Overview
- Overnight component changes and setup revisions on the RB21 triggered a pit-lane start as Red Bull seeks answers on tyre and grip anomalies.
- Both Red Bull cars were knocked out in Q1 for the first time since 2006, with Max Verstappen P16 and Yuki Tsunoda P19 after risky setup calls backfired.
- Verstappen reported “no grip” and little response to changes, while team figures acknowledged significant pre-qualifying alterations made the car slower.
- Lando Norris starts from pole after winning the sprint and now leads the championship by 39 points over Verstappen, sharpening the title stakes in Brazil.
- Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto was uninjured in a heavy sprint crash but missed qualifying as the team could not complete a rebuild in time.