SAO PAULO (AP) — McLaren driver Lando Norris will start Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix from pole with Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen in 16th place after problems with his Red Bull during a practice session. classification affected by rain and which was marred by five crashes.

The difference between the two drivers heading into the afternoon race is 44 points.

Norris recorded the fastest lap time on the wet Interlagos track at 1 minute, 23.405 seconds. His compatriot George Russell of Mercedes will start second. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who has little chance of winning the drivers’ title, was sixth in the standings.

“I’m a little surprised, again,” Norris said. “It was easy to end up badly, on the wall.”

“It is a relief classification,” he added.

Three-time champion Verstappen did not even reach the last third of the classification. His twelfth place finish in the second third of the session was further delayed by a five-place grid penalty for changing his engine for the sixth time this season, exceeding the allowed maximum of four.

The Dutchman later jumped one place to 16th after stewards punished Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr., who will start the race from the pit lane. They said some parts of the Spaniard’s car had been replaced without authorization.

Verstappen could still start 15th if Williams driver Alexander Albon does not race due to an accident in qualifying.

Every third of qualifying was disrupted by at least one crash, with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, teammate Fernando Alonso, Ferrari’s Sainz Jr., Williams’ Albon and teammate Franco Colapinto all losing control of their cars. cars.

The result was an unusual field with Visa Cash App RB’s Yuki Tsunoda qualifying third with Alpine’s Esteban Ocon at his side.

“I made a couple of mistakes, but I also had a little luck,” Tsunoda said. “We also had a good pace in the rain.”

Tsunoda’s teammate Liam Lawson rounded out the top five.

Sergio Pérez, the second Red Bull driver, also failed to reach the last third of the classification and set the 13th best time. Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes did not even reach the second third and will start from 15th place after moving up one place due to Verstappen’s punishment.

Qualifying began in low-grip conditions at 7:30 am local time (10:30 GMT). The start of the Grand Prix was brought forward from 2:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m. GMT). All drivers started on wet tires but switched to intermediates as qualifying progressed.

Many pilots arrived at Interlagos around 6 am. Ferrari’s Sainz took the time to serve coffee to the team staff as they prepared for qualifying.

Organizers said Sunday’s qualifying had only been held five times in F1 history and that a German driver had taken pole position on each occasion. The most recent was at the 2019 Japanese Grand Prix, with four-time champion Sebastian Vettel starting from the front.

The FIA ​​announced that qualifying had been postponed on Saturday after a two-hour delay, with neither car having the opportunity to set laps. The decision was made due to the lack of visibility caused by the level of rain, “with a lot of standing water in some parts of the circuit, making conditions unsafe,” he explained in a statement.

Many of the more than 60,000 fans who came to Interlagos on Saturday did not show up for qualifying on Sunday morning.

The gap between Norris and Verstappen could be narrowed further in Brazil with four grands prix and one final sprint race until the end of the season.

Shortly after qualifying, a tribute to the late three-time champion Ayrton Senna took place with an emotional Hamilton driving the title-winning Brazilian driver’s McLaren around the track.

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