Ferrari faces a demanding task at the 2026 Brazilian Grand Prix after Friday’s FP2 race simulations suggested that Mercedes and McLaren have the upper hand at Interlagos. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc showed encouraging signs during parts of their long runs, but neither Ferrari driver could consistently reproduce the pace demonstrated by the leading cars.
Mercedes emerged as the early benchmark for Sunday’s race, with George Russell and newly crowned world champion Andrea Kimi Antonelli producing particularly competitive lap times. McLaren also impressed following the introduction of an upgrade package, while Ferrari’s performance varied considerably depending on the tyre compound.
The second practice session took place under foggy conditions in São Paulo, with light rain appearing towards the end. Despite the changing weather, the leading teams gathered valuable information through their race simulations, offering the first indications of their potential competitiveness over longer distances.
Brazilian GP FP2 results: Antonelli leads as Ferrari finishes sixth and seventh
Andrea Kimi Antonelli set the fastest lap of the session, recording a 1:10.763 on the Soft tyres. The Mercedes driver finished ahead of a closely matched group comprising Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, George Russell and Oscar Piastri, all separated from the benchmark by less than three and a half tenths.
Lewis Hamilton was Ferrari’s quickest representative in sixth position, finishing 0.450 seconds behind Antonelli. Charles Leclerc followed in seventh, although his final classification did not fully reflect the lap he had been attempting.
The Monegasque encountered Rafael Câmara on the final straight while completing a flying lap in the No. 16 Ferrari. Câmara had not noticed the approaching car and remained on the racing line, preventing Leclerc from completing an uninterrupted attempt.
With the single-lap running completed, attention turned to the longer stints that could provide a clearer indication of Sunday’s competitive order. The changing conditions and different tyre choices made it especially important to distinguish outright lap times from sustained race pace.
Mercedes sets the benchmark in Brazilian GP FP2 race simulations
The most convincing long-run performance came from Mercedes. Russell and Antonelli were able to begin their simulations with lap times in the high 1:14s, something only Verstappen briefly managed to match.
As their tyres gradually deteriorated, both Mercedes drivers moved into the 1:15s. Their initial speed and subsequent consistency nevertheless made the Silver Arrows the reference point among the leading teams.
Most of the field conducted race simulations using the Soft and Medium compounds, allowing the teams to examine how their cars behaved as the tyres accumulated laps. These longer runs are particularly valuable because a competitive qualifying lap does not necessarily translate into equally strong performance across a race stint.
Further comparisons of the drivers’ lap times, tyre compounds and stint consistency can be explored using the F1 practice and long-run analysis.
McLaren shows impressive race pace despite harder tyre choice
McLaren’s performance provided another reason for Ferrari to be cautious. The team arrived in São Paulo with a new upgrade package and demonstrated encouraging pace throughout the longer runs.
Lando Norris adopted a different approach from the majority of his rivals by beginning his first simulation on the Hard compound. Despite running a tyre two steps harder than the Soft, the British driver initially remained close to the Mercedes pace.
Norris continued recording laps consistently in the 1:15s, underlining the strength of McLaren’s performance on the harder rubber. Oscar Piastri also maintained a similar rhythm, suggesting that the team’s competitiveness was not limited to one car.
Later in the session, Piastri switched to the Soft tyres and produced a 1:14.2, demonstrating the additional speed available on the red-marked compound.
These performances placed McLaren alongside Mercedes among the strongest teams in the early race-pace picture, presenting another significant challenge for Ferrari ahead of Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton improves on Soft tyres as Ferrari struggles for consistency
For Ferrari, the long-run data offered a less straightforward assessment. Lewis Hamilton initially struggled to match the leading cars when running on the Medium tyres, with his lap times frequently fluctuating between the high 1:15s and the 1:16s.
That rhythm left the seven-time world champion behind the strongest Mercedes and McLaren performances during the opening stages of his race simulation. However, the picture improved when Hamilton changed to the Soft compound.
On the red tyres, the British driver demonstrated that he could reach the pace of the leading group. His improvement provided a more encouraging indication of Ferrari’s potential, even though the earlier Medium-tyre running had exposed a gap to its rivals.
For the Maranello team, the contrast between the two compounds is an important part of the assessment ahead of the race. Understanding the different levels of performance across the available tyres will be central to evaluating its prospects at Interlagos.
The characteristics of the circuit and the challenges facing the SF-26 are also examined in our Ferrari technical analysis for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc closer to Red Bull as Ferrari faces difficult Brazilian GP
Charles Leclerc’s longer runs offered a somewhat different picture from those of his team-mate. The Ferrari driver maintained a solid rhythm, with his performance appearing closer to Max Verstappen’s pace than to the faster Mercedes-powered cars.
Red Bull also demonstrated competitive speed through both of its drivers, although Verstappen’s programme was interrupted by a power unit problem. The Dutchman was forced to stop running approximately 10 minutes before the conclusion of FP2, limiting his opportunity to complete the session as planned.
Ferrari therefore ended Friday with mixed indications. Hamilton’s improved Soft-tyre performance and Leclerc’s respectable race simulation provided some encouragement, but Mercedes and McLaren looked more convincing across the longer runs.
With the São Paulo weekend moving towards qualifying and Sunday’s Grand Prix, Ferrari must find a way to narrow that apparent performance gap. The first race simulations have established Mercedes as the early favourite on long-run pace, with McLaren also looking particularly competitive.
For Hamilton and Leclerc, the challenge is to translate the promising moments from FP2 into a more sustained level of performance when it matters. The complete 2026 Brazilian Grand Prix weekend schedule provides the remaining session times ahead of the race at Interlagos.
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