Australian Oscar Piastri has secured pole position for the São Paulo sprint race at the Brazilian Grand Prix, overtaking his McLaren teammate Lando Norris in the final moments.

Piastri recorded an incredible final lap of 1:08.899 to narrowly edge out Norris by just 0.029 seconds, securing McLaren’s lock on the front row.

Charles Leclerc came third for Ferrari, with Max Verstappen, the current championship leader, fourth.

“The track was moving very fast and I caught him on the passes and then took pole,” Piastri said after the intense sprint qualifying session.

‘I’m not surprised by our pace. Since this morning we feel safe here.”

Australian driver Oscar Piastri achieved a spectacular pole position at the Brazilian Grand Prix

A spectacular final lap saw the Australian take the lead ahead of teammate Lando Norris.

Norris, although pleased with his performance, refrained from talking about his championship aspirations.

‘I hate answering these questions. I’m just concentrating on my own work and that’s it. “I don’t care where Max qualifies,” he said.

Verstappen blamed his Red Bull’s limitations on the bumpy Interlagos track for falling behind the McLaren duo.

“There are a lot of potholes here and it’s not suitable for our car,” he said.

The bumpy track conditions, compounded by a new asphalt surface, presented additional challenges for the drivers.

“I think everyone was a little taken aback by how bumpy the track was, so I think there were a lot of set-up changes,” Piastri said.

Piastri could give way to Norris in the sprint race to give his teammate a chance to win the championship.

Current world champion Max Verstappen blamed conditions for his qualifying

Norris led after the first two qualifying sessions, but in the final segment Piastri took advantage of his setup adjustments.

In the final minutes of SQ3, with McLaren sending both drivers on soft tyres, Piastri and Norris faced minimal traffic.

This strategy proved effective as Piastri took pole on the final lap.

“We were a little worried about the weather, but we also thought the soft could hold up for a second round,” Piastri said.

“I think the first lap of the session in SQ1, I did a really good lap, and then I didn’t do another one at the end of SQ1, and I think the track moved really quickly.”

While excited about the pole, Piastri remained mindful of his teammate’s title aspirations.

“I said I would do it since we first had these discussions,” he said, indicating that he would consider helping Norris earn points.

“It would be nice to win, but it’s a different point and it’s not the main race.”

‘The first and the second is the first objective, and then we will see where it is. I know I’m not competing for the drivers’ classification.

George Russell took sixth place for Mercedes, followed by Pierre Gasly in seventh and Liam Lawson in eighth.

Williams driver Alex Albon finished ninth, while Oliver Bearman, filling in for an ill Kevin Magnussen at Haas, completed the top ten.

Lewis Hamilton was among those eliminated in the second qualifying phase, finishing in 11th place, while Sergio Pérez finished in 13th place. Franco Colapinto and Valtteri Bottas also failed to advance, along with Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg in 12th place.