Red Bull’s Max Verstappen will start Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix from 17th position as he fights McLaren’s Lando Norris for the Formula One drivers’ championship. Qualifying at Interlagos is still under way, but slowed due to two red flags as rain continues to fall in Sao Paulo.
The second leg of qualifying was cancelled with Verstappen in 12th position after Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll crashed.
The Dutchman failed to advance to the the final part of qualifying and will have to add a five-place grid punishment after changing his engine for the sixth time this season, exceeding the maximum allowance of four.
Sergio Perez, the second Red Bull driver, also failed to reach the final third of qualifying, and clocked the 13th fastest time.
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Qualifying started in low grip conditions at 7:30 a.m. local time (1030 GMT), and two red flags were shown after crashes by Stroll and Williams Franco Colapinto. The start of the Grand Prix was brought forward from 2 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. (1530 GMT). All drivers started off on wet tires, but moved to intermediates as the qualifying went on.
Many drivers arrived at Interlagos around 6 a.m. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. took the time to serve coffee for team staffers as they prepared for qualifying.
Organizers said qualifying on Sunday had only happened five times in F1 history and a German driver has secured pole position on every occasion. The most recent was at the 2019 Japanese Grand Prix, with four-time champion Sebastian Vettel starting from the front.
The FIA announced qualifying had been postponed Saturday after a two-hour delay, with no cars having the chance to clock any laps. It said in a statement that the decision was taken due to the lack of visibility caused by the level of rain, “with a lot of standing water on parts of the circuit which renders conditions unsafe.”
Many of the more than 60,000 fans that came to Interlagos on Saturday did not appear for qualifying Sunday morning.
The gap between Norris and Verstappen, with four grands prix and a final sprint race to the end of the season, is now 44 points. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc also has a long shot at the title.
Organizers are yet to decide whether the tribute to legendary three-time champion Ayrton Senna will take place on Sunday. The late Brazilian’s title-winning McLaren is scheduled to be driven by one of his biggest fans, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton.
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