Kiwi Formula 1 driver Liam Lawson will start third at the São Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil on Monday 9 November 2026 (NZ time).
Lawson, who drives for the Racing Bulls team, qualified in wet weather at the Interlagos track. That equals the best qualifying result of his career, matching his effort at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last year.
Lawson actually finished qualifying in fifth place. He moved up after other drivers were given penalties. In Formula 1, each driver can only use a set number of engine parts in a season, and drivers who fit extra new parts are sent further back on the starting grid.
McLaren’s Lando Norris will start in first place, which is called pole position. Beside him will be Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, who has just been crowned this year’s F1 world champion.
Norris said changing tyres throughout the wet session was tricky. “You feel you want to push so much more but you can’t,” he said.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has a 30-place penalty and will start near the back. That doesn’t always mean losing, though, because Verstappen won from 17th place in 2024.
Lawson is ninth in the drivers’ championship and could score points for a fifth Grand Prix in a row. His team hasn’t yet confirmed whether he will keep his seat for 2027.
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