Sao Paulo Grand Prix: Lando Norris and George Russell still hoping for rain in the race after wet qualifying

Lando Norris says qualifying for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix has brought him “some of the wettest conditions” he has ever driven in – and he is hoping for even more rain during the race on Sunday.

It was the third year in a row that Norris had taken pole in Brazil, and it came during a session that was halted for nearly an hour and a half because conditions were too dangerous to continue when officials initially attempted to start it.

Many drivers agreed the conditions were borderline extreme.

Mercedes driver George Russell, who qualified second behind Norris and was miffed by a communication problem with the team that he said stole pole, said: “Q1 was extremely difficult. Visibility was zero on the straight until turn four. I was spinning in fifth gear, at over 200 km/h (120 mph), aquaplaning.

“When you’re aquaplaning in a straight line and you can’t see in front of you, it’s… I don’t even know what the word is to describe it.

“It seems a little crazy. I guess that’s what we have to deal with.

“I love driving in the rain. I love driving in the rain here, but at some point, if it was a race, we shouldn’t be in it because the chances of seeing a really, really horrible incident are very, very high.”

The rain – combined with grid penalties for four of the usual favorites, including Russell – produced an unfamiliar grid with several drivers exploiting the opportunity of the weather to produce their best results of the year.

Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson – who still doesn’t know if he will have a seat next year – and Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg occupy the second row.

Haas driver Oliver Bearman is sixth, and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Williams’ Alex Albon, eighth and ninth, both entered the top 10 for the first time in 2026.

Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who won this race in the wet two years ago while 17th on the grid, start 20th and 21st after replacing their engines and exceeding their allocation for the year.

Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc, who qualified fourth, received a 10-place penalty, also for using the engine.

The forecast for Sunday is for light rain, and the unpredictability of the weather at the famous Interlagos circuit means teams and drivers will be open-minded about what awaits them.