Lando Norris claimed pole position in a chaotic São Paulo GP qualifying session marked by unexpected twists. This qualifying session, held on Sunday morning — a rarity in the last five years — faced interruptions due to five red flags. The harsh weather conditions led to Max Verstappen being eliminated in Q2, making this one of the most dramatic qualifying sessions of the season.
Harsh Weather Poses Major Challenges
The FIA scheduled qualifying early based on weather forecasts predicting heavy rain. However, as the session began at 7:30 a.m. local time, rain continued to pour. With all F1 cars lined up at the end of the pit lane for Q1, drivers braved visibility challenges, despite their cars’ ability to quickly disperse water.
Drivers Battle Through a Treacherous Q1
The slippery track made control difficult for many drivers. Colapinto lost control at Turn 3, ending his session against the barriers and halting Q1 with 8 minutes 50 seconds left. Meanwhile, drivers like Albon, Zhou, Russell, Bottas, and Hamilton struggled, stuck in the danger zone. Bottas returned to the track on Wets tires after reassessing conditions.
Despite the tense moments, Norris successfully moved into Q2 with a final push, while Hamilton was eliminated in 16th position.
Intense Q2: Norris Manages to Break Through
The rain persisted in Q2, and Piastri stood out as the only driver to use Intermediate tires. This bold choice quickly drew attention to McLaren, as all other teams scrambled back to the pit for tire changes.
Near the end, Norris took advantage of clear visibility and made a significant leap to 4th place. With the track conditions worsening, Stroll ended his Q2 attempt against the barriers after Turn 3.
The session officially stopped with 46 seconds left, leaving drivers like Bottas, Verstappen, Pérez, Sainz, and Gasly unable to improve and thus eliminated from Q3.
Q3: Norris Secures Pole in Style
With only nine drivers remaining in Q3, Norris quickly took the lead with a time of 1 minute 24.158 seconds. However, another red flag emerged as Alonso lost control at Turn 11. The session resumed but was interrupted again as Albon crashed at high speed along the main straight, reducing the time left to just 3 minutes 31 seconds.
Lando Norris seized his last opportunity, improving his lap to solidify pole position with a time of 1 minute 23.405 seconds. Russell secured 2nd place with a single lap, while Tsunoda claimed 3rd.
Final Q3 Standings
- Lando Norris – 1 minute 23.405 seconds
- George Russell
- Yuki Tsunoda
- Esteban Ocon
- Liam Lawson
- Charles Leclerc
- Alexander Albon
- Oscar Piastri
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
A Thrilling Sunday Morning
Williams confirmed that Albon would not be able to participate in the race due to his high-speed crash. With only three hours until race time, both Williams and Aston Martin face a race against the clock to make final preparations.
This year’s São Paulo GP delivered a thrilling, chaotic qualifying session, with Lando Norris’s resilience against challenging weather securing him pole position.
