Brazilian Grand Prix | Lando Norris will start in the lead

(Sao Paulo) McLaren team driver Lando Norris will start from first position in the Brazilian Formula 1 Grand Prix on Sunday.

Drivers’ championship leader Max Verstappen will start 16^e after having experienced difficulties at the wheel of his Red Bull, during a qualifying session disrupted by rain and marked by five accidents.

The gap between the two drivers before the afternoon race is 44 points.

Norris set the fastest lap on the Interlagos track with a time of 1:23.405. Fellow Briton George Russell of Mercedes was second. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who still has a slim chance of winning the drivers’ championship, finished sixth in qualifying.

“I’m a little surprised, again,” Norris said. It would have been easy to hit the wall. These are qualifications that are relieving. »

Verstappen, a three-time world champion, did not even reach the final phase of qualifying. Its 12^e place during the session was pushed back even further, until the 17th^e level, for having changed his engine for the sixth time this season. The maximum allowed is four.

Later, the Dutchman climbed to 16^e position after race officials punished Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr., who will start from the pits. They claimed that some parts of the Spaniard’s car had been replaced without authorization.

Each portion of qualifying was interrupted by at least one accident. Aston Martin drivers Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, Sainz as well as Williams drivers Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto all lost control of their cars.

The end result was an unusual starting grid. Yuki Tsunoda of RB qualified third just ahead of Esteban Ocon of Alpine.

“I made a few mistakes, but I also had a bit of luck,” Tsunoda noted. We had a good pace in the rain. »

Tsunoda’s teammate Liam Lawson rounded out the top-5.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez also failed to reach the final portion of qualifying and recorded 13^e chrono. Lewis Hamilton, seven-time world champion, did not even participate in the second portion and will start from 15^e place.

Qualifying began in low-grip conditions at 7:30 a.m. local time, and two red flags were waved after Stroll and Colapinto’s crashes. The start of the Grand Prix was brought forward from 2 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. All drivers started on wet tires, but switched to intermediates as qualifying progressed.

Organizers said qualifying on a Sunday had only taken place five times in Formula 1 history and each time a German driver had taken first place. The most recent was at the Japanese Grand Prix in 2019, with four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel at the front of the field.

The FIA ​​announced that qualifying had been postponed on Saturday after a two-hour delay. No car had the opportunity to complete a lap. She explained in a press release that the decision was taken due to the lack of visibility caused by the level of rain, “with a lot of standing water on certain parts of the circuit, which makes the conditions dangerous”.

The gap between Norris and Verstappen could narrow further in Brazil with four Grands Prix and one final sprint race remaining this season.

Consult the starting grid

View the Drivers’ Championship standings