'Used qualifying as a test': Hamilton reflects on grid penalties in Brazil

Sao Paulo: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton admitted that he used the Sao Paulo qualifying session as a test as he braces for a back-of-the-grid start due to a full power unit change.

Hamilton was P11 in Saturday qualifying but will start Sunday's race from P20, ahead of Max Verstappen, who starts P21 due to his power unit penalty.

Speaking after qualifying, Hamilton reflected on the rain-hit session and admitted he had saved tyres for a potentially wet race on Sunday.

"It was a lot of fun out there. It's always fun in the rain. It's very, very tricky, but I had just a lot of fun, just in the few laps that we got," said Hamilton.

"I wish I was still out there battling with the guys, but unfortunately, saving the tyres for tomorrow."

"That's what we're trying to do, yeah," said Hamilton when asked if a charge through the field from P20 was possible.

"It's going to be really tricky conditions, but I love racing in the rain. I was basically using the Qualifying session as a test in making sure the engine is working and making sure that the car felt good, so I feel good for tomorrow."

Meanwhile, Verstappen also opened up about his back-of-the-grid start, saying it was the best place for him to take the penalties. "I know that I have to start from the back, so we don’t want to take too much risk and (we) just put a lap on the board in Q1," Verstappen explained. "And yeah, that’s what we did."

"I mean, we saw an issue, and we decided to take the penalty here. Maybe it’s the best place to take it, but who knows. We’ll see tomorrow how far we can move up to the front. (We’ll) try and have a bit of fun out there."

Verstappen famously won in Brazil in 2024 after starting from P17. Meanwhile, Lando Norris took pole for the third straight time at Sao Paulo and will start from P1, ahead of Kimi Antonelli as George Russell drops from P2 to P7 due to his penalty.

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