Overview
- Qualifying on Saturday was delayed by roughly 90 minutes after torrential rain left Interlagos unsafe and turned the session into a stop‑start, one‑lap shootout on intermediates as conditions worsened.
- Lando Norris set the fastest time on track to claim pole, but the official starting grid will be reshaped by multiple penalties for new power‑unit parts.
- Ferrari removed and then replaced Lewis Hamilton’s entire power unit after FP3 problems, confirming he will start from the back, and Max Verstappen also takes a back‑of‑the‑grid penalty for fresh components.
- Charles Leclerc received a 10‑place drop and George Russell a five‑place drop, moves that promote midfield drivers such as Liam Lawson and Nico Hülkenberg toward the front of the grid.
- The weather and penalties together heighten strategic uncertainty for Sunday’s wet race, increase the chance of recovery drives from penalised stars, and leave teams scrambling overnight on repairs and tyre plans that could decide the constructors outcome.