Lando Norris Tops First Practice at Sao Paulo Grand Prix
Lando Norris laid down an early marker in Sao Paulo, topping first practice as Interlagos eased itself into a weekend that could belong as much to the past as to the future.
The McLaren driver, fresh from victory and brimming with confidence, set the pace in FP1 at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, edging ahead on a day when teams had the rare luxury of a full three-practice schedule. No sprint. No compressed chaos. Just laps, data, and the chance to build something serious for Sunday.
Norris sets the tone
Norris looked sharp from the outset, his McLaren biting into the asphalt with the kind of authority that once seemed a distant hope earlier in the European season. Back then, a big upgrade package had hinted that McLaren had finally cracked the code. Lately, though, the momentum has wobbled.
Former F1 mechanic Calum Nicholas summed it up on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra: McLaren appeared to have “turned the corner” with those upgrades, but over the last few races “it just feels like they've lost their way a little bit.” His suspicion? The team may already be diverting serious brainpower and resources towards 2027, easing off on new solutions for the current car.
For now, Norris has the stopwatch on his side. Fastest in FP1, he carries the question into the weekend: can he string together back-to-back wins in Brazil?
Verstappen snarls, Antonelli shines
The top of the timesheets turned into a high-speed game of pass the parcel. Kimi Antonelli, the new Mercedes standard-bearer, briefly reclaimed the spotlight with a 1:11.799 that put him back on top and underlined why the paddock talks about him as the future of the sport. Max Verstappen slotted into second, Lewis Hamilton into third. On raw names alone, it felt like a podium rehearsal.
Antonelli has already spoken about how special it was to celebrate his championship with Verstappen and Hamilton, even going as far as framing their celebrations. Sentimental off track, ruthless on it.
Then Verstappen did what Verstappen usually does. Despite complaining on the radio that his gear shifts were “unacceptable”, the Red Bull driver still found enough speed to dislodge Antonelli by a hefty eight tenths. It was a reminder that even when irritated, he tends to end up on top.
Behind them, Franco Colapinto produced one of the standout laps of the session. The Alpine driver surged into the top three with a 1:13.140, a neat, aggressive run that underlined his growing comfort at this level. George Russell and his close friend Alex Albon both featured in the top 10, Albon’s Williams slotting in just behind the Mercedes.
Rookie markers and early hurdles
This weekend offers something drivers have been starved of in recent years at Interlagos: time. With no sprint race on the bill, the field gets two more practice sessions to refine set-ups and learn the track.
No one will welcome that more than Arvid Lindblad and Rafael Camara, both tackling the circuit for the first time. The extra mileage could turn a steep learning curve into something more manageable.
Alpine rookie Gabriele Mini made good use of the opening hour, climbing to seventh with a 1:12.569. It was a clean, composed effort that pushed him into the heart of the midfield scrap. Liam Lawson rounded out the top 10, with Oliver Bearman just behind in 11th for Haas, his future still unresolved as he waits for confirmation for the 2027 season.
Not everyone’s session ran smoothly. Luke Browning’s running was cut short as he returned to the Williams garage with a car issue, losing valuable track time on a day designed for gathering information.
Hamilton’s 400th: history in motion
Threaded through all of this is a milestone that looms over the weekend. Sunday is set to be Lewis Hamilton’s 400th Formula 1 race, a number that almost defies belief in a sport this intense.
Only Fernando Alonso has crossed that line before. Hamilton admitted the scale of it still catches him off guard.
“It's kind of crazy, I never ever thought that I would be reaching numbers like that,” he said on Thursday. “It's crazy because I still feel young and regardless of the things that people say, you saw my pole last week, I still have the pace, I still have the speed and I still have the dedication which is most important and the focus.
“Yeah, for me, that number is kind of irrelevant. It's beautiful to be able to have that here in Brazil. I've heard of like some photographers who have been here for 500 races.”
The number might be “irrelevant” to him, but not to anyone watching. A seven-time world champion, still pushing, still raging against the dying of the light, still chasing Verstappen and the next generation rather than waving them through.
The stage ahead
First practice ended with the chequered flag and, somewhere, a BBC presenter fending off a cat called Zayd. On track, though, the picture is serious: Verstappen grumbling yet fastest, Antonelli right there with him, Hamilton lurking, Norris quickest early and dreaming of another Brazilian high.
No sprint means more time to tune, tweak, and gamble. For some, it is a chance to rescue a drifting season. For others, like Norris and Antonelli, it feels like the opening act of something bigger.
If this is how the weekend starts, what does Sunday have left to say?
