2026 Sao Paulo GP Qualifying: Norris storms to pole in rain-hit thriller

Lando Norris mastered treacherous conditions at Interlagos to secure his third consecutive São Paulo Grand Prix pole position, beating Mercedes pair George Russell and Kimi Antonelli in a dramatic qualifying session featuring crashes, red flags and major grid penalties.

Lando Norris delivered another spectacular wet-weather qualifying performance at the 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix, putting McLaren on pole position after an unpredictable session at Interlagos that was heavily disrupted by rain and lengthy delays.

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The reigning world champion produced a superb 1m 27.470s around the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, finishing 0.204s clear of Mercedes driver George Russell and 0.625s ahead of newly crowned champion Kimi Antonelli.

2026 Sao Paulo Grand Qualifying Results

2026 Sao Paulo Grand Prix Qualifying, 7 November 2026

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	1	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:30.939	1:29.207	1:27.470	24
2	63	George Russell	Mercedes	1:31.206	1:26.745	1:27.674	23
3	12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:32.229	1:29.302	1:28.095	23
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:32.121	1:28.082	1:28.289	22
5	30	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	1:32.085	1:27.049	1:28.321	24
6	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	1:31.693	1:28.361	1:28.668	23
7	6	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull Racing	1:32.059	1:27.218	1:28.763	24
8	87	Oliver Bearman	Haas F1 Team	1:33.030	1:29.130	1:29.831	22
9	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	1:32.092	1:29.072	1:30.311	23
10	23	Alexander Albon	Williams	1:33.150	1:28.918	1:30.456	24
11	44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:31.666	1:30.001		13
12	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1:32.251	1:30.369		20
13	51	Rafael Câmara	Haas F1 Team	1:32.809	1:31.515		18
14	41	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	1:32.306	1:31.687		16
15	55	Carlos Sainz	Williams	1:32.959	1:31.785		19
16	3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:31.238			9
17	43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	1:33.327			12
18	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	1:33.449			12
19	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1:33.653			11
20	77	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac	1:33.774			12
21	11	Sergio Perez	Cadillac	1:34.509			12
22	5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	1:41.564			5

The result secured Norris his third consecutive pole position at Interlagos, underlining his ability to extract performance in difficult conditions at one of Formula 1’s most demanding circuits.

With heavy rain transforming the track into a major test of driver confidence and car control, the session produced several surprise results as established frontrunners struggled and midfield teams seized their opportunities.

Russell claimed second on the qualifying timesheets with a 1m 27.674s, although the Mercedes driver faces a five-place grid penalty for an internal combustion engine change, meaning he will not start Sunday’s race from the front row.

Antonelli qualified third with a 1m 28.095s, putting the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history in a strong position to challenge for victory following his title triumph at the previous round in Mexico City.

The Italian’s performance also maintained Mercedes’ impressive form in the closing stages of the 2026 F1 World Championship, although the changing weather conditions made predicting race performance particularly difficult.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished fourth with a 1m 28.289s, but he too faces a significant grid penalty after receiving a 10-place drop for an internal combustion engine change ahead of the weekend.

That punishment will push the Monegasque down the starting order despite an otherwise competitive showing in the wet, adding another layer of unpredictability to Sunday’s race.

One of the standout performances came from Liam Lawson, who secured an impressive fifth place for Racing Bulls with a 1m 28.321s, just 0.032s behind Leclerc.

The New Zealander capitalised on the difficult conditions to deliver one of his strongest qualifying performances of the campaign, putting himself in an excellent position to benefit from the penalties affecting several drivers ahead.

Audi also enjoyed a major breakthrough through Nico Hulkenberg, who qualified a remarkable sixth after a challenging start to the weekend.

The German had completed no running during Friday’s practice sessions following mechanical problems that initially affected rookie Freddie Slater in FP1, before preventing Hulkenberg from participating in FP2.

Despite that lack of preparation, Hulkenberg recovered to reach Q3 and produce an outstanding result for Audi, demonstrating how the wet conditions had helped level the playing field between the leading teams and the midfield.

Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar qualified seventh, ahead of Haas driver Oliver Bearman, who continued the American team’s encouraging weekend by securing eighth place.

Fernando Alonso delivered another impressive wet-weather performance to take ninth for Aston Martin, while Alex Albon completed the top 10 for Williams.

