Lando Norris has claimed Pole position for the Brazilian GP in a crash-filled qualifying that saw five red flags.
It was an early morning session, with the start time at 7:30 AM local. Having to wake up that early for qualifying and then racing around Interlagos just four hours ago, the drivers are surely going to have an early bedtime this Sunday.
Q1
Everyone rushed out into the track because conditions just didn’t improve from yesterday. It was raining, enough to fit the full wets. It meant it was a tricky test for rookies Franco Colapinto, Liam Lawson and Oliver Bearman, all who hadn’t had a wet F1 session until now.
And a test it was… Red flags were out with almost 9 minutes to go during Q1, as Argentine Colapinto crashed out of the session at Turn 3. He was OK and walked out, assisted by the medical car.
It was a big shunt. The Williams struggled through Turns 1 and 2 and as he pushed out of the exit at 3, lost the rear, spun and crashed with the outside barriers.
As Q1 resumed, drivers reported through the radio that there was a lot more rain, but radar images showed it wouldn’t last.
Max Verstappen clinched the top of the timing charts in Q1, with a time of 1:28.522 – the only driver to place a flying lap inside the 1:28s. It was the Williams of Alexander Albon behind by 0.550s and George Russell third by 0.599s to the lead.
Luck wasn’t the same for Russell’s teammate, Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time World Champion was heard over the radio complaining about his Mercedes: “This damn car, man,” he said. He qualified 16th for today’s GP.
Both Haas’s were knocked out in Q1. Bearman was behind Hamilton and Nico Hulkenberg placed the 19th fastest time, behind crashed-out Colapinto. Guanyu Zhou was last in P20.
The driver who just missed the elimination zone was Lando Norris, with a time almost into the 1:31s, behind Liam Lawson.
The rest of the field had unimpressive performances as the weather allowed, and it was time for Q2.
Q2
Weather conditions improved for Q2 and drivers were more comfortably setting laps around Interlagos, with some even fitting the Intermediate compound, like Oscar Piastri – the first to do so.
It proved to be the right decision because even as Verstappen improved and barely went into the 1:27s, Piastri smashed his lap time and went more than half a tenth fastest, almost into the 1:26s. Seeing this, other teams followed and were placing their drivers in the same tire compound.
It… didn’t last. Red flags were out once again with 5 minutes to go in Q2, as Carlos Sainz spun through Turn 2 and hit the outside barriers. He walked out, it wasn’t a big hit, but the session was stopped as recovery operations went underway.
The session then resumed… to get red flagged again just four minutes later. The Aston Martin of Lance Stroll had a huge impact on the outside of Turn 3, the same spot where Colapinto crashed earlier.
The Canadian lost the rear, spun and heavily crashed into the barriers, causing important suspension damage just hours before the Grand Prix.
Q2 was not resumed.
Those eliminated were Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly respectively.
Stroll went through but obviously didn’t take part in Q3 as his car was wrecked.
Even though Verstappen qualified 12th, as he was a 5-place penalty, he will start the GP 17th. A huge blow in the Championship fight with Norris, who moved to Q3 with the fastest time before the red flags.
Q3
Okay, this was hard to believe. The fourth red flag of the session was out just minutes into Q3, as Fernando Alonso crashed his Aston Martin at Turn 11. Now both Astons were wrecked, although the Spaniard sustained far more damage.
As the session resumed, times were quickly improving, although drivers continued to struggle around the track.
Drivers were pushing to get their tire temperatures up, and in doing so some of them had a spin, like Tsunoda and Piastri, while Russell had a big moment but managed to save it.
Want to know who didn’t manage to save it? Alexander Albon. He crashed, and the red flags were out for the fifth time with three minutes to go.
The Williams driver heavily crashed under braking at Turn 1. He was OK and walked out, but asked his team if the brakes had failed.
In the end, it was Lando Norris who claimed pole for the GP, with Russell in second alongside him and RB’s Yuki Tsunoda in third.
Esteban Ocon, Liam Lawson, Leclerc, Albon, Piastri, Alonso and Stroll followed respectively, although it is unknown if the crashed-out drivers will retain their places.
Stay with us for the GP.