Norris takes pole for the São Paulo Grand Prix, Verstappen and Hamilton start from the back
George Russell is 0.204 seconds behind but drops five places, Rafael Câmara qualifies 13th on his debut and Gabriel Bortoleto 22nd at home
Lando Norris took pole position for the São Paulo Grand Prix on Saturday, 0.204 seconds ahead of George Russell in a wet qualifying session at Interlagos, while Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton will start Sunday’s race from the back of the grid after power unit changes.
Start times (local, UK, CET and ET) and how to watch: São Paulo Grand Prix 2026 start times. Full qualifying classification and race results: São Paulo Grand Prix 2026 results.
Norris beats Russell by 0.204 seconds
Rain had been forecast for the weekend (our Interlagos weather forecast), and it arrived for qualifying. Lando Norris set a 1:27.470 in Q3 for McLaren. George Russell was second for Mercedes with 1:27.674, even though his 1:26.745 in Q2 was the fastest lap of the whole session. New world champion Kimi Antonelli completed the top three in the other Mercedes, 0.625 seconds off pole.
Charles Leclerc was fourth for Ferrari ahead of Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), Nico Hulkenberg (Audi), Isack Hadjar (Red Bull Racing), Oliver Bearman (Haas), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and Alexander Albon (Williams). Norris’s team-mate Oscar Piastri went out in Q2 in 12th. In final practice on Saturday morning Norris had been third, behind Verstappen and Antonelli.
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:30.939 | 1:29.207 | 1:27.470 |
| 2 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:31.206 | 1:26.745 | 1:27.674 |
| 3 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:32.229 | 1:29.302 | 1:28.095 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:32.121 | 1:28.082 | 1:28.289 |
| 5 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:32.085 | 1:27.049 | 1:28.321 |
| 6 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 1:31.693 | 1:28.361 | 1:28.668 |
| 7 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | 1:32.059 | 1:27.218 | 1:28.763 |
| 8 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | 1:33.030 | 1:29.130 | 1:29.831 |
| 9 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:32.092 | 1:29.072 | 1:30.311 |
| 10 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:33.150 | 1:28.918 | 1:30.456 |
| 11 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:31.666 | 1:30.001 | – |
| 13 | 51 | Rafael Câmara | Haas F1 Team | 1:32.809 | 1:31.515 | – |
| 16 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:31.238 | – | – |
| 22 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:41.564 | – | – |
Top ten plus Hamilton, Câmara, Verstappen and Bortoleto. Qualifying order, before grid penalties. Full classification: São Paulo Grand Prix 2026 results.
Russell second, but five places back on Sunday
Russell’s front-row time does not give him a front-row start. Mercedes changed power unit elements on his car, which brought a five-place grid penalty, confirmed on Friday. Where he lines up depends on the penalties of the drivers around him, so the final order follows from the official starting grid.
Verstappen and Hamilton start from the back
Max Verstappen, fastest in final practice, was always going to start at the back: Red Bull fitted a new internal combustion engine, turbocharger and exhaust before FP3, more than 15 places of penalties in total. He did only nine laps in qualifying and went out in Q1 in 16th. Sergio Pérez, 21st for Cadillac, also starts from the back after power unit changes. Full details: all São Paulo grid penalties.
Lewis Hamilton joins them. Ferrari had already taken a ten-place penalty for a new engine, but in FP3 Hamilton reported vibrations, then lost power with smoke in the cockpit. Ferrari replaced the entire power unit. “After completing our analysis, we have decided to replace the entire power unit. Lewis will take part in Qualifying but will have to start tomorrow’s race from the back of the grid,” the team said in a statement published by Formula 1. Hamilton qualified 11th. Charles Leclerc keeps his ten-place drop for a new engine, so his fourth place will not be his grid slot either.
Câmara 13th on his debut, Bortoleto last at home
Brazil has two drivers in its home race. Rafael Câmara, making his Formula 1 debut for Haas, reached Q2 and qualified 13th with 1:31.515, ahead of Arvid Lindblad and Carlos Sainz. His team-mate Bearman made Q3 and was eighth. Gabriel Bortoleto had a difficult afternoon: he completed only five laps and was 22nd with 1:41.564, while his Audi team-mate Hulkenberg was sixth. Friday’s running: São Paulo GP FP1 and FP2 report.
Our read
Pole matters at Interlagos, but it rarely settles the race. Verstappen won here in 2024 from 17th on the grid, in the rain. With three cars starting from the back, Leclerc ten places down and more wet weather possible on Sunday, Norris has the best seat on the grid but not a guarantee. Russell’s penalty helps him: the driver with the fastest lap of the session starts several rows behind.
The race starts on Sunday at 14:00 local, 17:00 UK, 18:00 CET and 12:00 ET
The São Paulo Grand Prix runs over 71 laps on Sunday 8 November. The official starting grid, with all penalties applied, and the race result follow on our São Paulo Grand Prix 2026 results page.
Source: official qualifying classification, Formula 1 (formula1.com); Ferrari team statement via formula1.com; FIA documents.
Can Norris convert pole at Interlagos, or will Verstappen and Hamilton come through from the back? Tell us in the comments.
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