SAO PAULO, Brazil (AFP) — Series leader Lando Norris continued his dominant run of form by claiming a dramatic late pole for McLaren after a series of shocks in a tense qualifying session for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Saturday.

The 25-year-old Briton, who reclaimed the leadership of the drivers’ world championship by winning in Mexico two weeks ago, reacted to late pressure after a messy opening Q3 lap with a stunning last run in the final seconds.

He clocked 1:09.511 minutes to outpace nearest rival Italian teenage rookie Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes by 0.174 seconds after Red Bull’s four-time champion Max Verstappen was eliminated in the first qualifying session and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari in Q2.

They qualified 16th and 13th, respectively, while McLaren teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri, who is nine points behind in the title race, was fourth behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in an unpredictable session run in windy conditions at Interlagos.

“It was tough out there with the conditions,” Norris said. “Just slippery and inconsistent, but good fun. It’s always a pleasure around this track. I felt good!

“I was under a bit of pressure because I messed up on my first lap, so it was more stressful than I would’ve liked, but I stayed calm when it mattered and put it altogether.

“So I’m happy. We’ve been on very good form. The team have given me a great car, so I’ve always got to thank them.

“I didn’t make it easy for them or for myself. Locking up at Turn One, it just put unnecessary pressure on myself, and the others are doing a good job, but I think that when I am in a good rhythm, stay calm, and put it all together, I’ll be on top.”

Piastri, who had crashed in the morning sprint race won by Norris, said he felt he had no more speed in the car.

“I just couldn’t go any faster, I think that was the biggest thing,” he said. “Very different conditions to what we had yesterday, I would say, and just about everything felt much trickier today.

“So, obviously, I’m a bit disappointed with the result, but the car has looked quick this weekend, especially over a longer run, so hopefully I can take advantage of that tomorrow.”

Antonelli said he was frustrated to finish behind Norris again after also finishing second in sprint qualifying as well as the sprint.

“I’m a bit annoyed that I am again behind him. We were so close this morning. It was a very tricky session with the wind, tricky to put a lap together, but I still managed to put a decent lap in the last run and happy with that.”

Leclerc said he felt satisfied with his lap after a difficult weekend for Ferrari.

“Everything is so close that it goes from being a disaster of a weekend to a really good weekend in a matter of a few hundredths,” he said. “I’m happy I could put everything together in Q2 and Q3, and that was crucial for us because it was very on the limit.”

Verstappen felt his car was “all over the place” as he failed to advance past the opening qualifying session for the first time since 2021.

“It was just bad, really bad,” said the Dutchman. “I don’t really understand how it can be this bad. So that, I think, is more important for us to understand at the moment.”

Lando Norris (centre), second-placed Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli (left), and third-placed Mercedes driver George Russell celebrate after the sprint race. (Photo: AFP)

Lando Norris exits his car after taking pole position in qualifying. (Photo: AFP)