The 5 drivers who are most likely to qualify fastest in Sao Paulo

Max Verstappen may have won three of the last four races, including wins in the Bahrain, Singapore and Mexico City Grand Prix, but he was not able to secure pole position in all three races as Qualifying continues to provide a varied list of winners in 2026.

Lewis Hamilton picked up his first pole of the season in Mexico ahead of George Russell and Charles Leclerc, but the race was won by Verstappen, who qualified fourth and started fifth after being handed a one-place grid penalty.

In total, six different drivers have taken pole over the last seven rounds, with only Verstappen being a repeat winner, in Sepang and Singapore.

There is a slightly different look to the betting markets for Qualifying in Brazil, with the Ferrari duo of Hamilton and Leclerc given a better chance of taking pole than winning the actual race, while the fifth driver in the market is different to the race odds, with oddsmakers preferring the chances of Russell over Lando Norris.

Our expert betting writers have looked at the Qualifying odds and assessed the chances of the leading contenders for pole at Interlagos.

Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

Verstappen has been favourite for pole at the last two races in the United States and Mexico City but qualified only second and fourth-fastest in those races.

That hasn't stopped bookmakers from putting him at the top of the market for Qualifying again this week, and he is the same price that he was to grab pole in Mexico at 6/4 (2.50, +150).

Verstappen now has more wins than poles this season, but while his 2024 Sao Paulo success came from an unpromising starting position of 17th, his 2019 and 2023 victories there were both achieved from pole.

Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)

Kimi Antonelli took pole at six of the first 10 races this season, but since then he has been the fastest qualifier once which was in Austin, Texas.

Bookmakers are not prepared to take any chances with the newly-crowned World Champion and have made him the second-favourite for pole in Brazil at 5/2 (3.50, +250).

The Italian ace already has experience of two Qualifying sessions at this track, and went second-fastest to Norris in both the Sprint and Grand Prix last season.

Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

Ferrari took their first pole of the season in Mexico City through Hamilton and there is little between their drivers in the Qualifying betting this week with both on offer at 5/1 (6.0, +500).

Leclerc was close in Q3 last week, taking third place on the grid, which followed his second place finish in Qualifying in Singapore and a disappointing fourth in Austin, where he had gone fastest in Q2.

The Monegasque driver has never taken pole at this track but he has been competitive in Qualifying in recent years, taking second in 2023 and setting the third-fastest time last season.

Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)

Hamilton increased his tally of career pole positions to 105 with his success in Mexico City, and he has been given the same odds as Leclerc to be fastest in Qualifying this week, having been available at bigger odds than his team mate to take pole at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Hamilton first took pole at Interlagos back in 2012 for McLaren and has also qualified fastest there for Mercedes in 2016 and 2018, although he had a tough time in Qualifying at this track last season, failing to reach Q3 in both Sprint Qualifying where he was 11th and Grand Prix Qualifying where he was 13th.

George Russell (Mercedes)

Russell is only sixth in the Grand Prix betting markets for Interlagos but he is ahead of Norris in the betting market for Qualifying at 12/1 (13.0, +1200) to take his first pole since Azerbaijan.

He has been the fastest qualifier five times this season and pulled out a great Q3 lap to earn a front-row start in Mexico before having deployment issues on the first lap of the race.

Prices are correct at the time of publication but can fluctuate. Please note that the information provided in this article is for entertainment purposes only and F1 does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information provided. Any action you take based on the information in this article is strictly at your own risk, and F1 will not be liable for any losses and damages in connection with the use of this article. F1 does not encourage gambling and remind you to please gamble responsibly.