The results represented significant achievements for several midfield teams, with Lawson, Hulkenberg, Bearman, Alonso and Albon all taking advantage of the difficult conditions to secure valuable top-10 starting positions.

However, the biggest surprises came further down the order, where several established frontrunners failed to progress into the final qualifying segment.

Lewis Hamilton was eliminated in Q2, leaving the Ferrari driver 11th on the timesheets after another challenging afternoon at Interlagos.

The seven-time world champion had already endured major engine problems during FP3, reporting unusual vibrations and smoke in the cockpit before his running was brought to an early conclusion.

Hamilton also faces a 10-place grid penalty following an internal combustion engine change, meaning his qualifying elimination was less damaging than it might otherwise have been, given his expected position towards the rear of the grid.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri suffered another disappointing qualifying result, finishing 12th after being eliminated in Q2 for the second consecutive Grand Prix.

The Australian had also failed to reach Q3 in Mexico City, and his difficulties continued in Brazil despite team-mate Norris showing race-winning pace at the front.

Piastri’s final opportunity to improve was ruined when Brazilian rookie Rafael Camara crashed his Haas, triggering a late red flag that prevented several drivers from completing their final flying laps.

Camara, who was making his Formula 1 debut on home soil after being promoted into a Haas race seat ahead of his full-time arrival in 2027, was classified 13th following the incident.

The crash brought a frustrating end to an otherwise promising qualifying appearance for the youngster, whose performance had been strong enough to place him ahead of several more experienced rivals.

Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad was another to suffer a difficult conclusion to Q2, with the team instructing him to stop his car, ending his chances of progressing further.

Lindblad finished 14th, ahead of Carlos Sainz in 15th for Williams.

Max Verstappen was classified 16th after taking no part in Q2, with the Red Bull driver already facing a back-of-the-grid start because of multiple power unit changes.

The Dutchman had topped FP3 earlier on Saturday with a 1m 11.622s in dry conditions, beating Antonelli by just 0.025s, but the arrival of rain and his extensive grid penalties completely changed the outlook for his weekend.

Rather than fight for a leading qualifying position, Verstappen now faces the prospect of another recovery drive through the field if he is to challenge for points or a podium on Sunday.

The opening qualifying segment had already delivered plenty of drama as the changing conditions made every lap increasingly important.

Alpine endured a particularly disappointing afternoon, with Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly both eliminated in Q1 after crossing the line almost together during the frantic closing moments.

Colapinto qualified 17th, narrowly ahead of team-mate Gasly in 18th, leaving the French squad with both cars outside the second segment.

Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was another early casualty in 19th, having already suffered an Energy Recovery System issue during FP3 that restricted his preparation.

Cadillac also struggled to make an impression in the wet conditions, with Valtteri Bottas finishing 20th ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez in 21st.

The American outfit was unable to capitalise on the unpredictable weather, leaving both drivers towards the rear of the qualifying classification.

Home favourite Gabriel Bortoleto endured the most frustrating session of all, crashing his Audi into the wall during Q1 and ending qualifying in 22nd place.

The incident was a bitter disappointment for the Brazilian, who had shown encouraging pace throughout Friday’s running and had hoped to deliver a strong result in front of his home supporters.

At the front, however, Norris once again demonstrated his ability to thrive when conditions become unpredictable.

His 1m 27.470s lap was enough to deny Mercedes a front-row lockout on the qualifying timesheets, while the penalties for Russell and Leclerc mean the starting grid will look considerably different from the final Q3 order.

For Antonelli, qualifying third represented another solid performance as he began his first race weekend since becoming world champion, with the Mercedes driver now well placed to challenge Norris when the lights go out.

Lawson and Hulkenberg also emerged as major beneficiaries of the wet conditions and the penalties affecting the frontrunners, creating the prospect of an unusually mixed starting grid at Interlagos.

With Verstappen, Hamilton and Leclerc all facing significant grid drops, Russell also penalised, and Piastri starting outside the top 10, Sunday’s São Paulo Grand Prix could see plenty of overtaking as several established frontrunners attempt to recover lost ground.

But the biggest advantage belongs to Norris, who secured another remarkable pole position at a circuit where he has repeatedly excelled.

After mastering the rain and surviving a qualifying session filled with interruptions, the McLaren driver heads into Sunday’s Grand Prix with the best possible opportunity to convert his third consecutive Interlagos pole into another victory.