Lando Norris on pole and Max Verstappen eliminated in hectic qualifying at Brazilian Grand Prix

Verstappen's struggles were compounded by a five-place grid penalty for an engine change, leaving him with a mountain to climb in the race.

The session, postponed from Saturday due to heavy rain, was marred by multiple crashes and red flags, creating a dramatic backdrop to Norris's triumph.

With the race start brought forward to 12:30 local time (15:30 GMT) due to weather concerns, teams now face a race against time to repair damaged cars.

George Russell will join Norris on the front row for Mercedes, with RB's Yuki Tsunoda securing a stunning third place.

Alpine's Esteban Ocon qualified fourth, followed by RB's Liam Lawson in fifth.

The session was punctuated by five red flags due to heavy crashes involving Williams' Franco Colapinto, Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, both Aston Martin drivers Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, and Williams' Alex Albon.

These incidents left several teams scrambling to repair badly damaged cars before the early race start.

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Lewis Hamilton, usually strong in wet conditions, suffered a shock elimination in Q1, qualifying 16th.

Verstappen's frustration was evident as he complained about the delay in throwing the red flag for Stroll's crash in Q2, which he believed allowed other drivers to knock him out of the top 10.

Norris expressed surprise at his pole position, stating: "There was a lot going on. I was struggling a lot at the start of the session, I worked on it a lot in the session. A little surprised to be on pole but a good result for us."

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The McLaren driver narrowly escaped elimination in Q1, securing the final spot in 15th place.

Verstappen, who had been fastest in Q1, saw his hopes dashed in Q2 when Stroll's crash brought out the red flag.

The Dutchman fumed: "The car hits the wall, it needs to be a straight red. I don't understand why it needs to take 30-40 seconds for a red flag to come out."

Despite Verstappen's complaints, a review suggests the timing of the red flag did not affect his final position.

The early race start presents a significant challenge for teams with damaged cars. Williams and Aston Martin face the daunting task of repairing both their vehicles before the race begins.

Charles Leclerc qualified sixth for Ferrari, with Alex Albon seventh for Williams despite his Q3 crash.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri secured eighth place, while Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll rounded out the top ten for Aston Martin.

Sergio Perez qualified 13th and Carlos Sainz 14th, both facing an uphill battle in the race.

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The unusual Sunday morning qualifying session started at 07:30 local time, even earlier than the 1984 U.S. Grand Prix in Dallas.

With further heavy rain predicted, the race promises to be as dramatic and unpredictable as the qualifying session.