Norris Secures Third Straight Sao Paulo Pole as Rain Disrupts Qualifying

Sao Paulo: McLaren's Lando Norris continued his impressive run at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix by securing his third consecutive pole position at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on Saturday. Norris topped a rain-affected qualifying session, finishing ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell, while several midfield teams capitalised on the challenging conditions to secure strong grid positions.

The starting grid for Sunday's race is set to undergo significant changes due to engine-related penalties handed to several leading drivers, including Russell, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. These penalties are expected to promote a number of midfield contenders to higher positions.

Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson delivered an impressive performance to qualify fifth, followed by Audi's Nico Hulkenberg in sixth and Red Bull's Isack Hadjar in seventh. Haas driver Oliver Bearman, Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso and Williams' Alexander Albon completed the top 10.

Russell faces a five-place grid penalty for introducing a new internal combustion engine, while Ferrari's Leclerc will drop 10 places after exceeding his permitted engine allocation by using a fifth ICE. As a result, Lawson and Hulkenberg are in line to move up to third and fourth on the starting grid, respectively.

Hamilton and Verstappen also endured difficult qualifying sessions. The seven-time world champion finished 11th, while the reigning champion could manage only 16th. Both are expected to start Sunday's race from the back of the grid following their respective penalties.

The rain made conditions particularly challenging throughout qualifying, with several prominent names failing to progress beyond the opening two segments.

Franco Colapinto, Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll, Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez and Gabriel Bortoleto were eliminated in Q1. The second segment saw Hamilton, Oscar Piastri, Rafael Camara, Arvid Lindblad, Carlos Sainz and Verstappen exit the session.

Norris, who also started from pole at the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2024 and 2025, expressed satisfaction at maintaining his strong record at the circuit despite the difficult weather conditions.

"It's been a long day," Norris said. "It's been a great Qualifying. Obviously, to be on pole again here, it's different conditions to last year but I'm very happy."

He added that managing the changing conditions and avoiding mistakes were crucial to securing the top spot.

"It's not easy conditions out there, especially when you know it's going to rain a lot more. It was about getting two laps in at the beginning and not making any mistakes, and that's exactly what we did, so it's been a very good day," Norris said.

With several front-running drivers facing grid penalties, Sunday's race could offer an unexpected opportunity for midfield teams to challenge for valuable points, particularly if wet weather continues to influence the contest.

Advertisement