Nov 09, 2025
3 min read
Lando Norris takes the site for Grand Prix Sao Paulo, setting the speed in the UK's qualifying session as Max Versternen shoots for a joyful exit in CH1.
Norris takes pole in Sao Paulo ahead of Antonelli and Leclerc as Verstappen shock Q1 exit
Lando Norrise continued his strong form by taking pole position in qualifying for the Grand Prix Qualifying, while his Championship Contender teammate was in P16.
Lando Norris will claim pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, the Briton setting the pace in qualifying after Max Verstappen was knocked out in Q1.
While Oscar the President takes the first steps out of the Sprintor to quickly move to the time to 1M 09.511s.
As was the case in qualifying, Mercedes' Kimi Antoneli was p2 in P2 and Norris' Charles Leecler put together a good session to take a good session and take P3.
Piastri had to settle for fourth while it was a positive day for the Racing Bulls as Isaac Hajjar and Liam Lawson finished fifth and seventh respectively.George Russell was sandwiched between them for Mercedes in sixth, with Haas' Olli Behrmann, Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Kick Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg completing the top 10.
F1 MSC Cruise Sao Paulo Grand Prix 2025
|Pos.|Driver |Time |
|1 |lando Norrisnor |1:09.511 |
Kendêl me |2 |Kimi Antonreliant |1: 09.685 |
|3 |Charles Leclerclec |1: 09.805 |
|4 |Oscar Piastrepea |1:09.886 |
|5|Isak HajarHAD |1:09.931 |
A repeat of Sprint Mandize on a day at Sprint Messting Sprint Messpory, Lewis Hamilton once again failed to reach the final segment where he failed to improve on P13.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso and Alex Albon's Williams claim an 11th world championship, with team-mates touring more relevant than the 11th and 12th world championships, respectively.
The big news in Q1 was the departure of Red Bull driver Verstappen, who finished the session in 16th position after struggling to reach him, while teammate Yuki Tsunoda also left the race in 19th position.
Haasi's Esteban Ocon and Franco Colapinto's Alpine sandwiched between the two in 17th and 18th respectively, while Kick Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto was unable to get Gabriel Bortoleto's car on track after an earlier sprint crash, leaving him in 20th.
That's how it happened
Q1 - Fastest Norris like Adtappen
When the dust settles on the Autodromo José Carlos Poce, it's time for drivers and teams to continue their qualifying, it's time to set the starting order for the São Paulo Grand Prax.
After four cars crashed into the barriers during the action-packed sprint, there were still questions about whether the teams would repair it in time to qualify - especially in the case of Colpinto and Bortoletto, who both suffered serious crashes.
The start of the session was delayed by a few minutes when a barrier was repaired at Turn 10, giving the workhorses a little more time to prepare.And when Q1 began, a busy start to the 18-minute segment saw much of the pack on the way out - including three of the four drivers who crashed earlier, with only Bortoletto still in the garage with the Mercedes pair.
Plastri pushed hard with the Australian turn 1 turn 1.
After everyone in the field except Bortoletto went out and set the times, Bearman was the surprise winner with a time of 1 minute 09.891 seconds, three tenths ahead of Antonelli (the first rider to break 1 minute 09 seconds).However, as the track grew rapidly, the order continued to change.
The drivers in the danger zone are versapen, Colopinto, Okon, Tsunoda and BortonoToleo, the last yet to leave the pits.During a break in the session, Verstapen ventured himself again with the track to himself - but his next effort did not raise him above P16, with a wide moment through turn 9 during the lap.
After being asked by race engineer Gianfiero Lambiasa if the team could help with the "tools", Verstappen responded: "I don't know." And as the final minutes ticked away, the whole bunch headed back out for their final, crucial runs.
Noris pushed himself to the top with 1m 09.656s, taking him ahead of Bearman and Piastri, before also reaching his sights by slotting into p2.But the big story is that the effort of the verstpenden vision was not enough to get him out of the drop zone, which means that the Dutchman - who is struggling in the hair - will leave the meeting in 16 years.
It was a doubly difficult day for Red Bull, with Tsunoda's other RB21 also finishing 19th. Ocon joined them to finish qualifying early, 17th, and Colapinto 18th, while Bortoleto was 20th after being unable to take part in the session.
After: Verstappen, Ocon, Calapinto, Tsunoda, Bartoletta
Question 2 - P1 again for Norris and Hamilton leaving in P13
After 15 minutes had passed with the Williams duo of Albon and Sainz in Q2, the track became busier as the rest found themselves getting into Q3, with most again driving a smooth mix.
Bearman also spoke about his performance in Q1, setting a first mark of 19.755 on the new set of soft tyres, the Piastri - the climb just flew by.
At the other end of the timesheets, names such as Gasley, Stroll, Leclerc, Hulkenberg and Sainz were in danger, with Hamilton in 10th.Russell, meanwhile - fourth fastest - reported "no grip" in his W16.
Gasly moved up to fifth place and Norris returned to first place with a time of 1 minute 09.616 seconds.Mercedes sent Antonelli and Russell late, the pair did not have time to reach the finish line to complete another lap, but both ended up third and seventh.
Others were not so lucky, including Hamilton who dropped to 13th.The seventh world champion could not improve, meaning his exit from SQ2 on Friday was repeated in the form of an exit from Q1 on Saturday.
Allona was pushed out of the session in P11 after an earlier climb to 10, with Albon (P12), Stroll (P14) also failing to make it through Q3) would also make it through Q3.
Knocked out: Alonso, Albon, Hamilton, Stroll, Sainz
Q3 - Norris and Antonelli again at the front
McLaren, Mercedes and the Racing Bulls duo were joined by Leclerc, Bearman, Hülkenberg and Gasly, and during the first lap Piastri took provisional pole with a time of 1:09.897 minutes and 09.802 minutes.
Biermann again looked dominant in third, with Antonelli and Russell fourth and fifth.Norris, meanwhile, set the slowest time after closing at Turn 1, some six tenths behind that set by his team-mate a lap later in Britain.
Attention then turned to the deciding points and Bearman was the first out.The Haas driver was unable to improve on his previous effort and Leclerc moved into first place - but not for long, with Norris going fastest after setting a time of 1'09''511.
While Piastri improved on his first run, it wasn't enough to move forward.Antonelli, however, went faster, going to the open in P2 Behind Norris - also said that the front of the genetic day.
This pushed LEClerc to third and Piastre to fourth - his first top-five start since the Singapore Grand Prix - while Hajar impressed to claim fifth ahead of Russell in sixth.
Lavson added to the racing Bulls's hard result in seventh, with Burman Eight and gasly and Hulkinberg complete the order in ninth and tenth.
"It was difficult with the conditions," Norris said."It was just slippery, inconsistent, but good fun. It's always fun on this track, so I felt good. I was a little bit stressed because I was more nervous on the first lap, so I stayed calm and put it together when it mattered, so I'm very happy."
The 2025 São Paulo Grand Prix is scheduled to start at 1400 local time on Sunday.Visit the RACE HUB to find out how you can catch the action from Autodromo José Carlos Paes.
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