Sao Paulo, Nov 3 (IANS) – Lando Norris secured pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix in a rain-hit qualifying session full of red flags, marking his chance to close a 44-point gap to Max Verstappen in the World Championship standings. With Verstappen starting from P17 due to a grid penalty, Norris has a golden opportunity to gain points in Sunday’s high-stakes race at Interlagos.
Saturday's qualifying session was pushed to Sunday due to extreme weather conditions at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace. Rain continued to dominate the circuit, leading to five red flags and multiple incidents as drivers battled for grid positions.
The session was dramatic from start to finish. Lewis Hamilton, a three-time winner in Brazil, managed only P15 before getting bumped to P16, unable to make it to Q3. Recent Mexico GP winner Carlos Sainz also had a setback, spinning out early at Turn 2, which led to the second red flag and cut short his session.
The chaos continued with incidents from Aston Martin drivers Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, both spinning into the barricades. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen were eliminated in Q2, with Verstappen further hindered by a five-place grid penalty, pushing him to P17.
In the final qualifying moments, Lando Norris clinched pole position with George Russell following closely in P2. Yuki Tsunoda earned an impressive P3, with Esteban Ocon and Liam Lawson rounding out the top five. Norris’s teammate Oscar Piastri ended up in P8 after a strong run throughout the session.
With just a few hours until the race, teams are rushing to repair damaged cars, and the unexpected qualifying results have set the stage for an exciting Brazilian GP.