Rain Chaos in Formula 1

LIVE: Rain Chaos! Who Will Take Pole Position?

Lando Norris has secured pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix.(Bild: AP/Andre Penner)

Weather chaos during qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix. Extreme rainfall caused a long interruption and ultimately brought the session to an abrupt end. McLaren driver Lando Norris can celebrate securing pole position. Behind him, the Mercedes duo of George Russell (who will be set back five spots) and Kimi Antonelli will start the race. Max Verstappen will start from the back of the grid. Surprisingly, however, veteran Fernando Alonso made it into Q3 and will start from eighth place!

“It was a long day. It’s nice to be back at the top here in qualifying,” said Norris, who had already started the Grand Prix from pole position at Interlagos in 2024 and 2025. For the Briton, it was the 20th pole of his career. “The conditions were difficult, but of course I’m very happy. It wasn’t easy, especially since we knew more rain was coming. We couldn’t afford to make any mistakes, and we pulled it off. It was a very good day for me.”

Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) and Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) will start from the second row, as Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc—who actually qualified fourth—will also drop ten positions on the grid due to an engine change. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull), record champion Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), and Mexican driver Sergio Perez (Cadillac) also received penalties for changing their entire power unit. The trio will have to start the race from the back of the grid.

Long Rain Delay at the Start of Qualifying
Rightat the startofqualifying, heavy rain fell at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace. Nevertheless, the cars were initially sent out onto the track; however, due to poor visibility and flooded asphalt, Q1 had to be interrupted after just a few minutes. This was followed by control laps led by Bernd Mayländer in the safety car, which initially did not result in a green light due to standing water and the risk of hydroplaning.

After a wait of a little over an hour and a half, the session restarted amid still-rainy conditions. As conditions slowly improved and the first lap times were set, local hero and World Championship rookie Rafael Camara (Haas) spun out. The Brazilian still managed to advance to Q2. Verstappen opted out of Q2 due to his penalty. The same was true for Hamilton, who pulled his Ferrari over after just a few laps. During this phase, as the track dried out, all drivers switched from rain tires to intermediate tires. While Camara once again went off the track, Oscar Piastri (McLaren) failed to make it into the final Q3.

Trouble for Russell
In Q3, the rain returned. All ten remaining drivers took a gamble with the intermediate tires, aiming to complete one or two fast laps before the track got too wet again. Norris was the most successful at this, while Russell, on instructions from the pits, aborted his second fast lap and was thus unable to challenge his British compatriot’s best time. Rain is also forecast for Sunday’s race. Last year at Interlagos, Norris won ahead of Antonelli and Verstappen.

While Russell will now start the race from seventh position, the new champion Antonelli, in particular, is expected to secure the necessary points in the battle for the Constructors’ Championship title. To do so, Mercedes needs three more points than Ferrari on Sunday. The 20-year-old Italian admitted to having trouble with the conditions on Saturday. “It was very difficult. I’ve never driven here in the rain before. I struggled and also made a mistake. But it was enough for third place; now the focus is on tomorrow.”

It could also be wet during Sunday’s race. “We’ll try to be ready for anything tomorrow. The weather here is unpredictable,” said Antonelli. Last year at Interlagos, Norris won ahead of Antonelli and Verstappen