Norris takes São Paulo pole after rain-delayed qualifying

Lando Norris took pole position for the São Paulo Grand Prix after heavy rain delayed qualifying at Interlagos by 86 minutes, with grid penalties reshuffling the front of the field for Sunday’s race.

The McLaren driver set the fastest time, 1:27.470, and beat George Russell by 0.204 seconds. Russell will drop five places for exceeding his permitted number of engine parts, promoting Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli to second. Charles Leclerc qualified fourth but has a 10-place penalty, lifting Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson to third.

Qualifying was stopped before any driver could set a lap because conditions were judged too dangerous. It restarted an hour and 26 minutes after the scheduled start. Haas driver Oliver Bearman described it as the wettest conditions he had experienced in a racing car.

Norris said the key was to complete two laps early in the session without making mistakes. Russell said he regretted being told to abandon a final lap as the rain intensified: he felt the team should have completed it.

The wet conditions helped several drivers from less competitive teams. Nico Hülkenberg qualified sixth and will start fourth, while Bearman moves from eighth to sixth. Fernando Alonso qualified ninth and will start eighth. Norris, the 2025 world champion, will start from pole for the second year running in Brazil and for the first time since September’s Spanish Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen did not take part in the second qualifying session, having already incurred an engine-related penalty that means he will start from the back. Lewis Hamilton, facing the same penalty, took part but qualified 11th and will also start from the back.

The São Paulo Grand Prix is scheduled to start at 17:00 GMT on 8 November.