Norris snatches Brazilian GP pole after rain chaos delays qualifying by an hour

Lando Norris will start Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix from pole position after mastering treacherous conditions in a rain-soaked qualifying session at Interlagos, São Paulo, that was red-flagged for more than an hour due to heavy rain and standing water.

The McLaren driver topped Q3 with a 1m27.470s lap on intermediate tyres, edging Mercedes’ George Russell by two tenths of a second. Russell, however, carries a five-place grid penalty for a power unit change — and was visibly frustrated after his team instructed him to abort his second flying lap in Q3.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli qualified third, six tenths adrift of Norris, with Charles Leclerc fourth in the Ferrari. Leclerc’s own 10-place engine penalty promotes Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson — who qualified fifth — to third on the race grid, a result that carries extra weight given Lawson is fighting to keep his seat as the team weighs up promoting reserve driver Nikola Tsolov.

Nico Hülkenberg delivered an eye-catching sixth for Audi, ahead of Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar and Haas rookie Oliver Bearman. Fernando Alonso and Alex Albon rounded out the top ten.

Q2 was defined by the switch to intermediates, with Fernando Alonso the first to make the call in a bid to drag his Aston Martin clear of the midfield. Russell eventually topped the segment with a 1m26.745s, ahead of an impressive Lawson and Hadjar.

Newly-crowned world champion Antonelli scraped through in tenth, but the session eliminated Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton — who faces a rear-of-grid start regardless due to a power unit penalty — as well as McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, a subdued 12th. Haas rookie Rafael Camara had progressed to Q2 despite an earlier excursion, only to crash heavily into the wall at Turn 12 at the session’s end, triggering a red flag. Arvid Lindblad was eliminated 14th after a power unit issue on his Racing Bulls car, while Carlos Sainz exited in 15th. Max Verstappen, also set to start from the back with an engine penalty, did not participate in Q2 and was classified 16th.

Q1 had started on time despite an earlier downpour, but conditions deteriorated sharply as the session went green. Several drivers immediately returned to the pits to swap intermediates for full wet tyres, and those who ventured out reported aquaplaning before race control issued the red flag — setting the tone for a qualifying hour that tested every team’s patience and judgement.