Lando Norris conquers the rain in a consequential qualifying at F1 São Paulo GP

Wet conditions made for a dramatic qualifying session at the F1 São Paulo Grand Prix

Heavy rains pushed qualifying for the Formula 1 São Paulo Grand Prix to Sunday morning in Brazil. Yet when the teams arrived at Interlagos they encountered yet more wet conditions. The elements made for a thrilling qualifying session as drivers tried their best to tame the twists, turns, and elevation changes of Interlagos with visibility at a premium.

It also made for one of the most consequential sessions of the entire F1 season.

“This could be the moment that changes the World Championship,” declared Alex Jacques on F1TV near the end of Q2, as Lance Stroll’s spin into the barrier with under a minute remaining in the second segment brought out the red flag. Moments later race officials announced that Q2 would not be resumed.

The reason for Jacques’ declaration? With both Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez in the drop zone, both Red Bull drivers were eliminated.

Verstappen had posted the 12th-fastest time to that point, and with the team installing a new Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) on his RB20 this week, he will take a five-place grid penalty in the Grand Prix later today, and start 17th.

Verstappen was not the only key figure in the title fights eliminated in Q2. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. spun into the barrier midway through the session, drawing his qualifying session to an early end.

Those incidents opened the door for Lando Norris, and he took full advantage. While he needed to deliver a quality lap after Sainz’s spin brought out a red flag, Norris found the lap he needed, finishing Q2 atop the timing sheets, with Fernando Alonso in P2 and Piastri in P3.

Q3 began with more rain bearing down on Interlagos, and the teams telling their drivers to get in their best laps possible early in the session before the wet compound might be needed again. Norris went to the top of the timing sheets, followed by Alexander Albon in P2 and Piastri in P3.

That is when the red flag flew again, with Fernando Alonso hitting the barrier at the downhill run into Turn 11 with under seven minutes remaining in Q3.

The session resumed, as did the chaos. George Russell had a moment at Turn 4 where he went off the line, as did Yuki Tsunoda. Charles Leclerc had a snap of his own, but the Ferrari driver managed to save his SF-24 from disaster.

Albon, however, could not do the same for his FW46. In line for his first-ever front-row start, Albon found the barrier at Turn 1. The driver reported that he was okay, asking if the team saw any indication of a brake failure on his car.

Qualifying resumed with under four minutes remaining in Q3, and more rain bearing down on Interlagos. Just ahead of the green flag, Norris’ race engineer Will Joseph advised the driver that if conditions remained slower, just make sure to bring his MCL38 home in one piece, given the impending race itself.

Norris did better than that, improving on his provisional pole time to solidify his spot at the sharp end of the grid. However, teammate Oscar Piastri could not join him on the front row, as Russell wrestled a front row start away from some other challengers, including Yuki Tsunoda, who will start third later today.

Here are the full results from a consequential qualifying session in São Paulo:

“A lot going on today, but super, super happy,” said Norris trackside to James Hinchcliffe following the session. “A little surprised, again. I’ve been surprised a little bit lately but a little surprised to be on pole.

“That risk-reward was not easy today, especially from where I was in Q1,” added Norris. “So that’s why I’m happy. It’s a relieving qualifying after something like this, so very happy at the same time.”

Teams such as Williams and Aston Martin face a race against the clock, with all four drivers having crashed at various points in the session. Then there is Ferrari, who face a massive repair job of their own with Sainz’s SF-24. With only a few hours until the São Paulo Grand Prix, it remains to be seen if those drivers will even be able to make the start.

It also remains to be seen just how consequential this session will be in terms of the entire F1 season.

Thankfully, we have just a few hours until we start getting answers.