SAO PAULO — Lando Norris Having taken pole position in the sprint race in Brazil, he has a stranglehold on the Formula One Drivers' Championship in what he hopes will be a weekend.
Norris' lap of 1:09.243 was enough to start Saturday's sprint at the front of the grid, 0.097 seconds faster than Mercedes rookie Andrea. Kimi Antonelli and 0.185 faster than McLaren teammate and title rival. Oscar Piastri.
Norris snatched the championship lead from Piastri with a dominant victory at the Mexican Grand Prix two weeks ago and looks set to win again this weekend.
They are separated by one point in the championship standings. Points are distributed among the top eight finishers as 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, so the likelihood of creating a large lead may be minimal if both finish, but with only four races remaining, every point addition is invaluable.
“It was a little more difficult than I would have liked,” Norris told Sky Sports. “Close to a lot of cars. Mercedes is fast on soft. But it’s always difficult when you have a medium and soft mode and you know how hard to push.”
“But we did the job we needed to do and we had to be the fastest today. More difficult than in Mexico. I didn’t feel as comfortable, but that’s why it’s a great result.”
Max Verstappenconsidered the underdog in the title fight, had climbed to sixth position, discouraging anyone hoping to see the Red Bull driver close the 36-point gap to Norris this weekend.
“The car is completely broken, it’s simply impossible to drive,” the four-time world champion once complained.
Verstappen is hoping for forecast rain on Saturday – Interlagos was where he completed one of the greatest races of the modern era last year in an inverted race held in wet conditions.
Mercedes driver George Russell and Aston Martin Fernando Alonso will start on the grid between Piastri and Verstappen.
Ferrari experienced another deflationary session with Charles Leclerc qualified eighth behind teammate Alonso, Lance Stroll.
Lewis Hamilton did not even make it through the average qualifying session, finishing 11th on the track, he won the first of his seven drivers' championships in 2008 with great success.
Hamilton avoided a grid penalty for failing to slow for a double yellow during the session – the stewards later admitted that the light panel closest to Hamilton was “only illuminated for a split second” before he passed it, meaning he avoided falling further onto the grid.
Racing Bulls driver Isak HadjarRookie of the Season candidate, qualified ninth, ahead of Nico Hulkenbergwhich showed Sauber's promising speed and secured a place in the final qualifying session.
Hulkenberg's teammate Gabriel Bortoletois the home favorite this weekend but was unable to join Hulkenberg in Q2 and had to settle for 14th behind Hamilton. Alex Albon And Pierre Gasly. Winner of the Mexican Grand Prix Oliver Birman qualified 15th for Haas.
Franco ColapintoHe started Friday with confirmation that he will continue to race for Alpine in 2026, ending months of speculation about his future, but he failed to complete the first round.
Red Bull driver under pressure Yuki Tsunodawho had a break in practice a few hours earlier, also failed to qualify, finishing 18th behind the Racing Bulls driver. Liam Lawson.
“We've paid a little for the track time we lost this morning,” Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies told Sky Sports after practice. “Without running you lose a bit of confidence and then you don't get a clean session.”
Tsunoda replaced Lawson at the start of the year, but one of them looks set to be the odd man out at Red Bull as the company seeks to promote Hajjar to the senior team and become a junior Formula 2 driver. Arvid Lindblad at Racing Bulls next year.
Esteban Ocon And Carlos Sainz will start in the back row of the net.
