Lando Norris takes pole position for the São Paulo Sprint with Kimi Antonelli in second place

Lando Norris set a time of 1m 09.243s for Sprint pole position in São Paulo. Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes was second, 97 thousandths of a second behind, in his best qualifying of the season. Oscar Piastri completed the McLaren 1-2 in third, 185 thousandths off the pace.

Max Verstappen could only manage sixth place after complaining that his RB20 was "completely broken" during SQ2. Lewis Hamilton was eliminated in eleventh place, his first time outside the top 10 in Brazil since 2017.

Antonelli Records His Best Qualifying Performance

Antonelli capitalized on the balance of the Mercedes W16 on soft tires for his most competitive performance since his debut. He improved progressively in each segment: 1m 10.381s in SQ1, 1m 09.504s in SQ2, and a final 1m 09.340s in SQ3. George Russell completed a good session for Mercedes by finishing fourth, placing both W16s in the top 4.

The three-time champion showed his displeasure with the RB20's performance. Verstappen had been at risk of elimination for much of SQ2, qualifying eighth before the final round of laps. Alonso Sets Benchmark Time in SQ2

Fernando Alonso set a time of 1m 09.330s that remained the fastest until the end of SQ2. Aston Martin found a competitive setup for Interlagos. Alonso finished fifth in the final qualifying, with Lance Stroll in seventh. Charles Leclerc suffered a spin that brought out yellow flags during SQ2, affecting the final laps of other drivers. Leclerc recovered to qualify eighth.

Photo By Mclaren

Hamilton Under Investigation for Yellow Flag Infringement

Hamilton's elimination in SQ2 included a subsequent investigation for a possible breach of procedures under yellow flags during Leclerc's incident. Hamilton failed to complete his final lap in time due to the flags caused by his future Ferrari teammate. Hamilton had shown wheel lock-ups during the session, a problem that also affected Leclerc on multiple occasions.

Sainz Finishes Last

Carlos Sainz locked up the front wheels on his final lap in SQ1 and couldn't improve his initial time. He ended up 20th and last on the grid. Sainz had lost practice time on Thursday due to illness. Franco Colapinto, confirmed at Alpine for 2026, was eliminated in 16th place during SQ1 when other drivers improved in the final minutes.

Championship Situation

Norris maintains a one-point lead over Piastri in the drivers' championship, with both McLarens well-positioned for Saturday's Sprint. Verstappen (321 points) starts from sixth position. In the constructors' standings, McLaren (713 points) has a 357-point lead over Ferrari, with Mercedes (355) and Red Bull (346) fighting for third place.

Full Results - São Paulo Grand Prix 2025 Sprint Qualifying

Pos	No.	Driver	Team	SQ1	SQ2	SQ3
1	#4	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:09.627	1:09.373	1:09.243
2	#12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:10.381	1:09.504	1:09.340
3	#81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1:10.017	1:09.416	1:09.428
4	#63	George Russell	Mercedes	1:10.048	1:09.384	1:09.495
5	#14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	1:10.011	1:09.330	1:09.496
6	#1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:09.975	1:09.707	1:09.580
7	#18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1:10.326	1:09.647	1:09.671
8	#16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:10.324	1:09.732	1:09.725
9	#6	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls	1:10.095	1:09.608	1:09.775
10	#27	Nico Hulkenberg	Kick Sauber	1:10.333	1:09.735	1:09.935
11	#44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:10.224	1:09.811	N/A
12	#23	Alexander Albon	Williams	1:10.275	1:09.813	N/A
13	#10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	1:10.097	1:09.852	N/A
14	#5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Kick Sauber	1:10.217	1:09.923	N/A
15	#87	Oliver Bearman	Haas F1 Team	1:10.066	1:09.946	N/A
16	#43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	1:10.441	N/A	N/A
17	#30	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	1:10.666	N/A	N/A
18	#22	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull Racing	1:10.692	N/A	N/A
19	#31	Esteban Ocon	Haas F1 Team	1:10.872	N/A	N/A
20	#55	Carlos Sainz	Williams	1:11.120	N/A	N/A