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Follow live F1 updates from the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo with rain expected for Sunday’s grand prix
Formula 1 returns to Brazil and the famous Interlagos circuit for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, round 20 of the 2026 season.
Kimi Antonelli became F1’s youngest-ever world champion as his podium last time out in Mexico City gave the 20-year-old Italian an unassailable lead in the championship race with four rounds remaining.
Max Verstappen continued his excellent run of form with a third victory in four races and now the Red Bull driver has leapt up to second in the leaderboard, two points clear of third-placed Lewis Hamilton and 11 points ahead of fourth-placed George Russell.
Hamilton was furious with his Ferrari team after seeing a win fall away in Mexico City following an early tangle with teammate Charles Leclerc. Hamilton is a three-time winner at the Interlagos circuit, the venue where he memorably won his first title in 2008.
Follow live action from the Sao Paulo Grand Prix with The Independent.
The Sao Paulo Grand Prix is scheduled to start at 5pm GMT.
Kieran Jackson8 November 2026 15:04
Good afternoon and welcome to live coverage of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix - and it’s all set up to be a cracker!
It’s not all about the front of the grid today, where Lando Norris will be on pole ahead of Kimi Antonelli. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen start at the back after taking engine penalties and they’ll both be looking to waltz their way through the field.
What’s more: rain is on the forecast at Interlagos. This should be fun!
Kieran Jackson8 November 2026 15:01
I think this is right...
1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
2. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
3. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
4. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
5. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
6. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
7. George Russell (Mercedes)**
8. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
9. Alex Albon (Williams)
10. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
11. Rafael Camara (Haas)
12. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
13. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
14. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)***
15. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
16. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
17. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
18. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
19. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
20. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)*
21. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)*
22. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
*Hamilton, Perez and Verstappen have back-of-the-grid penalties for exceeding their engine allocation
**Russell has a five-place grid drop
***Leclerc has a 10-place grid drop
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 21:30
“Congrats to Lando but definitely was the pole lap, misjudgment on our side, need to understand what went wrong our end.
“First time in a while I felt like myself, more confident in the wet then the dry, but unfortunately, when it mattered, we didn’t execute.”
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 21:10
"It was very tricky, didn't know what to expect, never driven here in the wet. Struggled in the inters, but still enough for P3, happy with that. Let's see the weather, overall we'll try to be ready for anything.
“A lot more knowledge ahead of tomorrow but the weather has been very unpredictable.”
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 20:46
That’s it then - Lando takes pole!
Very impressive... but that’s the one that got away from Russell!
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 20:39
That will be it! Here’s the results - with penalties to come!
1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
2. George Russell (Mercedes)
3. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
6. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
7. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
8. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
9. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
10. Alex Albon (Williams)
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 20:26
Russell: “Mate you told me to back off, what the hell!
Wolff: “George you’re P2...”
Russell: “P2, I don’t want to be P2, I want to be P1.”
He’s not happy. He does have a five-place grid penalty anyway...
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 20:22
Follow live F1 updates from the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo with rain expected for Sunday’s grand prix
Formula 1 returns to Brazil and the famous Interlagos circuit for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, round 20 of the 2026 season.
Kimi Antonelli became F1’s youngest-ever world champion as his podium last time out in Mexico City gave the 20-year-old Italian an unassailable lead in the championship race with four rounds remaining.
Max Verstappen continued his excellent run of form with a third victory in four races and now the Red Bull driver has leapt up to second in the leaderboard, two points clear of third-placed Lewis Hamilton and 11 points ahead of fourth-placed George Russell.
Hamilton was furious with his Ferrari team after seeing a win fall away in Mexico City following an early tangle with teammate Charles Leclerc. Hamilton is a three-time winner at the Interlagos circuit, the venue where he memorably won his first title in 2008.
Follow live action from the Sao Paulo Grand Prix with The Independent.
Russell is top, four-tenths clear of Norris, with Lawson in third - eight-tenths down.
The track is just about holding on!
4-10: Antonelli, Leclerc, Hulkenberg, Bearman, Hadjar, Alonso, Albon
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 20:20
This is tense!
They may just get one lap in with more rain on the radar... Fernando Alonso is the driver out in front.
Could it be a dream pole for Aston Martin?!
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 20:15
Fernando Alonso among the cars to speed up and go to the end of the pit-lane.
It’s very, very dark now - and there’s more rain coming...
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 20:13
A delay here just while they fix the barrier at the scene of Camara’s crash...
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 20:10
11. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
12. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
13. Rafael Camara (Haas)
14. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
15. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
16. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 20:07
Rafael Camara is in the wall at turn 5! Looks a big crash, but he’s all OK.
And with less than a minute left in Q2, that’s it - and Oscar Piastri is out in Q2!
Out in Q2 (11-16): Hamilton, Piastri, Camara, Lindblad, Sainz, Verstappen
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 20:05
Woah, the difference is massive.
P1 constantly changing all the time... who will make it through to Q3?
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 20:02
Russell and Antonelli sit at the top.
Lewis Hamilton, who starts at the back with Verstappen, is having too much fun and is still running!
And now Hadjar and Alonso are boxing for inters with five minutes left in Q2...
