SQ1 :
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For the fifth and penultimate time of the season, the 20 Formula 1 drivers take part in a sprint weekend. Charles Leclerc was the first driver to exit the pit lane during this sprint qualifying. The time set by the Monegasque was swept away almost instantly by the two Alpines, Liam Lawson then Oscar Piastri. The drop in times showed a clear improvement in the asphalt during each driver's passes.
Since the arrival of Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls, Yuki Tsunoda has been crumbling under pressure. Vastly superior to a weakened Daniel Ricciardo, the Japanese has made a series of errors and poor performances since the Austin Grand Prix, the arrival location of his new New Zealand teammate. For his first time on the Interlagos circuit, Liam Lawson managed to relegate the Honda protégé to more than 6 tenths of his time.
List of eliminated: Fernando Alonso (16th), Esteban Ocon (17th), Yuki Tsunoda (18th), Lance Stroll (19th) and Guanyu Zhou (20th)
SQ2 :
In Sao Paulo, for the third time this season, Oliver Bearman had the privilege of returning to Formula 1. The British driver replaced an ill Kevin Magnussen during this Friday. After a successful first free practice session, the young rookie managed to escape from SQ1. In the following session, the Ferrari protégé managed to qualify among the top 10. An impressive feat that he achieved by beating Nico Hülkenberg, whose strong point since his return to F1 has been qualifying.
The other good performance among the rookies was signed by Liam Lawson. By registering the 9th best time, the one who is fighting to potentially join Red Bull in 2025 has once again sparked. Conversely, Sergio Perez continues to pale in comparison to the young rookie. The Mexican was eliminated in 13th position.
Lando Norris hit very hard during SQ2. During his first lap, the Briton relegated his closest competitor, Max Verstappen, to more than four tenths. The current runner-up in the championship was only joined at the end of the session by his teammate Oscar Piastri. The Australian managed to reduce the gap to just over two tenths.
List of eliminated: Lewis Hamilton (11th), Nico Hülkenberg (12th), Sergio Perez (13th), Franco Colapinto (14th) and Valtteri Bottas (15th)
SQ3 :
When the checkered flag was lowered, only 29 thousandths separated the two McLaren drivers. Unfortunately for Norris, it is not him at the top of the time sheet but his neighbor in the garage, Oscar Piastri. It will be interesting to see if Andrea Stella will ask the Australian to let the Briton pass to favor the latter in his fight against Max Verstappen for the world champion title.
Oliver Bearman failed to take full advantage of his presence in SQ3. The Haas driver carried a little too much speed into the first turn, which compromised his exit and forced him to bite the track limits a little too hard in the second turn. This small error did not go unnoticed by the stewards who immediately sanctioned him with the cancellation of his time.
