Lando Norris’ bid to win his maiden world championship was dealt a seismic boost in Interlagos after he took a brilliant pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix, with rival Max Verstappen a shock 17th.
Verstappen was eliminated from a chaotic rain-hit qualifying on Sunday morning, carried over a day after Saturday’s running was abandoned due to bad weather.
The triple world champion had been on course to improve his time in the wet conditions but Lance Stroll’s crash resulted in the third of an astonishing five red flags, and Q2 did not resume.
It left a furious Verstappen in 12th and, with the Dutchman to serve a five-place engine penalty, he will be way down the order for the 71-lap race later on Sunday.
“The car hits the wall, and it needs to be a straight red,” said Verstappen. “I don’t understand why it needs to take 30 to 40 seconds for a red flag to come out. It’s just b***s***. It’s so stupid anyway to talk about. It’s ridiculous.”
Verstappen was seen gesticulating wildly with his left hand from inside his cockpit after he was told the running had been suspended. His father, Jos, banged his fist on a table at the back of the Red Bull garage, while the Dutch driver’s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase was left with his head in his hands on the team’s pit wall.
Verstappen’s dramatic demise handed the advantage to Norris, who trails his Red Bull rival by 44 points with 132 still available across the remaining four rounds.
And in the treacherous conditions, which saw both Fernando Alonso and Alex Albon crash out of Q3, the British driver held his nerve to put his McLaren at the front of the grid for the race which has been brought forward by 90 minutes to 12:30pm local time (3:30pm) in an attempt to beat the bad weather.
“There was a lot going on but I am super super happy,” said Norris after taking his eighth career pole.
“I was not comfortable at the beginning of qualifying so I am delighted to be on pole but a little surprised.
“You saw how many people went off and crashed so it was easy to end up badly, in the wall, or not even make the race. I have got some quick guys behind. I hope we can get a race in later. That will be a good start.”
George Russell took second for Mercedes, 0.173 seconds behind Norris to form an all-British front row. Yuki Tsunoda impressed for RB to qualify third.
TOP-10 - BRAZIL GP QUALIFYING
1. Lando Norris
2. George Russell
3. Yuki Tsunoda
4. Esteban Ocon
5. Liam Lawson
6. Charles Leclerc
7. Alex Albon
8. Oscar Piastri
9. Fernando Alonso
10. Lance Stroll
Albon finished seventh but the London-born Thai’s Williams was left in bits, putting his participation in the race in serious doubt. Albon was also seen holding his wrist as he walked away from the accident. Oscar Piastri, who handed yesterday’s sprint win to team-mate Norris, could manage only ninth.
Lewis Hamilton is considered one of the sport’s best ever wet-weather drivers. But the seven-time world champion suffered a humiliating Q1 exit here – his second in three races.
The 39-year-old bemoaned the handling of his Mercedes. “This damn car, man,” he said over the radio after he slid off the circuit.
And when he was informed of his failure to progress to Q2, Hamilton called his machine “undriveable”. However, in the other Silver Arrows, Russell easily progressed to Q2, lapping an extraordinary two seconds faster than his team-mate.
Hamilton won his first world championship here 16 years and a day ago but for this latest instalment he is set to start only 15th, one place ahead of last-minute stand-in Ollie Bearman.
Hamilton, in his final season with Mercedes before he heads to Ferrari, has now been outqualified by Russell at 16 of the 21 rounds so far.
Q1 was red-flagged for eight minutes after Franco Colapinto skidded into the barriers at the third corner. The Argentine emerged unscathed but he was unable to continue in qualifying and will line up from 18th.
A second delay followed in Q2 after Carlos Sainz, who won in Mexico City a week ago, also ended up in the wall after he lost control of his Ferrari through the Senna Esses. Stroll’s crash, also in the first sector, led to a third suspension. Fernando Alonso became the fourth driver to hit the wall when he spun out at Turn 11 in Q3 before Albon’s late smash at the opening corner.
