Norris grabs pole in rainswept qualifying for Sao Paulo Grand Prix

Sao Paulo Grand Prix qualifying saw McLaren's Lando Norris claim pole position with a confident drive through the rainy conditions at Interlagos. The 26-year-old British driver edged out George Russell of Mercedes by 0.204 seconds to secure his third consecutive pole at the Brazilian circuit. Despite the challenging weather, Norris managed to complete two laps without any mistakes, allowing him to take advantage of the good conditions that teams had predicted.

Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes finished third, but will start the race from the front row due to a five-place grid penalty for using new power-unit components. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who was also on the grid, will start the race from the fourth position after facing a 10-place penalty for taking a new engine. Other notable qualifiers included Liam Lawson of Racing Bull in fifth, Nico Hulkenberg of Audi in sixth, and Oliver Bearman of Haas in seventh.

The qualifying session commenced after a 90-minute delay due to the adverse weather conditions, with high plumes of spray rising from the cars. Valtteri Bottas led the session, followed closely by his teammate Sergio Perez. However, both teams' new drivers, Rafael Camara and Valtteri Bottas, were unable to maintain their positions due to incidents on the track. Ultimately, the session concluded with Norris on top, Lawson in second, and Hamilton starting from the back of the grid after taking two new engines.