2024 Sao Paulo GP Sprint Qualifying: Oscar Piastri secures pole

Oscar Piastri delivered a remarkable lap at the end of Sprint Qualifying, securing a McLaren one-two finish.

Ben

By Ben Bush
Updated on November 2, 2024

Oscar Piastri McLaren 2024 Sao Paulo GP Sprint Qualifying
Oscar Piastri (car no. 81) of McLaren secures pole at the 2024 Sao Paulo GP in Sprint Qualifying // Image: McLaren Media

Oscar Piastri claimed pole position for the Sprint at the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix, edging out teammate Lando Norris to secure a McLaren front-row lockout. Despite leading much of Sprint Qualifying, Norris was narrowly beaten by Piastri, who snatched pole by just 0.029 seconds, marking his second Sprint pole position.

Charles Leclerc slotted into third, separating the McLarens from championship leader Max Verstappen, who ended up fourth, 0.320 seconds behind Piastri. Carlos Sainz took fifth, followed by Mercedes’ George Russell in sixth, with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and RB’s Liam Lawson completing the top eight.

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In a surprise, both Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez were eliminated in SQ2. Meanwhile, young British driver Oliver Bearman made it to the final segment of Sprint Qualifying for Haas, stepping in for the unwell Kevin Magnussen at least through the first part of the weekend, later confrimed for the whole weekend.

Sao Paulo GP Sprint Qualifying Results

2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying, 1 November 2024

PosNoDriverCarQ1Q2Q3Laps
181Oscar PiastriMcLaren Mercedes1:10.2651:09.2391:08.89916
24Lando NorrisMcLaren Mercedes1:09.4771:09.0631:08.92814
316Charles LeclercFerrari1:10.3881:09.2481:09.15318
41Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing Honda RBPT1:10.4091:09.4891:09.21912
555Carlos SainzFerrari1:10.5031:09.5001:09.25715
663George RussellMercedes1:10.4791:09.6831:09.44315
710Pierre GaslyAlpine Renault1:10.6301:09.6101:09.62215
830Liam LawsonRB Honda RBPT1:10.5761:09.8271:09.94111
923Alexander AlbonWilliams Mercedes1:10.3661:09.8441:10.07812
1050Oliver BearmanHaas Ferrari1:10.4421:09.629DNF12
1144Lewis HamiltonMercedes1:10.6251:09.94113
1227Nico HulkenbergHaas Ferrari1:10.4661:09.9648
1311Sergio PerezRed Bull Racing Honda RBPT1:10.3921:10.02410
1443Franco ColapintoWilliams Mercedes1:10.4701:10.2759
1577Valtteri BottasKick Sauber Ferrari1:10.8611:10.59512
1614Fernando AlonsoAston Martin Aramco Mercedes1:10.9786
1731Esteban OconAlpine Renault1:11.0526
1822Yuki TsunodaRB Honda RBPT1:11.1216
1918Lance StrollAston Martin Aramco Mercedes1:11.2806
2024Zhou GuanyuKick Sauber Ferrari1:12.978

Lando Norris topped the only practice session on Friday and led the times in both SQ1 and SQ2 on medium tyres, with McLaren’s new scooped rear wing seemingly boosting driver confidence through the challenging middle sector.

In SQ2, where drivers typically make a single run, McLaren opted to send their cars out early, possibly anticipating rain or the risk of yellow or red flags. Norris initially set a time nearly four-tenths faster than teammate Oscar Piastri, but Piastri went for another run and narrowly took pole by just 0.029 seconds.

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen, facing a five-place grid penalty for Sunday’s main race due to a new engine, wasn’t a top contender for pole but still managed to secure fourth. Charles Leclerc extracted maximum performance from his Ferrari to take third place.

Ferrari didn’t display the pace they showed in Mexico City last week; Carlos Sainz, the most recent race winner, settled for fifth. However, Ferrari could still be competitive if their tyre management proved strong.

2024 Sao Paulo Sprint Starting Grid

The Sprint starting grid, with or without penalties, after the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying session.

PosNoDriverCar
181Oscar PiastriMcLaren Mercedes
24Lando NorrisMcLaren Mercedes
316Charles LeclercFerrari
41Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing Honda RBPT
555Carlos SainzFerrari
663George RussellMercedes
710Pierre GaslyAlpine Renault
830Liam LawsonRB Honda RBPT
923Alexander AlbonWilliams Mercedes
1050Oliver BearmanHaas Ferrari
1144Lewis HamiltonMercedes
1227Nico HulkenbergHaas Ferrari
1311Sergio PerezRed Bull Racing Honda RBPT
1443Franco ColapintoWilliams Mercedes
1577Valtteri BottasKick Sauber Ferrari
1631Esteban OconAlpine Renault
1722Yuki TsunodaRB Honda RBPT
1814Fernando Alonso1Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes
1918Lance Stroll1Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes
2024Zhou Guanyu1Kick Sauber Ferrari
1Alonso, Stroll and Zhou had to start from the pit lane after cars were modified under Parc Ferme conditions.

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Chief Editor

Ben Bush
Ben

Ben is our chief editor specialising in F1 from the 1990s to the modern era. Ben has been following Formula 1 since 1986 and is an avid researcher who loves understanding the technology that makes it one of the most exciting motorsport on the planet. He listens to podcasts about F1 on a daily basis, and enjoys reading books from the inspirational Adrian Newey to former F1 drivers.

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