Norris leads British trio in Brazil practice, while Verstappen’s grid penalty and McLaren’s upgrades shape a thrilling weekend.
The São Paulo Grand Prix began with the weekend’s sole practice session in Brazil, given its Sprint format. A busy session, as drivers had to adapt to a brand-new asphalt with only an hour of testing to gauge tire degradation.
Max Verstappen will incur a five-place grid penalty for an engine change, marking his second quota breach this season. The Dutchman had mentioned uncertainty on the matter in yesterday’s press conference, but he will indeed drop five positions on Sunday.
Sergio Pérez is using a new chassis, reverting to a previous specification to avoid a penalty. The Mexican driver requested this change from Red Bull, which complied. However, the team has confirmed it will not produce a new one with the season’s end approaching.
Oliver Bearman will be driving for Haas this Friday, as Kevin Magnussen is unwell. The British driver will participate in the Sprint Qualifying this afternoon and the Sprint race tomorrow early afternoon.
In this third race of a triple-header, updates are minimal. However, McLaren F1 surprised the paddock by introducing an unexpected and significant upgrade: a new rear wing. This medium-downforce rear wing version is more efficient.
McLaren also has a new beam wing at the base of the rear wing, as does Stake, which also introduced a new version of this part. The Swiss team, along with McLaren, is the only one to bring upgrades and has also introduced a new front suspension.
Conversely, Aston Martin has brought back the Suzuka floor from the season’s fourth race. Once again, Silverstone’s team development seems to be faltering, as seen last year.
Drivers quickly exited the pits to test the new asphalt and work on car setups. They all opted for medium tires, with Oscar Piastri setting the first benchmark at 1’13″478, ahead of Pierre Gasly and Sergio Pérez.
George Russell took fourth and Charles Leclerc fifth, with Max Verstappen slotting just behind. The gaps remained tight before Piastri improved to 1’13″200. Norris then bested him with a 1’12″641, and Russell improved further to 1’12″276.
With fresh asphalt, it’s clear that lap times improve throughout the weekend. Alex Albon moved into third, and Pérez took the top time at 1’12″099, with Russell going even faster at 1’11″806.
Verstappen then claimed the lead with a 1’11″712, as times continued to drop, despite him voicing concerns about his setup not working well and his reluctance to remove a fin, likely on the rear wing.
Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda were the first to test the soft tires and the only ones to do so in the early part of the session. The New Zealander placed fifth, between the Ferraris, while the Japanese driver clocked only the 14th fastest time.
Hamilton moved up to second midway through the session, though the seven-time world champion was less than satisfied with the car’s handling. Fernando Alonso slotted into fourth behind the two Mercedes and ahead of Pérez.
Russell tested the soft tires with 20 minutes remaining and set a time of 1’10″791. Franco Colapinto posted the second-fastest time on softs but was soon surpassed.
Lawson initially held the third-fastest time on medium tires, only to be overtaken by Oliver Bearman, who moved into second, and then by Alex Albon in third. Norris then wedged himself between the two, while the Ferrari drivers climbed back into the top six, later separated by Alonso.
Leclerc improved but remained sixth behind Albon, who had also improved, while Norris claimed the fastest lap under the checkered flag at 1’10″610. He ultimately led Russell and a surprising Bearman, completing an all-British podium in Free Practice.
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | 1:10.610 | 29 |
| 02 | George Russell | Mercedes W15 | 1:10.791 | 24 |
| 03 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | 1:10.805 | 30 |
| 04 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | 1:10.950 | 30 |
| 05 | Alex Albon | Williams Mercedes FW46 | 1:10.955 | 28 |
| 06 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari SF-24 | 1:11.038 | 31 |
| 07 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari SF-24 | 1:11.100 | 30 |
| 08 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | 1:11.124 | 26 |
| 09 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | 1:11.215 | 26 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault A524 | 1:11.216 | 27 |
| 11 | Liam Lawson | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | 1:11.301 | 26 |
| 12 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | 1:11.483 | 25 |
| 13 | Franco Colapinto | Williams Mercedes FW46 | 1:11.619 | 31 |
| 14 | Valtteri Bottas | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | 1:11.651 | 29 |
| 15 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | 1:11.712 | 30 |
| 16 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes W15 | 1:11.754 | 30 |
| 17 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | 1:11.783 | 26 |
| 18 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault A524 | 1:11.824 | 26 |
| 19 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | 1:11.845 | 28 |
| 20 | Guanyu Zhou | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | 1:12.883 | 27 |
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McLaren’s New Rear Wing Shines in Brazil Practice Session McLaren’s New Rear Wing Shines in Brazil Practice Session McLaren’s New Rear Wing Shines in Brazil Practice Session
