Wolff says Russell deserved Sao Paulo pole

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff believes George Russell had the pace to take pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, despite the British driver being unable to complete his final flying lap in a rain-affected Qualifying session.

Russell featured at the top of the timesheets across all three segments and briefly set the provisional fastest time after switching to intermediate tyres in Q3, before Lando Norris moved ahead. He was preparing another attempt when he came up behind Alex Albon, and the team told him to back off, expecting another chance before the rain intensified. The worsening conditions prevented any improvement.

Because of an existing grid penalty, Russell will start Sunday's race from seventh, while team-mate Kimi Antonelli, third in Qualifying, will line up on the front row alongside Norris. Wolff admitted that the decision to abort the lap was a 50-50 call, saying that in hindsight the team should have kept going.