Report: Q3 made in wet Interlagos qualifying
Alex Albon reached Q3 for the first time in 2026 whilst Carlos Sainz was unfortunate to be knocked out in Q2
Published
07 NOV 2026
Est. reading time
4 min
Alex Albon reached Q3 for the first time in 2026 whilst Carlos Sainz was unfortunate to be knocked out in Q2 as torrential rain and two red flags shaped qualifying in São Paulo.
The weather turned after FP3, where Alex and Carlos had finished P17 and P19, and qualifying at Interlagos was anything but routine.
Both cars left the garage on full wets for Q1. “First lap might be the best lap,” Carlos was told, while Alex was reminded to avoid white lines, kerbs and the newer sections of track. Carlos replied: “Yeah, it’s raining very hard now.” Soon after: “I think they will red flag this.”
He was right. Alex called it “crazy” as the rain turned torrential with minimal visibility and everyone returned to the pits. Both drivers climbed out of their FW48s soaked, then climbed back in, then hopped out again as the Medical Car and Safety Car checked the track and the FIA waited for the rain to ease and the standing water to be assessed.
Q1 resumed at 16:26 local time, with the team telling Carlos it could mean nine timed laps. “Lots of aquaplaning,” reported Alex. His first time was a 1:42.239, with Carlos’ 1:40.604, and the times tumbled from there.
At the flag in Q1 it was P14 for Carlos on a 1:32.959 and P16 for Alex on a 1:33.150. Both were through to Q2.
Both cars started Q2 on full wets. Alex opened with a 1:32.910, and Carlos with a 1:31.830. “Tyres are gone,” said Alex over the radio.
The call came to box for intermediates, with two timed laps available. Alex jumped to P4 on a 1:28.918 before a red flag ended the session early, with Rafael Camara in the wall. Carlos was one straight from finishing his intermediate lap, so was out in P15. “Unlucky guys,” he said. James Vowles replied: “Well done, Carlos. Tricky conditions out there. Just unlucky.”
Alex finished Q2 in P6, making Q3 for the first time this season.
Q3 was delayed, then Alex headed out on inters with more rain on the way. His first timed lap was a 1:30.456, but a lock-up at turn 12 meant he couldn’t improve on his second lap as the rain intensified. “Box this lap” was the call, leaving Alex in P10.
Alex will line up P9 and Carlos P13 after grid penalties for others take action on race day at Interlagos.
James Vowles, Team Principal:
“A really great effort from the whole team. It was fantastic to be here and listen to how the team was organising themselves: getting the tyres ready, making the call to go to inters, and using all the modes.
With Alex, some of the trickiest conditions I can remember, and he delivered when it mattered most. Particularly for me, his Q2 lap and the real stress on that inter, it was a brilliant job. Carlos was on a good lap but, unfortunately, got caught in the red flag from Câmara, but I’m sure he’ll be up there tomorrow with the rest.
“Delaying the session was the right decision, so well done to F1 and the FIA on delivering a great qualifying in difficult circumstances. It looks like tomorrow we may have more of the same rain, and I look forward to it.”
Alex Albon:
“I’m really happy with that result, and it’s great to be back in Q3. It was a difficult session overall, but we extracted the maximum from it. I’m pleased with my laps in Q1 and Q2, which were right on the limit, and the pace felt good again in Q3. The conditions were tough for everyone out there, but honestly, I enjoyed it. We usually go well in these conditions, and we needed the rain today. It’s been a great effort from everyone in the team, so that should give us confidence going into tomorrow. We have been strong on starts, so the plan is to keep it clean and race from there. Points are the target, so let’s hope it stays wet.”
Carlos Sainz:
“A tricky qualifying out there but the car was feeling really good. We were strong on the extreme wets as we got the tyres working and we were setting competitive lap times. Unfortunately I switched to the intermediate compound one lap too late and the red flag didn’t allow me to put a lap time on the board with that tyre, which was very frustrating but we were just unlucky. The FIA handled today well and made the right call to pause Q1, and they did well to make the most of the gap between showers. A bit of rain tomorrow would be welcome, and if we’re able to stay out of trouble, we can have an exciting race.”
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