Qualifying Report - Norris claims pole in wild Qualifying

Lando Norris
© McLaren

In a rain-soaked, red flag-riddled Sao Paulo Grand Prix qualifying session, McLaren’s Lando Norris emerged to claim pole position amid one of the most dramatic sessions of the 2024 Formula 1 season. Taking place at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, the session saw a total of five red flags and a constantly shifting leaderboard as drivers battled unpredictable weather conditions on Sunday morning, following a postponed start from Saturday due to poor visibility.

Norris’s stellar lap of 1m 23.405s ultimately secured him the top spot on the grid, finishing 0.173 seconds ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell. And Norris delivered it in style, holding off a strong field that included Yuki Tsunoda, who claimed a career-best third for RB Racing.

The qualifying drama began early as Q1 kicked off on a wet track at 7:30 AM local time, with light rain and a tense lineup of cars eager to put down laps before conditions worsened. The session quickly saw yellow flags when Lawson and Zhou went off track, though both managed to recover. Just when it seemed competitors might be able to push for faster times, Williams’ Franco Colapinto spun into the barriers bringing out the first red flag of the day.

When the session resumed, drivers had little time to work through the tricky conditions, and the pressure was on to avoid elimination. Hamilton, who struggled with grip throughout Q1, ended up narrowly missing out on Q2, eliminated in P16. Verstappen, however, topped the session with a time of 1m 28.522s, while Norris hovered on the cusp, barely escaping in 15th after having a lap deleted for exceeding track limits.

In Q2, conditions seemed to improve slightly, and some drivers, including Oscar Piastri, gambled by switching to intermediate tires. This strategy paid off briefly, as Piastri moved into the top three early in the session. However, Q2 quickly took a turn for the worse with more crashes. Carlos Sainz lost control and collided with the barriers, triggering the second red flag. After the session restarted, Stroll also crashed out, ending Q2 prematurely and preventing the Red Bulls from setting improved lap times. Verstappen, in P12, now faces a five-place grid penalty due to a power unit change, relegating him to a disappointing P17 start for the Grand Prix.

The top 10 shootout in Q3 became the defining moment of the day. With rain falling again, seven cars lined up to battle it out for pole. Fernando Alonso was the first to encounter trouble, skidding into the barriers and bringing out the fourth red flag. Moments after the session resumed, another red flag was deployed when Alex Albon crashed in his Williams.

With just three minutes remaining in the session, the pressure was palpable. Despite the limited time, Norris delivered a near-perfect lap to secure the top spot. Behind him, Russell grabbed second while Tsunoda took a remarkable third. Esteban Ocon slotted into fourth, just ahead of Liam Lawson, who qualified in an impressive fifth, marking another standout performance for the RB Racing team.

Other notable results included Charles Leclerc, who finished sixth, while Albon managed to hold on to P7 despite his crash. McLaren’s Piastri settled for P8 after a small error during his final lap. Alonso’s earlier crash left him in ninth, while Stroll, unable to participate in Q3 due to his Q2 incident, rounded out the top 10.

Reflecting on his pole position, Norris expressed his surprise and relief: “There was a lot going on today. I was struggling at the beginning of qualifying, and I had a lot of errors to fix, but I worked at it and managed to put together some good laps.” He added that recent improvements to his performance have made him “a little surprised” but very happy with the result.

With Verstappen starting from 17th, Stroll in 10th, and Hamilton back in 16th, Sunday’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix promises to deliver high-stakes racing with numerous front-runners eager to climb back up the field. The race will begin at 12:30 PM local time. Fans can expect a thrilling event as drivers take on the challenging Interlagos circuit, with varying strategies likely to play a major role given the unpredictable weather.