Oscar Piastri secured pole position for the Sprint race at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, narrowly edging out his McLaren teammate Lando Norris by 0.029 seconds. Norris, who was dominant throughout the earlier qualifying sessions, will start alongside Piastri, offering McLaren a strong front-row presence. Max Verstappen, the current championship leader, qualified fourth, trailing Ferrari's Charles Leclerc who took third place. The sprint race provides Norris an opportunity to close the 47-point gap to Verstappen, with points awarded for the top eight finishes. Both Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez experienced setbacks, qualifying 11th and 13th respectively, impacting their starting positions for the sprint. McLaren's strategic tire choices proved effective, giving them a competitive edge in the qualifying rounds.