Lando Norris claimed his 20th career pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix, extending his streak to three consecutive years on the front row at São Paulo. Norris beat George Russell's provisional pole time of 1:27.674 by 0.204 seconds in wet conditions.
Russell finished second in qualifying but received a five-place grid penalty that dropped him from second to seventh on the starting grid. The Mercedes driver was called to abort his final flying lap as rain intensified, a decision he disputed over the radio. Russell believed his next lap would have been faster than Norris's benchmark.
"That was definitely the pole lap," Russell said after qualifying. He added that his team made a "misjudgment" and "should have just finished the lap."
Kimi Antonelli, Norris's teammate at McLaren, qualified third and moved up one spot after Russell's penalty. Liam Lawson qualified fifth, his best of the year at both Red Bull and Racing Bulls, where his previous high was eighth. Charles Leclerc qualified fourth but will drop to 14th due to a penalty.
Nico Hulkenberg qualified sixth and will start fourth. Oliver Bearman, Fernando Alonso, and Alex Albon round out the top ten.