In the crazy Interlagos qualifying session, the pole position is Lando Norris’s
In the crazy Interlagos qualifying session, the pole position è of Lando Norris
In the craziest qualifying session of 2024, Lando Norris in a McLaren won in the wet the pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix at the Interlagos circuit to be held this afternoon. The Briton lapped in 1’23”405 and was 173 thousandths ahead of Mercedes compatriot George Russell. Third at 706 an incredible Yuki Tsunoda with Racing Bulls, and his teammate Liam Lawson è fifth. Fourth è Esteban Ocon in the Alpine, sixth the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. Max Verstappen, stopped by the red flag in Q2, will start seventeenth, far behind also Carlos Sainz, one of the many chs ended up against the barriers and fourteenth with the’other Ferrari.
Q1 under the’water è already a thrilling mini-session, with Franco Colapinto spinning and crashing his Williams without consequences and will eventually be eighteenth. There’è a’break of about a dozen minutes and when it resumes è Verstappen to set the fastest time. Norris è 15th and is saved by the skin of his teeth, about 2 tenths over Lewis Hamilton who è instead è out in his Mercedes. Also eliminated were Oliver Bearman and Nico Hulkenberg in the Haas and poor Guanyu Zhou in the Sauber.
Meanwhile, the rain diminishes until it disappears altogether, and track conditions in Q2 are better but only Piastri mounts the intermediates, all others at the beginning stay on full wet and then change. With six minutes to go è Sainz’s turn to end up against the barriers and then another red flag. When they restart new red flag because Lance Stroll crashes with the Aston Martin and the incredible twist è the twelfth place of Verstappen, who will then start seventeenth on the grid because heé penalized five positions. Also eliminated were Valtteri Bottas in the Sauber, Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull, obviously Sainz and Pierre Gasly in the Alpine, while Stroll è qualified but obviously will not run in Q3.
With seven minutes to go in Q3 another bang, this time by Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin, and another red flag. They restart and after another three and a half minutes è Alexander Albon to crash. Fifth red flag and the damage to the Thai’s car è really heavy, Williams is in danger of not starting this afternoon. Norris will start on pole for the seventh time this year and for the eighth in his career, alongside him on the front row Russell In second Tsunoda and Ocon, in third Lawson and Leclerc, followed by Albon, a disappointing Oscar Piastri, eighth with the second McLaren, Alonso and Stroll.
