George Russell expressed significant frustration following qualifying for the São Paulo Grand Prix, after a team instruction led to him missing a potential pole position. McLaren’s Lando Norris ultimately secured pole at the rain-affected Interlagos circuit. Russell had set a competitive lap time but was told to abort his final flying lap.
The Mercedes driver was catching Alex Albon in the second sector of his fastest lap when his race engineer advised him to back off. Russell complied with the instruction from the pit wall. However, heavier rain then impacted the circuit, preventing any further improvement to lap times.
Russell communicated his displeasure over team radio, stating, “Mate, I should have f—ing finished the lap.” He added, “You f—ing told me to back off! What the hell?!”
When Toto Wolff informed Russell he had secured second place, the driver responded, “I don’t want to be P2, I want to be P1 and that was a P1 lap.”
Russell later attributed the incident to a “bit of miscommunication,” explaining that the team anticipated another clear lap before the rain intensified. He felt confident in the wet conditions and believed pole was attainable.
Wolff defended the team’s decision, calling it a “50-50 call” and stating that predicting the weather precisely was impossible. He noted Russell was 0.018 seconds ahead of Norris at that point.
Lando Norris secured pole position with a time of 1:27.470. Russell qualified second with a 1:27.674, 0.204 seconds behind Norris. Kimi Antonelli, Russell’s teammate, placed third with a 1:28.095.
The top ten qualifiers were Norris, Russell, Antonelli, Charles Leclerc, Liam Lawson, Nico Hulkenberg, Isack Hadjar, Ollie Bearman, Fernando Alonso, and Alex Albon.
Several drivers will incur grid penalties for Sunday’s race. Russell faces a five-place penalty for a new Internal Combustion Engine, dropping him to seventh on the grid.
Leclerc received a ten-place grid penalty for exceeding his season allowance for ICE components. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will start from the back of the grid.
Hamilton’s penalty is due to a full power unit change after issues in final practice. Verstappen accumulated a 30-place penalty for multiple power unit component changes.
Sergio Perez also received a back-of-the-grid penalty for new power unit components. Verstappen did not participate in Q2 due to his impending penalty.
The qualifying session at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace was heavily disrupted by rain. A storm alert had been issued for the São Paulo region, forecasting heavy showers and strong winds.
The weather forecast for Saturday indicated a high chance of rain, particularly after 14:00 local time. The conditions deteriorated significantly between final practice and qualifying.
Kimi Antonelli secured the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship last weekend at the Mexico City Grand Prix. The 20-year-old Mercedes driver became the youngest F1 champion in history.
In other news from Interlagos, the São Paulo Grand Prix has extended its contract to remain on the Formula 1 calendar through 2035. This adds five years to the previous agreement.
The extension of the contract of the São Paulo Grand Prix until 2035 is a source of immense pride, and represents recognition of work built on dedication, investment and a long-term vision.
The city government of São Paulo has committed to continued investment in the circuit and improving facilities for spectators.
