Lando Norris, McLaren driver, has secured pole position during a challenging qualifying session at the Brazil Grand Prix. With an Interlagos track in very difficult conditions due to heavy rain, Norris clocked a time of 1m27.470s on intermediate tires, beating George Russell of Mercedes by just two-tenths.
The session was interrupted for over an hour due to heavy rain and water accumulation on the track. In the final round, Norris solidified his lead in Q3, while Russell appeared frustrated after his team asked him to abandon his second lap attempt in this phase.
Following Norris was Andrea Kimi Antonelli, with a time of 1m28.095s, and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari in fourth position. Russell’s five-place penalty for a power unit change allowed Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson to take third place on the Sunday starting grid.
Lawson is under pressure to keep his seat, as the team is considering promoting reserve driver Nikola Tsolov, and his standout performance has given him some arguments for his retention.
Nico Hulkenberg of the Audi team finished in sixth place, followed by Isack Hadjar of Red Bull and Oliver Bearman of Haas. Fernando Alonso and Alex Albon completed the top ten group.
The qualification started badly with the track in precarious conditions, forcing many drivers to switch to full wet tires. After a delay of over an hour, the session was reactivated and it was Lando Norris who set the best time in Q1.
The Alpine drivers, Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly, were the big disappointments, getting eliminated in 16th and 17th places respectively. The Aston Martin team also had a bad day with Lance Stroll in 18th position and both Cadillacs, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez, occupying the last slots on the grid.
The Brazil GP promises to be a very exciting race with changing conditions and intense competition among the drivers. The McLaren team will undoubtedly showcase their full potential with Norris at the head of the grid.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
