With just one point difference between leader and runner-up, Saturday’s small race gained gigantic weight
XXX will start in pole position in the Sprint race of the Interlagos GP in Formula 1. The qualifier, which took place this Friday afternoon (7). it was one of the first cars to take to the track as soon as the session started. The title race is tight, with the Englishman leading and following, separated by just one point. There are just four races remaining, counting this weekend’s Grand Prix. is also in the running, 36 points behind the leader. With a scenario like this, every point counts in the classification. Saturday’s race is half of the full GP and with eight points for the winner, 7 for second place, 6 for third and so on.
SQ1
In the first part of training, Carlos Sainz, Esteban Ocon, Yuki Tsunoda, Lian Lawson and Franco Colapinto fell by the wayside. Gabriel Bortoleto was ahead of Sauber’s teammate, Nico Hulkenberg, occupying ninth position. The stage had some lead changes, but ended with Norris at the top with 1:09.702. The Ferraris did not perform well, with Lewis Hamilton in 10th and Charles Leclerc in 12th.
SQ2
Half of the classification eliminated Oliver Bearman, Gabriel Bortoleto, Pierre Gasly, Alexander Albon and Lewis Hamilton. Bortoleto, with medium tires, was the first car on the track. Despite this, he was unable to set a good enough time to take him to the final classification. Fernando Alonso, surprisingly, led the stage. Leclerc and Hamilton locked the wheels at Pico de Pato, with great difficulty steering the traditional team’s car.
The Italians’ problems didn’t stop there, as Leclerc spun at the end of the stage, which generated a yellow flag and prevented Hamilton from improving his time. The weekend so far has been forgettable for the Englishman who races with a green and yellow helmet. Finally, he didn’t slow down enough on the yellow flag and could face a penalty.
SQ3
With many drivers using soft tires for the first time, the fight for pole was exciting. Kimi Antonelli set the first fastest time, but was quickly taken down by Lando Norris, with 1:09.271. In the end, the Englishman improved his time and took pole with a time of 1:09.243.
