The British Lando Norris (McLaren) took pole position for the Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix, after dominating a bumpy qualifying session held under heavy rain at the Interlagos circuit.
Norris set a time of 1:27.470 and surpassed the two Mercedes drivers, George Russell (1:27.674) and the Italian Kimi Antonelli (1:28.095), the new world champion.
However, Russell will lose five positions on the grid due to a penalty related to a component change in his engine.
Qualifying was marked by difficult weather conditions, which forced the session to be delayed for an hour and a half. Q1 could barely be held for two minutes before the first red flag appeared.
Subsequently, an accident by Brazilian debutant Rafael Câmara caused another interruption in Q2, while the rain intensified again during the last stint, forcing the teams to protect their cars.
Norris thus achieved his third consecutive pole in the Brazilian GP, after having also set the best time in the two previous editions.
For his part, Max Verstappen, second in the drivers’ championship, will start from last place along with the Mexican Sergio Pérez (Cadillac), after receiving a penalty. The Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will also have to comply with sanctions for modifications to their cars.
