Briton Lando Norris (McLaren), currently second in the Formula 1 world championship, will start from pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix. ;eacute;sil ahead of his compatriot George Russell (Mercedes), second in chaotic qualifying postponed to Sunday because of the rain, and well ahead of the leader Max Verstappen, 17th. Under the overcast skies of Sao Paulo – rain was another guest during qualifying – the Japanese Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls), 3rd, posted the best performance of his career in qualifying. He will start from the second row alongside the Frenchman Esteban Ocon (Alpine). The third row went to the New Zealander Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) and the Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 6th. Author of the 12th best time in qualifying but having previously received a five-place penalty due to a change of engine element, Verstappen will only start 17th (out of 20). On the wet Interlagos circuit, the Dutchman from Red Bull was notably the victim of a red flag at the very end of the second part of qualifying (Q2), cutting him off in his momentum to try to grab his ticket for Q3, where pole position among the ten fastest is being fought for. Indeed, less than a minute from the end of Q2, Canadian Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) went off the track, leading to the third interruption of the session, and the premature end of this second part of qualifying. In total, five red flags punctuated qualifying: in addition to Stroll, his teammate Fernando Alonso also went off the track, as did Argentinian Franco Colapinto (Williams), Thai Alexander Albon (William) and Carlos Sainz, who seriously damaged his Ferrari. If these drivers were to break the “parc fermé” regime – when the teams are not allowed to touch the F1 cars – to repair the single-seaters, Verstappen could then move up the hierarchy. “Mad Max” could also benefit from a helping hand from the rain – in which it can perform well – since it is still expected for the GP. The crashed single-seaters of Lance Stroll (Aston Martin, in the foreground) and Franco Colapinto (Williams) during qualifying for the Brazilian GP, November 3, 2024 in Sao Paulo © AFP – Miguel Schincariol On Saturday afternoon, qualifying had to be postponed due to the torrential rain that hit the Sao Paulo region, degrading visibility on the track. The rain, which is currently falling intermittently on the circuit, has pushed F1 and the FIA to bring forward the start time of the GP, which should now take place from 12:30 local time instead of 2:00 p.m. (4:30 p.m. instead of 6:00 p.m., Paris time). In the championship, before this 21st round (out of 24) during which up to 26 points will be up for grabs, Verstappen has a 44-point lead over his rival Norris. All reproduction and representation rights reserved. © (2024) Agence France-Presse
By Teilor Stone
Teilor Stone has been a reporter on the news desk since 2013. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining Thesaxon , Teilor Stone worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my teilor@nizhtimes.com 1-800-268-7116