Friday running at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace brought a fascinating start to the Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend, with tight margins across the board and a familiar name right at the top. Kimi Antonelli made his first appearance as a World Champion in FP1 and immediately showed strong pace, finishing less than a tenth off the benchmark before commanding the second session. His 0.253s advantage over the rest of the field in FP2 was an impressive statement on a day where the time gaps were remarkably small. Team-mate George Russell faced a tougher afternoon on the time sheets, running a standard programme ahead of a five-place grid drop for Sunday due to a new ICE.
Over at McLaren, Lando Norris claimed the top spot in FP1 by 0.082s ahead of Antonelli after setting his flying lap slightly later on a more evolved track. Oscar Piastri stepped back into the cockpit for FP2, leaving the two McLaren team-mates separated by just 0.068s as new upgrade packages delivered positive initial signs. Leonardo Fornaroli also put in a solid shift during FP1, completing aero work and finishing 11th after running used soft tyres while evaluating the circuit for the first time.
Max Verstappen endured a vocal start to the day at Red Bull, complaining over the radio about downshifts, his steering wheel, and a driving experience that felt like a "workout." Despite parking early in the second session to let the team investigate steering wheel issues, the Dutchman stayed firmly in the top three across both outings. Isack Hadjar faced a harder afternoon after switching up his setup in FP2, ending the day down in ninth position as the team worked to fine-tune tyre behavior and balance ahead of qualifying.
Ferrari experienced a disjointed Friday punctuated by reliability hurdles and traffic. Dino Beganovic stepped in for Charles Leclerc in FP1 but managed only 11 laps due to technical trouble, preventing him from setting a representative time on soft tyres. When Leclerc returned for FP2, the Monegasque driver struggled with the car's balance and lost a lap to traffic after being impeded by Camara, leaving him down in seventh. Lewis Hamilton reported a bumpy and slippery track that made getting tyres into the operating window difficult, finishing fourth in the opening session before sliding to sixth in the afternoon.
With changing weather forecasts threatening wet conditions for Saturday and potential adjustments to the schedule, the teams face a frantic night in the garages. The tight gaps at the front suggest qualifying will be decided by razor-thin margins once the green light finally drops.
F1
F1
