Norris led FP1 at Interlagos, but Antonelli went 0.253s clear in FP2. McLaren has new parts, Russell has a five-place grid penalty and Ferrari needs a better Saturday.
Friday started with three drivers separated by less than a quarter of a second. By the end of second practice at Interlagos, Kimi Antonelli had put a quarter of a second between himself and everybody else.
The new world champion set a 1m10.763s in FP2 for the São Paulo Grand Prix, beating Lando Norris by 0.253s. Max Verstappen was only 0.006s behind the McLaren; George Russell followed another 0.014s back, with Oscar Piastri fifth. It was the sort of lap that made the rest of the field look twice at its data.
Mercedes has the quickest car on Friday’s evidence, although Antonelli was still chasing balance and Russell has an engine penalty to serve. McLaren is trying to make its latest upgrades work. Ferrari, after a much better Mexico weekend, had a difficult afternoon. And with rain threatening, nobody can bank on these conditions lasting.
Norris edges FP1, then Antonelli finds another gear
Norris opened with a 1m11.717s on the soft tyre, just 0.082s ahead of Antonelli. Verstappen was third, 0.236s off the lead, while Lewis Hamilton, Russell and Isack Hadjar completed the top six. There was little to separate the leading teams.
Antonelli lost an early soft-tyre lap when he locked up at Turn 1. Verstappen was unhappy with his downshifts and reported heavy steering. Neither problem stopped them getting close to Norris, but neither driver had a perfect first hour.
Russell briefly led FP2 with a 1m11.036s. Norris took that down to 1m11.016s, and Verstappen got within six thousandths of him. Then Antonelli found a 1m10.763s. He was the only driver to break into the 1m10s, which is a sizeable margin on a 4.3km circuit.
Antonelli still complained of understeer. Mercedes was also working on brake locking and the compromise between stability in the faster corners and front-end grip in the slower ones. Quick as it looked, the W17 was not yet giving either driver everything he wanted.
São Paulo GP 2026: Friday FP1 and FP2 top ten
FP1 — top ten
| Driver | Lap / gap |
|---|---|
| 1. Lando Norris | 1:11.717 |
| 2. Kimi Antonelli | +0.082s |
| 3. Max Verstappen | +0.236s |
| 4. Lewis Hamilton | +0.324s |
| 5. George Russell | +0.386s |
| 6. Isack Hadjar | +0.439s |
| 7. Gabriele Minì | +0.852s |
| 8. Gabriel Bortoleto | +0.897s |
| 9. Franco Colapinto | +0.937s |
| 10. Liam Lawson | +0.998s |
FP2 — top ten
| Driver | Lap / gap |
|---|---|
| 1. Kimi Antonelli | 1:10.763 |
| 2. Lando Norris | +0.253s |
| 3. Max Verstappen | +0.259s |
| 4. George Russell | +0.273s |
| 5. Oscar Piastri | +0.321s |
| 6. Lewis Hamilton | +0.450s |
| 7. Charles Leclerc | +0.720s |
| 8. Gabriel Bortoleto | +1.017s |
| 9. Isack Hadjar | +1.076s |
| 10. Oliver Bearman | +1.228s |
Gaps are to the fastest valid lap in each session. Six regular drivers gave their cars to rookies in FP1; Haas race debutant Rafael Câmara took part in both sessions.
The complete classifications are available from Formula 1 for FP1 and FP2. Formula 1 has also posted its official FP2 highlights for anyone who missed the afternoon running.
McLaren’s upgrades show promise, but Norris wants more
McLaren came to São Paulo with revised front and rear wings and smaller changes around the floor. Its Friday was as much about measuring those parts as setting a quick lap. Both cars started FP1 with aerodynamic measuring equipment; Norris tried the new rear wing while Leonardo Fornaroli, deputising for Piastri, ran the older version.
Norris led the session, then fitted the updated floor in FP2. Piastri returned for the afternoon and finished fifth, just 0.068s slower than his team-mate. A slow puncture on Piastri’s hard tyres forced McLaren to change his long-run plan, so the two drivers did not complete identical race simulations. The team’s practice report described the upgrades as a positive step, rather than a dramatic one.
That fits the times. Norris was strong over one lap in both sessions and Piastri was immediately competitive after missing FP1. But when everyone reached for a qualifying lap, Antonelli had two and a half tenths in hand. McLaren still has to find some of that back.
Russell’s penalty complicates Mercedes’ title chance
Russell was fourth in FP2, only 0.020s behind Verstappen. His problem is not a lack of Friday speed: Mercedes has fitted a sixth internal combustion engine, taking him beyond his permitted allocation and triggering a five-place grid penalty for Sunday.
