FACTS AND STATS: Verstappen exits in Q1 for first time in four years but Dutchman has previous of famous comeback drives in Brazil

Lando Norris grabbed pole for the Grand Prix in Sao Paulo for the second straight year, having already bagged the P1 starting slot for the Sprint. The McLaren man is having a very solid weekend, but he is not the only one impressing. Here are some of the best facts and stats from Qualifying in Brazil…

• The front row for the Grand Prix is the same as for the Sprint.
• Norris is on pole, having seen title rivals Oscar Piastri fail to score in the Sprint and Max Verstappen eliminated in Q1.
• It is the McLaren man’s sixth Grand prix pole of the season, as he takes consecutive poles for the first time in 2025.

• Kimi Antonelli qualified second, to become the third-youngest driver ever to start from the front row in a Grand Prix at 19 years and 76 days. Only Lance Stroll and Verstappen were younger.
• Antonelli was 44 days old the last time both Red Bulls were knocked out in Q1 – Japan 2006.
• The Italian out-qualified his team mate for a Grand Prix for only the third time this season.
• Charles Leclerc was P3, his third consecutive top three Grand Prix start. He has never finished on the podium at Interlagos.
• Piastri was fourth, which is his first top-five start since Singapore, and his first top-six start in a Grand Prix at Interlagos.
• Isack Hadjar grabbed P5, as Racing Bulls qualify a car in the top five in Brazil for the second consecutive season. It is also his third top-five start in his rookie season.
• George Russell was sixth, having only started outside the top six for a Grand Prix once this year back in Monaco.

• Liam Lawson qualified P7, his first top-10 start since he was third on the grid in Azerbaijan.
• Ollie Bearman made it to Q3 for the fourth consecutive race, a career-best run as he bagged P8.
• Pierre Gasly made his first Q3 appearance in nine races for Alpine.
• Nico Hulkenberg reached Q3 for the first time this season, having also reached SQ3 yesterday. He grabbed Kick Sauber’s first top 10 start here since 2019.
• Fernando Alonso was 11th, as he failed to reach the top 10 here for the first time since 2018.
• Alex Albon qualified P12, his highest start since Belgium, eight races ago.
• Lewis Hamilton was only 13th, having failed to reach Q3 six times this season.
• Lance Stroll made it to Q2 for just the second time in the last seven Grands Prix.

• Carlos Sainz improved on his P20 from Sprint Qualifying, but could only manage P15.
• Verstappen was 16th, having been eliminated in Q1 on pure pace for the first time in his F1 career.
• It was his seventh career Q1 elimination, but the rest all related to things like imminent power unit penalties. The last time he missed out in Q1 was at Sochi in 2021.
• Verstappen won from P17 in the grid in the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
• The only times that both Hamilton and Verstappen have failed to reach Q3 at the same race when both have been competing are Sao Paulo 2025 and Sao Paulo 2024.
• Esteban Ocon suffered his 10th Q1 elimination of the season, having finished on the podium at this race last season.
• Franco Colapinto was 18th, which was also his 10th Q1 exit of the year.
• Yuki Tsunoda suffered his first Q1 elimination since Hungary, making it the first time both Red Bulls were eliminated in Q1 since Japan 2006, which was a 378-race streak.
• Gabriel Bortoleto failed to come out in Q1, and starts last, he will hope to emulate Sainz, who finished third from last on the grid here in 2019.