Norris takes Sao Paulo pole in a washed-out session, but is sixth in the standings

Lando Norris put his McLaren on pole for Sunday's Sao Paulo Grand Prix with a 1:27.470 on intermediate tyres, 0.204 seconds clear of Mercedes' George Russell, in a Saturday qualifying session at Interlagos that was stopped twice by red flags. Kimi Antonelli, already crowned world champion, was third, 0.625 seconds back, according to the FIA's report and Formula1.com's session report. The race starts at 2 p.m. local time (schedule, scores).

How the session unfolded

Heavy rain brought out a red flag less than three minutes into Q1, and after a long stoppage all 22 cars ran on full wet tyres. Norris was quickest in Q1 at 1:30.939, per the FIA. Gabriel Bortoleto hit a barrier late and was among the six drivers eliminated, along with Franco Colapinto, Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.

Q2 was halted again when Haas rookie Rafael Camara crashed with under a minute left. Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri, Camara, Arvid Lindblad, Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen went out. Verstappen did not set a time, having been told to expect a grid penalty. In Q3 ten drivers ran on intermediates as the rain intensified, and Norris's opening effort proved decisive. The FIA reports that Mercedes told Russell to abandon his final lap.

Norris said the plan was "about getting two laps in at the beginning and not making any mistakes," as quoted by Formula1.com. It is his third straight pole at Interlagos, the same report says.

Top five in qualifying

Penalties reshape the front of the grid

Qualifying order will not be the starting order. Both the FIA and Formula1.com report a five-place penalty for Russell and a ten-place penalty for Leclerc. Read Motorsport's provisional grid, which we could not cross-check against the stewards' final sheet, puts Antonelli second, Lawson third and Russell seventh, with Leclerc 14th. Hamilton, who was knocked out in Q2, takes a power-unit penalty and starts from the back, and Verstappen also drops to the back. The outlets differ on exact slots for those two (Read Motorsport has Hamilton 20th and Verstappen 21st), and none of the reports we read explained the reasons for the Russell and Leclerc penalties, so check the stewards' final grid before the lights go out.

The standings: pole is not the story of the season

Antonelli clinched the drivers' title at the Mexico City Grand Prix on November 1 with four rounds left, as Al Jazeera and others reported. The official standings show him on 380 points, 119 clear of Verstappen on 261. Hamilton has 259, Russell 250 and Leclerc 245. Norris is sixth on 221, 159 behind the champion and 24 behind Leclerc, with Piastri seventh on 144.

That makes the weekend about places, not the crown. Norris has won two races this year (Hungary and the Netherlands), while Antonelli has won nine, per Formula1.com's race results. A pole on a day when penalties are rewriting the grid gives Norris a chance to close on fifth-placed Leclerc and fourth-placed Russell, not to reopen the title.

The team table

The constructors' order is tighter in the middle. Mercedes lead on 630, Ferrari have 504, Red Bull 382 and McLaren 365, so McLaren are 17 points behind Red Bull for third with Sao Paulo, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi still to run. Piastri qualified 12th, so Norris carries most of McLaren's weekend. We have not seen 2026 prize-money figures from a primary source, so we do not quote any.

Sources: Formula1.com, FIA, Al Jazeera, Read Motorsport, Formula1.com team standings. Standings read November 8, 2026. Grid positions are provisional. This is sports information, not betting or investment advice.