Norris takes pole in rain-delayed qualifying

McLaren's Lando Norris took pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in a wet qualifying session at Interlagos delayed by nearly an hour and a half for heavy rain. Norris beat fellow Briton George Russell by 0.204 seconds, and the Mercedes driver was fuming that he could have been faster had he not been told by his engineer to abort a faster lap before the rain became heavier.

In any case, Russell has a five-place grid penalty for exceeding his permitted number of engine parts, promoting team-mate and new world champion Kimi Antonelli to second. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc qualified fourth but has a 10-place grid penalty which promotes Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson to third.

The New Zealander was one of a number of drivers to have their best qualifying session of the year thanks to the levelling effect of the wet weather. McLaren's Oscar Piastri was knocked out in Q2 but will start 10th because of the penalties, while Brazilian Rafael Camara will line up 11th on his F1 debut, despite crashing his Haas towards the end of the second session.