F1 Brazil GP live commentary and updates: qualifying

Lando Norris back to P1 with 1m09.65s, Pierre Gasly currently P2 and just 0.229s. Piastri safe too in P4.

Tsunoda P19 - he will not go through to Q2.

Verstappen now on a flier. This will be critical to him making it through Q1.

Lots of improvement going on – George Russell with a 1m09.935s to go P4 for now. He came up on Carlos Sainz towards the end of his lap, but the tow up the back straight might have compensated for the dirty air.

Very few drivers feeling safe as we close in on two minutes to go. The track is full – only Bortoleto not out there.

Leclerc now going out on softs.

Verstappen commenting on the radio that the ride is better but the car is sliding around a lot.

Oh yes, replays show a massive "dab of oppo" required at Turn 9 to keep that Red Bull on the racetrack. The AWS graphic suggests he lost 0.4s there. We always take those with a skipful of salt.

And with that, the screen updates. New softs. But the lap wasn't good enough. He's still P16 on 1m10.681s. That's 0.790s off Bearman in P1.

Verstappen now out. We can see on the monitor he's on softs but our data screen is showing a question mark, so we don't know if they're new or used.

Well the track is continuing to ramp up in these final minutes. Albon and Gasly currently P3 and P4, just 0.224s and 0.235s off Bearman.

Piastri puts on a new set of softs and goes around in 1m09.928s – P2 so far.

Bortoleto's car still up on stands in the garage – he is increasingly unlikely to be taking part in this session.

Russell goes P2, 1m10.382 – but instantly demoted not only by team-mate Antonelli, 1m10.192s, but also by the much-maligned Bearman with 1m09.891s.

So the Haas currently P1.

Mercedes drivers now out on push laps. Let's see what they can do...

Only Leclerc persisting with mediums and his best so far is 1m10.899s – P8 as we type, 0.666s off his team-mate's soft-tyre time.

Hamilton now P1 with 1m10.233s. That's 0.171s faster than Norris.

First proper time goes to Norris, 1m10.404. Lawson and Bearman's first stabs are just fractions off that, while Verstappen has done a 1m10.681s.

Gasly is faster than Piastri, though – Oscar's first attempt on the softs is a 1m11.845s after a massive lock-up into Turn 1.

Gasly has put in a 1m11.530s on the mediums. That's not going to be good enough even though he's P5 as we type.

Others following suit now – Piastri and Hulkenberg on to softs, others are filtering out on the soft rubber too – but not Leclerc, who is on the mediums.

Albon in, off go the mediums and on go softs. Same for Sainz.

Stroll rolling on mediums too.

You wouldn't think the guy who finished fourth in this race would be het up about car performance, but Max Verstappen continues to be furious. The Red Bull has a terrible ride quality and won't turn in the middle sector, he reckons.

Obviously when we talk about ride, he's not coveting the sort of pillowy smoothness you used to get with hydropneumatically suspended Citroens, he just doesn't want the underfloor striking the asphalt constantly.

Some tech developments: Ferrari has moved to a lower-downforce rear wing in a bid to cure its straightline speed woes. 

Quali start confirmed at 16:05 local.

Work still under way to repair Bortoleto's car in time for qualifying. If he doesn't take part then he will still likely be granted permission to start the race from the pitlane, having participated meaningfully in three track sessions preceding the quali session.

While we wait, here's another angle on the Bortoleto carambolage earlier.

Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber

Photo by: Michael Potts / LAT Images via Getty Images

DELAYED START

The beginning of Q1 has been pushed back a few minutes while the barriers at Turn 10/11 are repaired. 

Porsche Supercup is on the support card this weekend and one of the dentists ran out of talent, it seems.

FERRARI FARRAGO

Another race weekend, another underwhelming performance by Ferrari, and more mysteries as to why the cars are so slow.

Perhaps they should call in a famous detective. Let us know your suggestions in the comments: Hercule Poirot? Benoit Blanc? Columbo? Dan Tanner? Jessica Fletcher?

Meanwhile Oscar Piastri has been mentally resetting after a blunder which helped bring out the red flag in the sprint race, and meant he walked away empty-handed in terms of points. Plus Oliver Bearman has been rapped over the knuckles by the stewards for his behaviour on the opening lap of the sprint.

WELCOME BACK TO SAO PAULO

We are cruising towards the qualifying hour in Brazil and what a dramatic day it's been so far. The Sauber team has faced a race against time to repair Gabriel Bortoleto's car after the home hero smote the wall mightily while trying to pass Isack Hadjar at the beginning of the final lap.

Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber

Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images