, that opened up a fantastic opportunity for those in the midfield to fight for better Qualifying results, although the risk of rain was still very much in place.

In fact, it increased dramatically as the session began and the red flag was waved just under three minutes in, with Antonelli and Hadjar complaining that their race suits were soaked from their short trips onto the track.

After a significant delay, Q1 resumed once the weather stabilised and the racers ventured back out on full wet tyres, producing some understandably cautious reconnaissance laps around what was still a very damp circuit.

The first timed efforts were completed by the Cadillac pair as they sent up massive amounts of spray whilst circulating, but it didn’t take long for Verstappen to shoot to the top with a 1:37.932s. In an incredible sign of the difference a driver could make in the conditions, Alonso was the next to set the fastest time before the Dutchman found even more to reclaim the position.

While others were struggling to adapt much more – Camara briefly spun and Bortoleto nearly got stuck in the grass – the times continued to rapidly improve as Hulkenberg, Hamilton, Russell and Bearman all took a turn at seizing P1.

Everyone was right on the edge as Russell posted a 1:32.441s, and with the constant threat of another interruption, it was tricky to predict who would escape the drop zone. With two minutes to go, Perez, Sainz, Stroll, Bottas, Colapinto and Bortoleto occupied the bottom six positions.

McLaren’s Norris ended at the top of the timesheets with a 1:30.939s, but the Alpine duo of Colapinto and Gasly were eliminated alongside Stroll, Bottas, Perez, Bortoleto – the latter having failed to find the time he needed after slamming into the barrier.

Knocked out: Colapinto, Gasly, Stroll, Bottas, Perez, Bortoleto

Q2

The second stage of Qualifying would only see 15 drivers take part as Verstappen decided to call it a day in anticipation of his hefty grid penalty, making Hadjar the sole Red Bull in the session.

As the drivers finished their opening laps, Norris surged into first place again and claimed that it wouldn’t be long until they could switch to intermediates, confirming the expectation that conditions would only continue to get better.

He was soon displaced by Leclerc, who broke into the 1:29s bracket to lead the McLaren man, Antonelli, Lawson and Russell in the top five. Haas debutant Camara couldn’t quite reach their heights, but did enough to linger at the edge of the elimination zone following his Q1 spin.

Things weren’t looking as good for Racing Bulls’ Lindblad as he was instructed to stop the car at Turn 5, bringing a premature end to his session. Meanwhile, his team mate Lawson seemed comfortable in seventh place, but the order had potential to drastically change with drivers making the move to intermediate tyres.

That decision brought immediate gains for the New Zealander that sent him into P1, 1.6s clear of Bearman, and was followed by another improvement for Russell. It looked like more quick laps were to come for others before Camara drove straight into the barrier to bring out the red flag with less than a minute remaining.

The session was therefore stopped for a second time and left Hamilton – who will drop to the back of the grid with his aforementioned penalty for a new power unit – Piastri, Camara, Lindblad, Sainz and Verstappen as the eliminated drivers.

Knocked out: Hamilton, Piastri, Camara, Lindblad, Sainz, Verstappen

Q3

Following a short delay, Q3 kicked off under darkening skies at Interlagos, and the attention wasn’t just on the battle for pole position, but also what the surviving midfield drivers – namely Lawson, Bearman, Hulkenberg, Albon and Alonso – could achieve.

Warnings of intense rain meant that the early laps could be crucial, so Alonso ensured he was the first driver on track and executed a 1:30.311s on the intermediate tyres before Lawson went significantly faster for Racing Bulls.

While efforts from Norris and Russell took them to the top, newly-crowned World Champion Antonelli could only manage fourth behind Lawson, with the McLaren driver going on to snatch provisional pole.

As the rain grew heavier, it was evident that the best track conditions had passed with seven minutes still on the clock. That created immense frustration for Russell, who fumed at his team for telling him to abandon his lap as he slotted into second behind polesitter Norris.

Antonelli ultimately finished third ahead of Leclerc, Lawson and Audi’s Hulkenberg. Close behind, Hadjar qualified seventh for Red Bull, leaving Bearman, Alonso and Albon to complete the top 10 and mark a memorable day for their teams.

The 2026 Sao Paulo Grand Prix is set to begin at 14:00 local time on Sunday (17:00 GMT).