Brazil - Sprint Qualifying

Two weeks ago, Lando Norris ripped the lead of the Drivers' Championship from Oscar Piastri's hands. Now, every point can be the difference between winning and going home empty-handed. Will the fight push one of them to take the Brazilian sprint pole, or will someone else steal the coveted position away?

The McLarens were first to set their laps, producing respectable times to serve as a benchmark for the other contenders. After a few weeks of visibly struggling, Oscar Piastri seemed to find his form, once again matching or beating the times of his teammate. The two stayed close to the top of the standings throughout the whole of SQ1, alongside their rival for the championship, Max Verstappen. This time, it was Franco Colapinto, Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda, Esteban Ocon, and Carlos Sainz who couldn't quite get the laps they wanted.

The two Aston Martins managed to start SQ2 off with some incredible laps that put them right at the top of the leaderboard. As the other drivers completed their first attempts, a few were able to do better than Lance Stroll, but no one could beat Fernando Alonso's time. In fact, his attempt was so good that it made him finish the session as the quickest of the 15 participating drivers. The Ferraris were on the opposite end of the spectrum. They found themselves closer to the back than the front after their first laps, with Lewis Hamilton in the elimination zone, and Charles Leclerc only slightly above it. They both tried to improve towards the end of SQ2, but the Monegasque spun off the track, bringing out a yellow flag that forced his teammate to slow down. Neither of them managed to improve, and although Leclerc narrowly avoided elimination, Hamilton wasn't as lucky. Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Oliver Bearman also ended their day after the second session. 

SQ3 started with the Mercedes driving onto the track. This time, it was the younger of the two drivers who managed a better lap, although he didn't get to keep the provisional pole for long. It was taken away from him by Norris, a man desperate to hold onto any point he could get, especially since his teammate's first attempt was much worse than expected. Both McLarens decided to go out for a second lap on their used softs, giving Piastri a chance at redemption. He did manage to improve his time, but not enough to beat Norris's first effort. What's more, the Australian won't even get to start the race from the front row. The spot by his teammate's side will be taken by the young Kimi Antonelli. 

Order of the grid:

1. Lando Norris

2. Kimi Antonelli

3. Oscar Piastri

4. George Russell

5. Fernando Alonso

6. Max Verstappen

7. Lance Stroll

8. Charles Leclerc

9. Isack Hadjar

10. Nico Hulkenberg

11. Lewis Hamilton

12. Alex Albon

13. Pierrw Gasly

14. Gabriel Bortoleto

15. Oliver Bearman

16. Franco Colapinto

17. Liam Lawson

18. Yuki Tsunoda

19. Esteban Ocon

20. Carlos Sainz