In the rain at the Sao Paulo circuit, Verstappen got into trouble due to the red flag and fell to the back of the pack; training was interrupted five times due to injuries
Lando Norris sparked the dispute in the World Drivers’ Championship Formula 1 taking pole position in Sao Paulo GPin an unusual and tumultuous qualifying session, which took place this Sunday morning, at Interlagos racetrack. The vice leader of the championship saw his rival Max Verstappen getting only 12th place in the lineup. In the fight for a fourth championship, the Red Bull driver will only recover from 17th place after suffering a penalty this weekend.
Norris took the eighth pole position of his career, the seventh this season. The British driver from McLaren is fresh from victory in Saturday’s sprint race, when he enlisted the help of teammate Oscar Piastri. Norris reduced Verstappen’s championship lead by three points. And later, at 12.30 pm, the start time of the race, this difference could be further reduced: initially the race was scheduled for 2.00 pm.
The Dutch rider, three-time reigning world champion, was hampered by one of four red flags in training this Sunday. One of them brought forward the end of Q2 and kept Verstappen in 12th place, eliminated from contention. Previously, he had been penalized five places on the grid for changing the engine beyond the regulatory limit.
Qualifying for the Sao Paulo GP began this Sunday at 7.30am, after having been scheduled for 3pm on Saturday. The session was postponed due to the storm that hit the Interlagos region in the afternoon. This Sunday the rain continued, but lighter. But it was enough to prompt 10 yellow flags and five red flags in a session that lasted more than 1h30 – it should have lasted just an hour.
The new asphalt at Interlagos, combined with the moderate rain, caused a festival of skids and off-track exits in the first minutes of training. New Zealander Liam Lawson, making his debut in Sao Paulo, was the first to run off the line, forcing the first yellow flag in the first minute of training.
Lance Stroll and Guanyu Zhou also slipped into the sequence, as did Valtteri Bottas. Carlos Sainz Jr. and George Russell even touched each other, without major consequences. Franco Colapinto went further when he lost control of his Williams after the “S for Senna”. He hit the protective wall and was unable to resume the session, disappointing the Argentine fans present in the stands.
The small accident caused the first red flag, 12 minutes into training. Upon restarting, Russell had two risky moments, one of them coming out of the pits, when he attempted to overtake his rivals on the narrow road to the track. His Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton had a worse situation: he was eliminated in Q1.
Vice championship leader Lando Norris struggled during Q2, the second training session, while Max Verstappen set the fastest time in Q1, with 1min28s522. On Saturday, Norris won the sprint race, with help from McLaren partner Oscar Piastri, and cut Verstappen’s lead in first place in the World Drivers’ Championship by three points.
The rain gives respite
Q2 started without rain, but with the track still wet. The Dutchman started well, but was soon overtaken by Piastri, the first to take to the track with intermediate tyres.
Still in wet conditions, Sainz made a mistake in the middle of the “S for Senna” and stopped at the wall, which triggered the second red flag of the training with five minutes left in Q2.
Upon returning to the track, all the drivers started using intermediate tyres, faster than the rain tyres. But the session didn’t last. With 46 seconds left in Q2, Stroll crashed in practically the same place as Sainz and generated the third red flag on the circuit.
The interruption directly damaged Verstappen, who was only 12th at the time of the accident. As Q2 ended early, the championship leader did not advance to Q3 to fight for the top positions on the grid. As if that wasn’t enough, he will suffer a five-place penalty for changing the engine beyond the number allowed by the regulations. He will therefore start from a modest 17th position in the race.
The last training session started with a slight delay, again due to the rain. All 10 drivers kept the intermediate tyres. Visibly the track seemed drier. With each lap the cars lowered their times. Until a new red flag stopped the session for the fourth time, with six minutes to go.
This time it was the experienced Fernando Alonso who made a mistake, causing another major concern for Aston Martin, which saw its two drivers abandon training early due to a wall.
When training resumed, the riders continued to experience difficulties on the track. Two yellow flags and another red flag interrupted the session, with three minutes to go. The protagonist of the new stop was Alexander Albon, who damaged a large part of his Williams when he lost control at the end of the pit straight. Upon returning to the track, Norris confirmed his good time and recorded the best lap: 1min23s405.
Queues at the entrance
With the postponement of qualifying tests and the rescheduling to the unusual time of 7.30am, Interlagos experienced an unusual situation this Sunday, with queues and disturbances on the track early in the morning, around 6.30am. Many fans were unable to enter the circuit in time to see the start of the qualifying session.
Starting grid of the GP SP F1
- Lando Norris (GBR/McLaren), 1min23s405
- George Russell (GBR/Mercedes), 1min23s578
- Yuki Tsunoda (JAP/RB), 1min24s111
- Esteban Ocon (FRA/Alpine), 1min24s475
- Liam Lawson (NZE/RB), 1min24s484
- Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari), 1min24s525
- Alex Albon (TAI/Williams), 1min24s657
- Oscar Piastri (AUS/McLaren), 1min23s686
- Fernando Alonso (ESP/Aston Martin), 1min28s998
- Lance Stroll (CAN/Aston Martin), there’s no time
- Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Kick Sauber), 1min26s472
- Sergio Pérez (MEX/Red Bull), 1min28s158
- Carlos Sainz Junior (ESP/ Ferrari), 1min29s406
- Pierre Gasly (FRA/ Alpino), 1min29s614
- Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes), 1’31’150
- Oliver Bearman (GBR/Haas), 1min31s229
- Max Verstappen (HOL/Red Bull), 1min27s771* (punishment of 5 places)
- Franco Colapinto (ARG/Williams), 1min31s270
- Nico Hülkenberg (ALE/Haas), 1min31s623
- Guanyu Zhou (CHN/Kick Sauber), 1min32s263
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
