F1 Brazil GP Qualifying 2025: Norris Takes Pole at Interlagos

Round 21 of 24. Interlagos. The track that never stays quiet. Cloudy but dry conditions, grip coming and going, tension everywhere. After the chaos of Saturday’s Sprint, with Norris ahead of Antonelli and Russell and Piastri still searching for rhythm, F1 Brazil GP 2025 Qualifying delivered more surprises. Bortoleto’s Kick Sauber was still wounded from his Sprint crash and never made it out.

Key Points – F1 Brazil GP 2025 Qualifying

• Norris takes pole with a 1:09.511 ahead of Antonelli and Leclerc
• Both Racing Bulls make Q3, Hadjar fifth and Lawson seventh
• Bearman eighth after another standout showing for Haas
• Hamilton out in Q2, Verstappen shock Q1 exit
• Cloudy skies, dry track, and McLaren control the front row again

Q1 – Verstappen Stunned by Early Exit

Interlagos always finds a headline. This time, it came early.

Max Verstappen was out.
Red Bull’s post-sprint tweaks backfired badly. The Dutchman fought a car that would not settle, sliding through corners and reporting, “The ride is a tiny bit better but now I’m sliding in the corners.”

The opening runs were scrappy. Bearman struck early with a 1:10.664 before Hamilton and Norris traded times at the top. Hamilton’s 1:10.233 became the early target, while Leclerc tested mediums and never looked settled. Antonelli looked sharp again, beating Russell through the first sector before slotting into the top ten. The home hero Bortoleto never made it out, Kick Sauber unable to repair his car in time.

Grip improved lap by lap. Norris returned on fresh tyres to go top, Gasly followed him into second, and Hamilton hovered close. But all eyes were on Verstappen. Red Bull’s setup change left the car nervous and unpredictable. He sat P16 with four minutes to go, fighting the rear, no tow, no rhythm.

The final laps came and went. Ocon failed to improve, Tsunoda fell short, and Verstappen’s last effort left him stranded in P16, out in Q1 for the first time this season.

Eliminated in Q1: Verstappen, Ocon, Colapinto, Tsunoda, Bortoleto

Q2 – Hamilton Out as Norris Leads the Way

Fifteen cars. Ten slots. Another big name gone.

Hamilton was out.
Ferrari’s seven-time champion fought for rear grip and lost it when it mattered, sliding through the middle sector and ending thirteenth. Leclerc, by contrast, hooked up a strong final lap to reach Q3 in third.

The session began with Albon and Sainz opening the track for Williams. Bearman again looked quick for Haas, briefly going fastest ahead of Piastri’s McLaren. Antonelli stayed near the front for Mercedes, with Russell close behind as grip built.

Midway through, Bearman still led on a 1:10.351. Gasly and Leclerc both slid through the middle sector, while Norris lit the timing screens purple on a fresh set of softs. The McLaren jumped to the top, setting the tone for the final minutes.

Leclerc improved late, Antonelli joined him near the top, but Hamilton could not respond. Alonso’s Aston Martin fell short, and the rest found traffic or lost time as the flag fell.

Eliminated in Q2: Alonso, Albon, Hamilton, Stroll, Sainz

Q3 – Norris Seals Double Pole in São Paulo

Bearman led them out. The Haas driver again first on track, pushing hard on new softs and setting a 1:09.977 to open the session. Hulkenberg followed on used tyres, four tenths back, before Gasly slotted into second.

Leclerc found rhythm early, beating Bearman by less than a tenth. Then came Piastri, just 0.002s quicker than the Ferrari man to take provisional pole. The margins were microscopic as the session built towards its final laps.

Norris locked up heavily into Turn 1 on his first attempt but carried on, banking a slow lap to keep himself safe. The McLaren looked quick enough for more once the tyres came alive. Behind him, both Racing Bulls impressed as Hadjar and Lawson stayed deep inside the top ten.

Three minutes to go. The pit lane filled again. Hulkenberg rolled first, then Bearman, Leclerc, and Norris. A small gap before Lawson, Piastri, Hadjar, and Gasly followed. Mercedes left it late, Antonelli and Russell waiting for clear air.

Leclerc jumped to the top briefly. Piastri took it back. Bearman’s best fell short, and Hadjar surged to fifth. Then Antonelli lit up the middle sector purple, clean through the last, straight to second.

Norris was still out there. One final lap. Perfect through Turn 1, committed through the middle sector, and clean at the end. A 1:09.511. Pole by 0.174 seconds.

Double pole in São Paulo. Antonelli joins him on the front row, Leclerc starts third.

Provisional Qualifying Classification – F1 Brazil GP 2025 Qualifying

Standout Stories from F1 Brazil GP 2025 Qualifying

• Bortoleto – Home heartbreak. Crashed in the Sprint and never made it out for Qualifying.
• Hamilton – Grip vanished in Q2, the Ferrari sliding through corners before dropping out.
• Verstappen – Early exit, the Red Bull unsettled and unpredictable all session.
• Mercedes – Both cars competitive again, Antonelli delivering another statement alongside Russell.
• Bearman – Backing up his Mexico P4 with another strong Saturday, eighth in São Paulo.
• McLaren – Norris on pole again, Piastri fourth but still chasing balance.

Sunday Ahead

Norris starts from the front once more, but Antonelli looks the threat on long-run pace. Leclerc’s Ferrari will be in the mix if tyre wear comes into play, while Piastri’s P4 leaves McLaren with options on strategy.

Further back, the grid tells a few uneasy stories. Hamilton’s weekend continues to drift after another messy session. Ferrari’s balance looked knife-edge all afternoon, and the car never quite gave him the confidence to lean on it. He starts thirteenth, boxed into midfield traffic and staring at a long afternoon of management rather than attack.

And then there’s Verstappen. Sixteenth on the grid, out in Q1 for the first time this year. Red Bull’s post-sprint changes made the car unpredictable and unstable, leaving him with no feel through the corners. It’s unfamiliar territory for the reigning champion, the kind of race where damage limitation might be the best possible outcome amid his fading championship hopes

Behind the leaders, both Racing Bulls start from fifth and seventh, Bearman continues his streak in eighth, and Gasly, wow what a performance from him in Alpine, with Hülkenberg rounding out the top ten. Dry weather should hold, but tyre wear and rising temperatures could make strategy the story of the day.

At Interlagos, calm never lasts long.