Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has clinched pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix ahead of Sebastian Vettel and world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Verstappen posted a fastest lap of 1 minute 07.508 seconds on the Interlagos track, edging Vettel by 0.123, to head the grid for Sunday’s grand prix, the penultimate race of the Formula One season.
Hamilton was third, 0.191 behind Verstappen, and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc fourth ahead of Valtteri Bottas in a Mercedes.
Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo will start at 12th on the grid but Leclerc was later, demoted by 10 places on the grid after an engine change.
It was a second career pole for Dutchman Verstappen, whose previous was at this season’s Hungarian Grand Prix. He did qualify on pole for the Mexican GP but was later handed a three-place grid penalty for a yellow flag breach.
“The car was really good,” he said.
“The track temperature was changing so we had to adjust to that but straight away from Q1 the car was flying and really enjoyable to drive, so I’m really happy with this pole position.”
Verstappen’s pole came on the birthday of Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. “That was the best birthday present – you were brilliant in all three sessions,” Horner said in a message over team radio.
Hamilton clinched a sixth career world title with two races to spare almost two weeks ago in the United States, but it is now the ninth race weekend without a pole for the 34-year-old Briton.
“Congrats to Max, obviously a great lap by him,” he said.
“We seemed quite competitive in P3 (third practice with Hamilton fastest) and then we seemed to lose or they gained, but nonetheless I’m happy I could divide the Ferraris.”
Vettel said he was “carefully optimistic” for Sunday’s race.
“Happy with the front row – now we see what we can do tomorrow,” he said.
“We got better through qualifying which was the target and we were improving, so we’ll see how it plays out in the race.”
The remaining top 10 positions were taken by Red Bull’s Alexander Albon, Pierre Gasly in a Toro Rosso, Romain Grosjean in a Haas, Kimi Raikkonen in an Alfa Romeo and Kevin Magnussen in a Haas.
Lando Norris (McLaren), Ricciardo (Renault), Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo), Nico Huelkenberg (Renault) and Sergio Perez (Racing Point) missed the cut in the second session
Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso), Lance Stroll (Racing Point), George Russell (Williams), Robert Kubica (Williams) and Carlos Sainz (McLaren), who had an engine problem, went out in Q1.