F1 championship leader Lando Norris got his Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend off to the best possible start by topping the event's only practice session at Interlagos, leading a McLaren one-two ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri.
The Briton’s best lap of 1m09.975s narrowly beat Piastri by just 0.023 seconds, setting up another intra-team showdown as the pair head into Sprint Qualifying later today.
The session began after a brief delay for track clean-up but ran uninterrupted for the full hour – a crucial window of running in a sprint weekend where teams only get a single practice before qualifying.
Early on, drivers focused on long-run data using Pirelli’s hardest C2 tyre, with George Russell setting the pace for Mercedes while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and the two McLarens traded times at the top.
Piastri, eager to rebound after a pair of difficult weekends in Austin and Mexico, quickly looked sharp, matching Norris sector-for-sector as McLaren demonstrated early authority. The pair’s form suggested their strong 2025 campaign remains intact as the championship fight intensifies.
Drama for Tsunoda, Quiet Session for Verstappen
There was early drama when Yuki Tsunoda lost control of his Red Bull at Turn 4 after a snap of oversteer exiting Turn 3. The Japanese driver clipped the barrier, damaging both wings and cutting short his initial run — a blow as his Red Bull future remains undecided.
Later, Verstappen himself ran wide at the same corner but avoided any damage. The reigning world champion’s session never really took off, and he ended up only 17th fastest, having abandoned his final flying lap.
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As the clock ticked down, most teams switched to the C3 medium tyres to simulate sprint qualifying conditions. Alex Albon briefly led for Williams with a 1m11.004s, before Russell and Carlos Sainz traded the top spot in quick succession.
Norris and Piastri Steal the Show
The closing stages belonged entirely to McLaren. Piastri initially surged to the front with a stunning 1m09.998s, topping all three sectors of the undulating Interlagos circuit. But Norris, ever the finisher, found an extra margin on his final attempt to pip his teammate by the narrowest of margins – both drivers the only ones to dip below the 1m10s barrier.
Behind them, Nico Hülkenberg produced a surprise for Sauber by taking third, six tenths adrift of Norris. Fernando Alonso slotted into fourth for Aston Martin, splitting Hülkenberg from his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto, who impressed in fifth place on home soil as the first Brazilian to contest the Sao Paulo race in eight years.
Russell eventually fell to sixth after leading much of the session, followed by Pierre Gasly, Sainz, and rookies Isack Hadjar and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who completed the top 10.
Verstappen and Ferrari Among the Laggards
It was a low-key session for some of the sport’s heavyweights. Verstappen’s muted showing in 17th was followed by Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who ended up 18th and 19th respectively after neither set a representative qualifying lap.
Tsunoda, who rejoined the session after hasty repairs to his RB21 and ran soft tyres late on, remained rooted to 20th.
Despite the mixed order, the times offered only a partial picture – teams ran divergent programmes and fuel loads ahead of Sprint Qualifying at 15:30 local time (18:30 GMT – 19h30 CET).
Still, with McLaren looking ominously quick and Verstappen yet to show his hand, the stage is set for a fascinating fight as Formula 1’s fifth sprint weekend of 2025 roars into life at Interlagos.
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