Shortly before the downpour hit the Interlagos circuit, Max Verstappen once again managed to strike, securing his eleventh pole of a season that has become increasingly spectacular for him. Charles Leclerc also delivered an excellent performance, grabbing the front row despite challenging conditions in Q3.
The major surprise of the day, however, was Lance Stroll. The Canadian displayed impressive speed from the beginning of the free practice sessions, and he confirmed it in qualifying, finishing in third place ahead of his teammate, Fernando Alonso.
The third row is completely occupied by the two Mercedes, with Lewis Hamilton starting ahead of George Russell. Seventh place goes to Norris, who was unable to capitalize on his strong showings in the first two qualifying sessions.
Carlos Sainz took a disappointing eighth place, and Sergio Perez, unfortunate to encounter yellow flags in the final sector, is ninth. Rounding out the top ten is Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren, who spun out on his final attempt.
Nico Hulkenberg starts in eleventh place with Haas, while the twelfth and thirteenth positions are occupied by the two Alpines of Ocon and Gasly. Kevin Magnussen is fourteenth, while Albon is fifteenth this time.
The two AlphaTauri drivers, Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo, start sixteenth and seventeenth, respectively. Valtteri Bottas is eighteenth in the first of the two Alfa Romeos, ahead of Logan Sargeant. Guanyu Zhou brings up the rear.
Update: Russell, Ocon, and Gasly have each received a 2-position penalty for impeding in the pitlane.
Starting grid for the Brazilian GP after the penalties
Row 1: Verstappen-Leclerc
Row 2: Stroll-Alonso
Row 3: Hamilton-Norris
Row 4: Sainz-Russell
Row 5: Perez-Piastri
Row 6: Hulkenberg-Magnussen
Row 7: Albon-Ocon
Row 8: Gasly-Tsunoda
Row 9: Ricciardo-Bottas
Row 10: Sargeant-Zhou
Source: f1ingenerale
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