Written by Meghana Sree
McLaren were once more utterly dominant, led by Oscar Piastri, who beat teammate Lando Norris for pole by 0.029s. Ferrari and Max Verstappen are not far behind, with Charles Leclerc lining up third and Verstappen rounding out the second row for tomorrow’s Sprint.
Oscar Piastri delivers a Brazilian masterclass, sealing pole for Saturday’s Sprint | Image Credit - Formula One
The final part of the Americas triple-header takes us to Brazilian soil, home to vibrant culture, historic motorsport moments, and one of Formula One’s all-time legends, Ayrton Senna.
The Interlagos Circuit is set to host the penultimate 2024 Sprint, and the round began with an eventful Free Practice session that resulted in an all-British top three headed by Norris, followed by George Russell, and completed by Ollie Bearman, stepping in for Kevin Magnussen in the Haas.
With two championships on the line, a completely resurfaced track, and weather expected to shake things up this round, here’s how the Sprint Qualifying panned out to set the grid for Saturday.
Sprint Q1 (SQ1) - Early drama and a few surprises
The action started immediately as a number of cars decided to hit the ground running, Leclerc leading the pack and setting a quick pace of 1:11.654, ahead of his teammate Carlos Sainz.
The freshly resurfaced track was evolving rapidly, as the Alpines snatched the first two positions from Ferrari, soon to be replaced by the Mercedes pair.
The next few seconds saw drivers successively clinching the top spot from each other, with the track coming to life underneath the low-downforce setups of the cars.
With three minutes to go, it was McLaren’s Piastri sitting in P1 after setting a 1:10.265.
The elimination zone was again occupied by both Saubers and the Aston Martins, joined by Franco Colapinto, who has been enthusiastically cheered on throughout this weekend so close to home.
Another fan-favourite driver around these parts, Lewis Hamilton, was fighting an unpredictable car, as he struggled to set a competitive lap.
As the seconds ticked down, Pierre Gasly, Fernando Alonso, and Colapinto needed strong runs to lift them from the bottom five. The Williams driver delivered in the nick of time to knock out Alonso, and the Spaniard, who secured a podium here last year, landed in 16th position, ahead of Lance Stroll in 19th.
Fernando Alonso had a disappointing exit in SQ1 | Image Credit - Formula One
Meanwhile, Valtteri Bottas managed to keep up his run of Q2 appearances in the upgraded Sauber, a welcome surprise for the Finn.
Against all expectations and continuing his impressive form from earlier this morning, Ollie Bearman put his car ahead of Nico Hülkenberg, making it through to the next stage of Sprint Qualifying.
Down at VCARB, the head-to-head between Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda was heating up, with Lawson making it through but Tsunoda eliminated, the Japanese driver lamenting that he was “happy with the lap” but had low grip.
SQ1 Exits
Fernando Alonso
Esteban Ocon
Yuki Tsunoda
Lance Stroll
Zhou Guanyu
Sprint Q2 (SQ2) - Brave strategies down the field, followed by Hamilton’s unexpected exit
SQ2 began as the wind picked up, and ten minutes was set on the clock. Drivers immediately went out for the first runs, with Norris quickly setting all-purple sectors once again, ahead of the two Ferraris.
Still on the mandated mediums, these laps were crucial to remain safe in case the looming dark clouds brought in rain to enliven the session.
A rapid first sector for Verstappen saw the Drivers’ Championship-defender slot into P2, behind his rival Norris; Verstappen then protesting about his car being difficult to drive.
While the other cars set their first laps, Haas and VCARB’s Lawson had opted for a different strategy. Waiting for the track to reach an optimal temperature and going out on fresh tyres, the three cars decided to take a gamble with a one-lap shootout.
After close moments over the kerb for Bearman, the Haas team saw their step-in driver secure a spot in SQ3, while Hülkenberg had to settle for ninth place.
Meanwhile, big names found themselves in the bottom five positions, Hamilton and Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez among them.
After attempting to set a time to beat Alex Albon’s 1:09.844, it ended in heartbreak for Hamilton as he failed to knock the Williams driver out, who had by then returned to the pits.
Pérez too saw the exit at this stage, sitting in 13th place while his teammate occupied third, behind Leclerc and the two McLarens in their usual place this weekend at the top.
SQ2 Exits
Lewis Hamilton
Nico Hülkenberg
Sergio Perez
Franco Colapinto
Valtteri Bottas
Heartbreak for Lewis Hamilton on home soil | Image Credit - Formula One
Sprint Q3 (SQ3) - A dramatic fight for pole between Piastri and Norris
After the shocking exits in SQ2, the final stage of Sprint Qualifying had some unexpected names competing for the top ten spots, with the likes of Gasly, Bearman, and Lawson capitalising on SQ2’s victims.
It looked all set for a McLaren pole, with it just being a question of which driver would claim it. Once again, the Papaya team set off on a blistering pace, but a bumpy lap for Piastri around the kerbs of Turns 1 and 2 saw him a tenth away from Norris, who laid down a lap time of 1:08.928 for everyone to respond to.
With under three minutes to go, the rest of the contenders set out on their final laps of the session.
A nervous moment for Bearman over the white lines saw his time being deleted, and right behind him, Leclerc was locking in a rapid final sector that was good enough for P2 behind Norris.
Piastri was now on his second run of SQ3 on the softs, attempting to outdo his teammate’s benchmark time. In a dramatic final lap, a swift purple middle sector sealed pole position for the Australian driver by two hundredths of a second, while Verstappen and Russell were still on flying laps attempting to clinch a spot on the front row.
The chequered flag was out, but Verstappen was unable to beat neither the McLaren’s nor Leclerc’s time, finishing in fourth place.
A jubilant Piastri asserted McLaren’s dominance at Interlagos and claimed his career’s second Sprint pole, set to lead the grid for tomorrow’s Sprint race.
Lando Norris, closest rival for the Drivers’ Championship starts P2 | Image Credit - Formula One
With Verstappen starting right on Norris’ tail, and the two Ferraris sandwiching him, all is to play for on Saturday. Will we see an aggressive Verstappen lunging for Norris’ position again, only for Ferrari to capitalise on this battle and come out ahead? Or will it be a two-way battle between Norris and Piastri, with potential team orders coming their way?
Tomorrow’s action will reveal all, and if anything, it can be promised that the Sprint will be crucial for both championships, with pivotal points up for grabs.
São Paulo Grand Prix Sprint Race Starting Grid - Sprint Qualifying Results
1- Oscar Piastri, McLaren
2 - Lando Norris, McLaren
3 - Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
4 - Max Verstappen, Red Bull
5 - Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari
6 - George Russell, Mercedes
7 - Pierre Gasly, Alpine
8 - Liam Lawson, VCARB
9 - Alex Albon, Williams
10 - Oliver Bearman, Haas
11 - Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
12 - Nico Hülkenberg, Haas
13 - Sergio Pérez, Red Bull Racing
14 - Franco Colapinto, Williams
15 - Valtteri Bottas, Sauber
16 - Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
17 - Esteban Ocon, Alpine
18 - Yuki Tsunoda, VCARB
19 - Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
20 - Zhou Guanyu, Sauber
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