#F1 #SprintQualifying: @LandoNorris beats #Antonelli to #BrazilGP #F1Sprint pole by 0.097s.

Norris Brazil Sprint Pole – Championship leader Lando Norris claimed pole position for tomorrow’s 100km Sprint Race beating Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli by only 0.097 seconds as Oscar Piastri completed the top three in the other McLaren MCL39 entry. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was down in sixth.

In terms of the World Driver’s Championship – Norris is best placed to bag eight points tomorrow. Piastri led last year’s Sprint from pole position.

Speaking of the Australian, he starts right behind his team-mate Norris. The Australian could potentially get the perfect slipstream off Norris to swoop into the lead tomorrow.

As for Verstappen, the third championship rival, was down in sixth, the Dutchman simply cannot afford to drop any points to McLaren at this stage in the campaign.

In SQ3, the initial flying laps saw Russell the first to register the benchmark of a 1:09.556, which was beaten by team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s 1:09.340.

Leclerc was demoted into fifth with his 1:09.725 time after Piastri’s 1:09.634 effort as Norris blasted to provisional pole with a 1:09.271 to be 0.069 seconds ahead of Antonelli.

The final flying laps saw Piastri improved to third to be 0.185 seconds off Norris’s improvement with a 1:09.243 to take pole by 0.097 seconds clear of Antonelli.

Red Bull’s Verstappen could only be sixth quickest with his 1:09.580 effort despite the fastest sector one time as Mercedes’ Russell improved to fourth with his 1:09.495 flyer.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were fifth and seventh respectively as Ferrari’s Leclerc ended up a low eighth.

Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar and Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the top ten.

In SQ2, which was topped by Alonso, Ferrari’s Leclerc suffered a lock-up and a spin at Bico De Pato (turn 10) right at the end meaning others could not improve and it saw his team-mate Sir Lewis Hamilton was the shock elimination of the session by a slim 0.076 seconds.

The Briton will start the Sprint 11^th and in-front of Williams’ Alexander Albon who took 12^th and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly who was 13^th.

Home favourite Gabriel Bortoleto ended up 14^th for Sauber and Haas’s Oliver Bearman placed 15^th.

In SQ1, which was topped by Norris, a flurry of improvements at the end saw Stroll climb to 12^th and send Alpine’s Franco Colapinto (who extended his contract with the Enstone based-outfit) out of the initial qualifying stage with the Argentine ending up 16^th.

RB’s Liam Lawson was next in 17^th and ahead of Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda who took 18^th.

MoneyGram Haas F1 Team’s Esteban Ocon and Atlassian Williams Racing’s Carlos Sainz brought up the rear.

The Spaniard locked up into the Senna S, and that ended his last flying run.

***Hamilton is currently being investigated by the race stewards for a yellow flag infringement at turn 10 from the double-waved yellows as a result of team-mate Leclerc’s spin. ***

You can see the full Formula 1 MSC Cruises Grand Premio De Sao Paulo 2025 Sprint Qualifying Results Classification at the link: FORMULA 1 MSC CRUISES GRANDE PRÊMIO DE SÃO PAULO 2025 – SPRINT QUALIFYING

2025 Brazil GP Sprint Pole Position – Lando Norris, #4, McLaren Formula 1 Team-Mercedes, MCL39 – 1:09.271:

“It was a little bit tougher than I would have liked, close between lots of cars – Mercedes were quick on the softs. But we did the job we needed to do. Quali around here is tricky – but it is fun, it always puts a smile on your face.”