Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen will all serve grid penalties at this weekend's Sao Paulo Grand Prix after Ferrari and Red Bull made power unit changes to their cars. Lando Norris secured pole position for the third consecutive year at Interlagos, finishing ahead of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli in a rain-affected qualifying session.
Power Unit Changes and Penalties
Hamilton's penalty was upgraded from a 10-place drop to a back-of-grid start after Ferrari needed to replace his entire power unit following further complications in final practice. Verstappen also starts from the back after Red Bull took new engine components, while Leclerc faces a 10-place penalty and Russell a five-place drop for a new internal combustion engine.
Sergio Perez also starts from the back of the grid after taking new parts for his Cadillac. The penalties mean Hamilton will begin the race ahead of Verstappen despite both starting near the rear of the field.
Qualifying Disrupted by Heavy Rain
Qualifying was halted after just over two minutes when torrential rain hit Interlagos, with the session stopped for more than an hour. Bernd Maylander, driving the safety car, described the conditions as "not drivable" and "too dangerous," citing standing water on the straights that could cause high-speed aquaplaning.
When the session resumed, Rafael Camara's crash in Q2 brought out a red flag, dumping Oscar Piastri out of qualifying. Fernando Alonso and Alex Albon reached Q3 for the first time in 2026, while several drivers, including Hamilton and Verstappen, sat out parts of the session to save tyres for the race.
Norris Takes Pole
Norris topped Q3 with a time of 1m 11.717s, finishing 0.082 seconds ahead of Antonelli in the opening practice session. Verstappen completed the top three, while Hamilton secured fourth for Ferrari in FP1. In FP3, Verstappen set the fastest lap of 1m 11.622s, edging Antonelli by 0.025 seconds.
Russell was furious after being told to back off while stuck behind Alex Albon in Q3, believing he could have taken pole. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said it was a "50-50 call" and that Russell "drove perfectly all session and merited to be on pole." The final starting grid sees Norris on pole, with Antonelli and Liam Lawson completing the top three after penalties are applied.
