Lawson performs as Red Bull falters in São Paulo qualifying

Liam Lawson delivered one of his best qualifying performances of the season in Brazil, securing seventh on the grid for Monday’s (NZ time) São Paulo Grand Prix—while senior team Red Bull Racing endured a nightmare session that saw Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda exit in Q1.

The Racing Bulls pairing of Lawson and Isack Hadjar both reached Q3, the only junior outfit to do so. Hadjar’s 1m 09.931s was good enough for fifth, while Lawson was just three-hundredths slower on 1m 09.962s to claim seventh, sandwiched between Mercedes’ George Russell and Haas rookie Ollie Bearman.

“It’s a decent place for tomorrow,” Lawson said after qualifying. “We lost a little bit of time in the lap and that’s definitely cost us a few positions, but when it’s this close in these kinds of conditions, I think everybody’s got that story. Both cars in Q3 obviously puts us in a good position, so we’ll definitely give it a good shot.”

The result gives the Kiwi a solid platform to chase points after a run of three non-scoring finishes since Azerbaijan, where he achieved a career-best fifth.

Quali-flyyyyying🔥

That’s a top 10 start for both boys tomorrow, don’t mind if we dooooo 😏⁰⁰#F1 #VCARB #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/AmL4CjbN3h

— Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team (@visacashapprb) November 8, 2025

Norris on pole as title race twists

At the sharp end, Lando Norris continued his blistering form by taking pole position with a 1m 09.511s lap for McLaren—his second front-row start of the weekend following victory in the Sprint race earlier in the day.
Mercedes prodigy Kimi Antonelli was next-best, 0.174 s adrift, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc secured third ahead of Oscar Piastri.

Piastri, who crashed out of the Sprint earlier, could manage only fourth, compounding a difficult day that saw his title rival Norris extend his championship lead from one point to nine heading into Sunday’s race. “It was tough out there with the conditions,” Norris said. “It was slippery and inconsistent, but good fun. I stayed calm and put it all together when it mattered.”

Verstappen’s shock Q1 exit

The biggest shock came in the opening segment, where Verstappen struggled for grip and failed to escape Q1, ending up 16th after a wide moment at Turn 9. It was his first Q1 elimination since 2021 and a major blow to his fading championship hopes. Team-mate Tsunoda fared little better, qualifying 19th.

With only four rounds remaining after São Paulo, Verstappen risks falling more than 50 points behind Norris in the standings—roughly two wins adrift—with clear weather forecast for the race.

Hamilton’s Ferrari frustration continues

Lewis Hamilton also had a session to forget, his Ferrari lacking the pace to progress beyond Q2. He will start 13th, while rookie Bearman again impressed in the sister car, taking eighth to continue his strong form from Mexico.
“It’s always a pleasure around this track,” Norris reflected after clinching pole, but for Hamilton and Verstappen, pleasure was in short supply.

Top 10 – São Paulo Grand Prix Qualifying