Official grid: Norris on pole for 2026 Sao Paulo Grand Prix as Antonelli starts alongside
Image accompanying the official F1 announcement.Lando Norris will start from pole position for the 2026 Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos, following a rain-hit qualifying session that reshaped the order for Sunday’s race. Norris will line up at the front for McLaren, with newly-crowned world champion Kimi Antonelli alongside him for Mercedes.
Liam Lawson secured third place for Racing Bulls, while Nico Hulkenberg’s wet-weather performance put Audi on the second row in fourth. Isack Hadjar starts fifth for Red Bull, alongside Oliver Bearman of Haas on row three.
George Russell finished qualifying second but will start seventh after Mercedes implemented power unit changes. Russell will therefore begin alongside Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, as the unusual top 10 continues with Alex Albon for Williams and Oscar Piastri for McLaren completing the top 10.
The back end of the grid features multiple high-profile power-unit penalties. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc starts 14th after a 10-place drop. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen are expected to recover from the rear as they start 20th and 21st respectively after 75- and 30-place demotions.
Further down the order, Arvid Lindblad will start 18th after power unit changes were made on Sunday morning. Gabriel Bortoleto starts 19th after a difficult Saturday that left him positioned behind Lindblad at the start.
The 2026 Sao Paulo Grand Prix is scheduled to begin at 14:00 local time, with the official grid confirming the effects of qualifying results alongside post-qualifying power unit penalties for multiple teams and drivers.
Reporting source: F1 official update