Lando Norris is expecting a "big challenge" from the rest of the field in Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix after clinching pole position ahead of Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc. 

Norris followed up his superb sprint victory with another stellar showing in qualifying, further strengthening his hopes of claiming a first world title with four races remaining. 

The Briton has put himself in a strong position in the drivers' standings, with his earlier win on Saturday increasing his lead to nine points over McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri. 

Piastri could only manage a place on the second row in fourth, while Norris' only other realistic challenger, Max Verstappen, suffered a shock early exit and will start in 16th. 

It is worth noting, though, that at this race last year, Verstappen rose from 17th to clinch a memorable victory in Sao Paulo on his way to his fourth consecutive world title. 

Also among the top 10 is Antonelli's Mercedes team-mate George Russell, and Norris conceded that he may have his work cut off for him despite looking like the driver to beat so far in Brazil. 

"I learned that they're pretty quick and that Kimi pushes all the way until the very end," Norris said. "In some ways looking forward to it, in some ways I'm not.

"I think it's going to be a big challenge tomorrow. We have to see what the weather is going to do again.

"So far this weekend has been clean, so I'm hoping they [Antonelli and Leclerc] don't ruin it." 

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Norris did have his struggles during the final session of qualifying, making an error in his first lap that left him down in 10th place going into the final runs of qualifying. 

But he was able to recover to finish 0.174 seconds ahead of Antonelli, though he was quick to further point out the difficulty of the conditions around the Interlagos Circuit. 

"Tough out there with the conditions. Just slippery, inconsistent but good fun. It's always a pleasure around this track. I felt good," Norris added.

"I was under a bit of pressure because I messed up on my first lap – so more stressful than I would've liked. But stayed calm when it mattered and put it altogether, so happy.

"We've been on very good form. The team have given me a great car, so I've always got to thank them. I didn't make it easy for them or for myself.

"I'm still having to push. Locking up at Turn One, it just puts unnecessary pressure on myself. And the others are doing a good job.

"I think when I'm in a good rhythm, when I can stay calm, put it all together, I'll be on top."

It was an improved display for Norris' title rival Piastri, who earlier in the day crashed out of the sprint with a heavy collision just six laps into the race. 

The Australian has looked far from his best in recent months, but knows McLaren have provided him with a car capable of competing for a win. 

"Obviously, bit disappointed with the result but the car has looked quick this weekend, especially over a longer run, so hopefully I can take advantage of that tomorrow," he said. 

"Ultimately, I'll try and take whatever opportunities arise and if I can make progress forward and put pressure on, I will. But yeah, got to get there first."