McLaren set the pace in the only Free Practice session of the Brazilian Grand Prix. Lando Norris edged out a very sharp Oscar Piastri by just 23 thousandths of a second, while the rest of the field trailed by six tenths, with Nico Hulkenberg third in the Sauber. Max Verstappen and the Ferrari cars were absent from the top, having skipped the flying laps to focus on the hardest compound.
McLaren immediately showed their strength at Interlagos during the sole Free Practice session. Lando Norris took the top spot from Oscar Piastri on the final lap. The British driver, on a set of medium tires, clocked 1’09”975, more than six tenths faster than last year on a harder compound. The World Championship leader struggled to find his rhythm, working extensively on the setup and even changing the front wing.
Earlier, Oscar Piastri had looked fast, leading the McLaren cars and showing that the doubts from the previous two GPs had vanished. Piastri looked once again like the driver at the top of the standings.
Don’t look for Max Verstappen or the Ferrari cars at the top—they were at the back of the pack for a very simple reason: they didn’t attempt a flying lap in preparation for the Sprint Qualifying later in the evening. Max had fitted a set of soft tires but aborted the lap and returned to the pits. The four-time World Champion then focused solely on hard tires, finishing 17th ahead of the two Ferrari cars of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
The Ferrari garage had briefly fitted medium tires but removed them before returning to track, choosing to work exclusively on hards to preserve the yellow tires. Both Maranello drivers maintained strong pace, with Charles running a lower downforce rear wing and Lewis starting with a more loaded V-profile wing.
Nico Hulkenberg’s third place in the Sauber is no surprise: the German was six tenths off the McLaren pace. Gabriel Bortoleto, feeling at home, finished fifth. Sandwiched between them was Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin in fourth, just 12 thousandths ahead of the VF-25, while Lance Stroll ended 15th. Mercedes remained inconspicuous, with George Russell sixth and Kimi Antonelli tenth, a tenth behind his compatriot.
Between the two silver arrows were Pierre Gasly in the Alpine, Carlos Sainz in the Williams, and Isack Hadjar in the Racing Bull. Sainz appeared fully recovered from the illness that had forced him to miss Thursday’s media day.
Yuki Tsunoda struggled with the Red Bull: on lap four, the Japanese driver lost control of the RB21 on the outer kerb exiting Turn 1. The car, possibly too low at the floor, slid over the yellow-green kerb and went into oversteer, starting a spin. Tsunoda tried to control it, but with all four wheels locked, he slid diagonally backward, hitting the barrier with the front left. The driver broke the front wing but managed to return to the pits under his own power. The Milton Keynes engineers inspected the car, checking the left front suspension before working on the rear to replace the rear wing and adjust the setup, showing the car had been particularly delicate. Yuki ran a set of softs, completing nine laps in the final 20 minutes to attempt a short long run with the red car. Unsurprisingly, he ended up last on the timing sheet.
Haas struggled as well, with Esteban Ocon 13th and Oliver Bearman 14th, just behind Alexander Albon’s Williams, which suffered some brake issues. Franco Colapinto finished 16th in the second Alpine; the Argentine, enjoying his contract renewal, avoided unnecessary risks.
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