The penalty means Russell cannot start higher than sixth, even if he qualifies on pole. The FIA stewards’ documents set out the grid decision. Mercedes chose this weekend to take the hit, with overtaking opportunities at Interlagos offering Russell a chance to recover. That is not quite the same as being able to race from the front.
Mercedes arrived in Brazil with a 126-point advantage over Ferrari and needs to outscore it by just three points to seal the Constructors’ Championship on countback. Antonelli has done the hard part for Friday, but the team cannot count on Russell backing him up from the front row. The São Paulo Grand Prix preview explains the remaining championship fight.
Ferrari falls back as Leclerc narrowly avoids Câmara
Hamilton was fourth in FP1, which offered Ferrari a decent starting point. FP2 was a different matter. He finished sixth, 0.450s off Antonelli, after struggling with tyre temperature and locking up at Turn 1. Charles Leclerc was seventh, 0.720s from the pace.
Leclerc missed FP1 while Dino Beganović completed his scheduled rookie outing. Technical trouble restricted Beganović to 11 laps, leaving Leclerc with little useful comparison data when he climbed into the car for FP2.
Then came a nasty moment at Turn 15. Leclerc was finishing a flying lap when Rafael Câmara’s Haas moved across towards the racing line. The Ferrari had to veer right, partly off the track, to avoid contact. Leclerc’s engineer estimated the interruption had cost around two tenths. It did not explain all of Ferrari’s deficit.
The stewards found that Câmara had been warned several times about Leclerc approaching but continued weaving into his path. They issued a driving reprimand, rather than the warning normally handed out for practice impeding. There was no grid penalty.
It was an awkward introduction to Grand Prix racing for the Brazilian. Câmara is making his full F1 debut at home after Haas ended Esteban Ocon’s 2026 race programme; he is also signed to race for the team in 2027. Haas announced the change on Wednesday. Câmara ended FP2 in 16th, while team-mate Oliver Bearman made the top ten.
Bortoleto makes the top ten; Hülkenberg loses all Friday running
Gabriel Bortoleto was eighth in both sessions for Audi, a decent showing in front of his home crowd. Nico Hülkenberg, on the other side of the garage, did not turn a lap.
Freddie Slater had taken Hülkenberg’s car for FP1, but stopped on track after seven laps and brought out a red flag. The problem was not fixed for FP2. Hülkenberg will therefore head into Saturday relying on the final practice hour to understand the car and conditions. With rain possible, that is a rough place to start.
Gabriele Minì impressed among the FP1 stand-ins, finishing seventh in Pierre Gasly’s Alpine. Fornaroli was 11th for McLaren. Luke Browning drove for Williams and Colton Herta for Cadillac as teams completed more of their rookie-running obligations. Different tyres and test programmes make the substitutes’ times hard to compare directly.
The soft tyre holds up — for now
Track temperature reached 44°C in FP1 and dropped to about 28°C by the end of FP2. The difference showed up in the long runs. Drivers had more sliding and thermal degradation in the heat, particularly on the C3 hard, before the cooler afternoon reduced overheating.
The C5 soft looked more convincing than its name might suggest. Pirelli reported consistent running on the soft and no significant graining across the range. Right-rear wear remains worth watching as stints get longer. A two-stop race is still an option if Sunday stays dry.
Antonelli’s soft-tyre long run was promising. But Norris and Verstappen used different compounds and stint lengths, while fuel loads and energy settings remain unknown. Calling the race on that evidence would be a stretch.
The bigger question is whether the track will stay dry. São Paulo has new asphalt in places and a softer tyre selection than last year, both covered in TTM’s Interlagos strategy guide. If drivers have to attack in changeable conditions, the new electrical Overtake Mode rules could matter as much as the pit-stop plan.
Saturday and Sunday: UK start times
Final practice is at 14:30 GMT on Saturday 7 November, followed by qualifying at 18:00 GMT. The 71-lap São Paulo Grand Prix starts at 17:00 GMT on Sunday 8 November.
Antonelli has the best Friday lap, Norris and Verstappen are close, and Russell will start five places lower than he qualifies. That is plenty to watch before the weather even gets involved.
Tech Torque Verdict
Antonelli put together the lap that mattered. Norris, Verstappen and Russell were separated by just 0.020s before the Mercedes driver went a quarter of a second clear. On Friday’s evidence, he starts Saturday as the favourite.
McLaren’s new parts look worthwhile, but it has not suddenly overtaken Mercedes. Ferrari needs to find a better balance, Hülkenberg has an entire day’s work to catch up on and Russell’s engine change has made the Constructors’ Championship fight more awkward than it needed to be.
If the forecast delivers rain, that neat Friday order may not survive the first serious lap of qualifying. Interlagos rarely makes things easy.
