Oscar Piastri snatched pole position for the Sprint at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix from Lando Norris in a McLaren one-two, with Max Verstappen in fourth.
Norris was dominant throughout Sprint Qualifying but Piastri pipped him by 0.029s at the very end to take his second Sprint pole.
Charles Leclerc got in between the McLarens and championship leader Verstappen, who had to settle for fourth and was 0.320s off pole-sitter Piastri.
Verstappen is 47 points ahead of Norris with four rounds to go but there are eight points on offer in Saturday’s Sprint, live on Sky Sports F1 at 2pm.
Carlos Sainz was fifth, with Mercedes’ George Russell in sixth ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and RB’s Liam Lawson.
Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez were surprisingly knocked out in SQ2, as British teenager Oliver Bearman made the last part of Sprint Qualifying for Haas after replacing the unwell Kevin Magnussen for at least the first half of the weekend.
How Piastri denied Norris pole for Sao Paulo Sprint
Norris was quickest in the only practice session on Friday, and on the mediums in SQ1 and SQ2 as McLaren’s new scooped rear wing clearly gave the drivers confidence in the twisty middle sector.
The drivers generally complete just one run in SQ2 and the McLarens went early, likely due to the threat of rain or yellow and red flags.
Norris was nearly four-tenths quicker than Piastri after their runs but the Australian went again and took pole away from his team-mate by 0.029s.
“I felt pretty comfortable at the start and then the grip was coming up a lot through the session,” said Piastri.
“With the track this year it’s hard enough to see where you’re going, let alone trying to do a fast lap, so it’s challenging out there.
“But happy to have qualified on pole for the Sprint. My first lap didn’t feel amazing and I knew there were a few places to improve and the second lap was good, and the tyres hung on. So very, very happy, so excited to be starting off P1.”
Reigning world champion Verstappen, who has a five-place grid penalty for Sunday’s main race due to a new engine, never looked like challenging for the top positions but limited the damage in fourth, as Leclerc got everything out of his Ferrari in third.
Ferrari did not show their supreme speed from Mexico City a week ago as most recent race-winner Sainz was only fifth, but they could be a factor if their tyre degradation is strong.
Piastri willing to give up win for Norris
Depending on what happens at the start, McLaren may deploy team orders to aid Norris’ bid in the Drivers’ Championship, especially with Verstappen in fourth.
McLaren have said since the start of September that they will prioritise Norris and Saturday could provide the first opportunity for the team to show a clear preference towards the British driver during a race.
“We’ll see what the pace is like for both of us. I think first and second is the first objective and then we’ll see what order it is,” said Piastri.
“I know that I’m not in the running for the drivers’ standings, for the team it doesn’t matter which way round we are, so I know that’s the case and we’ll see.
“I’ve said I would [relinquish a victory] from when we first had these discussions. It would be nice to win, but it’s one point different and it’s not the main race, so we’ll see.
“Lando needs the points in the drivers’ standings a lot more than I do, but of course I still want to win. If I put in the effort and show good pace I’m sure that won’t go unnoticed, but we’ll see.”
Hamilton and Perez knocked out early
Hamilton’s one-lap struggles continue as he was simply not quick enough in SQ2 and will start the Sprint in 11th.
The seven-time world champion, who has already been beaten in the normal qualifying head-to-head against Russell this year, says he is “not massively bothered” about the result.
“Pretty bad, but the same as every qualifying for me. Not that I’m happy about it, but I just don’t have any confidence in the car, so a big struggle for me,” said Hamilton.
“The ride is pretty bad on the track I think for everyone. The track’s been resurfaced and they’ve not done a particularly great job I think, so it’s bumpy for everyone.
“Practice was like Baku 2022 for us down the straight, it was hitting so hard. So we did lift the car. It was a little bit better in terms of it wasn’t hitting the deck so badly, so I wasn’t in pain or anything like that.
“But through corners, the thing topping through all the corners, so the thing was very hard to drive.”
Perez will start just two places behind Hamilton in 13th after he was unable to complete a final run in SQ2 as Red Bull appeared to let him out of the garage too late.
After a weekend which Christian Horner described as “horrible” in Mexico City, Perez is coming under increasing pressure to retain his seat at Red Bull for next year, despite having a contract.
Lawson’s impressive eighth place will only add to the scrutiny, with the New Zealand driver favourite to replace Perez if changes are made.
Sky Sports F1’s live Sao Paulo GP schedule
Saturday November 2
1pm: Sao Paulo GP Sprint build-up
2pm: Sao Paulo GP Sprint
3.30pm: Ted’s Sprint Notebook
5pm: Sao Paulo Qualifying build-up
6pm: Sao Paulo GP Qualifying
8pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday November 3
3.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Sao Paulo GP build-up
5pm: THE SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX
7pm: Chequered Flag: Sao Paulo GP reaction
8pm: Ted’s Notebook
Formula 1’s Americas triple header concludes this weekend with the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with every session live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime