Lando Norris delivered an outstanding performance to finish fastest in the sole free practice session ahead of the São Paulo Grand Prix weekend.
The championship leader produced a superb final lap, clocking 1:09.975, edging out his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri by just 0.023 seconds. It was another display of consistency and confidence from the British driver, who continues to look in complete control as the Formula 1 title battle intensifies. Piastri, meanwhile, showed a strong recovery in pace following a difficult run of recent races, confirming McLaren’s strength around the demanding Interlagos circuit.
The session highlighted McLaren’s clear superiority over the rest of the grid, with Nico Hülkenberg impressively taking third place for Stake F1, though still more than six-tenths of a second off Norris’s benchmark time.
Behind them, Fernando Alonso and Gabriel Bortoleto rounded out the top five, both drivers delivering solid laps as conditions evolved rapidly late in the session.
In one of the biggest surprises of the day, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, and Yuki Tsunoda all ended the session near the bottom of the standings. Their struggles suggest there is still plenty of work to do before qualifying, setting up an unpredictable and potentially dramatic Brazilian Grand Prix weekend.
Result Free practice 1 – Brazilian GP
| # | Driver | Team | Time | Tyre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |   Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:09.975 |  |
| 2 |   Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:09.998 | |
| 3 |   Nico Hulkenberg | Stake | 1:10.594 | |
| 4 |   Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:10.606 | |
| 5 |   Gabriel Bortoleto | Stake | 1:10.616 | |
| 6 |  George Russell | Mercedes | 1:10.645 | |
| 7 |   Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:10.681 | |
| 8 |  Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:10.686 |  |
| 9 |  Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 1:10.707 | |
| 10 |   Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:10.744 | |
| 11 |   Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:10.794 | |
| 12 |   Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:10.807 | |
| 13 |  Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:10.906 | |
| 14 |  Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:10.961 | |
| 15 |   Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:11.070 | |
| 16 |   Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:11.160 | |
| 17 |   | Red Bull | 1:11.368 | |
| 18 |   | Ferrari | 1:11.493 | |
| 19 |  | Ferrari | 1:11.526 | |
| 20 |   | Red Bull | 1:11.763 |  |
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