F1 Sprint Qualifying Results: Norris tightens grip on title as Verstappen slumps at Brazilian Grand Prix

Lando Norris has laid down an early marker in the F1 championship fight for the second race weekend in a row.

Max Verstappen called his Red Bull 'completely broken' as he could only put himself on the third row of the grid, with the championship leader Norris creating a gap to his biggest rivals.

Norris' triumph on Friday marks his first sprint pole since Qatar 2024, and therefore the first of the season in the 100km format for the Brit.

Rookie driver Kimi Antonelli surprised by putting his Mercedes second fastest on the timesheet, splitting Norris from his team-mate and fellow title contender Oscar Piastri.

Antonelli's own team-mate George Russell will line up alongside the Aussie driver on the second row for Saturday's sprint having finished qualifying in P4 and two-time champion Fernando Alonso rounded out the top five fastest drivers after impressing in SQ1 and SQ2.

As a result, Hamilton will start Saturday's sprint race all the way down in P11 and to make matters worse, is set to be investigated by the FIA stewards for a yellow flag infringement.

Interlagos has hosted a sprint race every year since the format was introduced in 2021, but no driver is yet to claim the victory more than once, with Valtteri Bottas, George Russell, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris having all won a 100km race in Sao Paulo in the last four years.

Pole position will provide whichever driver who manages to claim it an advantage heading into the 24-lap race on Saturday.

F1 Sprint Qualifying Results: Brazilian Grand Prix 2025

How does F1 sprint qualifying work?

The qualifying session is split into three finite windows, which provide a dramatic prelude to Sunday's race.

The bottom five drivers are eliminated at the end of SQ1, with a further five eliminated after SQ2.

Then, SQ3 gives us a shootout between the remaining 10 drivers in the battle for positions at the front of the grid.

READ MORE: F1 2025 Standings: The gap between Norris, Piastri and Verstappen after Mexico Grand Prix

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