Red Bull’s Verstappen claims pole position at Brazilian GP

— Formula One champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull will start this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix in pole position, with his teammate Sérgio Perez lagging in ninth position at Interlagos after Friday’s qualifying.

Verstappen clocked 1 minute, 10.727 seconds in qualifying, which was cut short due to rain.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will start in second position, with a lap 0.294 seconds behind Verstappen’s. Two Aston Martins will be in the second row with Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, respectively.

Perez, who is still fighting for the runner-up position in the drivers’ championship with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, will see his rival start from 5th place on Sunday.

Qualifying at Interlagos started with a 15-minute delay due to debris on some of its main turns. No accidents took place in the lone practice session earlier. Verstappen set his time early in the third and decisive part session of qualifying and then rain started to pour.

Earlier, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz paced the field at Interlagos with a lap at 1 minute, 11.732 seconds at the only practice session of the weekend. Leclerc was 0.108 seconds behind.

The three-time F1 champion Verstappen spent a long portion of the practice session working with Red Bull on adjustments to his car and was only 16th fastest. The effort paid off with his car looking steadier than his rivals’ during qualifying.

Perez was 18th in practice, in another sub-par showing for the embattled driver.

Verstappen has won a record 16 of 19 races this season, including four in a row. That includes the first two stops in a months-long tour of the Americas. Verstappen won the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, two weeks ago, then won last Sunday at Mexico City.