Lando Norris transformed the São Paulo GP classification into yet another demonstration of McLaren’s strength. The Brit secured pole position at Interlagos after an unpredictable training session, marked by surprises, errors and the absence of Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto. Kimi Antonelli was second, while Charles Leclerc put Ferrari in third, completing the top-3.
The weekend started with anticipation for , but a heavy crash in the sprint destroyed his car. Sauber worked until the last minutes to rebuild it, without success. The Brazilian received applause from the team in the paddock and will start this Sunday in last place, directly from the pits.
Max Verstappen also suffered at Interlagos. The four-time champion was unable to tame the RBR car and finished the classification in 16th, far from contention for the lead and needing to overcome a large part of the grid to dream of victory.
Lewis Hamilton had another difficult training session. The Briton from Ferrari did not advance to Q3 and will start in 13th place, confirming a performance below expectations on the São Paulo circuit. Oliver Bearman, from Haas, started off surprisingly by leading the first stages of training, but ended up only finishing in eighth place.
The big positive highlight was Kimi Antonelli. The young Italian from Mercedes managed to maintain the pace at the decisive moment and was just 0s174 behind Norris. Charles Leclerc completed the top-3 and Oscar Piastri started in fourth.
