Lando Norris of McLaren claimed pole position for the Formula 1 São Paulo GP after a dominant qualifying at Interlagos. The Briton, who won the earlier sprint, leads the championship with 365 points, widening his lead over rivals. Gabriel Bortoleto of Sauber will start 20th after a sprint crash that prevented him from qualifying.
The qualifying for the São Paulo GP, held on Saturday (November 8, 2025) at Interlagos, featured a perfect day for Lando Norris. The McLaren driver topped all three parts of the session (Q1, Q2, and Q3), securing pole with Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) in second and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) in third. Oscar Piastri, Norris's teammate, finished fourth, while George Russell (Mercedes) was sixth.
Max Verstappen of Red Bull, the four-time world champion, had a tough weekend and was eliminated in Q1, starting 16th. The Dutchman complained of grip issues in the first corner and car problems: “We will have to analyze, we don't know what happened. The weekend has been very bad for us”. After Norris's sprint win, the championship gap widened to 39 points, with Norris at 365 and Verstappen at 321. Verstappen expressed frustration over title chances: “I can already forget about that, for sure. In the position we are starting, that won't work. And with this kind of performances… forget it”.
Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari also struggled, ending 13th after Q2 elimination. The Briton, wearing a green and yellow helmet, was frustrated with the low grip: he had been seventh in the sprint.
Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto of Sauber posted no time in qualifying due to a heavy crash on the final lap of the sprint while battling for 10th with Alexander Albon. The car sustained extensive damage, hitting the wall twice on the wet main straight, halting the race for 20 minutes with a red flag. Despite the team's efforts with a reserve chassis, Bortoleto waited in the cockpit until the end but couldn't hit the track. The FIA allowed his participation under article 39.4 b) of the regulations, citing satisfactory sprint qualifying time, and he will start 20th on the grid per article 42.1. The driver visited the medical center as a precaution but was cleared without issues.
Other Q1 eliminations included Esteban Ocon (17th, Haas), Franco Colapinto (18th, Alpine, after a sprint crash), and Yuki Tsunoda (19th, Red Bull). Q2 dropouts were Fernando Alonso (11th, Aston Martin), Albon (12th, Williams), Hamilton (13th), Lance Stroll (14th, Aston Martin), and Carlos Sainz (15th, Williams). The main race is Sunday (9) at 14h Brasília time.
