F1 – Brazil Grand Prix LIVE: Lap-by-lap updates as George Russell leads from Lando Norris as championship rival Max Verstappen is working his way through the pack

The Dutchman continues to push, he’s now right on the tail of Norris’ team-mate Oscar Piastri.

The gap between Norris and Ruseell is less than a second now while Verstappen has got past Alonso into 8th.

Verstappen sets another fastest lap. He is flying.

Rusell still leads the pack.

There’s only 10 seconds between Norris and Verstappen, who moves past Gasly into ninth.

In the midst of all that action the Red Bull man is already up to 10th from 17th, passing Lewis Hamilton on his way. Heavy rain reported already.

Another poor start for Norris as Russell passes him easily at the start.

An opening lap of many near misses until Sergio Perez takes a spin. He manages to stay in the race but he’s right at the back.

Thhe rain is just starting to fall but we’re still good enough for a standing start.

A chaotic weekend has continued with a chaotic start to this race.

The cars are about to head off for their third formation lap.

Norris is now under investigation for moving under the yellow light.

He could now face a penalty and all this means is this race is going to be impacted by rain sooner than expected.

The cars are all over the place. So some drivers are waiting on the grid, while others have peeled away to go for another formation lap. And now Norris could be in trouble because he’s moved off the grid.

Incredible scenes as Lance Stroll spins off during the formation lap.

He’s tried to keep the engine running but ended up stuck in the gravel.

This will be an aborted start.

The clouds are circling but it’s got warmer.

However, rain is still expected during this race.

Max Verstappen has been left fuming at a late red flag call during qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix, as the Red Bull driver dropped to a disappointing 17th on the grid.

In the heavy rain of Sao Paulo, Lance Stroll crashed into a wall as he attempted a turn during Q2 and a red flag was shown, albeit after a short delay as FIA race director Niels Wittich attempted to let those doing a flying lap finish their laps.

The stoppage meant that Verstappen was unable to complete another lap and, with the Dutchman stranded in 12th in that round, he was knocked out of qualifying as only the top 10 make it through to Q3.

Add on his five-place penalty for Red Bull’s decision to change his power unit ahead of the race, and the reigning champion was left in 17th place, severely damaging his prospects for the grand prix.

Unhappy with Wittich’s call, Verstappen launched into a foul-mouthed rant on the radio to voice his discontent.

An electric atmosphere at Interlagos.

Pole-sitter Lando Norris’s rain-soaked path to the world championship opened up in a pinball qualifying session for the Brazilian Grand Prix when Max Verstappen managed only the 12th fastest time.

With a five-place grid penalty, the Dutchman will start from 17th on the grid, though crashed cars above him may not be repairable in time and he is likely to be somewhat boosted up the order.

As for Norris, it was a pole position to dream of on the sodden Interlagos track, with Mercedes’ George Russell second quickest and RB’s Yuki Tsunoda a surprise third.

Norris must now capitalise emphatically on what presents itself as a momentum-shifting opportunity in the title contest.

Verstappen, who heads the standings by 44 points with four races remaining, was partly a victim of bad luck. He was on course to improve his time as seconds ticked down in Q2, only for Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll to tumble off track and cause a red flag that brought a premature end to proceedings.

And welcome to Mail Sport’s live blog for the Brazilian Grand Prix.

This race has a huge amount at stake in terms of this year’s drivers’ championship.

Lando Norris starts on pole ahead of his title rival Max Verstappen, who will start the race from 17th with a five-place grid penalty.

Only 47 ponts separate the two championship rivals with three races to go after this one.