Current bottom-six (11-16): Camara, Lindblad, Sainz, Bearman, Albon, Verstappen
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 19:59
Follow live F1 updates from the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo with rain expected for Sunday’s grand prix
Formula 1 returns to Brazil and the famous Interlagos circuit for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, round 20 of the 2026 season.
Kimi Antonelli became F1’s youngest-ever world champion as his podium last time out in Mexico City gave the 20-year-old Italian an unassailable lead in the championship race with four rounds remaining.
Max Verstappen continued his excellent run of form with a third victory in four races and now the Red Bull driver has leapt up to second in the leaderboard, two points clear of third-placed Lewis Hamilton and 11 points ahead of fourth-placed George Russell.
Hamilton was furious with his Ferrari team after seeing a win fall away in Mexico City following an early tangle with teammate Charles Leclerc. Hamilton is a three-time winner at the Interlagos circuit, the venue where he memorably won his first title in 2008.
Follow live action from the Sao Paulo Grand Prix with The Independent.
17. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
18. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
19. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
20. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
21. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
22. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 19:46
Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto both out!
Out in Q1 (17-22): Colapinto, Gasly, Stroll, Bottas, Perez, Bortoleto
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 19:45
Super lap from Mr Saturday - he goes top, followed by Norris and Antonelli.
Current bottom-six (17-22): Perez, Colapinto, Sainz, Gasly, Stroll, Bortoleto
2:00 to go in Q1..
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 19:40
He’s ruined his rear-wing - he’s out.
Shame for the home hero.
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 19:37
The Brazilian has slammed into the wall - but has managed to rejoin the the track.
Times are tumbling every minute at the moment - currently the top-3 reads: Verstappen, Hulkenberg, Sainz.
Anything could happen in the remaining 7 minutes in Q1!
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 19:35
That was quick!
We’re back underway... and they’re all out there on full wets!
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 19:29
“Some final work being done by the marshals on track to clear the most sensitive areas.
“The level of rain is expected to remain stable for the foreseeable future.”
Should be underway soon...
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 19:27
"It's too dangerous," he adds. "There is a lot of standing water, even on the straights, and that creates high-speed aquaplaning. And safety-wise, hopefully the rain will be less and we will try again. We will try all our best.
"We were not expecting that amount of rain, so it can change here very simply - that's why it's called Interlagos ('between the lakes').
"So let's see what happens in the next 10-15 minutes and we try it again."
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 19:15
Follow live F1 updates from the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo with rain expected for Sunday’s grand prix
Formula 1 returns to Brazil and the famous Interlagos circuit for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, round 20 of the 2026 season.
Kimi Antonelli became F1’s youngest-ever world champion as his podium last time out in Mexico City gave the 20-year-old Italian an unassailable lead in the championship race with four rounds remaining.
Max Verstappen continued his excellent run of form with a third victory in four races and now the Red Bull driver has leapt up to second in the leaderboard, two points clear of third-placed Lewis Hamilton and 11 points ahead of fourth-placed George Russell.
Hamilton was furious with his Ferrari team after seeing a win fall away in Mexico City following an early tangle with teammate Charles Leclerc. Hamilton is a three-time winner at the Interlagos circuit, the venue where he memorably won his first title in 2008.
Follow live action from the Sao Paulo Grand Prix with The Independent.
“Marshals currently working at various corners around the track to clear any standing water.
“The current low level intensity of rain is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.”
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 18:31
The medical car has been out on the circuit in Interlagos - but it’s still falling.
No resumption time yet.
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 18:25
We expect this level of rain to continue for about 10 minutes. Once the conditions improve we intend to send the medical on track to assess the level of standing water.
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 18:15
“Wow, that was a nasty little shower - I’m so wet,” says Antonelli.
“I need a new suit,” says Isack Hadjar.
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 18:08
No incident but, as expected, it’s much too heavy for any actual running - visibility is near zero.
15:37 left in Q1 - not one lap set.
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 18:03
Good drama from the off!
It’s pretty heavy now and all the cars out straight away, on inters, are being told to dive in and switch to extreme wets!
I wonder if we’ll get some proper action here in Q1....
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 18:02
Rain is getting heavier at Sao Paulo.
How exciting!
Q1 coming up...
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 17:59
It’s wet in Sao Paulo.
Not downpours, by any means, but it has rained and it’s overcast. So.. what will they present?!
A reminder: Max Verstappen and now Lewis Hamilton have back of the grid penalties, while Charles Leclerc has a 10-place grid drop. George Russell also has a 5-place drop.
Open game then!
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 17:52
We’re hearing now that Lewis Hamilton will start alongside Max Verstappen at the back of the grid...
That’ll be fun!
Kieran Jackson7 November 2026 17:50
Lando Norris hopes so. "I certainly feel like the last few weekends, the pace has not been too bad on Sundays,” he said.
"I feel like if things were just a little, little bit better, talking small amounts, we certainly could have had better results. And I'm hoping that the upgrades and some of the things we have this weekend can maybe just shift us a little bit more in this direction.
"I certainly don't expect to go out and win races all of a sudden. But the last few weekends, we've certainly not been miles away. We certainly have some weaknesses in the car and just the drivability, the difficulty of driving it is certainly one of the biggest factors at the minute.
"But the potential has been there. So I hope if it just puts us a little bit more forward in qualifying, we just have a little bit better chance in the race. And of course, I would like to be back on the podium as soon as possible."
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