George Russell secured second position in a rain-affected qualifying session for the 2026 Sao Paulo Grand Prix at the Interlagos circuit. The Mercedes driver expressed frustration with his team’s decision to abort a crucial final lap. Russell believes this call cost him pole position.
Lando Norris of McLaren ultimately claimed pole, recording a fastest lap of 1:27.470. Russell’s best time was 1:27.674, placing him 0.204 seconds behind Norris.
The qualifying session on Saturday, November 7, was significantly impacted by heavy rain. It experienced an 84-minute delay, making it one of the longest qualifying sessions in Formula 1 history.
During the decisive Q3 segment, Russell was on a strong lap. He was reportedly 18 milliseconds faster than Norris at one point. However, his race engineer, Marcus Dudley, instructed him to back off.
The instruction was given to create a gap to Alex Albon’s Williams ahead. Moments later, the rain intensified, preventing Russell from completing his lap and challenging for pole.
Russell conveyed his displeasure over team radio, stating, “Mate, you ing told me to back off! What the hell?”
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff responded, “George, you’re P2.” Russell countered, “P2? I don’t want to be P2, I want to be P1. That was a P1 lap.”
Russell later attributed the incident to a “miscommunication.” He indicated a need to discuss the team’s misjudgment of the weather conditions.
He clarified that he did not blame his race engineer. Dudley relies on information from 12 other individuals within the team.
Wolff defended the team’s strategy, describing it as a “50-50 call.” He acknowledged Russell’s strong performance throughout the session.
Wolff stated, “If we were to have a crystal ball to know whether you should back off or not, that would be helpful.”
Despite qualifying second, Russell will start Sunday’s race from seventh position. This is due to a five-place grid penalty for a power unit change.
Kimi Antonelli, Russell’s Mercedes teammate and the newly crowned F1 World Champion, qualified third. He will start on the front row alongside Norris due to Russell’s penalty.
Charles Leclerc, who qualified fourth for Ferrari, also received a ten-place grid penalty for a power unit change.
Max Verstappen of Red Bull incurred a back-of-the-grid penalty for an unscheduled engine change. He opted not to run in Q2 to conserve tyres.
Lewis Hamilton, driving for Ferrari, also faces a 65-place grid penalty. He finished Q2 in eleventh position.
This pole position marks Norris’s third consecutive at the Interlagos circuit.
Russell’s 2026 season has been challenging, with the driver admitting to “more bad days than good.” Antonelli secured the Drivers’ Championship in Mexico City.
The top ten qualifiers for the 2026 Sao Paulo Grand Prix were:
1. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 1:27.470
2. George Russell (Mercedes) – +0.204s
3. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – +0.625s
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – +0.819s
5. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – +0.851s
6. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) – +1.198s
7. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – +1.293s
8. Ollie Bearman (Haas) – +2.361s
9. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – +2.841s
10. Alex Albon (Williams) – +2.986s
