Kieran is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs and feature content across the F1 calendar. An NQJ-qualified journalist with more than a decade of experience, he has previously written for publications including MailOnline, the Manchester Evening News and the Eastern Daily Press.
Lando Norris will start the 2026 Sao Paulo Grand Prix from pole position after Saturday's wet qualifying sessions, but the FIA have announced further grid penalties that will shake up the starting order.
It had already been confirmed that Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton would start from the back of the grid following power unit changes, with Charles Leclerc also serving a 10-place grid penalty which demotes him from P4 to P14.
George Russell suffered a five-place grid penalty after qualifying P2, but is still in a strong position to challenge for the win in P7.
Lindblad and Bortoleto hit with grid penalties
The FIA have confirmed that Arvid Lindblad and Gabriel Bortoleto have also changed their power units ahead of today's race at Interlagos. GPblog revealed earlier that Lindblad was likely to get a grid penalty after taking on a new power unit.
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Lindblad was told to pull over at Turn 5 during Q2, cutting short a session in which he felt he had the pace to fight for a strong qualifying position. The result was extra disappointing for Lindblad as his teammate Liam Lawson will start from P3 after the penalties for Russell and Leclerc.
“I was feeling good. I was enjoying myself,” he said after qualifying. “I really genuinely feel that I could have done something pretty good today. It just feels like a lost opportunity, and that’s honestly why I’m just a bit disheartened."
Lindblad, as well as Gabriel Bortoleto, who crashed out of qualifying have been hit with 10-place grid penalties for today's race. However, with the other penalties at the back of the grid, Lindblad only drops down four spots to P18, while Bortoleto stays in P19.
Final starting grid for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix
| Pos. | Driver | Team |
| 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes |
| 3 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls |
| 4 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi |
| 5 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull |
| 6 | Oliver Bearman | Haas |
| 7 | George Russell | Mercedes |
| 8 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin |
| 9 | Alex Albon | Williams |
| 10 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren |
| 11 | Rafael Câmara | Aston Martin |
| 12 | Carlos Sainz | Racing Bulls |
| 13 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine |
| 14 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| 15 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine |
| 16 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
| 17 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac |
| 18 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls |
| 19 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi |
| 20 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari |
| 21 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| 22 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac |
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