Potential nightmare for Verstappen: Why he might start from P20 in Brazil

Qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix has been postponed until Sunday. There is also rain forecast in Sao Paulo on Sunday, so there's a chance qualifying might not be possible on Sunday either. These are the options available to the stewards.

What will happen if qualifying can't take place on Sunday?

Qualifying did not happen on Saturday because of heavy rain. There is currently no explanation in the regulations for this circumstance during a sprint race weekend. A regulation amendment will be introduced in 2025 which will see the championship order determine the grid.

GPblog has been informed that if qualifying cannot be completed on Sunday, the stewards will decide how the grid is formed. They could use the spint race result, which saw Lando Norris gifted a win from his teammate Oscar Piastri. Verstappen crossed the line in P3, but was demoted to P4 due to a five-second penalty. Therefore, Charles Leclerc would start from P3. The Dutchman has taken a five-place penalty for a new engine so in that scenario would start from P9. They could also use the same grid set from sprint qualifying.

However, the stewards can also decide to use the FP1 results. Norris finished fastest in the first and only free practice session, but Max Verstappen was set to go faster before pulling out in the third sector. The Red Bull Racing driver finished the session in P15. Verstappen would then take his five-place grid penalty and start from last on the grid.

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