Sao Paulo GP: Lando Norris on pole for sprint race
What's the story
Lando Norris has secured the pole position for the sprint race at this weekend's Sao Paulo Grand Prix. The McLaren driver outpaced Mercedes's Kimi Antonelli by a margin of 0.097 seconds, with his teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri finishing third, 0.185 seconds behind Norris. This achievement comes after Norris took the championship lead from Piastri by a point following his victory in Mexico City two weeks ago.
Qualifying results
Verstappen 6th; Hamilton 11th
Red Bull's Max Verstappen, the only other title contender at 36 points behind Norris, could only manage sixth place. He was outpaced by Mercedes's George Russell and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton was knocked out in the second session and qualified 11th in his Ferrari. His final lap of the second session was marred by teammate Charles Leclerc spinning out of Turn 10.
Driver's perspective
Norris dominated all 3 sessions
Norris dominated all three sessions of sprint qualifying and maintained a comfortable lead over Piastri throughout. "It was a little bit tougher than I would have liked. But we did the job we needed to do, which was to be fastest today," he said after securing pole position. The Briton also expressed his love for the challenging Sao Paulo track, calling it "always a joy" that "always puts a smile on your face."
Information
Norris could get vital points if he bags the sprint
Norris has been presented with the opportunity to build his championship lead. As many as eight points are awarded to the winner of the sprint, seven for second and six for third. The top 8 are awarded points.