The Sprint qualifying session of the Brazilian Grand Prix has just concluded, revealing plenty of surprises and setting up an exciting battle for tomorrow’s Sprint race. Let’s take a look at the key moments and the final results.
The qualifying session for the penultimate Sprint event of the 2025 Formula 1 season has officially wrapped up in São Paulo. After the single free practice session earlier today, the drivers returned to the Interlagos track to fight for grid positions. Here’s how it unfolded and who claimed pole position.
Green light!
Q1
As per regulations, all drivers went out on medium tyres for Q1. Lando Norris was the first to post a time, setting a 1:10.311, which was immediately beaten by his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. Charles Leclerc’s first attempt placed him only seventh, while Max Verstappen quickly responded with a 1:10.107 to put pressure on the McLaren pair. Lap after lap, times continued to improve as the track evolved and grip increased. Andrea Kimi Antonelli narrowly avoided elimination by just a few thousandths of a second. The drivers knocked out in Q1 were Carlos Sainz, Esteban Ocon, Yuki Tsunoda, Liam Lawson, and Franco Colapinto.
Q2
Local favourite Gabriel Bortoleto was the first to hit the track, clocking an impressive 1:09.963. Ferrari continued to struggle, with both drivers unable to complete a clean first lap. Fernando Alonso took the lead early in the session, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri close behind. Max Verstappen, on his second attempt, failed to improve and stayed down in eighth place. Charles Leclerc spun during his lap, further complicating Ferrari’s session. The big shock came when Lewis Hamilton was eliminated. Out in Q2: Lewis Hamilton, Alexander Albon, Pierre Gasly, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Oliver Bearman.
Q3
In the final segment of qualifying for the Brazilian GP Sprint, all drivers switched to soft tyres. Andrea Kimi Antonelli set the first benchmark ahead of George Russell, but was soon overtaken by Lando Norris, who continued his strong form and secured pole position for McLaren. Antonelli impressed everyone by taking second place, ahead of Oscar Piastri in third. Once again, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc struggled to extract performance from their cars, finishing further down the order than expected.
Tomorrow’s Sprint promises intense battles across the field, with Ferrari looking to recover positions and Lando Norris aiming to convert his dominant qualifying pace into a Sprint victory.
Sprint qualifying times
1 Lando Norris (McLaren) 1m09.243s
2 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 1m09.340s
3 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 1m09.428s
4 George Russell (Mercedes) 1m09.495s
5 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) 1m09.496s
6 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1m09.580s
7 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) 1m09.671s
8 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1m09.725s
9 Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) 1m09.775s
10 Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) 1m09.935s
11 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 1m09.811s
12 Alex Albon (Williams) 1m09.813s
13 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) 1m09.852s
14 Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) 1m09.923s
15 Ollie Bearman (Haas) 1m09.946s
16 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) 1m10.441s
17 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) 1m10.666s
18 Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) 1m10.692s
19 Esteban Ocon (Haas) 1m10.872s
20 Carlos Sainz (Williams) 1m11.120s
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