Brazil home duo suffer setbacks in wet Sao Paulo qualifying

Brazilian drivers endured a torrid, rain-hit qualifying session for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Saturday as Gabriel ​Bortoleto finished last and F1 debutant Rafael Camara qualified 13th, ‌dampening the excitement surrounding Brazil's first home driver pairing at Interlagos in a decade.

Audi's Bortoleto slid into the barriers in Q1, reviving memories of last year's nightmare ​when he retired on the opening lap of his first ​home Grand Prix after an earlier sprint crash.

"Right now, (it feels ⁠like) shit. I mean,. what can I say? Last year, I ​had a crash. This year, I couldn't do qualifying properly because I ​messed up.

"So yeah, it looks like home race for me hasn't been good yet," Bortoleto told reporters, adding he would clear his head and try to put together ​a strong performance on Sunday.

Camara, making his Formula One debut for ​Haas after replacing Frenchman Esteban Ocon, spun in Q1 and recovered, only to lose ‌control ⁠later in the session and hit the wall.

Camara described it as a chaotic qualifying session but played down the incident, saying the support from the home crowd helped him keep a positive mindset despite the setback.

"I ​think it’s another ​learning experience for ⁠tomorrow. Of course, it’s not ideal, but you end up understanding more and preparing yourself much better."

Both Brazilians ​gained places on the grid after qualifying, as penalties ​reshuffled ⁠the starting order.

Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton were already set to start from the back after taking additional power unit components, promoting Bortoleto ⁠to ​19th.

Charles Leclerc, who qualified ahead of Camara, will ​also drop behind the Brazilian due to a penalty, leaving the Haas driver set to ​start 11th.