Lando Norris secured pole position in a dramatic 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix qualifying session that saw championship leader Max Verstappen knocked out early. The rain-soaked and delayed Sunday morning session at Interlagos featured five crashes, with Norris setting a brilliant final lap in Q3 to outpace George Russell.
Verstappen, holding a 44-point lead over Norris in the 2024 Drivers’ Championship, was eliminated in Q2 and, with a five-place grid penalty for a new engine, set to start 17th in the race.
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RB’s Yuki Tsunoda unexpectedly qualified third, just ahead of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, with Liam Lawson in the sister RB in fifth. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton suffered an early exit in Q1, and significant crashes impacted Williams’ Franco Colapinto, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso. Alex Albon, who sustained heavy damage, informed the media he might not start the race if his WIlliams team couldn’t repair his badly damaged car in time.
Sao Paulo GP Qualifying Results
2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix Qualifying, 3 November 2024
How Norris Clinched a Crucial Pole in Brazil
In a rare Sunday qualifying session due to heavy rain on Saturday, Lando Norris narrowly avoided elimination in Q1, scraping through in 15th place. However, championship leader Max Verstappen was knocked out in Q2 after a crash by Lance Stroll at Turn Three.
The decision to stop the session took a contentious 40 seconds, during which Verstappen was relegated to the bottom five, unable to complete another lap. Sergio Perez suffered the same fate, being eliminated without a chance to respond.
Norris capitalised on the chaotic Q3, which saw further red flags due to crashes from Alonso and Stroll. He clinched his seventh pole of the season, positioning himself with a solid opportunity to reduce Verstappen’s championship lead come the races chequered flag.
2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix Starting Grid
The Grand Prix starting grid, with or without penalties, after the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix Qualifying session.
2Sainz required to start from the pit lane after additional power unit and gearbox elements were used.
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