Fresh off his historic coronation as Formula 1’s youngest-ever world champion in Mexico just five days prior, Mercedes rising star Kimi Antonelli wasted no time reaffirming his supreme form. The young Italian dominated the second practice session at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, commonly known as Interlagos, setting the benchmark time of 1:10.763 during Friday’s running ahead of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Operating with a distinct sense of liberation after sealing the drivers’ crown, Antonelli carved through the undulating 4.309-kilometre circuit with clinical precision. He proved to be the sole driver to dip below the 71-second barrier, edging out the chasing pack by over two-tenths of a second. As the final triple-header of the high-stakes 2026 Formula 1 season intensifies, Friday’s action at Interlagos offered a fascinating glimpse into the competitive hierarchy, highlighting strategic upgrades, reliability dramas, rookie introductions, and internal team dynamics.
Antonelli’s Unrivaled Rhythm in Post-Championship Form
The paddock arrived in Brazil still buzzing from Antonelli’s title-clinching performance in Mexico City. Having secured the championship earlier than any driver in the sport’s modern history, Antonelli carried that momentum directly into the legendary amphitheater of Interlagos. After posting the second-fastest time in a disrupted opening practice session, the Mercedes prodigy stepped up his pace in the more representative afternoon conditions.
Sky Sports F1 analyst Karun Chandhok noted the psychological shift in the newly crowned champion. Driving entirely free of the championship pressures that typically weigh down title contenders in the closing stages of a season, Antonelli locked into an extraordinary rhythm. His benchmark lap of 1:10.763 was 0.253 seconds faster than Lando Norris, with reigning world champion Max Verstappen slotting into third, further underlining the supreme tightness at the sharp end of the grid.
McLaren’s Upgrade Strategy and Norris’s Optimism
While Antonelli seized the headlines, McLaren enjoyed a deeply productive Friday as they rolled out a significant aerodynamic and mechanical package for the MCL40. Woking remains the sole outfit on the grid bringing fresh performance parts to Brazil, a high-stakes gamble as they chase Red Bull for third place in the Constructors’ Championship. Following a resilient sequence of races and a turbulent stretch complicated by Virtual Safety Car misfortune in Madrid, McLaren finds themselves trailing Red Bull by 17 points with only four rounds remaining.
Lando Norris, the pacesetter from the morning FP1 session and last year’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix winner, expressed satisfaction with the team’s upward trajectory. Norris confirmed that initial data analysis from the newly installed components verified expectations, noting tangible gains in lap time without fundamentally altering the challenging balance of the car.
"I think FP1 we seemed quite easily on the pace," Norris reflected. "FP2 we struggled a little bit more to match the Mercedes, but it’s been a pretty good start to the weekend and we have continued the trend we had in Mexico. All in all, a positive day. Today was also a day where we kind of work through the upgrades and see if they work as they should, and they do. We have seemed to gain performance. Nothing has changed from a driving point of view. Still tricky. But it’s maybe brought a little bit of lap time, which is what we want."
Despite McLaren’s optimism, Mercedes showcased immense depth. George Russell clocked the fourth-fastest time in the second Mercedes, though his weekend faces a steep uphill climb. Russell is slated to take a five-place grid penalty for Sunday’s Grand Prix following the installation of a fresh power unit component. Oscar Piastri rounded out the top five in the sister McLaren, ensuring both Woking machines remained firmly in the mix.
Ferrari Navigates Internal Tensions and Fitness Challenges
Conversely, Ferrari endured a more arduous Friday afternoon, particularly struggling to extract immediate performance over the short qualifying simulation runs. The Scuderia arrived in Interlagos under intense scrutiny following a costly first-lap collision in Mexico that squandered a guaranteed victory and triggered an emergency clear-the-air meeting on Thursday evening between drivers Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, and Team Principal Frederic Vasseur.
When the dust settled on Friday’s track action, Hamilton could only manage the sixth-fastest time, with Leclerc slotting in directly behind him in seventh. Leclerc’s Friday routine was uniquely demanding; the Monegasque driver had flown straight back to Monaco earlier in the week for the birth of his first child, Bianca. Missing Thursday’s media commitments and Friday morning’s opening practice, Leclerc played catch-up throughout the afternoon, trying to reacclimate himself to the SF-26 on the notoriously demanding anti-clockwise Brazilian circuit.
Technical Woes and Rookie Debuts Shake Up the Field
The opening practice session was heavily influenced by rookie regulations and unfortunate technical setbacks. Audi experienced a day of stark contrasts. Nico Hulkenberg, alongside several other seasoned veterans, surrendered his car during FP1 to allow rookie running. However, unmitigated reliability problems meant Hulkenberg failed to register a single timed lap throughout the entire day.
British youngster Freddie Slater suffered a terminal technical stoppage after completing just seven laps during his FP1 outing. Although Audi mechanics fought valiantly to turnaround the chassis for the afternoon session, persistent electrical gremlins forced the team to keep the car stationary in the garage, writing off a critical day of data acquisition.
Despite Audi’s troubles, Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto provided local fans with plenty of reasons to cheer, steering his lone-running machine to a commendable eighth-fastest time ahead of his much-anticipated home Grand Prix. Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar finished ninth, while Oliver Bearman rounded out the top 10 for Haas.
The driver market and rookie spotlight also shone brightly elsewhere on the grid. Haas opted to part ways with Esteban Ocon, installing 21-year-old Brazilian academy driver Rafael Camara for a dream Formula 1 debut on home soil. Camara navigated his maiden official sessions cleanly, finishing 16th fastest—half a second behind teammate Bearman. However, his baptism of fire was not entirely without incident; the debutant drew the attention of the race stewards after inadvertently impeding Charles Leclerc on the high-speed uphill approach to the start-finish straight during FP2.
Sao Paulo GP Practice Two Timesheet
1) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 1:10.763
2) Lando Norris (McLaren) – +0.253
3) Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – +0.259
4) George Russell (Mercedes) – +0.273
5) Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – +0.321
6) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – +0.450
7) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – +0.720
8) Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) – +1.017
9) Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – +1.076
10) Oliver Bearman (Haas) – +1.228
11) Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – +1.233
12) Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) – +1.245
13) Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – +1.279
14) Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – +1.346
15) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – +1.775
16) Rafael Camara (Haas) – +1.798
17) Carlos Sainz (Williams) – +1.979
18) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – +2.179
19) Alex Albon (Williams) – +2.190
20) Sergio Perez (Cadillac) – +2.553
21) Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) – +2.620
22) Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) – No time set
Weekend Schedule and Implications
As the Formula 1 paddock transitions from practice to competitive pressure, the stakes heading into Saturday and Sunday could not be higher. With Antonelli setting a blistering pace, McLaren validating their upgrade path, and Mercedes managing tactical grid penalties, the battle for pole position promises intense tactical drama.
Remaining Sao Paulo Grand Prix Weekend Schedule (All times local / UK adjustments apply)
Saturday, November 7:
- 14:15: Sao Paulo Grand Prix Practice Three (Session starts at 14:30)
- 17:00: Sao Paulo Grand Prix Qualifying Build-up
- 18:00: SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING
- 20:00: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday, November 8:
- 15:30: Grand Prix Sunday: Sao Paulo GP Build-up
- 17:00: THE SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX
- 19:00: Chequered Flag: Sao Paulo City GP Reaction
- 20:00: Ted’s Notebook
The final leg of the season’s grueling triple-header continues live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming available via NOW, as the grid prepares to master the unpredictable weather and passionate crowds of Interlagos.
