THE Brazilian Grand Prix is here – and F1 champion Max Verstappen will start on pole in Interlagos.
The Dutchman pipped Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in qualifying after a huge storm forced it to be abandoned early.
Lewis Hamilton will start fifth on the Grid this afternoon as he eyes second place in the drivers' championship.
- Start time: 5pm GMT
- TV channel: Sky Sports F1.
- Live stream: NOW
- Grid: 1. Verstappen, 2. Leclerc, 3. Stroll, 4. Alonso, 5. Hamilton, 6. Norris, 7. Sainz, 8. Russell, 9. Perez, 10. Piastri, 11. Hulkenberg, 12. Magnussen, 13. Albon, 14. Ocon, 15 Gasly, 16. Tsunoda, 17. Ricciardo, 18. Bottas, 19. Guanyu, 20. Sargeant
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- By Kieran Davies
Heavy favourite for Sao Paulo race
As ever, Max Verstappen is the odds-on favourite to win this one.
Max Verstappen – 1/9
Lando Norris – 7/1
Lewis Hamilton – 16/1
Sergio Perez – 33/1
Charles Leclerc, George Russell – 40/1
Carlos Sainz, Oscar Piastri – 66/1
Fernando Alonso – 80/1
Lance Stroll – 250/1
Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon – 500/1
All race odds brought to you by MyBettingSites.
- By Kieran Davies
Lights literally out in Brazil
Despite this not being a night race, it got so dark in qualifying, you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise.
It was testing conditions to say the least, there are no headlights on these F1 cars.
It made for some spectacular sights however.
Credit: Getty - By Kieran Davies
Samba atmosphere for Grand Prix
One thing you can always guarantee, any event, Brazil will always put on a good show.
The party vibe continues in and around the track.
Results aside, one thing is for sure, Sao Paulo is going to enjoy this race.
Credit: Getty Credit: Getty
- By Kieran Davies
Brit with Mexican in his sights
While nobody is going to catch the leader, Lewis Hamilton has Sergio Perez in his sights for second place in the drivers' championship.
Currently, Perez is on 246 points, with Hamilton on 222 points.
The Mercedes driver will feel his form is good enough that he can still catch the Red Bull driver.
- By Kieran Davies
Ferrari thrive in testing environment
Finishing in second place in qualifying, just 0.294 seconds behind Verstappen, spoke about the sessions:
I've never experienced that in my career before. It felt like it was raining but there was no rain around. The wind change was crazy. There was just no grip from sector two onwards, which was extremely confusing because you had no idea where the balance would be at the corner you were approaching. At the end of the lap, I thought: 'This is not good enough, I am P10 for sure.' But luckily I wasn't.
Charles LeclercFerrari
- By Kieran Davies
Blast from the past on the grid
It has been a while in this F1 season since we saw the resurgence of Aston Martin.
Fernando Alonso in particular, was regularly on the podium in the early parts of the season.
The constructor will be hoping, given their grid positions, that they may have ironed out any creases with the car.
Stroll starts in third position, with Alonso in fourth.
- By Kieran Davies
Weather tests drivers in qualifying
The unpredictable conditions in Brazil really tested the F1 drivers as the qualifying session changed constantly.
As the clouds rolled in, the wind changed and a tailwind caused issues in clocking fast times.
Then when the heavens opened, the wet conditions and poor light really put the drivers to the sword.
Credit: Splash - By Kieran Davies
Wolff with investments on mind
Mercedes principal Toto Wolff has said that he would consider joining Sir Jim Ratcliffe investing in Man Utd.
I have never aimed for trophy investments but I like the competitiveness of the Premier League. Jim and Manchester United is a love story because he is born there. Our personal relationship is strong and with Ola Kallenius (Mercedes-Benz chief executive), they call us the Three Amigos because we live in the no-nonsense world. If we felt I could contribute then I would consider joining him at Manchester United.
Toto WolffMercedes
- By Kieran Davies
Ferrari stepping up to the plate
Charles Leclerc has really performed well in the second half of the season.
Despite having been disqualified in the United States Grand Prix for illegal upgrades, he has continued his fine form.
It is important that he continues to turn his grid positions into podium finishes.
- By Kieran Davies
Brazilian Grand Prix grid positions
Here is how the drivers will line up today:
Credit: @F1 - By Kieran Davies
Red Bull driver laments weather conditions
Max Verstappen gave his thoughts on how qualifying panned out:
We went for the lap. The first sector felt all right and the rest felt shocking. The rain was coming in. It was not hitting the track yet but the wind increased a lot and changed direction to a tailwind in the middle sector. I was shouting on the radio saying: 'What the hell happened?' We were nowhere, but the team said everyone was struggling. I have never seen such an influence on car balance.
Max VerstappenRed Bull
- By Kieran Davies
Looking to continue to drive to the Max
Despite having already confirmed another world championship victory, Max Verstappen is aiming to win as many races as possible until the end of the season.
Having beaten his own record for the amount of wins in a season, he is now looking to set levels that will take some beating in future years.
Starting in pole position today, it would be difficult to see anyone able to contest with the Dutch driver in Brazil.
- By Kieran Davies
Welcome to the Brazilian Grand Prix
Max Verstappen took pole position in a weather affected qualifying session. While it stayed dry for all the drivers’ first laps, they found it conditions difficult for many reasons.
Firstly, as jet black clouds were on the horizon, poor light was an issue for the drivers.
Some even reported the wind shifting into a completely different direction halfway through the qualifying session.
Once the rain started, times were drastically reduced and the tailwind created by the adverse weather made it difficult for all drivers.
Charles Leclerc continued his good recent form as he managed to get second place on the grid.
Aston Martin had a pleasing session as Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso finished third and fourth respectively.
Lewis Hamilton finished fifth while his Mercedes’ partner, George Russell, finished eighth.
Russell had finished sixth but was given a two place penalty for impeding Pierre Gasly while leaving the pits.
This resulted in Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz being promoted to sixth and seventh on the grid.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez finished ninth in qualifying but had a series of incidents with other drivers that really affected his laps.
One in particular was when he was behind Piastri when the Australian spun out.
- By Kieran Davies
Ferrari having strong finish
Charles Leclerc has shown his true form in the second half of the season, taking pole positions in the process.
While he was penalised for the car upgrades in the United States Grand Prix, he has continued his good form since.
Attaining podium finishes from these grid positions is key for the Ferrari driver today.
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