Max Verstappen sealed pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with the Red Bull driver coming out on top in a qualifying session that was red-flagged in the final stages due to rain. The world champion had set provisional pole in the first runs of Q3, having put in a lap of 1:10.727s. But with the weather rapidly changing, the session had to be brought to an early end, meaning that there was not the opportunity for drivers to improve on their only flying lap.
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Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc joins Verstappen on the front row, while Aston Martin benefitted from getting their drivers out on track early in Q3, with Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso set to start on P3 and P4 respectively. Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and George Russell occupy fifth and sixth on the grid, while McLaren’s Lando Norris had to settle for seventh.
Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz finished on P8, with Sergio Perez and Oscar Piastri completing the top 10 in qualifying. However, Russell along with Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly were handed a two-place grid penalty each for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix following impeding incidents in the pit lane during qualifying. This means Russell will start on eighth, helping move Sainz and Norris one position up.