There's nothing like a bit of rain to spice up a Formula 1 weekend and the weather contributed to a mixed-up grid and the feelgood story of the season in Friday's Brazilian Grand Prix sessions, which decided the starting order for Saturday's Sprint race.

Kevin Magnussen defied the odds - he was a 2,000-1 shot to go fastest in qualifying before a wheel had turned at Interlagos - to give the Haas team their first pole position.

It's a bit of a shame that rather than starting from the front in the Grand Prix, Magnussen's prize is to lead the field away in the 24-lap Sprint race, which will itself determine Sunday's grid order, but it was a massive achievement nonetheless.

World champion Max Verstappen will start the sprint alongside Magnussen on the front row, and it is surely only a matter of time before the Red Bull ace forces his way to the front.

What	Brazilian GP sprint race
Where	Interlagos, Sao Paulo, Brazil
When	7.30pm Saturday 12th November
How to watch	Sky Sports F1
Odds	Max Verstappen 1/3, George Russell 3/1, Carlos Sainz 12/1, Lewis Hamilton 20/1, Lando Norris 20/1, Kevin Magnussen 25/1

How did a 2,000-1 shot end up on pole?

The qualifying hour started inauspiciously for Haas, as Mick Schumacher was slowest of all in the first segment of the session, while Magnussen needed a late charge to avoid being knocked out in Q1 after his initial run was invalidated as he had exceeded track limits.

As the clouds grew darker, spots of rain fell throughout the session, but not enough to require wet-weather tyres, and going into the final top-ten shootout it looked like the Red Bull and Ferrari drivers were set to battle it out for pole.

Ferrari, famed this season for their strategic bungles, bizarrely sent out Charles Leclerc on intermediate tyres despite the track being dry.

The season's most successful qualifier was unsurprisingly tenth fastest of the final ten after the first runs. A frustrated Sergio Perez, stuck behind the struggling Ferrari for much of his lap, was only marginally faster in ninth.

But after the initial attempts on the slippery and cool - but still effectively dry - track, Magnussen had put together the tidiest lap and sat atop the times.

As the rain began to fall harder, George Russell spun into the gravel where his Mercedes became beached, causing the session to be stopped. Although the interruption wasn't particularly lengthy, the circuit was soaked by the time it restarted and it was clear no-one would be improving their times.

So Magnussen claimed his first pole position at the 141st attempt, ahead of Verstappen with Russell allowed to keep his third place despite having caused the red flag.

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What is likely to happen in the Sprint?

Heavier rain is expected on Saturday with a possibility of thunderstorms later in the day.

Given recent events in Singapore and Japan, which both had to delay the start of their races due to rain, and in Belgium last year which effectively didn't happen at all, the main worry for organisers will be whether the race can be run.

Assuming it goes ahead, wet tyres will most likely be the order of the day. While Verstappen is most likely to find a way past Magnussen in the opening corners, his teammate Perez could be the man to watch for entertainment value.

No-one has a better record in rain-affected races this year than the Mexican, and he is locked in a battle with Leclerc to finish second in the drivers’ championship.

Perez leads that fight by five points, and with points paid out to the top eight finishers in the Sprint, they can be expected to push from ninth and tenth on the starting grid.

Interlagos is one of the better tracks on the calendar for overtaking, as Lewis Hamilton showed last year by charging from 20th on the grid to finish fifth in the Sprint.

How high can Magnussen finish?

Pole-sitter Magnussen is 25/1 to end the Sprint where he starts it, and while it will be virtually impossible to keep Verstappen at bay, the Dane shouldn't be written off lightly.

He reached the top-ten shootout in qualifying entirely on merit, having set a number of eye-catching times in the earlier portions of the session.

Russell will be hoping for rain to mitigate his Mercedes' vulnerability on the long straight, while Lando Norris, who starts an excellent fourth, is likely to be doing more defending than attacking during the race. Ferrari's Carlos Sainz starts fifth but has struggled in wet races this season.

Perez and Leclerc could conceivably get into the podium fight if they don't take too long negotiating the traffic, all of which could help Magnussen, who is 11/4 to hold on for a top-three finish.