Norris earns pole for Sao Paulo GP as grid shaken up by penalties for engine changes

SAO PAULO (AP) — McLaren’s Lando Norris earned pole position for Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Saturday.

Final qualifying positions were heavily influenced by power unit changes that sent drivers such as George Russell and Charles Leclerc towards the back of the grid.

Russell and Leclerc were second and fourth but penalized.

Norris won qualifying by 0.204 seconds for his first pole since September at the Madrid GP and his third consecutive pole at the Interlagos track.

New Formula 1 champion Kimi Antonelli will start from second place after Mercedes teammate Russell faced a five-place grid penalty for adding fresh engine components to his car.

Racing Bull’s Liam Lawson will start third after Ferrari’s Leclerc was also penalized.

Norris said changing tires throughout the session was a challenge in difficult weather conditions.

“You feel you want to push so much more but you can’t,” Norris said.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton were among other drivers also facing penalties before Sunday’s race after changing their power units above the limit for the season.

Verstappen will have a 30-place cumulative penalty on the grid for a total change in his power unit. He finisished qualifying in 16th place.

The two Ferrari drivers were initially handed 10-place grid penalties after exceeding their season allocations by taking fresh internal combustion engines. Later, Hamilton changed more parts of his power unit, which will put him further back on the grid.

Cadillac’s Sergio Pérez will also start from the back after his car was equipped with new elements.

Starting from the back at Interlagos doesn’t necessarily mean a lost race for top drivers. Hamilton had a legendary charge from the back in 2021 and Verstappen scored a stunning victory from 17th in 2024.

Earlier, Verstappen clocked the fastest lap in the final practice session ahead of Antonelli. The Dutchman led the Italian by 0.025 of a second.

Norris finished third, with Russell in fourth.

Hamilton ended in 12th position, more than one second behind Verstappen.

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