MAX VERSTAPPEN AND Red Bull anticipated the weather conditions perfectly to secure pole position ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix in a rain-curtailed qualifying session that ended in wild thunderstorms on Friday.
Carlos Sainz qualified eighth in the second Ferrari ahead of Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull and Oscar Piastri, who did not manage to clock a time in Q3 for McLaren. In hot conditions, and with clouds threatening, Piastri was first out to set a time before Stroll and then Norris took command. Russell was fastest ahead of Verstappen and Leclerc, with only half a second separating third from 18th in a highly-competitive session during which tyre usage was critical for performance and strategy planning for Sunday’s race.