Overview
- Qualifying at Interlagos was suspended by torrential rain and multiple red flags on Saturday, delaying sessions for more than an hour and stretching the whole run to roughly two and a half hours.
- Lando Norris set the fastest lap, a 1:27.470, to take pole position in treacherous conditions — his third straight pole at São Paulo and the 20th of his career.
- A series of late power‑unit changes will reshuffle the starting order: George Russell takes a five‑place drop, Charles Leclerc a 10‑place penalty, and Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez will start from the back after full unit swaps.
- Russell was ordered to abort a final flying lap when he caught traffic and told his team he believed that decision cost him pole, a call whose timing was decisive as rain intensified late in Q3.
- Rafael Camara’s crash at Juncao produced one of the red flags, and with more rain forecast the rearranged grid hands midfield drivers big opportunities while underscoring how F1’s limit on power‑unit components forces teams to accept back‑of‑grid penalties for fresh engines.