F1 qualifying outcomes: Who takes pole for the F1 Dash on the São Paulo Grand Prix?

The 2025 Components 1 season could also be winding down.

However the standings are heating up.

Max Verstappen’s sweep of the USA Grand Prix on the finish of October, the place he received each the F1 Dash race in addition to the USA Grand Prix, introduced the four-time Drivers’ Champion proper into the thick of the 2025 title chase. However Lando Norris responded with a dominant efficiency on the Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix, and now leads his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri by a single level — 357 to 356 — with Verstappen simply 36 factors again, sitting on 321.

And whereas McLaren already clinched a second consecutive Constructors’ Championship, the battle for second within the standings mirrors the battle for the Drivers’ Championship. In the meanwhile Ferrari has a one-point lead over Mercedes — 356 to 355 — with Crimson Bull closing the hole because of Verstappen’s latest type. Proper now Crimson Bull has 346 factors on the yr, simply ten factors behind Ferrari and 9 behind the Silver Arrows.

Meaning … each level counts.

This weekend’s São Paulo Grand Prix is the penultimate F1 Dash weekend of the 2025 season, and shortly the sphere will set the beginning grid for tomorrow’s F1 Dash race, the place eight factors go to the winner. Lando Norris led the way in which within the one and solely hour of observe earlier immediately, with Piastri simply 0.023 seconds off his teammate’s tempo.

It was a tricky session for Verstappen and Crimson Bull, because the four-time champion completed P17 and Yuki Tsunoda, who had an incident early within the session, completed in P20.

Nonetheless, something can occur when the lap instances depend for actual.

Replace: Lando Norris has taken pole place for the F1 Dash race on the São Paulo Grand Prix. Learn on to see the complete grid, and the way it unfolded at Interlagos.

São Paulo Grand Prix provisional Dash grid

Right here is the provisional beginning order for the F1 Dash on the São Paulo Grand Prix, which shall be crammed in all through the session.

São Paulo Grand Prix F1 Dash qualifying

Observe alongside right here as qualifying for the F1 Dash race on the São Paulo Grand Prix unfolds.

12 minutes went on the clock, and the 20 vehicles had the obligatory C3 medium tires bolted on because the session started. Yuki Tsunoda was the primary driver to roar out of his storage, adopted shortly by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Norris set the early marker with a 1:10.311, solely to be nipped by Piastri with a 1:10.286 because the McLarens threw down the gauntlet to open the session.

The primary effort from Charles Leclerc got here in at 1:10.762, practically a half-second behind Piastri and solely good for P7. He was shortly dropped to P8 because of teammate Lewis Hamilton, after which hometown hero Gabriel Bortoleto pumped in a powerful lap of his personal to drop Leclerc to P9.

Then it was over to Max Verstappen for his preliminary push lap. The Crimson Bull driver solely used the C2 laborious tires throughout the single hour of observe, which noticed him down in P17 when the session got here to an in depth. Verstappen went purple by way of Sector 1 on his preliminary try and got here in at 1:10.107, placing him up in P1 for the second.

Norris answered on his subsequent push lap, as he went purple by way of each Sector 1 and Sector 2 with a thunderous effort, rocketing to the highest of the timing sheet with a 1:09.702, placing him greater than four-tenths of a second forward of Verstappen, and greater than three-tenths forward of George Russell, who was now in P2.

Piastri’s second push lap was higher than each Russell and Verstappen, however he couldn’t catch Norris, and the Australian settled into P2 for the second.

With three minutes remaining in SQ3, the three drivers prone to elimination have been Alexander Albon, Esteban Ocon, Franco Colapinto, Carlos Sainz Jr., and Yuki Tsunoda.

Maybe the most important shock at this level? Pierre Gasly, who was up in P5. The journey to São Paulo introduced again some nice recollections for Alpine, as Gasly and Ocon delivered a shocking double-podium end result at this race a yr in the past, serving to Alpine end sixth within the Constructors’ Championship.

Closing runs then started, with Tsunoda’s final effort solely ok for P13. That shortly grew to become P14 because of a lap from Oliver Bearman, who rocketed as much as P4 on his closing try.

Tsunoda’s state of affairs obtained worse when Albon got here throughout the road with an effort ok for P6, after which a lap from Brotoleto dropped Tsunoda into the elimination zone, and he was knocked out.

