Norris said that, if anything, the rain might have helped lap times by cooling the tyres a little.
“It wasn’t a lap that felt mega,” the world champion said. “It was one where I committed a lot more because I knew how close it would be, and I almost made more mistakes.
“But I seemed to gain more than I seemed to lose at times. It was a lap where I just felt I had nothing to lose and it just paid off.”
Russell said a mistake in Turn Eight on his final run had cost him as the tyres got too hot and he was unable to keep improving.
Antonelli, too, was left to rue a mistake on his final run, saying he lost 0.2secs in Turn One taking things too easy because of the rain – he missed out on pole by 0.133secs.
Hamilton benefited from that by leaving his run late and benefiting from the usual improvement in track conditions through qualifying to pip Leclerc by 0.064secs.
Yuki Tsunoda, back on the grid to replace Lawson at Racing Bulls, was 12th.
And while Aston Martin believed their upgraded Honda engine had delivered what they expected, Fernando Alonso was not able to hold on to the 12th place he held going into the final runs of the first session.
Complaining that his out lap was a “mess”, he failed to improve his time, and dropped down to 18th, a disappointment in the circumstances.
