Sports · Motorsport · 3 hrs ago
Norris takes Brazilian GP pole as Russell drops to seventh
Lando Norris took pole for the Brazilian Grand Prix in a rain-hit qualifying session at Interlagos in Sao Paulo.
The session was stopped for nearly an hour and a half because officials judged conditions too dangerous to continue.
George Russell qualified second but will start seventh after a five-place penalty for changing his engine.
Russell felt Mercedes had told him to abandon a lap that might have beaten Norris, but Alex Albon’s Williams was ahead and could have blocked him.
Engine penalties pushed Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen to the back, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc also received a penalty.
The wet conditions gave drivers from less competitive teams a chance to qualify higher, including Liam Lawson, who will start third.
Light rain is forecast for Sunday, and drivers expect the changing conditions to make the race unpredictable.
Lando Norris took pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix after a wet qualifying session at Interlagos.
George Russell qualified second but will start seventh because of a five-place grid penalty.
Qualifying was stopped for nearly an hour and a half because conditions were judged too dangerous.
Rain helped Norris, who said McLaren lacked the pace to take pole in dry conditions.
Several other drivers also face grid penalties, reshaping the starting order.
- Who
- Lando Norris took pole, ahead of George Russell in qualifying.
- What
- Norris secured pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix; Russell will start seventh after a five-place penalty.
- When
- Qualifying took place on 7 November 2026; the race was scheduled for Sunday.
- Where
- Interlagos, in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
- Why
- Norris said wet conditions gave him an opportunity, while Russell’s grid position reflects a five-place penalty.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Qualifying at Interlagos was stopped for nearly an hour and a half because conditions were considered too dangerous.
Norris took pole in the wet session, with Russell qualifying second.
Russell was set to drop five places and start seventh because of a grid penalty.
- Pole
- Lando Norris
- Qualifying position
- George Russell, second
- Russell's penalty
- Five places
- Russell's starting position
- Seventh
- Qualifying venue
- Interlagos, Sao Paulo
- Qualifying conditions
- Wet; the session was stopped for nearly an hour and a half
53 sources
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What people are saying
We're lucky it's wet, because if it was dry, I wouldn't be sitting here
Q1 was extremely challenging. The visibility was zero down the straight into Turn Four.
very slightly up on Norris at that point but was catching Albon and we thought was about to lose time
Yes, absolutely.
Posts on X
Debriefing Quali day at Interlagos 🇧🇷 We know what we need to do tomorrow 👊