Brazil GP: Norris on pole, Verstappen 17th after qualifying chaos
SAO PAULO -- In a nail-biting and rain-affected qualifying session, Lando Norris emerged victorious to secure the pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. The session, postponed from Saturday to Sunday morning, saw five red flags, shocking eliminations, including Max Verstappen's unexpected exit in Q2, and constantly changing weather conditions.
The final Q3 segment bore witness to intense drama as heavy crashes for Fernando Alonso and Alex Albon halted the proceedings. With just over three minutes left on the clock and only seven cars in contention, the session resumed for the final top 10 shootout.
Despite the tricky conditions, Norris delivered a stunning performance with a fastest lap of 1m 23.405s, edging out Mercedes’ George Russell by 0.173s. Yuki Tsunoda achieved his best-ever qualifying result by securing third place for Red Bull, lining up alongside Alpine’s Esteban Ocon in fourth position.
Red Bull had further reason to celebrate as Liam Lawson clinched fifth place, just ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in sixth. Albon managed to hold onto seventh despite his crash, while Oscar Piastri took eighth after encountering issues in his McLaren.
The top 10 was completed by Alonso and Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll, though Alonso's crash prevented him from continuing, and Stroll did not take part in Q3 following his own Q2 crash.
Q2 brought its share of turmoil with two stoppages: one due to Carlos Sainz's crash midway through the session and another in the final moments as Stroll hit the barriers. This chaos impeded both Red Bull drivers from improving their times, leaving Verstappen in P12, which will become P17 owing to a five-place grid penalty, and Sergio Perez in P13.
Valtteri Bottas of Kick Sauber and Pierre Gasly of Alpine were eliminated in 11th and 15th, respectively, while Sainz concluded in 14th, potentially setting up a challenging repair task for Ferrari ahead of the race.
The closing moments of Q1 were equally dramatic as Norris narrowly advanced, leading to Lewis Hamilton’s exclusion, leaving the Mercedes driver in P16.
Haas faced a challenging session with substitute Oliver Bearman and Nico Hulkenberg failing to progress, finishing in 17th and 19th respectively. Williams’ Franco Colapinto exited in 18th after crashing into the barriers, and Zhou Guanyu of Kick Sauber rounded out the pack in 20th place.
As the drivers and teams brace for the race, the stage is set for a thrilling Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with unpredictable weather and fierce competition promising an action-packed event.
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