Norris Takes Brazilian Grand Prix Pole in Rain; Russell, Leclerc, Hamilton, Verstappen Penalised

Lando Norris of McLaren took pole position for the São Paulo Grand Prix on Saturday, 7 November 2026, setting a 1:27.470 on his Q3 lap as rain intensified at Interlagos. It is his third consecutive pole at the Brazilian circuit.

The session ran far behind schedule because of storms, and a run of grid penalties has reshaped the starting order. The race is scheduled for Sunday, 8 November.

Norris Beats Russell by 0.204 Seconds

Formula 1’s official report gives Norris’s pole time as 1:27.470. George Russell of Mercedes was second on the timesheet with a 1:27.674, a gap of 0.204 seconds. Russell’s lap had stood as the benchmark until Norris beat it in Q3.

Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes was third on 1:28.095, ahead of Charles Leclerc of Ferrari on 1:28.289 and Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls on 1:28.321. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi), Isack Hadjar (Red Bull), Oliver Bearman (Haas), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and Alex Albon (Williams) completed the top ten.

Norris said afterwards that “it’s been a long day”, according to Formula 1. He described the aim as getting two laps in early and not making any mistakes, per the same report.

Alonso’s place in Q3 was Aston Martin’s first appearance in the final session this season, PlanetF1 reported.

Pole Time
Lando Norris’s pole lap at Interlagos on 7 November was 1:27.470, 0.204 seconds quicker than George Russell’s 1:27.674, according to Formula 1 and PlanetF1.

Rain Delays Stretch the Session

Heavy rain brought a red flag early in Q1. PlanetF1 reports that qualifying was delayed by 84 minutes in total and resumed at 16:26 local time.

A second red flag followed in Q2 when Rafael Camara crashed into the barrier with under a minute left. Formula 1 reports that Arvid Lindblad was told to stop his car, ending his session early. The clean-up of the Camara crash delayed the start of Q3.

Rain intensified again with about seven minutes of Q3 remaining, which ended the best track conditions, according to Formula 1.

Q1 eliminated Franco Colapinto, Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll, Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez and Gabriel Bortoleto. PlanetF1 says Bortoleto’s rear wing was broken beyond repair, ending his session. Q2 eliminated Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri, Camara, Lindblad, Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen.

Five Grid Penalties Change the Front of the Field

Formula 1 lists a five-place grid penalty for Russell, who drops from second to seventh on the provisional grid published by PlanetF1. Leclerc drops ten places, moving from fourth to 14th.

Hamilton and Verstappen both start from the back of the grid after power unit penalties, per Formula 1 and PlanetF1. Verstappen did not run in Q2, given his back-of-the-grid start. Perez also starts from the back.

On the provisional grid, Norris leads from pole with Antonelli second and Lawson third. Hulkenberg, Hadjar and Bearman follow in fourth to sixth. Piastri starts tenth after his Q2 exit.

Bearman received a reprimand for reversing in the pit lane, according to PlanetF1.

Lando Norris took pole position for the São Paulo Grand Prix on Saturday, setting a 1:27.470 on his Q3 lap as rain intensified at Interlagos.

Russell’s Reaction and What Happens Next

Formula 1 reports that Russell was angry at his team for telling him to abandon a lap in Q3. PlanetF1 reports that he was on a “P1 lap” and links his frustration to team radio with his race engineer.

The São Paulo Grand Prix starts at 14:00 local time on Sunday, 8 November, per Formula 1. PlanetF1 lists the start as 17:00 without naming a time zone.

Rain affected Saturday’s qualifying, and the reports do not say what the forecast is for the race.