Lewis Hamilton dominated Formula 1 qualifying for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix sprint race and was quickest in all sessions, taking pole position for Saturday’s event in Brazil.
Mercedes decided to put a new internal combustion engine (ICE) in Hamilton’s car, thus the seven-time champion will incur a five-place grid penalty for the race, but before that he will start from the front of the grid in Sprint Qualifying.
Hamilton’s F1 title rival and leader of the Drivers’ Championship Max Verstappen was second, almost half a second behind the Mercedes, with Valtteri Bottas rounding out the top three.
At the back of the grid, Williams driver George Russell was out qualified by teammate Nicholas Latifi for the first time this season.
Full 2021 F1 Sao Paulo GP Qualifying Results
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Q3 Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:07.934 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.438 |
| 3 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | +0.535 |
| 4 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | +0.549 |
| 5 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | +0.843 |
| 6 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | +0.892 |
| 7 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +1.026 |
| 8 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +1.046 |
| 9 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren | +1.105 |
| 10 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine | +1.179 |
| 11 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | Eliminated Q2 |
| 12 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin | Eliminated Q2 |
| 13 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | Eliminated Q2 |
| 14 | Kimi Raikkonen | Alfa Romeo | Eliminated Q2 |
| 15 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo | Eliminated Q2 |
| 16 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | Eliminated Q1 |
| 17 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams | Eliminated Q1 |
| 18 | George Russell | Williams | Eliminated Q1 |
| 19 | Mick Schumacher | Haas | Eliminated Q1 |
| 20 | Nikita Mazepin | Haas | Eliminated Q1 |
