Overview
- Qualifying on Saturday produced a chaotic, wet session that delivered Lando Norris the pole position at Interlagos.
- Stewards applied multiple grid penalties for extra power‑unit and component changes that forced Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Pérez to the rear of the field.
- Gabriel Bortoleto crashed in Q1 and damaged his rear wing, but he will start 19th after rivals’ penalties and said he plans to mount a recovery race.
- Rafael Câmara will make his F1 debut from 11th on the grid, giving Brazil two drivers on the entry list for the first time in a decade.
- Cool, humid conditions with a 40–80% chance of rain make strategy and track position decisive, with Mercedes able to clinch the constructors’ title if they outscore Ferrari by the needed margin on Sunday.