OFFICIAL GRID: Who’s where in Brazil as multiple frontrunners take penalties

The full official starting order for the 2026 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 01: Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red

The Sao Paulo Grand Prix will see outgoing World Champion Lando Norris start from pole for McLaren, with newly-crowned World Champion Kimi Antonelli alongside him for Mercedes. It follows a remarkable, rain-hit Qualifying session at Interlagos.

Liam Lawson is a superb third for Racing Bulls, while Nico Hulkenberg’s wet-weather skills put Audi on the second row in P4. Isack Hadjar lines up fifth for Red Bull, with the Haas of Oliver Bearman joining him on row three.

George Russell finished Qualifying second, but drops to P7 for Mercedes thanks to power unit changes, putting him next to the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso for the start. Williams’ Alex Albon and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri complete a rather unusual top 10.

That leaves some pretty big names to come, all hit by power-unit penalties. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is 14th after a 10-place drop, and look out for team mate Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen charging from the back – they start 20th and 21st after respective 75- and 30-place demotions.

Arvid Lindblad has also dropped down the order to P18 after making power unit changes on Sunday morning, while Gabriel Bortoleto starts P19 after a challenging Saturday.

Starting Grid

FORMULA 1 MSC CRUISES GRANDE PRÊMIO DE SÃO PAULO 2026

Pos.DriverTime
1Lando NorrisNOR1:27.470
2Kimi AntonelliANT1:28.095
3Liam LawsonLAW1:28.321
4Nico HulkenbergHUL1:28.668
5Isack HadjarHAD1:28.763
6Oliver BearmanBEA1:29.831
7George RussellRUS1:27.674
8Fernando AlonsoALO1:30.311
9Alexander AlbonALB1:30.456
10Oscar PiastriPIA1:30.369
View all standings

The 2026 Sao Paulo Grand Prix starts at 1400 local time. Be sure to join our live coverage from 1300 here.