Lando Norris secured pole position for the São Paulo Grand Prix in a qualifying session marked by extremely challenging conditions, including five red flags. Max Verstappen finished in 12th place, which means he will start 17th on the grid due to a five-place penalty for an engine change.
Qualifying recap
Drivers started Q1 on full wet tyres, with visibility severely limited by the spray from the wet track. Yellow flags came out early due to minor incidents and off-track excursions, while Esteban Ocon (Alpine) was the first to set a flying lap.
Ocon’s lap time was eventually beaten by Yuki Tsunoda (VCARB) before the first red flag came out, caused by Franco Colapinto (Williams/Mercedes) spinning out at Curva do Sol.
🔴 RED FLAG 🔴
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 3, 2024
Colapinto slides into the barriers at Turn 3 💥
Franco's radioed to say he's okay 👍#F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/6CBNemudTi
After a 15-minute delay, conditions improved slightly, and Verstappen (Red Bull) topped the timesheets, followed by Alexander Albon (Williams/Mercedes) and George Russell (Mercedes), with Ocon and Tsunoda close behind.
The battle to avoid elimination in Q1 was especially tense for Norris. The McLaren driver only made it through on his final lap by a margin of just 0.206 seconds, narrowly avoiding elimination. This left Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) out of Q1, alongside Oliver Bearman (Haas/Ferrari), who finished 17th, and Colapinto in 18th. Nico Hülkenberg (Haas/Ferrari) and Guanyu Zhou (Kick Sauber/Ferrari) completed the classification at the back of the field.
Q1 CLASSIFICATION
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 3, 2024
Verstappen tops the timesheets followed by Albon and Russell 👀#F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/gfZ9XsbJrj
Conditions improved slightly for Q2, prompting Oscar Piastri (McLaren/Mercedes) to take a gamble on intermediate tyres. After a cautious start, the Australian eventually rose to the top of the timesheets, leading other drivers to pit and switch to the same tire setup.
With six minutes remaining, Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) spun out at Turn 2, bringing out the red flags. At that point, Norris was in the elimination zone, but everything changed when Q2 resumed.
🔴 RED FLAG 🔴
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 3, 2024
Sainz into the barriers
📻 "Oh my gosh, sorry guys" #F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/saUn8zJLIj
Verstappen initially led the pack, but there were numerous shifts in position as the session progressed. The Dutch driver couldn’t keep up with the pace in the closing moments and ended up in 12th, just ahead of his teammate Sergio Pérez. Other drivers who didn’t make it through included Valtteri Bottas (Kick Sauber/Ferrari) in 11th, Sainz in 14th, and Pierre Gasly (Alpine) in 15th.
Norris set the pace in Q2 (the only driver to dip into the 1m24s), followed by Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin/Mercedes) in second and Piastri in third. The session ended slightly early after Lance Stroll (Aston Martin/Mercedes) crashed, triggering the third red flag with less than a minute left on the clock.
Q2 CLASSIFICATION
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 3, 2024
Norris P1, Verstappen down in P12
Potentially a huge moment in the championship fight#F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/tUc5bK9yQE
Rain began to fall again before Q3, where Norris initially set the fastest time, only to be overtaken by Piastri. However, the British driver quickly regained the lead, with Alexander Albon (Williams/Mercedes) moving into second… until the fourth red flag of the session, this time due to Alonso’s crash at the Mergulho corner.
Shortly after the restart, another interruption followed when Albon suffered a severe crash at the S do Senna. With less than three minutes remaining, the session was once again resumed.
That was a big impact 😵
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 3, 2024
Alex is out of the car and seems okay 🙏#F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/Xe0Nt7ORu0
An improvement in conditions enabled a battle for pole position right to the end, but Norris demonstrated superior pace to secure pole as the only driver to set a lap in the 1m23s range. Russell came closest, finishing 0.173s behind.
In the best qualifying of his career, Yuki Tsunoda (VCARB) claimed third and will share the second row with Ocon. Lawson will start fifth, alongside Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), followed by Albon, Piastri, Alonso, and Stroll.
There is some uncertainty about the final grid lineup. Damage to some drivers’ cars, particularly Albon’s and Alonso’s, raises the possibility of penalties or pit lane starts due to necessary repairs.
Results:
