F1 Sao Paulo, Norris ahead of Antonelli and Verstappen in free practice 1

Lando Norris opens Friday at Interlagos with the fastest time in free practice 1 at the Sao Paulo GP. The McLaren driver, winner of last year’s Brazilian race, stops the clock at 1:11.717 on the Autódromo José Carlos Pace track and immediately puts his name ahead of everyone in the opening session of the weekend.

Behind him is Kimi Antonelli, 82 thousandths slower, while Max Verstappen completes the leading trio a little over two tenths off. The new world champion, who had also tried to set the pace with the soft tyres, still confirms himself close to the top in a session with very tight gaps.

Lewis Hamilton finishes fourth with Ferrari. George Russell is fifth, but his weekend is already uphill: for the engine change he will have to serve a 5-place penalty on the starting grid, as reported by the Gazzetta. The top six is completed by the other Red Bull of Isack Hadjar, in a session that saw the teams also focus on long run work.

The session

McLaren comes through well from a first outing that, for the moment, only offers partial indications. Norris sets his best lap when the track is already more rubbered in and stays on top of the standings until the chequered flag, while Antonelli improves his benchmark after moving to the top with the medium compound and then with the softs.

The day was not straightforward for everyone. Verstappen reported over the radio that the downshifts on his Red Bull were a problem, and the car’s steering wheel also seemed stiffer than expected. Behind the leading names, Friday in Sao Paulo continues with the second session scheduled later, useful to better understand the pace on track on a short and tricky circuit.