Norris, the King of the Rain in Interlagos: Pole and Chaos in Brazil

Lando Norris has once again demonstrated that he feels like a fish in water when the sky opens, the British McLaren driver conquered pole position for the São Paulo Grand Prix in a chaotic qualifying marked by rain, crashes and the penalties that have completely reconfigured Sunday's grid. With a time of 1:27.470 Norris beat George Russell and Kimi Antonelli but the penalties of both and of other drivers have turned the race into an unpredictable puzzle.

The day began with a significant delay due to the intense rain that fell on Interlagos. When the session finally resumed, the drivers went out on extreme wet tires and the times began to fall slowly, Verstappen set the first reference time but was soon surpassed by Alonso, Hulkenberg, Hamilton and Russell in a frenetic fight to stay out of the danger zone, Norris however waited for his moment and when the track began to dry, he attacked with determination. His time of 1:30.939 in Q1 was the best of the session and gave him passage to Q2 with margin.

The eliminations in Q1 left out Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly who crossed the line in tandem and were left out by just a few thousandths. Along with them fell Stroll, Bottas, Pérez and Bortoleto, the latter after crashing into the wall. Q2 was even more chaotic, Camara the Brazilian debutant, lost control of his Haas and caused the red flag leaving out Hamilton, Piastri and Verstappen who did not even participate knowing that he would start from the back of the grid due to his penalty.

Q3 was a real lottery, the rain intensified just when the drivers were trying to set their fast laps and only a few managed to improve. Norris was the smartest, the one who best read the conditions and the one who took the pole: "It has been a long day, it has been a great qualifying. Obviously being on pole here again, with different conditions than last year's, makes me very happy, it is not easy out there, especially when you know it is going to rain much more. It was about doing two laps at the beginning and not making mistakes and that is exactly what we did" the Briton declared.

Russell finished second but his five-place penalty will relegate him on the grid. Leclerc fourth, will lose ten positions. Antonelli, third, will inherit the front row alongside Norris and behind, drivers like Lawson, Hulkenberg, Bearman, Alonso and Albon took advantage of the circumstances to sneak into the top 10 in one of the strangest and most exciting qualifiers of the season.

Sunday's race promises to be a spectacle, with the penalties, the grid has been completely disordered and drivers like Hamilton and Verstappen will have to come back from the back. The rain that could continue making its presence felt, will add an extra element of unpredictability, Norris starts as favorite, but in Interlagos, nothing is written. The pole is only the first step of a race that presents itself as exciting.