The reigning triple world champion Max Verstappen secured pole position for the 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix in what appeared to be a stormy qualifying session. What initially appeared as a close fight between Verstappen and McLaren’s Lando Norris was upended by rapidly worsening and unpredictable weather conditions.
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In a dramatic Q3 session, Verstappen managed a 1 minute 10.727 second lap, though almost six-tenths slower than his Q2 best. Nevertheless, it was enough to claim pole position with a comfortable margin, beating Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari by nearly three-tenths of a second.
Aston Martin made a strong showing, locking out the second row on the grid with Lance Stroll in third place recording his best qualifying result this season just ahead of teammate Fernando Alonso, a result attributed to their return to an older aero specification.
Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell completed the top six. Norris, who had displayed impressive pace earlier, had to settle for a disappointing seventh due to the rain.
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During the session, Carlos Sainz went off the track, affecting his lap and placing him eighth, ahead of Sergio Perez’s Red Bull, who had been remarkably close to Verstappen in Q2. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri failed to set a time in Q3 after spinning off at the final corner.
Post-session investigations loomed large for George Russell and Lance Stroll, noted for pitlane exit impeding and a too-slow out lap, respectively. The young Mercedes driver received a two-place grid drop, as did the Alpine duo of Ocon and Gasly.
Both Alpines, as well as the Haas drivers, joined Alex Albon’s Williams in being eliminated in Q2. Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen had initially found themselves in the top 10 but slipped out as others improved.
Hulkenberg improved on his final run but fell short by 0.172s, which denied him a spot in the top 10. Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly were eliminated in Q2, both embroiled in post-session investigations over pit-exit impeding.
Several drivers, due to intense competition, had to use extra sets of soft tires, and Esteban Ocon secured 14th place in his Alpine, bumping Tsunoda out of Q2 in the final moments of the session.
Despite qualifying a superb fourth-place in Mexico, AlphaTauri’s Daniel Ricciardo and his young Japanese teammate Yuki Tsunoda couldn’t make it through an extremely tight Q1 session where just 0.453s covered the fastest to 15th place.
Tsunoda was quicker than Ricciardo, who struggled heading into the Senna S, and only 0.006s separated them, resulting in a 16th and 17th grid position.
The Alfa Romeos, along with Logan Sargeant’s Williams, joined the AlphaTauris in being knocked out in Q1. Valtteri Bottas, despite his best efforts, finished just over a tenth behind Ricciardo. Zhou Guanyu and Sargeant couldn’t meet the needed time for Q2 qualification.
