Norris shines in sprint qualifying, Verstappen curses

Formula 1 leader Lando Norris will start the sprint from first place at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

07 November 2025

From: dpa

The McLaren driver topped the timesheets in 1:09,243 minutes, narrowly beating Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes. Oscar Piastri, in the second McLaren, only managed third place for Saturday's short race of just over 100 kilometers (3:00 PM). World Champion Max Verstappen even managed only sixth place in qualifying in São Paulo. The two Ferrari drivers, Charles Leclerc (8th) and Lewis Hamilton (11th), had to start further back.

In the gripping three-way battle for the title, Verstappen faces a potential setback in South America. "The car is undrivable," the four-time champion cursed over the team radio. He had already been unable to challenge for the lead in the previous practice session. The exact nature of the problems with his car was initially unclear.

Rain and storm: It's going to be unpleasant during a sprint.

On the legendary Interlagos circuit, the top eight drivers in the sprint will already receive World Championship points, with the winner receiving eight points. However, things could get chaotic – as has often been the case in Brazil – because heavy rain is forecast for Saturday. Strong winds are also predicted at times. Verstappen, on the other hand, is perfectly capable of handling difficult conditions, as he demonstrated last year when he spectacularly stormed from 17th on the grid to victory in the Grand Prix.

Ahead of the 21st of 24 races this season on Sunday (18.00 p.m.), Briton Norris currently leads Australian Piastri by just one point. Behind them, defending champion Verstappen from the Netherlands lurks, 36 points behind Norris, hoping for his chance to become world champion for the fifth time in a row.