São Paulo Grand Prix – Qualifications: Norris on pole, Red Bull trapped and Hamilton disappointed

Yesterday, the bad weather complicated things and a torrential rain prevented the drivers from taking the track, as it was completely impracticable.

Today, the conditions were not much better, but the drivers were still able to take part in this qualifying session. It is the sixth time in the history of F1 that qualifying has taken place on a Sunday, usually a day dedicated to the race.

The Q1

This start of the qualifying session caught several drivers off guard with its slippery sections, especially at turns 12 and 4, where Lawson, Zhou, and Stroll went off track.

The red flag was also waved following a spin of Colapinto’s single-seater at turn 1. While he was in ninth position, the Argentine driver sees his session cut short, just when he might have had a chance to shine.

Qualifying sessions in the rain are often the scene of surprises, and this was no exception as Lewis Hamilton will not make it past Q1. The Brit did not hesitate to express his frustration, blaming his car for being almost undriveable in these rainy conditions.

Lando Norris almost suffered the same fate, finishing fifteenth at the end of this first session. The British driver must turn things around if he hopes to participate in Q3.

Verstappen sets the fastest time in 1:28.522 ahead of a strong Alex Albon and Russell, while both Alpine cars make it into Q2.

Eliminated: Hamilton, Bearman, Colapinto, Hülkenberg and Zhou.

The Q2

For this Q2, the intermediate tire was preferred by the drivers, with Oscar Piastri setting the benchmark for the rest of the field.

Russell was actually caught out by this tire change, which had no consequences for the Briton. The same cannot be said on Carlos Sainz’s side, who crashed his car into the wall at the exit of turn 1, thus prematurely ending his qualifying session. For the second time, the red flag was brought out.

After the restart, another surprise: the elimination of both Red Bull cars of Verstappen and Pérez, due to the accident of Lance Stroll in turn 1, which caused yet another red flag.

As a reminder, Verstappen will receive a five-place penalty during the race, meaning that the Dutchman will start in seventeenth place.

Norris, for his part, finds a better pace compared to Q1 and sets the fastest time in 1:24.844, ahead of Alonso and his teammate Oscar Piastri.

On the French side, Pierre Gasly stops at the Q2 stage, while Esteban Ocon advances to Q3.

Eliminated: Bottas, Verstappen, Perez, Sainz and Gasly.

The Q3

From the beginning of this Q3, Fernando Alonso hit the wall after going off track after the S de Senna, thus ending Aston Martin’s qualifying after Lance Stroll’s retirement in Q2.

A few laps after the drivers returned to the track, it was Alex Albon who wrecked his car at the end of the start/finish line, following a violent snap of the rear axle. The Thai driver, puzzled, struggled to explain the reason for this accident, blaming a brake failure. It’s the fifth red flag of the session, equaling the record set during the qualifying session of the Imola Grand Prix in 2022.

At the restart, it was Lando Norris who set the best lap time in 1:23.405, while George Russell and Yuki Tsunoda came very close to stealing the show from him.

At Alpine, Esteban Ocon achieved a very impressive qualifying session, finishing fourth at the end of Q3. Liam Lawson also impressed, securing fifth place on the starting grid.

It was a particularly lively qualifying session, which bodes well for an equally thrilling race.

Qualification results: