Lando Norris will begin Saturday’s sprint race in Brazil from second on the grid, just behind teammate Oscar Piastri, as McLaren locked out the front row at Interlagos on what could be a big weekend for the Briton’s title hopes.

Norris trails Red Bull’s Verstappen by 47 points heading into the weekend. But with the Dutch driver only able to qualify fourth fastest for Saturday’s 24-lap sprint, and with Piastri likely to be asked to move aside for Norris if they maintain position at the start, there could be the chance for Norris to claw back a few points on Saturday before qualifying takes place for Sunday’s main grand prix.

Sprint races offer eight points to the winner, down to one point for eighth place.

Verstappen then has his work cut out on Sunday, with a five-place grid penalty looming after he elected to take a new internal combustion engine in Brazil.

McLaren were a class apart on Friday. Norris was quickest in practice and then set the pace for most of sprint qualifying, only for Piastri to nick pole in Q3 with a stonking lap which was +0.029 seconds quicker than his teammate managed.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was third quickest, a further two tenths back, with Verstappen fourth quickest, another tenth slower.

“I don’t care about where he qualified,” Norris insisted when asked about Verstappen’s starting position. “For me, it’s just focus on my job. Tomorrow is a completely different day. We’ll see. We definitely made some good steps forward [on Friday]. We’ll see in the sprint tomorrow.”

British teenager Ollie Bearman, meanwhile, will start 10th in his Haas after receiving an 11th hour call-up to replace Kevin Magnussen, who fell ill overnight. Bearman, a Ferrari junior driver, is taking the Haas seat on a permanent basis from next season, but will be delighted to have this unexpected opportunity to impress after his brilliant debut in the Ferrari in Saudi Arabia earlier this year. Bearman impressed again on Friday, going third quickest in practice before advancing to Q3 which was something his more experienced teammate Nico Hulkenberg could not manage.

Lewis Hamilton also failed to make it into Q3, qualifying 11th, five places behind Mercedes teammate George Russell.

The main interest on Saturday, though, as on Sunday, will be the battle for the drivers’ title. Verstappen is in the box seat, with a healthy lead in the standings. But Norris has a golden opportunity to reduce the deficit this weekend and appears to have his game face on.

The 24-year-old admitted earlier this week that he had not spoken to Verstappen in the wake of their coming together in Mexico last weekend, when the Dutch driver was handed a combined 20-second penalty for driving him off track. Intriguingly, Norris also rowed back a bit on their friendship in general. Speaking ahead of sprint qualifying, the McLaren driver said he still “respected” Verstappen “a lot”, and had a laugh with him off-track, but he was not concerned about going toe-to-toe with him.

“Everybody thinks we are better mates than we are,” Norris said. “I don’t talk to him every day. I don’t talk to him every week. I don’t talk to him every month. I have other people who are my real friends. My true friends. But he’s a guy I get along with well off the track. He’s a guy I respect a lot. I have known him longer than anyone else on the grid, from karting.

“I was speaking to him last week before the race and having a laugh. That doesn’t change. I am good at keeping things separate. Whether a good thing or bad. Like I said, how I focus on track is different from off track. If someone treats me like s--- on track, it doesn’t mean I will treat them like s--- off the track. They are two different worlds.”

07:59 PM GMT

Exclusive: Oscar Piastri: I would sacrifice a win to help Lando Norris’ title bid – but only if McLaren asked

Tom Cary spoke to the Australian in the Interlagos paddock earlier this week and you can read his full, in-depth interview here.

07:49 PM GMT

That does sound a bit like Hamilton has checked out

That is not to say that he will not try, but more that he is not really invested in what this car has to offer him any more. And who can blame him, really? He has four races left with Mercedes and then he is off to Ferrari. And the Mercedes has been back and forth in the last three seasons. Just when it seemed like they had a handle on their issues they slip back again.

07:40 PM GMT

More from Hamilton

He is asked about hopes for the sprint race (and beyond) with the car’s long-run pace:

07:39 PM GMT

Hamilton after his 11th place

07:26 PM GMT

Since McLaren implemented team orders

Or at least the theory that Piastri should help Norris’s championship hopes, there have been few chances for it to be put into action. Tomorrow’s sprint might throw up that opportunity.

If McLaren is as far ahead of the field as they were today then they will walk the sprint. Doesn’t necessarily have to be like that, though.

07:25 PM GMT

Norris reacts to his front row and is asked about Verstappen

07:20 PM GMT

Piastri reacts to his second sprint-race pole

07:18 PM GMT

SQ3 - Classification

1. PIA 1:08.899

2. NOR +0.029

3. LEC +0.254

4. VER +0.320

5. SAI +0.358

6. RUS +0.544

7. GAS +0.723

8. LAW +1.042

9. ALB +1.179

10. BEA (NO TIME)

07:17 PM GMT

PIASTRI TAKES SPRINT POLE!

Norris looked unbeatable there but Piastri find the time from somewhere to take sprint race pole by 0.029sec. McLaren lock out the front row in perhaps the “wrong” order. Leclerc third, Verstappen fourth.

Not many times that Piastri has beaten Norris in qualifying this year, sprint or otherwise.

07:15 PM GMT

SQ3 - Piastri has a chance for pole here!

He knocks Norris down to second! Leclerc just 0.254sec off Norris. What is Norris’s lap time? It’s not good. He abandons his lap before he can get across the line.

Verstappen still has to complete his lap and pole is looking very unlikely. It’s only fourth 0.320sec off Piastri, who pulled out a lap at the very death there.

07:14 PM GMT

SQ3 - Bearman makes a mess of turn two

He declines to bail out of the lap and return for another attempt. He goves to fourth but has his lap time deleted for track limits so it was all a tremendous waste of time.

Sainz moves into third but 0.329sec off Norris. What can Leclerc do? Second. Piastri is improving...

07:12 PM GMT

SQ3 - Albon is 1.150sec behind Norris

A good effort to get into SQ3 but that lap is a couple of tenths slower than he managed in SQ2 so will want to find more time. The rest of the cars get out to set their one flying lap in this short session. McLaren will probably go again on these tyres.

07:11 PM GMT

SQ3 - This is another fine lap from Norris

He’s into the 1:08s with a 1:08.928sec. 0.297sec ahead of Piastri on a short lap. That translates to 0.37 per cent which is large. Looks like Piastri took a fairly rough line into and out of the Senna-S corners.

07:09 PM GMT

SQ3 - It gets gloomier still

Both McLaren drivers are out there early, along with Albon. Everyone else sitting in the garage. Soft tyres mandated in this session. Norris a couple of tenths or so ahead of his team-mate in sector one...

07:08 PM GMT

SQ3 begins - Another good showing from Bearman

Also from Lawson. Both men out-qualify their more experienced team-mates. Perez in 13th. Is it a disaster? Not really. Certainly not in the general context of his season. You just cannot see how he can find the form to keep the Red Bull seat in 2025.

07:02 PM GMT

SQ2 - Classification

1. NOR 1:09.063

2. PIA  +0.176

3. LEC +0.185

4. VER +0.426

5. SAI +0.437

6. GAS +0.547

7. BEA +0.566

8. RUS +0.620

9. LAW +0.764

10. ALB +0.781
    ELIMINATED:

11. HAM

12. HUL

13. PER

14. COL

15. BOT

07:01 PM GMT

SQ2 - Hamilton looking to get into the next session

It’s not a fantastic lap... only 11th. So he joins Perez, Hulkenberg, Colapinto and Bottas to be eliminated.

Piastri sneaked into second 0.176sec behind Piastri with Leclerc just behind in third.

07:00 PM GMT

SQ2 - Bearman goes sixth

That pushes Perez out as it stands. Lawson moves ninth and Perez moves further down. Perez is out there but will not get to the line in time to complete another lap. What a mess. Again.

06:58 PM GMT

SQ2 - Norris leads Verstappen

Haas have not yet done a lap in either of their cars but are about to begin on a clear track. Lawson hasn’t done a lap yet either.

06:56 PM GMT

SQ2 - Who is in the drop zone?

It’s Bottas, Colapinto, Bearman, Hulkenberg and Lawson.

“Turn 4 the car now doesn’t turn with this wing setting,” is what Verstappen says.

06:55 PM GMT

SQ2 - Verstappen second

Only just, though. In that he is miles behind Alonso but less than a tenth ahead of Sainz in third.

06:55 PM GMT

SQ2 - What can Piastri do?

It’s good enough for third but he’s more than half a second off his team-mate. Sainz is in second, 0.437sec off Norris’s time. Hamilton is only seventh, 1.171sec off...

Verstappen does a good first sector, fastest of anyone. He’s nearly three-tenths down after two sectors, though...

Perez 0.68sec down at the same stage...

06:54 PM GMT

SQ2 - Russell on the board with a 1:09.683

Norris looks likely to beat that quite comfortably, I think. Indeed he does, by 0.620sec. That McLaren of his looks pretty hooked up. It’s a short lap and he’s bossing it.

06:50 PM GMT

SQ2 begins

It’s getting gloomier and it looks rather gusty out there, too.

06:46 PM GMT

SQ1 - Classification

These 15 drivers make it through.

1. NOR 1:09.477

2. PIA +0.788

3. ALB +0.889

4. LEC +0.911

5. PER +0.915

6. VER +0.932

7. BEA +0.965

8. HUL +0.989

9. COL +0.993

10. RUS +1.002

11. SAI +1.026

12. LAW +1.148

13. HAM +1.148

14. GAS +1.153

15. BOT +1.384

06:44 PM GMT

SQ1 - Drivers out

Alonso, Ocon, Tsunoda, Stroll, Zhou.

06:44 PM GMT

SQ1 - Bearman into fifth

Another fine lap from the youngster. Norris flying here, will he finish his lap? He does and goes fastest overall by nearl eight-tenths. Big.

Colapinto is in 20th, Albon his team-mate is third. He needs to string this lap together and does! He moves up to ninth and knocks Alonso out. Hmmm. Both Aston Martins out.

06:43 PM GMT

SQ1 - Tsunoda improves

Alonso still in the drop zone but is improving enormously. Leclerc sneaks into second. Alonso goes 11th and should make it through. Gasly now in the drop zone. Colapinto needs to find some lap time and will be the final man across the line, I think. Or close to it.

06:42 PM GMT

SQ1 - Verstappen posts the fastest first sector again

It was the next two that let him down, how can he do this time? Hamilton on an OKish lap, but not pulling up any trees. Might move up into the top six here. Perez improving in the middle sector though. Verstappen goes second overall, Hamilton P8 with an average final sector.

Perez beats Verstappen into second, which is an improvement from what he has been offering lately.

06:41 PM GMT

SQ1 - Top 10 as it stands

1. PIA

2. LEC

3. HUL

4. SAI

5. LAW

6. VER

7. NOR

8. RUS

9. HAM

10. ALB

Two minutes remain and the final runs are under way.

06:38 PM GMT

SQ1 - Sainz in 18th

And he moves up to fourth 0.238sec off Piastri.

Alonso, Bottas, Stroll, Zhou and Colapinto are in the drop zone with four minutes remaining.

06:37 PM GMT

SQ1 - Piastri now goes fastest

Ahead of Lawson, who had just moved there. What is Verstappen doing? It’s the fastest first sector of anyone but drops a couple of tenths in the second sector.

How is the final sector? Not great either, he ends uo 0.325sec off the pace overall and in fourth. A good first sector but beyond that, not much.

06:35 PM GMT

SQ1 - Lap times tumbling

Perez, then Albon and then Russell go to the top of the leaderboard. This track is going to rubber in quickly now. Hamilton crosses the line slower but within a tenth of his team-mate Russell. Norris then beats them both by about 0.2sec.

06:34 PM GMT

SQ1 - Leclerc leads the way

A 1:11.654sec with Sainz six-tenths off that. Early days yet. I do think this is one of the best tracks on the calendar. Just a real challenge. Undulating too and often produces great racing.

06:32 PM GMT

SQ1 - 10 mins remain

Will it rain? Perhaps.

06:30 PM GMT

GREEN LIGHT: SQ1 is go

A reminder that this session is just a shortened version of the three-part main qualifying session that we will have tomorrow.

06:29 PM GMT

Right, we are nearly ready to get going

Predictions? Looks slightly overcast at Interlagos. I think McLaren will be strong. But let’s see if Ferrari or Verstappen can match them.

06:25 PM GMT

Verstappen accuses F1 stewards of ‘bias’ and double standards

Read more here.

06:17 PM GMT

Hamilton is driving Senna’s 1990 McLaren this weekend

It’s the MP4/5B with which Senna won his second title for the team.

06:14 PM GMT

Current constructor standings

This is a big weekend for McLaren. Well, that all are now. They are chasing their first constructors’ title since 1998 against a Ferrari after their first title of any kind since 2008. Ferrari are on the up but the question is if McLaren can stop the rot against a team that has been in great form recently.

