SAO PAULO (AP) — It's shaping up to be a big weekend for Formula 1 leader Lando Norris.
The McLaren driver widened the gap to teammate Oscar Piastri by winning the sprint race of the Brazilian Grand Prix
on Saturday and followed it up by also taking pole position for Sunday's grid.
Norris beat Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli in qualifying by 0.174 seconds at the partially wet Interlagos track. Piastri will start from fourth position while Red Bull's Max Verstappen, the third contender for the title, finished a frustrating 16th.
Earlier, Norris, stretched his lead over Piastri from one to nine points after his teammate failed to finish the sprint race.
“Slippery, inconsistent, but fun,” Norris said about his two drives. “We have been in very good form, the team has given us a great car.”
With three races left after this weekend, Verstappen is 39 points behind going into Sunday.
Rain had been forecast for Sunday as well, but with those predictions now changing some drivers opted to use soft tires that they will now have to keep for the race. A year ago, the qualifying was moved to Sunday due to torrential downpours.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will start from third position, with teammate Lewis Hamilton only managing 13th in a disappointing qualifying session.
Norris finished ahead of Antonelli and Mercedes' George Russell in a sprint race that was also marked by crashes, including a hard hit of Sauber's home-crowd favorite Gabriel Bortoleto onto the wall in the final lap.
Antonelli finished only 0.845 second behind Norris after the McLaren driver lost some of his lead due to soft tires.
“Kimi certainly wasn't making my life easier,” Norris said after the sprint race. “Definitely not an easy race, always expect a difficult one in Brazil.”
Verstappen finished fourth position and shook his head in disappointment after crossing the line.
Ferrari's cars failed to impress, with LeClerc and Hamilton finishing fifth and seventh, respectively.
Norris is coming off a win in Mexico City. Piastri has struggled lately; he’s winless in five races and has not reached the podium since Monza in Italy two months ago when he finished third.
Verstappen, who aims to become the fourth driver to win five world titles, knows how to win in Brazil after victories in 2019, 2023 and 2024, when he fought from 17th at the start.
After his accident, Bortoleto said on the team radio that he was OK, but Sauber confirmed he would undergo medical examinations as a precaution.
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