Sport

Max Verstappen snatches Brazilian GP pole before heavy rain ruins qualifying

World champion makes most of one lap before deluge, with Charles Leclerc second, and Aston Martin in third and fourth

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Red Bull Racing took pole position for the São Paulo Grand Prix. Photograph: Mark Thompson/Getty Images
Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Red Bull Racing took pole position for the São Paulo Grand Prix. Photograph: Mark Thompson/Getty Images
Giles Richards
Fri Nov 03 2023 - 20:22

Max Verstappen took pole position for the São Paulo Grand Prix making the most of only a single lap as heavy rain interrupted qualifying at Interlagos. The Red Bull driver was on good form in Brazil on the tricky test of the Autódromo José Carlos Pace and his team ensured he was in the best possible position to set a good time before a deluge descended.

He beat the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc into second, while Aston Martin also did well out of the weather in setting early times with Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso in third and fourth. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were in fifth and sixth for Mercedes.

With ominous, dark clouds encircling the track in Q3 and rain threatening, the teams all looked for a strong opening lap in the final session. Verstappen went out straight away and set the pace with a 1min 10.727sec time, in front of Leclerc and Stroll. They completed their laps just as the heavens opened which cost the remaining drivers. The session was red-flagged and with only four minutes remaining was not restarted.

With Verstappen and Red Bull having already wrapped up both titles, the fight for the remaining places remains tight. Hamilton trails Sergio Pérez by 20 points for second place and will start in front of the Mexican who was ninth, while Mercedes have a 22-point advantage over Ferrari in the constructors’ championship. Three grands prix remain, as well as Saturday’s sprint in Interlagos.

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The start of qualifying was delayed by 15 minutes after tyre supplier Pirelli called for the FIA to have the track cleaned after Hamilton and Alonso both suffered punctures in first practice. The punctures were believed to have been caused by screws and nails, with the teams reporting that such debris was predominantly found in the pit lane. Qualifying was successfully completed without any punctures.

Elsewhere in Brazil the Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, has said he has spoken to Jim Ratcliffe about joining his bid to purchase a stake in Manchester United. Ratcliffe has made an offer to buy a 25% stake in the team from the Glazer family. He is a one-third shareholder in the Mercedes team alongside Wolff and Mercedes-Benz.

Lance Stroll of Canada driving the Aston Martin AMR23 Mercedes during practice at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photograph: Buda Mendes/Getty Images
Lance Stroll of Canada driving the Aston Martin AMR23 Mercedes during practice at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photograph: Buda Mendes/Getty Images

“Jim has shared the trajectory with me,” said Wolff. “I very much respect his values and we trust each other. If we felt it would make sense to be part of the investment group then I would certainly look at it.”

Lando Norris, who had looked impressively quick, was caught on his first hot lap on a damp track could manage only seventh with his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri going off and finishing in 10th. Carlos Sainz was eighth for Ferrari.

Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen were in 11th and 14th for Haas, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly in 12th and 13th for Alpine, and Alex Albon in 15th for Williams.

Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo were in 16th and 17th for AlphaTauri, Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou were in 18th and 20th for Alfa Romeo, and Logan Sargeant in 19th for Williams.