Lando Norris took Sprint pole at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix with a lap of 1:09.243s, edging Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli by just 0.097s to secure his first Sprint pole of the season. McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri completed the top three.
George Russell was fourth for Mercedes ahead of Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen, who was unable to repeat his Sprint qualifying heroics from Austin and will start sixth. Lance Stroll impressed with seventh, finishing ahead of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari. Isack Hadjar continued his strong form with ninth, while Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the top ten.
Lewis Hamilton was knocked out in SQ2 after being caught by double-waved yellows from a late spin by Leclerc, leaving him 11th on the grid. Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, hometown favourite Gabriel Bortoleto, and Oliver Bearman also fell in the second segment.
SQ1 saw less than a second cover the top 16, with Yuki Tsunoda, Liam Lawson, and Carlos Sainz among the early exits. Tsunoda and Sainz both struggled for grip after limited practice running, while Lawson missed out on matching his teammate’s pace.
The Sao Paulo Sprint begins at 11am local time Saturday (1am AEDT Sunday).
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
| 1 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:09.627 | 1:09.373 | 1:09.243 | 20 |
| 2 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:10.381 | 1:09.504 | 1:09.340 | 16 |
| 3 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:10.017 | 1:09.416 | 1:09.428 | 19 |
| 4 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:10.048 | 1:09.384 | 1:09.495 | 16 |
| 5 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:10.011 | 1:09.330 | 1:09.496 | 12 |
| 6 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:09.975 | 1:09.707 | 1:09.580 | 15 |
| 7 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:10.326 | 1:09.647 | 1:09.671 | 15 |
| 8 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:10.324 | 1:09.732 | 1:09.725 | 19 |
| 9 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 1:10.095 | 1:09.608 | 1:09.775 | 15 |
| 10 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | 1:10.333 | 1:09.735 | 1:09.935 | 15 |
| 11 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:10.224 | 1:09.811 | 14 | |
| 12 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:10.275 | 1:09.813 | 12 | |
| 13 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:10.097 | 1:09.852 | 12 | |
| 14 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | 1:10.217 | 1:09.923 | 12 | |
| 15 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | 1:10.066 | 1:09.946 | 12 | |
| 16 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:10.441 | 6 | ||
| 17 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:10.666 | 5 | ||
| 18 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing | 1:10.692 | 6 | ||
| 19 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | 1:10.872 | 6 | ||
| 20 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:11.120 | 6 |
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