Norris takes Sao Paulo pole as penalties reshape the front of the grid

Lando Norris secured pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix after a rain-disrupted qualifying session at Interlagos on Saturday. The McLaren driver finished 0.204 seconds ahead of George Russell, according to BBC Sport. But Russell's five-place penalty for exceeding his engine-parts allocation means Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli will line up alongside Norris instead.

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The weather repeatedly interrupted the afternoon. Qualifying began at 15:00 local time but was halted before a lap could be completed because conditions were unsafe, the BBC reported. Running resumed an hour and 26 minutes after the scheduled start. The Guardian's live coverage recorded Norris's decisive lap at 1:27.470, with worsening rain later preventing further improvements at the front.

Russell was left frustrated by an instruction to abandon a lap before the heavier rain arrived. He believed that attempt could have delivered pole and said the team needed to examine its decision, according to both reports. His second-fastest qualifying time therefore brought neither pole nor a front-row starting position, while newly crowned world champion Antonelli benefits from the penalty.

Charles Leclerc was fourth fastest for Ferrari but carries a 10-place engine-related penalty of his own. That moves Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson into third on the grid, with Audi's Nico Hulkenberg alongside him in fourth. The BBC also reported that Haas driver Oliver Bearman will start sixth after qualifying eighth, while Fernando Alonso moves from ninth to eighth for Aston Martin. Alex Albon follows Alonso.

Penalties also shaped the sessions of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen was third fastest in the opening segment but did not run in the second because he already faced a start at the back. Hamilton, also carrying engine-related penalties, continued into the second segment but qualified 11th. The Guardian reported that Hamilton's new internal combustion engine had suffered a problem during final practice.

For Norris, the result repeats his pole at this circuit last year and marks his first since September's Spanish Grand Prix, the BBC reported. He credited completing two early laps without mistakes for the outcome. His upgraded McLaren will lead a grid substantially altered by engine penalties, with Antonelli, Lawson and Hulkenberg occupying the other positions in the first two rows.