Lando Norris will start from pole position in the São Paulo Grand Prix on Sunday. The McLaren driver proves to be the fastest in a rainy qualification full of crashes and interruptions in Brazil. Max Verstappen falls after one of the many red flags already in Q2: he only ranks twelfth and will have to start from P17 due to a pre-calculated grid penalty of five places. The race begins at 14:30 UTC.
Here’s a quick overview of the qualification for the Mexico Grand Prix:
Q1: Colapinto Crashes, Norris Escapes
As the drivers take to the track in the early Brazilian morning, they do so in rainy conditions. It’s not as extreme as Saturday – racing is now possible. Drivers are pushing the limits on the wet asphalt and end up off the track here and there. Franco Colapinto causes the first red flag of the day, parking his Williams in the tire stack.
With just under nine minutes on the clock, Q1 resumes. In this, Lewis Hamilton is the main victim. On Saturday, he already called the Mercedes a “terrible car”, it’s not his weekend. Norris is also almost in trouble, he just makes it to P15 in the treacherous conditions. And Verstappen? He records the fastest time on the wet track.
Q1 Dropouts: Hamilton, Bearman, Colapinto, Hülkenberg, and Zhou.
Drama for Verstappen in Q2
After a dominant Q1, Max Verstappen faces a setback in Q2. His teammate Sergio Pérez also struggles, as both Red Bull drivers are outside the top-10 when Lance Stroll crashes, leading to a red flag. The session is almost over and does not resume. It’s a sporting disaster for Verstappen: for the first time this year, he finishes outside Q1, settling for 12th place. Due to a five-place penalty for a new combustion engine, he will start from 17th on the grid.
Before Stroll’s crash, Carlos Sainz, who won the Mexican GP a week earlier, also causes a red flag with a hard slide. Like Verstappen, Sainz also meets his Waterloo in São Paulo. However, both McLarens are on the right side of the score.
Q2 Dropouts: Bottas, Verstappen, Pérez, Sainz, and Gasly.
More Red Flags in Q3, Norris Celebrates
Yet again, a red flag is raised, this time due to Fernando Alonso having to withdraw. This is the second Aston Martin car to hit the wall. The Spaniard is unharmed, but the session is halted for a considerable time. At this point, Norris is leading the field, hoping to capitalize on Verstappen’s misfortune.
After the interruption, another red flag is raised: Alexander Albon causes the biggest crash of the qualification, the Williams driver has a severe crash at the end of the straight. With just over three minutes left on the clock, everyone gets one more chance for pole: caution and speed vie for priority, and Norris handles it best. Verstappen’s closest competitor in the championship (44 points) will start from pole position in a few hours, with George Russell (Mercedes) beside him on the front row. Surprisingly, VCARB drivers Tsunoda and Lawson secure the third and fifth positions.
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