06:04 PM GMT

Current driver standings

At the moment that Lando Norris championship fight is mostly theoretical. That said, were he to take 15 from Verstappen this weekend, then it might worry Red Bull. 15 is a lot but that could be a few points in the sprint and then if Norris won and Verstappen was fourth, that’s it there.

05:59 PM GMT

Verstappen spoke yesterday about his driving

Will he change? No. Would you expect him to?

05:58 PM GMT

16 years this weekend (and at this track) since Massa’s title near miss

I spoke to Rob Smedley, Massa’s race engineer at the time, about his recollections from that year as well as the following year when the Brazilian near lost his life in an accident at the Hungaroring.

Read the full piece here: Felipe Massa’s 2008 world title near miss, by the man who knew him best

05:48 PM GMT

Session times for this weekend

Friday

Sprint qualifying 6.30pm GMT

Saturday

Sprint race 2pm
Qualifying 6pm

Sunday

Sao Paolo Grand Prix 5pm

05:40 PM GMT

Bearman replaces Magnussen for today (and the sprint tomorrow)

No confirmation either way whether Magnussen will take part in the qualifying for the grand prix tomorrow, but you would imagine if he is fit that is the intention. If not then Bearman is an able deputy. He will drive for the team next year, remember and stepped in for Magnussen when he was banned for the Azerbaijan GP. He also deputised for Carlos Sainz at Ferrari in Saudi Arabia.

05:35 PM GMT

Times after FP1

1. Lando Norris, McLaren 1:10.610

2. George Russell, Mercedes +0.181sec

3. Oliver Bearman, Haas +0.195sec

4. Oscar Piastri, McLaren +0.340sec

5. Alexander Albon, Williams +0.345sec

6. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +0.428sec

7. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari +0.490sec

8. Nico Hulkenberg, Haas +0.514sec

9. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin +0.605sec

10. Pierre Gasly, Alpine +0.606sec

11. Liam Lawson, RB +0.691sec

12. Yuki Tsunoda, RB +0.873sec

13. Franco Colapinto, Williams +1.009sec

14. Valtteri Bottas, Sauber +1.041sec

15. Max Verstappen, Red Bull +1.102sec

16. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes +1.144sec

17. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +1.173sec

18. Esteban Ocon, Alpine +1.217sec

19. Sergio Perez, Red Bull, +1.235sec

20. Zhou Guanyu, Sauber +2.273sec

05:24 PM GMT

Good afternoon F1 fans

Welcome to our coverage for sprint qualifying for the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix from Interlagos. As with the Mexico City Grand Prix last weekend, this is another one of those races whose official title takes its name from the city that hosts it rather than the country. In many people’s eyes, though, this is the Brazilian Grand Prix and that is fair enough.

Anyway, this is the fifth out of six sprint weekends this year with Qatar the final of those in the triple-header that finishes this year. The big news out of Interlagos today is that Max Verstappen will take a five-place grid drop for the race on Sunday after changing his Internal Combustion Engine outside of the permitted amount. Red Bull have, however, kept some of the power unit’s elements from previous races which has saved him from a heftier penalty.

How crucial could that be in the grand scheme of things? Well, it is a small help to Lando Norris certainly but given there is a 47-point gap between the pair with four races and two sprints to go, he needs to take 12 points on average each race weekend from his Dutch rival to secure the title. He also needs to eat into Verstappen’s advantage by roughly seven points in the next three rounds to ensure the title goes to the final round, which would be something.

The penalty ensures that Verstappen will start at best sixth on Sunday. Does the Red Bull have the pace to fight its way through the field? Well, it is certainly possible and a new engine might well help his cause. Still, there is no guarantee that Norris finishes in the top two in any case, with Ferrari resurgent having won three of the last five races. It is, though, a long time since Red Bull won a grand prix. Indeed 10 rounds have passed since the Spanish Grand Prix in June.

Anyway, there is also a chance for Norris to eat into Verstappen’s lead with the sprint race and qualifying for that gets under way in about an hour. We have just had first practice at Interlagos and Lando Norris beat George Russell by 0.181sec with Oliver Bearman, who deputises for Kevin Magnussen today, in third for Haas. Verstappen, who did not get a clean soft-tyre run in, was down in 15th. 1.102sec off the pace.