Brazilian GP – Qualifying: Lando Norris on pole, Max Verstappen eliminated in Q1

Who said you needed rain for Brazil to deliver completely insane qualifying sessions? Qualifying offered an epic scenario right from Q1, where the tiny gaps between the 20 drivers caused havoc. And what havoc it was! For the first time since 2021, Max Verstappen was eliminated in Q1 with the 16th fastest time, a consequence of car very tricky to fly. "Nothing, no grip, the car wouldn't turn, no traction.", the annoyed Dutchman listed, getting out of his car. "I had a close call on one of my laps. The car is unpredictable, not really what you want." For the first time since the 2018 Russian Grand Prix, the two Red Bull stopped in the first segment with the 19th fastest time of Yuki tsunodaFor Max Verstappen, this further jeopardizes his title chances, especially since the McLarenThey, however, reached Q3 without faltering.

It is Lando Norris who secured pole position at the end of Q3, ahead of Kimi Antonelli, the other strong man of this early weekend. Oscar piastri, who has regained some confidence after his Sprint crash, is content with the fourth fastest time, behind the Classic Ferrari for sale de Charles Leclerc.

Norris smiles, Piastri limits the damage

Behind them, Isack Hadjar secured a superb fifth place, notably ahead of... Classic Mercedes for sale George Russell finished 6th. The Briton, who had been behind his teammate since the start of the weekend, switched to medium tires in Q3, like Antonelli, but with far less success. However, the real disappointment of this final part of qualifying was Oliver Bearman.

As surprising as it may seem, the pilot Haas He could have aimed for a very good result after dominating Q1 and Q2 to everyone's surprise. After missing his final attempt, he had to settle for 8th position, but is now in an excellent position to fight for points on Sunday, following on from his fourth place in Mexico.

Most importantly, Oliver Bearman taught his teammate a lesson Esteban Ocon, only 17th and beaten for the eighth time in a row by his young garage neighbor in qualifying. The Norman driver won't be smiling, unlike his former teammate, Pierre Gasly, with whom he shared the podium at Interlagos a year ago.

Hamilton eliminated in Q2, Bortoleto denied qualifying

Following his impressive sprint segment (8th, 1 pt), the Rouen native managed to reach Q3. He will start 9th on Sunday, ahead of... Nico HulkenbergThe German driver was on the edge throughout the session, emerging from Q1 and Q2 each time with the slowest qualifying time. The third-place finisher at the British Grand Prix eliminated a world champion each time: Max Verstappen in Q1 and Lewis Hamilton in Q2.

The Briton finished only 13th in the second segment, where just 0.369 seconds separated the top ten. Finally, the session was not kind to the drivers involved in the Sprint Cup crashes: Gabriel Bortoleto, who crashed heavily on the last lap, was unable to participate in the session despite the efforts of the Sauber mechanics, while Franco Colapinto could only manage 18th.

The race will take place at 18 p.m. French time on Sunday, and will be available to follow via live text on AUTOhebdo.fr.

ALSO READ > Brazilian GP – Sprint: Lando Norris wins, Oscar Piastri makes a mistake

F1 – Brazilian Grand Prix
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