This session has finished. No further updates will be posted.
Sprint race qualifying at the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix is coming up next.
Lando Norris topped the timing in the only practice session earlier today. The circuit was completely resurfaced since last year and several drivers commented it feels noticeably bumpier. Max Verstappen described the difference as “crazy.”
One of the surprises in practice was Oliver Bearman, substituting for Kevin Magnussen, who managed third-fastest in his outing.
Qualifying for the sprint race is about to begin. Race control data indicated an 80% chance the session would remain dry.
SQ1 is 12 minutes long and all drivers must use the medium tyre compound. Charles Leclerc led the first initial runs.
The track temperature was much cooler than in first practice — about 40°C versus over 53°C earlier. Leclerc set an early benchmark of 1’11.654. Verstappen remained in the pits initially, likely expecting grip levels to improve later.
Esteban Ocon moved to the top, then Sergio Perez posted 1’11.162 to go ahead. Verstappen soon joined the track so all 20 drivers were on timed laps.
George Russell reached provisional pole with a 1’10.870. Norris then displaced him with a 1’10.672 before Oscar Piastri improved further, sparking underbody contact as he crossed the line.
Verstappen put in a quick lap to sit fourth, around three tenths off the pace. With five minutes remaining, the running order continued to shuffle.
Carlos Sainz initially found himself in the drop zone along with both Sauber drivers, Lance Stroll — who had briefly pitted — and Franco Colapinto down in last.
Sainz moved up to fourth, pushing Fernando Alonso into the bottom five. Teams sent cars out for a final attack; Colapinto had not yet set a representative time and joined the queue.
Meanwhile Pierre Gasly was summoned to the stewards for arriving late to the drivers’ meeting.
Perez put in the quickest middle sector and climbed to second, while Lewis Hamilton managed only ninth with a 1’10.625 and expressed concern that it might not be enough. Yuki Tsunoda sat 12th on 1’11.121 while Alonso climbed to 11th, dropping Gasly into the elimination zone.
Bearman moved up to fifth and Norris posted a strong first sector, with McLaren informing Piastri he was provisionally safe. Norris then unleashed a stunning lap of 1’09.477 to go fastest. Colapinto’s lap lifted him to ninth, which pushed Alonso back into the drop zone. Later both Alfa Romeo drivers, Ocon, Tsunoda and Zhou found themselves eliminated from SQ1.
SQ2 began and Norris continued his pace with a 1’09.063. Russell was about six-tenths back until Sainz closed to within half a second of the McLaren. Piastri slotting into third, while Verstappen improved his opening sector and edged ahead of Sainz by less than a hundredth for second.
Hamilton reported “no grip” on the current tyre and was struggling in P10 as the session progressed. Several drivers — Bearman, Hulkenberg and Lawson — had not yet posted times when the final runs started.
Bearman eventually went sixth, but Perez slid into the drop zone alongside Hamilton. Lawson jumped Perez, and Perez failed to complete a representative lap, leaving him out of the session.
Hamilton finished only 11th and was eliminated in SQ2. Nico Hulkenberg, Perez, Colapinto and Valtteri Bottas were also knocked out.
SQ3 began under gathering clouds and McLaren immediately dispatched both cars, joined by Alex Albon. Soft tyres are mandatory for this segment. The session quickly became dominated by McLaren pace, Norris narrowly ahead of Piastri through the first sector.
Piastri put in a 1’09.225, but Norris was faster across all three sectors and set a 1’08.928 for others to chase. Albon, running solo for a spell, posted a 1’10.078 — two tenths slower than his medium-tyre time from SQ2.
As the final runs unfolded, Piastri was instructed he could gain time through the Senna ‘S’ and Pinheirinho. Bearman ran wide at the Senna S and lost around eight tenths. Sainz briefly moved to third, then Leclerc pushed Piastri down to second on the provisional grid.
In the last moments Piastri reclaimed the top spot from Norris to secure pole. Verstappen went fourth and Norris aborted his final lap, confirming Piastri’s place at the front.
It’s Oscar Piastri on pole for Saturday’s sprint at Interlagos. Here’s the confirmed grid for the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix sprint race: 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix sprint race grid
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