“It’s a great start to the weekend, even though I didn’t feel completely comfortable in the car.”
Lando Norris began his Brazilian Grand Prix weekend in perfect fashion by claiming pole position for the sprint race at Interlagos. The McLaren driver delivered a superb lap of 1:09.243 in the final qualifying session, edging out Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli by just 0.097 seconds.
Norris’s teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri will start third, setting up another exciting McLaren showdown. George Russell, Fernando Alonso, and Max Verstappen rounded out the top six.
Despite not feeling fully comfortable with his car, Norris described the result as a “great start” to the weekend. The pole is particularly important as he holds only a one-point lead over Piastri in the Drivers’ Championship, with just a few rounds left in the season.
With up to eight championship points on offer in the sprint race, Norris now has a golden opportunity to strengthen his title hopes and carry strong momentum into Sunday’s main Grand Prix.