F1 Brazil grid 2026: The full starting order at Interlagos with penalties
Liam Lawson will start on the second row at Interlagos, once grid penalties come into effect.
Here is a full rundown of the F1 starting order at the Brazilian Grand Prix, with the grid taking into account a host of grid penalties.
Lando Norris took pole position in a thrilling wet qualifying session, while five drivers knew heading into qualifying that they would be carrying at least some form of penalty into the race, with the grid shuffling as a result.
F1 Brazil grid: The provisional 2026 starting order
1. Lando Norris McLaren 1:27.470
2. Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:28.095
3. Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 1:28.321
4. Nico Hulkenberg Audi 1:28.668
5. Isack Hadjar Red Bull 1:28.763
6. Oliver Bearman Haas 1:29.831
7. George Russell Mercedes [grid penalty]
8. Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:30.311
9. Alex Albon Williams 1:30.456
10. Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:30.369 [Q2]
11. Rafael Camara Haas 1:31.515
12. Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls 1:31.687
13. Carlos Sainz Williams 1:31.785
14. Charles Leclerc Ferrari [grid penalty]
15. Franco Colapinto Alpine 1:33.227 [Q1]
16. Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:33.449
17. Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:33.653
18. Valtteri Bottas Cadillac 1:33.774
19. Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:41.564
20. Lewis Hamilton Ferrari [grid penalty]
21. Max Verstappen Red Bull [grid penalty]
22. Sergio Perez Cadillac [grid penalty]
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How did qualifying unfold at Interlagos?
Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, George Russell and Charles Leclerc all knew ahead of qualifying they would be taking some form of penalty even before the session, as new power unit parts took hold.
Due to the heavy rain conditions, though, there was an 84-minute interlude in Q1 after it quickly became clear the track was not ready for Formula 1 cars.
However, once the cars did get going on full wet tyres, drivers were able to find heaps of time lap to lap as the water cleared with every turn of the wheel.
Come the end of Q1, though, both Alpine drivers suffered an early exit along with Lance Stroll, Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas and Gabriel Bortoleto, who suffered a crash in qualifying at his home race.
Q2 saw an issue for Arvid Lindblad end his session early, and the conditions improved enough for a switch to intermediate tyres.
A crash for debutant Rafa Camara at his home race, though, saw a late red flag which ended the Q2 session. Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri, Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz dropped out along with Lindblad and Camara.
Q3 saw conditions worsen, meaning the teams and drivers knew that their early laps would be the ones to count.
As a result, Lando Norris took his third pole in a row at Interlagos with Kimi Antonelli joining him on the front row after Russell’s grid penalty.
Liam Lawson and Nico Hulkenberg will make up the second row in what looks to be a tantalising Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Read next: Brazilian GP: Lando Norris on pole in wet-weather thriller