Lando Norris secured pole position for the São Paulo Grand Prix after a chaotic qualifying session was disrupted by heavy rain and a crash. The session, which began on a rain-soaked Interlagos circuit, was halted for nearly an hour and a half due to the conditions before being resumed. Norris, who had set the fastest time in Q1, claimed his twentieth pole position in Q3 amid further rain threats.
Qualifying Session Resumes After Rain
The São Paulo Grand Prix qualifying session faced significant challenges from the outset. Despite the interruption, the track conditions eventually improved sufficiently to allow the session to resume. Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur commented that the weather conditions were “uitzonderlijk slecht” (exceptionally bad).
Rafael Câmara Crash Halts Q2
During the second qualifying segment, a major incident further disrupted proceedings. Haas debutant Rafael Câmara, the home driver, crashed at turn five. His car slid off the wet track onto the grass and was unable to stop before hitting the wall. This crash, Câmara’s second incident of the session, triggered a red flag, which ended Q2 prematurely. As a result, the standings at the moment of the interruption were final, meaning drivers who had not yet set a time were eliminated.
Incidents Reshape Starting Grid
The chaotic conditions and incidents reshaped the starting grid. Norris will start from pole, while Kimi Antonelli will begin from second place. George Russell initially set the second-fastest time but faces a grid penalty. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was eliminated in Q2 as he was twelfth when the session was stopped, missing out on a top-ten spot. Lewis Hamilton also failed to progress to Q3, finishing eleventh, and will start from the back of the grid due to a separate grid penalty. Max Verstappen, who qualified third in Q1, did not complete any further laps to save his tires for the race and will also start from the back of the grid due to a motor penalty.
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