Qualifying conditions borderline – but Norris and Russell hoping for more rain

Polesitter Lando Norris says qualifying for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix brought "some of the wettest conditions" in which he had ever driven. McLaren's Lando Norris (right) and George Russell were the fastest two drivers in qualifying, but the Mercedes man will start seventh in Sao Paulo because of a five-place grid penalty Lando Norris says qualifying for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix brought "some of the wettest conditions" in which he had ever driven – and he is hoping for more rain in the race on Sunday. It was the third consecutive year in which Norris has taken pole in Brazil, and it came in a session that was stopped for nearly an hour and a half because conditions were too dangerous to continue when officials initially tried to start it.

Many drivers agreed that conditions were borderline in the extreme. Mercedes driver George Russell, who qualified second to Norris and was miffed about a team miscommunication that he felt robbed him of pole, said: "Q1 was extremely challenging. The visibility was zero down the straight into Turn Four. I was wheel-spinning in fifth gear, over 200km/h (120mph), aquaplaning. "When you're aquaplaning on the straight and you can't see in front of you, it's… I'm not even sure what the word is to describe it. "It does seem a