So too have been Colapinto, Liam Lawson, Ocon, and Carlos Sainz Jr.

On the sharp finish of the grid, Norris led the way in which adopted by Verstappen, Fernando Alonso, Piastri, Russell, Bearman, Isack Hadjar, Gasly, Bortoleto, and Hamilton rounding out the highest ten.

SQ2 got here subsequent, with ten minutes placed on the clock and 15 drivers preventing for precisely ten spots. Hometown hero Bortoleto led the sphere out, adopted by fellow rookie Bearman, Nico Hülkenberg, and Albon.

Hülkenberg’s time of 1:09.735 set the benchmark, however the Sauber veteran was shortly nipped by Alonso and Lance Stroll. Then it was Leclerc, whose first effort was good for P4.

The primary lap from Hamilton, nevertheless, was solely good for P5, which shortly grew to become P6 because of Verstappen. However the Crimson Bull driver’s opening gambit was not the quickest from the sphere, as he slid into P3, and was dropped to P4 because of Hadjar’s opening salvo, because the Visa Money App Racing Bulls driver jumped into P2.

That grew to become P3 when the primary effort from Norris noticed the McLaren driver slide into second behind Alonso. Norris stayed in P2 after Piastri’s first lap, because the Australian driver’s first push lap got here in ok for third.

After the primary set of push laps, right here was the operating order:

Alonso
Norris
Piastri
Russell
Antonelli
Hadjar
Stroll
Verstappen
Leclerc
Hülkenberg
Hamilton
Albon
Gasly
Bearman
Bortoleto

The clock struck two minutes, and the ultimate push laps of SQ2 started. Hadjar was among the many first to make their closing runs, however a slip at Flip 10 impacted his lap, and he lower the beam with a 1:09.808, which stored him down in P6.

Verstappen’s closing lap was solely ok for eighth, leaving the door open for a surprising elimination given some fast drivers that have been nonetheless on the observe, and behind him on the timing web page.

Then got here a little bit of dangerous luck, as a spin from Leclerc introduced out the yellow flag proper in entrance of Hamilton, who needed to ease off the throttle. With Hamilton down in P11, that meant he was out, together with Albon, Gasly, Bortoleto, and Bearman.

However with SQ2 within the books, the ten drivers shifting on may accomplish that realizing the smooth C4 tires have been now accessible for the ultimate phase of F1 Dash qualifying.

These ten drivers completed SQ2 as follows:

Alonso
Norris
Russell
Piastri
Antonelli
Hadjar
Stroll
Verstappen
Leclerc
Hülkenberg

Might anybody catch Alonso?

That was not the query that confronted the grid when Friday started, nevertheless it was the query that everybody confronted as eight minutes have been placed on the clock for the ultimate phase of F1 Dash qualifying. The veteran posted the quickest time in SQ2, setting the stage for a dramatic conclusion to the session.

The Mercedes pair of Russell and Antonelli have been the primary two to assault the circuit on the C4 smooth tires, adopted by Leclerc, after which the McLaren pair of Piastri and Norris.

Russell set the benchmark, however his time was shortly eclipsed by each Antonelli, after which Norris, who thundered throughout the road with a 1:09.271 with a lap that was good for P1. Of these 5 drivers that went early Norris led the way in which, adopted by Antonelli, Russell, Piastri, and Leclerc.

The opposite 5 drivers — Hülkenberg, Alonso, Hadjar, Stroll, and Verstappen — remained within the storage.

A kind of drivers was celebrating a little bit of an anniversary, because it was 15 years in the past that Hülkenberg delivered a surprising efficiency to take pole place on the 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix. However his first lap on at the present time was solely good for sixth, greater than six-tenths off the time set by Norris.

Piastri then started his second push lap, having gone with a push-cool-push method. However that lap was solely good for third. Norris discovered a bit extra time on his second push lap, bettering to 1:09.243.

As for Verstappen, who posted the quickest Sector 1 in SQ3? His closing two sectors noticed the time fall off, and he lower the beam down in P6.

When the checkered flag flew it was Norris on the entrance of the sphere, forward of Antonelli, Piastri, and Russell to set the primary two rows.

“It was a bit of bit more durable than I might have favored,” stated Norris to Jamie Chadwick trackside after the session. “We did the job we wanted to do, which was to be quickest immediately.”