Lando Norris has taken pole position for the São Paulo Grand Prix in a dramatic, rain-hit qualifying session at Interlagos on Saturday, 7 November 2026.
The session was delayed by more than 80 minutes after a torrential downpour in Q1. When the cars finally ran, Norris set a time of 1:27.470 — his fourth pole of 2026 and his third consecutive pole at Interlagos. George Russell was second, 0.204 seconds back, and newly crowned world champion Kimi Antonelli was third, 0.625 seconds behind.
Grid penalties reshape the start. Russell drops five places and Charles Leclerc, fourth fastest, drops ten places for a new power unit — so Antonelli inherits the front row alongside Norris, Liam Lawson moves up to third on the grid for his equal-best career start, and Nico Hülkenberg joins him on the second row. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton will start at the back of the grid on power-unit penalties.
For Oscar Piastri, it was frustration again. The Australian suffered his second consecutive Q2 exit, qualifying 12th in 1:30.369. He was in the elimination zone when a late red flag — Brazilian rookie Rafael Camara crashing at Turn 12/13 with 43 seconds left — ended the session before he could improve. He also had a moment entering the main straight on his final attempt. He gains places from the penalties ahead of him and is expected to start 10th; Camara makes his Formula 1 debut from 11th.
The race runs on Sunday, 8 November, at 2 p.m. local time — it has not yet been run at the time of writing — and more rain is forecast. The 2026 event has no Sprint, a traditional weekend.
It follows a fast Friday, when Antonelli topped practice with Piastri fifth, and it caps a huge week for Australian sport alongside Usman Khawaja’s Sandpapergate revelations. The São Paulo Grand Prix is on Sunday at Interlagos.
Bhudev Bhagaliya is an experienced and senior journalist who has carved a distinct niche for himself in the world of Hindi journalism through his profound understanding and precise writing style. With over two decades of experience in the field of journalism, he has held key responsibilities at Dainik Hindustan for 12 years and at Amar Ujala for one year. Currently, he serves as the Content Editor for the Jagrook Youth News newspaper and portal, where he plays a crucial role in ensuring the quality and credibility of the news content. Bhudev Bhagaliya consistently writes about issues that help raise awareness within society and among the younger generation.