Lando Norris secured pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in a rain-soaked qualifying session that left drivers questioning the limits of safety. The McLaren driver described the conditions as "some of the wettest" he has ever experienced, and he is now hoping for more rain in Sunday's race.
A Session on the Edge
Qualifying was halted for nearly 90 minutes when officials deemed the track too dangerous to continue. Many drivers agreed that conditions were borderline in the extreme. George Russell, who qualified second for Mercedes but will start seventh due to a five-place grid penalty, was blunt in his assessment.
"Q1 was extremely challenging. The visibility was zero down the straight into Turn Four. I was wheel-spinning in fifth gear, over 200km/h, aquaplaning," Russell said. "When you're aquaplaning on the straight and you can't see in front of you, it's... I'm not even sure what the word is to describe it. It does seem a bit crazy. I guess that's what we have to deal with."
He added: "I love driving in the rain. I love driving in the rain here, but at some point, if that was a race, there was no way we should be driving in that because the chances of seeing a really, really horrific incident are very, very high."
Unfamiliar Grid
The rain, combined with grid penalties for four of the usual front-runners, has produced an unfamiliar starting order. Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson and Audi's Nico Hulkenberg occupy the second row, while Haas driver Oliver Bearman is sixth. Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso and Williams' Alex Albon both reached Q3 for the first time this year, qualifying eighth and ninth respectively.
Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who won this race in the wet two years ago from 17th on the grid, start 20th and 21st after replacing their engines and exceeding their allowance. Hamilton's teammate Charles Leclerc, who qualified fourth, has a 10-place penalty for the same reason.
Norris: Rain Gave Me the Chance
Norris acknowledged that the wet conditions were crucial to his third consecutive Sao Paulo pole. "We're lucky it's wet, because if it was dry, I wouldn't be sitting here," he said. "In the dry, we definitely didn't have the pace. The wet kind of gave me an opportunity and I made the most of it."
He is hopeful that the forecast for light rain on Sunday holds true. "I'm hoping for a wet race. There's a good likelihood it'll be wet. We could just have an exciting race with a little bit of everything, honestly."
Russell's Frustration
For Russell, the session was another disappointment in a season full of them. He felt pole was within reach had he not been told to back off on what he believed was his fastest lap. The team misjudged the imminent heavier rain, and Russell vented his frustration over the radio.
"Gives me the confidence and reminds me again that I haven't forgotten how to drive," he said. "That's important in circumstances like these and it would have meant a lot to me to clinch the pole with a great performance like we showed in qualifying."
He added: "I felt really confident in the rain. I think my pace, along with Lando's, was by far the best out there. In the rain here, it's always a challenge. I hope it is wet tomorrow. I feel I've got a greater chance if it's wet."
Alonso Shines
Fernando Alonso took advantage of the conditions to put his uncompetitive Aston Martin-Honda into Q3 for the first time this year. "We took some risks in Q1, in Q2, where the conditions were a little bit unknown for everybody and we made it through," he said. "Then in Q3 I was expecting maybe a little bit more. I was first on the queue. But the tyres were ice cold in Q3, so I had no grip."
Alonso joins Norris and Russell in hoping for a wet race, knowing that in dry conditions his car's lack of power will leave him exposed, especially on the long pit straight.
Ferrari's Fresh Start
Ferrari's weekend began with clear-the-air talks between Leclerc and Hamilton after their first-lap clash cost them victory in Mexico. Both took new engines, incurring grid penalties, and Hamilton's brand new unit failed in final practice, forcing another change and leaving him at the back with Verstappen.
Leclerc said: "It was good to speak. This is always needed after a moment like this. It took proportions that were way too big, but it has been around also for way too long. Now I consider that a closed chapter, and it will be important to look ahead."
Hamilton added: "Me and Charles sat and spoke and we squashed it, and we're moving on. We still have a huge amount of respect for each other."
With rain expected, the Sao Paulo Grand Prix promises to be a thrilling and unpredictable affair.
