Hamilton laments 'undriveable' Mercedes after Q1 exit in Sao Paulo qualifying as Russell celebrates P2 result

Qualifying ahead of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix brought very mixed fortunes for Mercedes, with Lewis Hamilton labelling his car as “undriveable” following his Q1 exit while George Russell survived the chaotic conditions to claim P2 on the grid alongside pole-sitter Lando Norris.

After being postponed to Sunday morning following Saturday’s challenging weather, it was an eventful start to a rain-affected qualifying at Interlagos, with the likes of Hamilton and Norris both finding themselves at risk of elimination in Q1.

READ MORE: Norris beats Russell and Tsunoda to pole position in Sao Paulo amid five red flags in dramatic rain-affected qualifying

While Norris just managed to squeeze through into Q2, Hamilton was pushed out in 16th place, though this looks set to become 15th on the grid given that Max Verstappen will drop from 12th to 17th owing to a five-place penalty.

“Not a great day,” Hamilton explained after the session. “I’m not going to be negative because it is what it is.”

When asked about his hopes for the Grand Prix, the seven-time world champion gave a downbeat assessment as he responded: “I don’t have any hopes for the race. Just going to do what I can do.

“With the car I have right now, it’s the worst I’ve ever driven so I probably won’t be going very far with it. Maybe I’ll start from the pit lane and… I don’t know, we’ll see, but it’s undriveable.”

HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the action from a chaotic qualifying at Interlagos as Norris leads Russell and Tsunoda after multiple red flags

Russell, meanwhile, was thrilled to score a front row grid slot at Interlagos – a track where he claimed his first F1 victory back in 2022 – as he praised the fans who had arrived at the circuit for Sunday’s early qualifying session.

“I always love coming to Sao Paulo obviously, so it’s great memories from a few years ago,” the Briton said. “After yesterday it was so tough just waiting, and all the fans stayed out and honestly this morning I was so impressed coming into the track at six o’clock.

“Everybody was queuing, everybody wanted to be here and [I’m] really pleased to be lining up P2.”

Quizzed on whether the change in schedule would alter his preparations for the race, Russell commented: “I loved it to be honest, reminded me of the karting days – waking up, having breakfast in your race suit and just going out there and driving.

READ MORE: Red Bull drivers left frustrated after dramatic Q2 exit in Sao Paulo as they assess chances of gaining ground in Grand Prix

“Maybe the guys need to have a bit of a think about the format moving forward, maybe this is the one, qualifying Sunday morning! It was a great session, but let’s see what we can do in the race.”