Newly-minted world champion Kimi Antonelli topped Friday’s second observe session on the Brazilian GP, heading Lando Norris and Max Verstappen in Sao Paulo.
On the basic 4.3km Interlagos circuit, Antonelli set his quickest time simply earlier than the midway mark of FP2 as drivers moved in direction of soft-tyre operating, the Italian going sooner than Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
Regardless of followers intermittently reaching for his or her ponchos, gentle drops of rain by no means actually persevered on what was predicted to be the clearest day of a rain-affected weekend. However the cooler, overcast situations did have an effect on the operating in numerous methods, as Lewis Hamilton reported he “cannot get the tyre temperatures up”. Hamilton was considered one of a number of drivers to lock up the front-left wheel on strategy to the closely cambered Flip 1.
Antonelli, who turned F1’s youngest ever world champion final weekend in Mexico, suffered from heavy bottoming on the bumpy structure, however nonetheless managed to steer the early operating on laborious tyres with a 1m11.8 lap.
Following a quieter spell, the paddock collectively unwrapped Pirelli’s comfortable tyre compound. Russell, who has a five-place grid penalty overhanging his weekend for taking a brand new engine, got here to the fore with a 1m11.016s lap, earlier than being demoted by Norris and Verstappen.
Russell’s Mercedes associate Antonelli went faster nonetheless, dipping beneath the 1m11 barrier with a 1m10.763s effort. That was 1 / 4 of a second faster than three drivers from three completely different groups, such is the convergence of efficiency in direction of the tip of the 2026 season.
Within the upgraded McLaren MCL40, which boasts a brand new entrance wing, Norris took second with a 1m11.016s lap, which was 0.006s forward of third-placed Verstappen, who precipitated some hilarity along with his radio complaints about his Pink Bull’s clutch.
Max Verstappen, Pink Bull Racing
Photograph by: James Sutton / Components 1 / Components Motorsport Ltd by way of Getty Photos
Russell and Oscar Piastri all adopted inside a tenth of Norris to finish the highest 5. Ferrari, typically robust out of the gates on Friday, had an unusually muted begin in Brazil. After going quickest within the first sector, Hamilton settled for sixth with team-mate Charles Leclerc in seventh, Leclerc rueing being impeded on the straight by Haas debutant Rafael Camara.
Aboard a darkish inexperienced Audi, Gabriel Bortoleto was eighth on residence soil, with Isack Hadjar and Haas driver Oliver Bearman rounding out the highest 10.
Camara ultimately took sixteenth, half a second off his team-mate, as Haas’ 2027 signing accomplished his first full day as a grand prix driver changing the ousted Esteban Ocon.
Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg remained caught within the storage after undisclosed points plaguing FP1 stand-in Freddie Slater earlier on Friday.
F1 Brazilian GP: FP2 Outcomes
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