Sao Paulo GP: Norris leads tight field in upgraded McLaren in FP1

Lando Norris set the pace in opening practice for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, edging Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli in a closely contested session that saw the leading teams separated by just a few tenths – and Max Verstappen already losing patience with his Red Bull.

The McLaren driver clocked a 1m11.717s on the soft tyre to finish 0.082s clear of Antonelli. Verstappen was third, two tenths off the pace, with Lewis Hamilton fourth, another tenth further back.

The competitive picture at the front was therefore encouragingly tight, although not everyone emerged from the opening hour in good spirits.

• São Paulo Grand Prix - Free Practice 1 Results

Verstappen unhappy with RB22

Verstappen made his displeasure abundantly clear over team radio, reviving complaints about a persistent weakness of the RB22.

"Unacceptable, man. Unacceptable, these downshifts. What the ****!” he exclaimed before reporting another increasingly concerning problem with the car.

"There's something wrong with my steering. It's getting harder and harder to turn the wheel."

The Dutchman will be hoping Red Bull can identify and resolve the issues before qualifying.

Alpine’s Mini shines among rookies

There was plenty of rookie interest, with several teams handing their young prospects valuable Friday mileage.

Most notably, Brazilian Rafael Camara made his F1 debut for Haas, stepping in following Esteban Ocon's departure from the team's line-up for the remainder of the season.

The Formula 2 championship leader finished 18th, almost nine tenths behind teammate Oliver Bearman.

But Alpine's Gabriele Mini was the standout rookie, claiming seventh with a 1m12.569s, 0.085s ahead of Franco Colapinto. McLaren's Leonardo Fornaroli was 11th, Williams' Luke Browning 17th and Cadillac's Colton Herta 20th.

Herta completed an otherwise trouble-free session, despite a spectacular lock-up into Turn 1. The American is expected to collect the final point required for his FIA Super Licence, potentially clearing the way for a Cadillac promotion in 2027.

Early red flag disrupts running

Turn 1 proved particularly unforgiving, with numerous drivers locking up under braking.

The session was also interrupted just 12 minutes in when Audi's Freddie Slater reported: "The car has just switched off."

The resulting red flag compounded a difficult hour for Slater and Ferrari's Dino Beganovic, both of whom suffered technical problems that prevented them from setting representative soft-tyre times.

They finished at the bottom of the classification, completing just seven and 11 laps respectively.

Norris, meanwhile, emerged with the bragging rights – and a narrow early advantage over Mercedes.

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