Red Bull's Verstappen to start Brazilian Grand Prix in the pole position

Max Verstappen of Red Bull won pole position at the Brazilian Grand Prix after heavy rain cut qualifying short. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc will start in second, followed by two Aston Martins. Sérgio Perez, fighting for runner-up in the drivers' championship, will start in ninth.

A little help from heavy rain at Interlagos made it easier for Formula One champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull to start this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix in pole position.

His teammate, Sérgio Perez, didn't get as lucky and will start in ninth position after Friday's qualifying.

Verstappen clocked 1 minute, 10.727 seconds in qualifying, which was cut short due to rain. Race organizers said it would take about one hour to remove debris from the track, so the decision was made to end qualifying.

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 the fifth spot 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 the rain came.