Liam Lawson will start the 2026 Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix from third position on the grid, despite qualifying fifth at Interlagos on Saturday. The Racing Bulls driver expressed frustration, stating he felt more performance was available from his car during the wet qualifying session. Lawson’s elevated starting position is a direct result of grid penalties applied to other competitors.
Lando Norris secured pole position for McLaren with a time of 1:27.470. George Russell initially qualified second for Mercedes, with Kimi Antonelli in third and Charles Leclerc fourth for Ferrari. Lawson’s fifth-place qualifying time was 1:28.321.
Lawson attributed his frustration to an aborted final Q3 lap. He explained that he had not left sufficient space to Fernando Alonso on his initial attempt, forcing him to abandon the subsequent lap. This final lap was anticipated to be the optimal opportunity before rain intensified.
“It’s actually a shame. I made a gap to Fernando and caught him too much in the first lap, and then I had to abort the last lap, which ended up being probably the optimum one, and then it rained. So, frustrated to not get everything out of it but, obviously, we get lucky tomorrow with a couple of places.”
The qualifying session at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace was significantly affected by heavy rain. Q1 was interrupted by an 84-minute red flag period due to the track conditions. Drivers initially used full wet tyres before switching to intermediate compounds in Q2.
The early laps in Q3 proved decisive as a fresh shower later in the session prevented further improvements. Lawson noted the challenging yet enjoyable nature of driving the high-horsepower cars with limited grip in such conditions.
Several drivers incurred grid penalties for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. George Russell received a five-place penalty for exceeding his internal combustion engine allocation. This marks his sixth ICE of the season.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, both driving for Ferrari, were each handed 10-place grid penalties for new internal combustion engines. Hamilton later incurred further penalties for a full power unit change, resulting in a back-of-the-grid start.
Max Verstappen of Red Bull and Sergio Perez of Cadillac also faced substantial penalties. Verstappen received a 30-place grid drop for multiple power unit component changes, while Perez also received a 30-place penalty for similar reasons, both starting from the back.
With these penalties applied, the provisional starting grid sees Lando Norris on pole. Kimi Antonelli, the 2026 F1 World Champion for Mercedes, will start second. Lawson moves up to third, followed by Nico Hulkenberg for Audi in fourth.
Lawson’s third-place start equals his career-best grid position, which he previously achieved at the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. In that event, he qualified third and finished fifth.
The Racing Bulls team for the 2026 season consists of Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad. Lawson’s contract status with the team beyond the 2026 season remains unconfirmed.
