Overview
- Lando Norris set a 1:09.627 to beat Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli by 0.097s for sprint pole, with Oscar Piastri starting third.
- Max Verstappen qualified sixth after grip and setup frustrations, while Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda crashed in FP1 and starts 18th as Helmut Marko cited a lack of downforce in sector two.
- Stewards ruled Lewis Hamilton breached yellow‑flag procedure in SQ2 but issued only a warning; he starts 11th and says his long Ferrari contract keeps him in F1 beyond 2025.
- Brazil’s meteorology institute warned of heavy rain that could disrupt the sprint and later qualifying, with early track updates showing wet conditions but no deluge yet.
- Looking to 2026, Fernando Alonso warned that tighter electrical‑energy limits and a reworked DRS with an Override mode could reduce overtaking incentives.