Norris beat George Russell by 0.204 seconds at Interlagos. Russell’s grid penalty promotes Kimi Antonelli to the front row on the provisional grid.
McLaren’s Lando Norris claimed pole position for the São Paulo Grand Prix on Saturday, setting a lap of 1 minute 27.470 seconds before heavier rain ended the best window for improvement at Interlagos. George Russell was second quickest and his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli was third.
The result will give Norris a different neighbour on the front row on Sunday. Russell has a five-place penalty for using an additional power-unit element, which puts Antonelli alongside the McLaren on the provisional starting grid.
Rain delayed the opening session
The first segment of qualifying was stopped within minutes as heavy rain fell on an already soaked circuit. Drivers returned after a lengthy interruption on full wet tyres, and conditions later eased enough for intermediate tyres as the track began to improve.
A crash for Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto left the Brazilian last on the timesheets in the first segment. Another Brazilian rookie, Rafael Câmara, crashed late in the second segment and brought out a red flag that ended the opportunity for several drivers to improve. Oscar Piastri went out in that session.
Norris used the early window in Q3
The fastest laps in the final segment came before the rain intensified again. Norris set his pole time early. Russell recorded 1 minute 27.674 seconds and Antonelli finished 0.625 seconds off pole, with the returning rain limiting the chance to respond.
Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson qualified fifth and Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar seventh. The changing grip made the timing of a lap especially important as drivers tried to finish a clean run before conditions changed again.
Penalties reorder the grid for Sunday
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc also faces a grid penalty, while power-unit changes move Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen towards the back. The provisional order puts Russell on the fourth row even though only Norris was quicker in qualifying.
The 71-lap Grand Prix is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. São Paulo time on Sunday, which is 17:00 UTC.
Sources
FIA — qualifying report and times
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