Who is on pole for the 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix?

Lando Norris was fastest in qualifying with a 1:27.470. With George Russell dropping five places, Andrea Kimi Antonelli is expected to join him on the front row.

Which drivers have grid penalties at the 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix?

Max Verstappen, Sergio Pérez and Lewis Hamilton start from the back after power unit changes. Charles Leclerc drops ten places and George Russell five. The official grid could still change before the race.

Why was São Paulo Grand Prix qualifying delayed?

Heavy rain arrived just before the session. Q1 was red-flagged after two minutes and only resumed 83 minutes later.

Who has the most pole positions at Interlagos?

Six drivers share the record with three poles each: Ayrton Senna, Felipe Massa, Lewis Hamilton, Mika Häkkinen, Rubens Barrichello and Lando Norris.

How often does the pole-sitter win at Interlagos?

The pole-sitter has won 19 of the 42 races held at Interlagos, a rate of 45.2%.

Norris on pole in rain-hit São Paulo GP qualifying

The 2025 world champion beat Russell and Antonelli after an 83-minute rain delay at a soaked Interlagos, while engine penalties reshuffle Sunday's grid.

An 83-minute rain delay, two red flags and a debutant in the barriers: Lando Norris kept his head through all of it and set a 1:27.470 to take pole for the São Paulo Grand Prix. The 2025 world champion finished 0.204s clear of George Russell, with newly crowned champion Andrea Kimi Antonelli third.

A downpour before qualifying

All three practice sessions ran on a dry track, but heavy rain arrived just before qualifying. Race control stopped Q1 with a red flag two minutes in, and the field waited 83 minutes in the pit lane before running resumed.

The track stayed treacherous afterwards. Home hero Gabriel Bortoleto slid off at Mergulho and ended up last. In Q2, Rafael Câmara, making his Formula 1 debut for Haas in place of Esteban Ocon, crashed at the final corner. The second stoppage shortened the session, yet the Brazilian still classified 13th. Max Verstappen, with a penalty already confirmed, did not set a time in Q2, while Oscar Piastri dropped out in 12th.

Norris matches the Interlagos record

Norris also started from pole in Brazil in 2024 and 2025, making this his third in a row at the circuit. That draws him level on the track record: Ayrton Senna, Felipe Massa, Lewis Hamilton, Mika Häkkinen and Rubens Barrichello each started from the front three times at Interlagos. It is the Briton's 20th career pole and his fourth of the season.

Most pole positions at Interlagos — 1973–2026, based on actual grid position; the 2026 pole is provisional until the official grid
Label	Value	Note
Lando Norris	3	2024, 2025, 2026
Ayrton Senna	3
Felipe Massa	3
Lewis Hamilton	3
Mika Häkkinen	3
Rubens Barrichello	3
Damon Hill	2
James Hunt	2

Of the six record holders, only Norris and Hamilton races on Sunday, Hamilton starts from the back row.

Pole is worth less here than at many venues, though. Of the 42 races held at Interlagos, the pole-sitter has won only 19, a rate of 45.2%. Norris knows the flip side: in 2024 he started first, finished sixth and watched Verstappen win from 17th on the grid.

Five drivers face grid penalties

Power unit changes will shake up Sunday's grid. These penalties are confirmed:

Max Verstappen (Red Bull): a complete new power unit, 30 places, starting from the back.
Sergio Pérez (Cadillac): new internal combustion engine, turbocharger and MGU-K, also 30 places and a back-of-the-grid start.
Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari): originally ten places for a fifth internal combustion engine. The new unit failed in final practice, so Ferrari replaced the entire power unit and he now starts from the back as well.
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): fifth internal combustion engine, ten-place drop.
George Russell (Mercedes): sixth internal combustion engine, five-place drop.

Once the penalties are applied, Antonelli should join Norris on the front row, with Liam Lawson and Nico Hülkenberg behind. Russell is expected to line up seventh and Leclerc 14th, while Hamilton, Verstappen and Pérez fill the back row. The FIA publishes the official grid before the race, and further component changes or stewards' decisions could still alter the order.

The fight for second starts at the back

Antonelli has already wrapped up the title, but the battle behind him is tight. Verstappen is second on 261 points and Hamilton third on 259, and both now have to carve through the whole field. Each has won three times at Interlagos, a tally bettered only by Michael Schumacher's four. Russell, fourth on 250 points, starts from a far more comfortable seventh.

Last year Norris managed what eluded him in 2024, converting pole at Interlagos into victory. Sunday will show whether he can repeat the trick with his third.