New F1 Champion Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris Trade Blows in Sao Paulo GP Friday Practice

The newly crowned 2026 F1 champion Kimi Antonelli and the outgoing champion Lando Norris traded top spots during Friday practice sessions at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Antonelli, who became the youngest-ever F1 champion at the Mexican Grand Prix last weekend, finished second in FP1 before bouncing back to top the timesheets in FP2. Norris, meanwhile, made an encouraging start to the weekend as he led the opening practice session.

Both the drivers emerged as the leading contenders, showing impressive pace throughout the Friday practice. Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen also showed encouraging speed at Interlagos.

Lando Norris Edges Kimi Antonelli in FP1

The McLaren driver began the Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend by setting the benchmark in FP1, recording a fastest lap of 1:11.717, ahead of Antonelli.

The Mercedes driver finished 0.082 seconds behind Norris. Verstappen was the third-fastest in the opening session.

The seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was fourth for Ferrari with a 1:12.041, while Mercedes’ George Russell finished fifth with a lap time of 1:12.103.

FP1 also featured several rookie appearances, as six regular drivers stepped aside for their teams to fulfil the mandatory young-driver practice requirement.

Out of the six test drivers, Gabriele Mini was the fastest as he finished seventh ahead of McLaren’s Leonardo Fornaroli in 11^th.

Antonelli initially established himself at the front on medium tires before improving his time. However, he struggled slightly during his first soft-tire attempt, locking up and running wide at Turn 1.

Norris, on soft tyres, took the opportunity to move ahead and stayed at the top until the chequered flag.

Kimi Antonelli Bounced Back in FP2

Antonelli bounced back strongly in the second practice session for Mercedes, setting the fastest lap of the day with a 1:10.763 lap on the soft tyres, ahead of Norris.

The 20-year-old finished 0.253 seconds ahead of Norris, who recorded a 1:11.016. Verstappen came third again in the day, just 0.006 seconds behind the McLaren driver.

Russell briefly moved to second with a 1:11.036 before Norris and Verstappen improved their times. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri finished fifth with a lap time of 1:11.084 seconds.

Ferrari drivers endured a quiet start to the Brazil weekend. Hamilton took sixth after struggling to get tire temperatures up in the cooler track conditions. Charles Leclerc finished seventh after losing time when he had to veer toward the wall to avoid Haas debutant Rafael Câmara.

Having already achieved his championship goal, Kimi Antonelli will now look to finish the season strongly and help his team secure the Constructors’ Championship.

Mercedes has an opportunity to clinch the teams’ title at Interlagos, provided it outscores Ferrari by at least three points over the weekend.

The day 2 action at Interlagos resumes with the final practice session at 11:30 AM local time, followed by qualifying at 3 PM local time.

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Written by

Yash Soni

Yash Soni is a Formula 1 writer with over four years of experience in digital sports journalism. He specializes in F1 news, race analysis, team updates, and paddock stories. With a strong focus on accuracy, research, and SEO-driven storytelling, he aims to deliver engaging and informative coverage that keeps motorsport fans up to date with the latest developments in Formula 1.

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