Brazil FP1 report: Charles Leclerc P6, Carlos Sainz P7, Ollie Bearman a pleasant surprise in P3 at Interlagos. How Ferrari SF-24 cars performed in Sao Paulo FP1.

Lando Norris claimed the fastest time in the sole practice session for Formula 1’s São Paulo Grand Prix, demonstrating McLaren’s prowess on a freshly resurfaced Interlagos track. The British driver set his best lap at 1:10.610 during the closing minutes of the hour-long session, conducted in warm, sunny weather, finishing 0.181 seconds ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell.

Russell had initially set the benchmark during his Soft tyre stint and held the top position for most of the session’s final stages until Lando Norris’s last flying lap narrowly edged him out. Third-fastest was Haas’s reserve driver and Ferrari Driver Academy member Ollie Bearman, who received an unexpected call-up after Kevin Magnussen fell ill Friday morning. With Kevin Magnussen’s status uncertain, the Ferrari junior will continue driving throughout Friday’s events and is expected to compete in Saturday’s Sprint Race. Regulations allow the Danish driver to resume qualifying if he recovers in time.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, rebounding from a small mistake on his first Soft tyre run, finished fourth, while Alex Albon took fifth for Williams. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz followed, placing sixth and seventh respectively.

Nico Hulkenberg secured eighth for Haas, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly completing the top ten.

Notably absent from the top times was Red Bull Racing, with Max Verstappen finishing in 15th. Max Verstappen, facing a five-place grid penalty on Sunday due to a new engine installation, abandoned his Soft tyre run. Sergio Perez completed his lap but only managed 19th, just ahead of Zhou Guanyu from Sauber.

Lewis Hamilton, who ran on Medium tyres, ended the session in 16th and reported discomfort towards the end of the practice.