Who was fastest in third practice for the 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix?

Max Verstappen (Red Bull) with a 1:11.622. Andrea Kimi Antonelli was 0.025s back and Lando Norris 0.131s back.

Why is Verstappen starting from the back at Interlagos?

Red Bull fitted his car with a fifth internal combustion engine, turbocharger and exhaust, taking him beyond the allocation allowed for the season.

Who has a grid penalty at the 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix?

Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez start from the back, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc drop ten places each and George Russell drops five.

How many times has Max Verstappen won at Interlagos?

Three times, which puts him level with Hamilton and Vettel in second on the circuit's all-time list. Michael Schumacher holds the record with four wins. In 2024 Verstappen won here from 17th on the grid.

Verstappen tops final practice in São Paulo

The Red Bull driver will start from the back after an engine change, Hamilton pitted a smoking Ferrari, and second to fifth in the championship all take grid penalties.

Max Verstappen topped final practice for the São Paulo Grand Prix with a 1:11.622, edging newly crowned champion Andrea Kimi Antonelli by 0.025s. Pole position is out of his reach all the same: Red Bull have fitted new power unit parts, so he will start Sunday's race from the back of the grid.

Three teams in 0.131s

The soft-tyre qualifying runs came in the closing minutes, and that was when the Dutchman moved to the top. Lando Norris put his McLaren third behind Antonelli, leaving drivers from three different teams covered by 0.131s. George Russell, Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri filled fourth to sixth, with Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad seventh. The 20-year-old Mercedes driver reported a steering wheel problem early on but was able to carry on.

Top eight in third practice
Pos	Driver	Team	Time / gap
1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	1:11.622
2	Andrea Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	+0.025
3	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.131
4	George Russell	Mercedes	+0.184
5	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.274
6	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	+0.313
7	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	+0.438
8	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	+0.549

Smoke in the Ferrari cockpit

Lewis Hamilton's Saturday morning was cut short. Ferrari had just fitted a new internal combustion engine to both cars, but the seven-time champion reported smoke in the cockpit and climbed out with around 25 minutes left. He was classified 12th after seven laps and never got to run a qualifying simulation. The rain that had been threatening held off for the whole hour.

Second to fifth, all penalised

Verstappen drops to the back for taking a fifth internal combustion engine, turbocharger and exhaust. Hamilton and Leclerc each lose ten places for a fifth engine, and Russell five. Those four drivers sit second to fifth in the championship, separated by just 16 points.

Second to fifth in the table all take grid penalties — Points before the São Paulo Grand Prix, with each driver's grid penalty
Label	Value	Note
Max Verstappen	261	back of the grid
Lewis Hamilton	259	ten-place drop
George Russell	250	five-place drop
Charles Leclerc	245	ten-place drop
Lando Norris	221	no penalty

Champion Antonelli leads on 380 points, while Mercedes are 126 points clear of Ferrari in the constructors' standings.

Of the top six in the standings, only Antonelli and Norris have so far escaped a grid penalty this weekend. Norris is 40 points behind Verstappen and has a real chance to close the gap on Sunday.

Winning from the back at Interlagos

The Red Bull driver has been here before. In 2024 he won this race from 17th on the grid, and last weekend in Mexico City he triumphed from fifth. His three Interlagos victories put him level with Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel in second on the all-time list, and a fourth would equal Michael Schumacher's record.

Topping FP3 has rarely been a good omen at this track. Of the 16 third practice sessions held at Interlagos between 2004 and 2019, the fastest driver went on to win only three times, most recently Nico Rosberg in 2014. This weekend brought the first FP3 here since 2019. In 2026, the FP3 pacesetter had won seven of the 13 previous weekends with a third session.

Even if Verstappen goes quickest in qualifying, pole will not be his: the statistic counts the actual first grid slot, which someone else inherits once the penalties are applied. At the Interlagos circuit that slot guarantees little anyway, with only 19 of the 42 Grands Prix here won from pole.