2026 F1 Brazilian Grand Prix Starting Grid After Five Penalties

The weather in Interlagos once again made for an exhilarating Brazilian Grand Prix qualifying session as the drivers took on the challenge of a very wet track. Lando Norris remained a strong qualifier in Brazil, achieving his third consecutive pole position at Interlagos, but the ultimate starting grid of the race has an unusual look about it.

Much of it has to do with the fact that several front runners have been given major grid penalties for taking on new PU (power unit) components that exceed their seasonal quota. As such, the grid will see some unfamiliar faces line up in the Top 10 for the race start in Sao Paulo.

While Norris remains in P1, George Russell, who narrowly missed pole, will start the race in P7 after a five-place grid penalty. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will be dropping 10 places from his original P4 finish, leaving him starting from P14. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were not full session participants as they knew they had back-of-the-grid penalties to come.

Sergio Perez also had a penalty to his name, but with Cadillac already being a back marker this season, it hardly made a difference to the overall outlook of the grid. But as things stand, the provisional starting grid for the Sao Paulo GP after adjusting all the penalties looks like this:

P1 Lando Norris
P2 Kimi Antonelli
P3 Liam Lawson
P4 Nico Hulkenberg
P5 Isack Hadjar
P6 Ollie Bearman
P7 George Russell
P8 Fernando Alonso
P9 Alex Albon
P10 Oscar Piastri
P11 Rafael Camara
P12 Arvid Lindblad
P13 Carlos Sainz
P14 Charles Leclerc
P15 Franco Colapinto
P16 Pierre Gasly
P17 Lance Stroll
P18 Valtteri Bottas
P19 Gabriel Bortoleto
P20 Lewis Hamilton
P21 Max Verstappen
P22 Sergio Perez

Notably, Hamilton had the biggest penalty of all the automatic last-place qualifiers, but he starts ahead of Verstappen and Perez, given that he set the fastest time of the three of them.

What the Teams Said After Brazilian Grand Prix Qualifying

With McLaren getting pole position through Norris, team principal Andrea Stella claimed that the result was a “real source of satisfaction.” He felt that the driver put in an excellent drive in extreme conditions, while the whole team did a good job of managing a very tricky session due to the rapidly changing weather conditions.

Meanwhile, he felt that it was a shame Oscar Piastri couldn’t make it higher up the order after a red flag halted his progress.

Mercedes’ Toto Wolff tipped his hat to all the F1 drivers for taking on such harsh conditions. While he was disappointed to see Russell miss out on pole, the German was still happy to see his driver return to form, with Antonelli putting in yet another solid drive in the eyes of his team principal.

Ferrari’s Fred Vasseur complimented the Race Director on how he handled the session amid torrential rain, labeling it a “long session” with “extreme conditions.” As for his drivers, Vasseur knew they were bound to take a late-season penalty, and the team decided Interlagos would be the perfect venue for this as it is easy for drivers to move up the order.

For Red Bull, Laurent Mekies feels Verstappen will be the one facing the real challenge, given how far back he’ll be starting from. But with racing being unpredictable in Brazil, there’s no telling how everything will ultimately pan out. But the team hopes to make the most of every opportunity to help its drivers move up.

Mercedes Have the Perfect Opportunity in Brazil

Heading into the Brazilian Grand Prix, Mercedes have the first real opportunity to secure the 2026 double championship. With Antonelli taking the drivers’ crown last weekend, the Silver Arrows only need to outscore Ferrari by three points in São Paulo for the constructors’ championship.

And while things looked tricky with Russell’s form prior to the race weekend, they seem to have worked out well for the Brackley-based outfit. With Antonelli starting from P2 and Russell lining up in P7, Mercedes already have one hand on the trophy. From here on, it’s just a matter of avoiding any silly mistakes and bringing the cars home.

With both Ferrari cars lining up outside the points-scoring positions, the Scuderia have a massive job on their hands to not only climb through the ranks, but also to stop Mercedes from outscoring them by three points in the 71-lap race.

More F1 Reading

• Formula 1 Locks in Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos Through 2035 With Five-Year Extension
• ‘First Time in a While I Felt Confident’: George Russell Rues Missed Pole as Mercedes ‘Misjudgment’ Costs Him in Brazil 
• Toto Wolff Won’t Force Unwilling Mercedes Personnel to Work at Qatar and Abu Dhabi GPs
• ‘Get Used to It’: Lewis Hamilton Teases New Dad Charles Leclerc Over Sleepless Nights