Norris Takes Pole for Sao Paulo Grand Prix as Verstappen and Hamilton Start at the Back
Lando Norris topped a rain delayed qualifying session at Interlagos with a lap of 1m27.470s, his third straight pole at the circuit. Grid penalties send George Russell and Charles Leclerc down the order and put Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton at the back for Sunday's 71 lap race.
Key points
- Lando Norris claimed pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Saturday, November 7, in a wet qualifying session at Interlagos that heavy rain had delayed by more than an hour.
- "I couldn't have done any more," Norris said of the lap, in comments reported by Formula1.com.
- Qualifying was red flagged and held up for over an hour because of heavy rain and standing water on the circuit, Autosport reported.
Lando Norris claimed pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Saturday, November 7, in a wet qualifying session at Interlagos that heavy rain had delayed by more than an hour. The McLaren driver set a lap of 1m27.470s on intermediate tyres in the final segment and beat George Russell by 0.204 seconds, Autosport reported.
"I couldn't have done any more," Norris said of the lap, in comments reported by Formula1.com. The pole is his third in a row at Interlagos and his first since the Madrid Grand Prix in September, the Associated Press reported.
Rain stopped the session twice over
Qualifying was red flagged and held up for over an hour because of heavy rain and standing water on the circuit, Autosport reported. Gabriel Bortoleto crashed in the first segment and finished last on the timesheets. Rafael Camara crashed late in the second segment, and the red flag for his accident ended that segment early.
Penalties reorder the front of the grid
Russell was second fastest with 1m27.674s, but a five place grid penalty for a power unit change drops the Mercedes driver to seventh on Sunday, RACER reported. Kimi Antonelli qualified third with 1m28.095s, 0.625 seconds off pole, and the Russell penalty moves the newly crowned world champion up to second place on the front row.
Charles Leclerc qualified fourth with 1m28.289s but takes a 10 place engine penalty and starts 14th. The penalties promote Liam Lawson, who qualified fifth, to third on the grid, a season best start for the Racing Bulls driver. Nico Hulkenberg starts fourth for Audi once the penalties are applied.
Verstappen and Hamilton start at the back
Oscar Piastri went out in the second segment in 12th place after the late red flag ended his running, and grid penalties for other drivers lift him to 10th on the provisional grid. Max Verstappen did not go out in the second segment and was classified 16th. An engine penalty of his own, a 30 place cumulative drop for a complete power unit change, sends him to the back of the grid, Autosport reported.
Lewis Hamilton was knocked out in the second segment in 11th place and also starts at the back after engine penalties adding up to a 65 place drop. Verstappen and Hamilton sit 261 and 259 points behind champion Antonelli in the drivers standings, with Russell on 250 and Leclerc on 245. Mercedes leads the constructors standings with 630 points, ahead of Ferrari on 504.
The 71 lap Sao Paulo Grand Prix starts at 2 p.m. local time on Sunday, November 8, which is 17:00 UTC.
Timeline
- Nov 7, 2026Heavy rain and standing water red flag qualifying at Interlagos and delay the session by more than an hour. Norris takes pole with a lap of 1m27.470s on intermediate tyres.
- Nov 7, 2026Grid penalties are set: Russell drops five places, Leclerc ten, Verstappen takes a 30 place cumulative penalty, and Hamilton starts at the back after penalties adding up to a 65 place drop.
- Nov 8, 2026The 71 lap Sao Paulo Grand Prix starts at Interlagos at 17:00 UTC.