2025 F1 Sao Paulo GP: Qualifying - As it happened

The tyre warmers are off and we can see who has chosen what

Both McLarens, Astons and Hulkenberg has gone for Medium

Both Mercedes', Verstappen, Leclerc and Hadjar are punting on the soft

Just seconds to go before we are lights out for the Sprint Race in São Paulo - get strapped in!

What of Ferrari? Well, Charles Leclerc in eighth and Lewis Hamilton in 11th suggests there will be relatively little to gain for the team in this short Sprint and will instead focus on getting data for a better show in this evening's qualifying session.

Or several front runners could bosh themselves out of contention up ahead and Ferrari come away with two strong results, a la Austin

Aston Martin can also feel bullish about its chances after Fernando Alonso took fifth place, the Spaniard no doubt hoping he can survive Turn 1 after crashing out early on the last time he qualified well in a Sprint (fifth in COTA).

A shout out to Lance Stroll, who despite being unable to break the run of being out-qualified by Alonso - that's now 33 consecutive qualifying sessions - is up in seventh place, a rare highlight in a season peppered with Q1 exits.

Beyond the title contenders, Mercedes look like being McLaren's biggest rivals this weekend.

A great effort by Kimi Antonelli to steal a march over George Russell - who scored his first F1 win here in 2022 - but both look poised in second and fourth.

Indeed, perhaps the most crucial part of this race will be the start - and not just a test to see who can react to the lights fast enough.

The cambered nature of the rolling start-finish "strurve" (that's straight and curve) means there are a mix of damp patches on various grid slots - some will get dry underneath them, others won't. 

It's another thing to consider on top of the fact there is already lots to think about off the line at Interlagos with some cars starting on an ascent, others on the descent and those at the back on a slight bend.

Then there is the steeply angled Turn 1 left-hander to navigate.

It invites multiple racing lines, especially at the start... a bit like COTA, and we all know what happened there

The cars are venturing onto track for their sighting laps to see where those damp patches are, but while some have headed out on intermediates, others are happy enough with slicks.

Right now, the dampest parts of the track stretch between the final and first corners - including the grid - so it looks like it'll be a slick start if the weather stays as it is

Carlos Sainz and Yuki Tsunoda will get their Sprint Race underway from the pit-lane

Sainz qualified at the back of the grid so has taken the opportunity to make a few set-up changes, while Tsunoda is reportedly the guinea pig for Verstappen's race tomorrow as Red Bull put him on a more aggressive set-up to feed back to his team-mate.

Yes, the weather is a factor in Brazil.

Not terribly surprising, anyone who has watched F1 will know the weather can turn very nasty in São Paulo just in time for racing - anyone would think Mother Nature is a hardened fan.

On this occasion, it's the tail-end of a cyclone that has everyone looking to the skies in São Paulo, though right now it is damp in patches but it isn't raining. 

But that could change... and it remains to be seen how quickly the track will completely dry. Still half an hour to go.

If it does, all eyes on Verstappen - remember his charge from 16th to third in just 16 laps back in 2016.

This isn't just an orangey two-horse race though, the ever-looming Max Verstappen and Red Bull make for a terrifying external foe.

The Dutchman has been slashing at what was at one stage a three-figure gap to the top in recent races, the margin now down to 36 points.

In short, a DNF for either Norris or Piastri in any one of the next four rounds and Verstappen is very much right back in it. 

Some relief for McLaren in Brazil though - Verstappen isn't having a terribly strong weekend as he struggles with his (quote, unquote) 'undriveable' car

Semantics aside, he has qualified sixth for the Sprint, but even from there he can't be discounted.

Oh, and it might rain...

We're at the business end of the 2025 F1 season and it literally couldn't be much closer at the top of the table.

Norris' statement-making win in Mexico - coupled with a lacklustre weekend for Piastri - has turned the title race back in the Briton's favour, but it remains super tight with just one point in it.

Just four rounds and six races now remain to decide the 2025 F1 Champion, including two Sprint Races, one of which will be starting in just 45 minutes

The rewards are comparatively slim - just eight for the winner, seven for second and all the way down to one point for eighth - but as the last Sprint in Texas showed, there is still scope for crucial drama