Alonso reaches Q3 in Interlagos rain and starts eighth as Norris takes pole

Rain disrupts qualifying at Interlagos

Heavy rain reduced visibility and made the asphalt at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace dangerous, forcing the first qualifying segment (Q1) to be suspended with 15 minutes and 37 seconds still on the clock. Drivers waited a long time in their garages with their mechanics before running resumed. When the cars returned, Alonso briefly led the timing sheet with a lap of 1:36.930, and the first accident of the session followed quickly. Gabriel Bortoleto, Franco Colapinto, Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez were among the drivers knocked out early. Rafael Câmara, a Brazilian debutant for Haas, reached Q2 with a damaged car and later caused a red flag with a crash of his own. The order changed quickly as track conditions moved.

Alonso reaches Q3 for the first time this season

Alonso advanced to Q3 for the first time in 2026, while Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri, Arvid Lindblad, Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen were eliminated in Q2. Alonso was the first driver to fit intermediate tyres in Q2, and the call worked, taking him to seventh in that segment. Sainz lost several seconds fitting his intermediates, and the crash involving Câmara's Haas ruined what had been his best qualifying of the year. Alonso's Q3 lap of 1:30.311 placed him ninth on the timing sheet, but a grid penalty for Charles Leclerc moved him up to eighth. Norris took pole with 1:27.470, and Russell was 0.204 seconds behind, though Russell also has a grid penalty to serve. That drop puts Kimi Antonelli, the newly crowned world champion, in second place, while Verstappen and Hamilton start from the last and penultimate rows.

Alonso's view of his own laps

Alonso was candid about his Q3 attempts, which he said were flawed. He explained that his first lap was run on cold tyres with no grip, while his second attempt used much of the energy he had saved because he believed qualifying was a single-lap session. He ended up in no man's land and said he needs to learn from the experience. Alonso summed up his Q3 running in these words:

“I think I did not make good use of Q3 at all.”

Alonso also answered critics who doubt his age with humour, saying that people turn on a driver once he stops being good.

“Until one day you are no longer good and people tell you I am too old to drive and know nothing.”

Race prospects

Alonso said the team's chances of scoring are limited unless it rains. He described the dry running as a problem, and his remarks on the morning third practice session showed the car struggling for pace.

“In the dry, there is nothing we can do. In the morning, in third practice, we were eighteenth; it is costing us more than expected.”

He added that rain would give the team more options, even though fast cars are ahead of him and visibility could make the race difficult. Alonso stressed that a wet race is the main route for the team to collect points.