Norris fastest in Sao Paulo practice as champion Antonelli returns to action
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SAO PAULO, Nov 6 : McLaren’s Lando Norris set the pace in first practice for Formula One’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Friday, with newly crowned world champion Kimi Antonelli second fastest in his first track session since sealing the title in Mexico last weekend.
Norris, who dominated at Interlagos last year on his way to the 2025 championship, topped the timesheets with a lap of one minute 11.717 seconds. Mercedes’ Antonelli was 0.082 slower, with Red Bull’s four-times world champion Max Verstappen third, 0.236 off the pace.
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was fourth fastest, ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell, who is due to serve a grid penalty this weekend as the team chase the constructors’ championship.
Mercedes can secure the title at Interlagos if they outscore Ferrari by three points.
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“We felt like this was a good place to take it,” Russell said in comments shared by Mercedes on social media, noting that his former teammate Hamilton had recovered strongly from a grid penalty at Interlagos in the past.
Antonelli, who clinched the championship last Sunday with third place in Mexico, headed back on track at a venue where he scored what was then his best Formula One finish with second place last year.
Brazilian Rafael Camara, replacing Esteban Ocon at Haas, took his first outing in a 2026 car ahead of his home race and finished 18th, with a lap of one minute 13.696 seconds.
Local fans also had Gabriel Bortoleto to cheer on, marking the first time since 2016 that there were two Brazilian drivers on the grid. The Audi driver ended the session eighth fastest.
A red flag interrupted running early on when Audi stand-in Freddie Slater stopped on track after reporting a gearbox problem.
“The car has just switched off… I’ve lost the gears,” the Briton told the team over the radio. Slater, who endured limited running in Mexico last week, completed only seven laps and finished last.
Ferrari junior Dino Beganovic, driving in place of Charles Leclerc, also suffered a difficult session. The Swede ran off track early before mechanics repaired the floor of his car, leaving him 21st after completing only 11 laps.
Hamilton reported slippery conditions over the radio despite dry weather, with rain forecast later in the weekend at a circuit renowned for producing dramatic wet races.
Several drivers, including Hamilton, Antonelli and Camara, briefly ran wide at Turn One, while Verstappen complained about his car’s downshifts, describing them as “unacceptable” over team radio.
Alpine’s Gabriele Mini impressed with seventh place on the timesheets, ahead of Bortoleto and Argentine teammate Franco Colapinto.
Source: Reuters
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