Norris on pole in rain-hit Brazil for third year in a row

SAO PAULO, Nov 7 : Lando Norris put his McLaren on pole position for the third year in a row at the Sao Paulo Formula One Grand Prix on Saturday in tough conditions after a long delay caused by torrential rain at Interlagos.

George Russell qualified second fastest for Mercedes, 0.204 slower, but dropped down the grid due to a five-place penalty, with his newly-crowned world champion teammate Kimi Antonelli replacing him alongside last year's race winner and champion.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was fourth fastest but has a 10-place grid drop due to power unit changes, which meant Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson will start third and Audi's Nico Hulkenberg fourth.

With the rain getting heavier and leaving no chance for anyone to improve on their times in the final phase, the clock ticked down for the last five minutes without a car on track.

"Today is about getting on pole. It doesn't really matter how you do it, so very pleased with that," said Norris after a qualifying that started and was then halted for nearly an hour and a half.

Rain began falling shortly after the end of the third practice session and intensified before qualifying. Drivers left the pitlane as scheduled, but a red flag was brought out as aquaplaning conditions were reported.

Renowned for dramatic wet races and qualifying sessions, the Sao Paulo track has been the scene of memorable moments in recent years, including Max Verstappen's victory from 17th on the grid in 2024 and Kevin Magnussen's surprise pole for Haas in 2022.

"It was very tricky, I didn't really know what to expect. I've never driven here in the wet so didn't know what was coming... Did a big mistake, nearly went off in Turn 5, but still enough for P3 so happy with that," Antonelli said.

RUSSELL ANGRY