Sao Paulo [Brazil], November 8: In a chaotic qualifying session in Sao Paulo, last year's world champion Lando Norris raced to pole position. Following an extended interruption due to heavy rain and as darkness fell, the McLaren driver secured the top spot on the grid for the 20th time in his career. It was his fourth pole position this season.
George Russell in the Mercedes finished second in qualifying, though he will be demoted five places on the grid due to an unauthorized engine change. This means the new world champion, Kimi Antonelli, in the second Mercedes, moves up to second place ahead of Liam Lawson of the Racing Bulls. Nico Hülkenberg, who sensationally took pole in 2010, will start from an excellent fourth place in the Audi.
After just two minutes, the first session was interrupted by torrential rain. The drivers were put to the test of patience. More than 80 minutes of thunder and lightning later, the battle for grid positions could resume.
Crash involving local hero Câmara On a track that was initially very wet, the drivers felt their way through the difficult conditions on wet-weather tyres. Cars running off onto the grass and even a spin sent the fans' hearts racing in the stands.
Red Bull star Max Verstappen, who was already set to drop to the back of the field following an illegal engine change, did not even take to the track in the second knockout session. "There wasn't much grip in the rain, but I also drove without taking any risks," said the four-time world champion.
The drivers switched to mixed-weather tyres as the track began to dry out. Shortly before the end of the second session, Haas rookie and local hero Rafael Câmara crashed into the barriers at Turn 12. "I'm sorry," the Brazilian radioed to the pits.
Red flags were waved, and the session went straight into the final run. There, Norris proved his mettle and set the fastest lap.
Earlier, Ferrari announced ahead of final practice that both of their warring drivers would take 10-place grid drops, with Hamilton and Charles Leclerc changing their internal combustion engine to incur the penalty.
But Hamilton immediately hit trouble. First he complained of vibrations from his new engine before having to come in again with his car pouring smoke from the back.
He jumped out with 23 minutes of FP3 remaining as his mechanics began taking his car apart.
Ferrari subsequently decided that his entire power unit needed replacing, meaning the 41-year-old will need a miracle on Sunday.
"Following today's FP3 session, the power unit fitted to car #44 was removed for further checks," Ferrari said in a statement.
"After completing our analysis, we have decided to replace the entire power unit. Lewis will take part in qualifying but will have to start tomorrow's race from the back of the grid." Hamilton will find himself in illustrious company at the rear of the Interlagos grid, being joined there by four-time champion Max Verstappen.
The Dutchman has risen to second in the standings after victory in three of the last four races but will also start from the back after taking on several new engine components.
It is a position the Red Bull man is familiar with having done the same here over the last two years, famously winning from 17th in the rain in 2024.
The Ferrari pair held showdown talks with boss Fred Vasseur on Thursday after Hamilton's fury over his team-mate's lap-one overtake on him in Mexico.
Hamilton questioned Leclerc's mentality and vowed not to be silenced at Ferrari as he arrived in Brazil. Vasseur and Leclerc say the matter is settled after those talks.
Red Bull's Verstappen had set the pace in the final session before qualifying, beating new world champion Kimi Antonelli by just 0.025 seconds.
Source: Qatar Tribune
