Verstappen Only 6th in São Paulo Sprint Qualifying: “Simply Rubbish”
1. Thursday shocker: Verstappen P6, Norris on pole
São Paulo, 7 Nov 2025 — In a sweltering twilight session at Interlagos, Lando Norris rubber-stamped his championship supremacy by grabbing Sprint pole, while Max Verstappen could manage only sixth. Over team radio the Dutchman instantly fumed, “Simply rubbish,” a verdict he later repeated to reporters. It is Verstappen’s worst qualifying of the season and leaves him 42 points behind Norris with four rounds left to run .
2. Antonelli splits the McLarens on debut front row
Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli stunned the paddock by qualifying second, 0.097s adrift of Norris and clear of Oscar Piastri. The 18-year-old, racing only his 20th Grand Prix weekend, credited a late set-up gamble: “We added front-flap and found a sweet spot on the out-lap; the soft tyre just kept giving grip.”
3. What went wrong for Verstappen?
Track temperature sat at 43 °C, robbing the RB21 of rear-end bite. Verstappen reported chronic under-steer through Ferradura and snap-over-steer into the tight Descida do Lago chicane. A last-ditch front-wing tweak failed to cure the imbalance, while a yellow flag for Leclerc’s SQ2 spin compromised his final flyer. The three-time champion ended up 0.337s off Norris and only 0.001s clear of Fernando Alonso in fifth.
4. Title picture tilts further toward McLaren
With 24 laps offering a maximum of eight points, Verstappen cannot afford a slow start. Norris’ advantage could balloon if the Briton converts pole into victory, while Piastri’s P3 gives McLaren a strategic hammer-lock on the constructors’ fight. Starting sixth, Verstappen sits outside the points-paying positions for the first time since the 2024 Austrian GP.
5. Overnight fixes and Friday’s Grand Prix qualifying
Red Bull engineering chief Paul Monaghan promised to “roll back to FP1 ride-height, open brake ducts and raise blanket temps by 5 °C” in search of rear stability. Verstappen warned: “If I’m not fourth by Turn 1, the win is gone.” Attention now turns to Friday’s Grand Prix qualifying where another poor session could leave the Dutchman staring at a second successive pointless weekend.
6. Key quotes
- Max Verstappen:“We were slow, simple as that. I couldn’t lean on the car and the tyres never switched on.”
- Lando Norris:“It’s bumpy, hot and crazy here—but when the car’s this good you just smile inside the helmet.”
- Kimi Antonelli:“Splitting the McLarens is huge for Mercedes. We’ve found something with the soft that’s working for me.”
Sources:
— Formula1.com: 2025 Drivers’ Standings (updated 7 Nov 2025)