The incredible action with which Aussie Oscar Piastri secured pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix

Australian Oscar Piastri has secured pole position for the São Paulo sprint race at the Brazilian Grand Prix, leaving McLaren teammate Lando Norris behind in the closing stages.

Piastri’s clocked a blistering late lap of 1:08.899, narrowly edging Norris by just 0.029 seconds and securing a McLaren front-row exclusion.

Charles Leclerc finished third for Ferrari, while Max Verstappen, the current championship leader, finished fourth.

“The track progressed very quickly and I caught up on the runs and then put him on pole,” Piastri said after the intense sprint qualifying session.

‘I’m not surprised by our pace. As of this morning, we felt confident here.”

Although Norris was pleased with his performance, he did not talk about his championship aspirations.

‘I hate answering these questions. I just focus on my own work and that’s it. I don’t care where Max qualifies,” he said.

Verstappen blames the limitations of his Red Bull on the bumpy Interlagos track, as he fell behind the McLaren duo.

“It’s very bumpy here and not suitable for our car,” he said.

The bumpy track conditions, exacerbated by a new asphalt surface, posed additional challenges for the drivers.

“I think everyone was a bit thrown off by how bumpy the track was, so I think there were a lot of changes in the set-up,” Piastri said.

Norris led after the first two qualifying sessions, but in the final segment Piastri benefited from his setup adjustments.

In the final minutes of SQ3, when McLaren sent both drivers out on soft tyres, Piastri and Norris faced minimal traffic.

This strategy proved effective as Piastri took pole on the final lap.

“We were a little concerned about the weather, but we also thought the mild weather could sustain a second round,” Piastri said.

“I think I put in a really good lap on the very first lap of the session in SQ1, and then I didn’t do a second lap at the end of SQ1, and I think the track just progressed really quickly.”

Although happy with pole position, Piastri remained aware of his teammate’s title aspirations.

“I said I would from the moment we first had these discussions,” he said, indicating he would consider helping Norris earn points.

“It would be nice to win, but it’s one point different and it’s not the main race.”

“First and second is the first goal, and then we’ll see where it is. I know I’m not in contention for the drivers’ standings.’

George Russell took sixth place for Mercedes, followed by Pierre Gasly in seventh and Liam Lawson in eighth.

Williams driver Alex Albon finished ninth, while Oliver Bearman, who replaced the ill Kevin Magnussen at Haas, completed the top ten.

Lewis Hamilton was among those eliminated in the second stage of qualifying, finishing 11th, while Sergio Perez finished 13th. Franco Colapinto and Valtteri Bottas also failed to progress, alongside Haas’ Nico Hülkenberg in 12th place.