F1 São Paulo Grand Prix starting grid
A chaotic qualifying session in wet conditions, coupled with a host of power unit penalties, have resulted in an unexpected starting grid for Sunday’s Formula 1 São Paulo Grand Prix.
Lando Norris took pole position, delivering the lap he needed at the start of Q3 before heavy rain saw the ten remaining drivers in the final segment of qualifying climb out of their cars before the clock struck zero. While George Russell took second, a five-place grid penalty will drop him to seventh, promoting teammate — and new F1 Drivers’ Champion — Kimi Antonelli to P2.
The shocks truly begin on the second row, where Liam Lawson will start third for Visa Cash App Racing Bulls while Nico Hülkenberg will come off the line fourth for Audi. Isack Hadjar and Oliver Bearman will start fifth and sixth, respectively, while Fernando Alonso will start eighth next to Russell, in a strong performance for the Aston Martin veteran.
Russell is not the only driver taking a grid drop for Sunday’s race, which is expected to be run in wet conditions. Charles Leclerc will start down in P14 after taking a ten-place grid penalty, while teammate Lewis Hamilton will start in P20, after taking what goes into the books as a 75-place grid penalty.
Max Verstappen will start down in P21, after taking a 30-place grid penalty, while Sergio Pérez will round out the field in P22, thanks to a 30-place grid penalty of his own. Verstappen has charged back through the field at each of the last two races in Interlagos, winning in wet conditions at the 2024 installment despite starting in P17, and finishing third a year ago despite starting from pit lane.
With both Antonelli and Russell starting inside the top ten — and the Ferrari duo starting outside of the points — Mercedes is in a strong position to clinch the Constructors’ Championship in this race.
Update: Both Arvid Lindblad and Gabriel Bortoleto had changes made overnight, so they are also taking penalties. Here is the updated starting grid.
Here is the full starting grid for the São Paulo Grand Prix, ahead of any final adjustments:
| Row | Position | Driver | Team | Position | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Row 1 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 2 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes |
| Row 2 | 3 | Liam Lawson | VCARB | 4 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi |
| Row 3 | 5 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 6 | Oliver Bearman | Haas |
| Row 4 | 7 | George Russell * | Mercedes | 8 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin |
| Row 5 | 9 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 10 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren |
| Row 6 | 11 | Rafael Câmara | Haas | 12 | Carlos Sainz | Williams |
| Row 7 | 13 | Charles Leclerc * | Ferrari | 14 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine |
| Row 8 | 15 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 16 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
| Row 9 | 17 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 18 | Arvid Lindblad * | VCARB |
| Row 10 | 19 | Gabriel Bortoleto * | Audi | 20 | Lewis Hamilton * | Ferrari |
| Row 11 | 21 | Max Verstappen * | Red Bull | 22 | Sergio Pérez * | Cadillac |
* — Driver received a grid drop due to a change in power unit components
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