Practice report
Formula 1 Sao Paulo GP
F1 Brazilian GP: Kimi Antonelli fastest in tricky FP2
At the Brazilian Grand Prix, Formula 1's new world champion Kimi Antonelli led the way in Friday practice at an overcast Interlagos
Filip Cleeren
Edited: Nov 7, 2026, 5:17 AM
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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images
Newly-minted world champion Kimi Antonelli topped Friday's second practice session at the Brazilian GP, heading Lando Norris and Max Verstappen in Sao Paulo.
At the classic 4.3km Interlagos circuit, Antonelli set his quickest time just before the halfway mark of FP2 as drivers moved towards soft-tyre running, the Italian going faster than Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
Despite fans intermittently reaching for their ponchos, light drops of rain never really persisted on what was predicted to be the clearest day of a rain-affected weekend. But the cooler, overcast conditions did affect the running in different ways, as Lewis Hamilton reported he "can't get the tyre temperatures up". Hamilton was one of several drivers to lock up the front-left wheel on approach to the heavily cambered Turn 1.
Antonelli, who became F1's youngest ever world champion last weekend in Mexico, suffered from heavy bottoming on the bumpy layout, but still managed to lead the early running on hard tyres with a 1m11.8 lap.
Following a quieter spell, the paddock collectively unwrapped Pirelli's soft tyre compound. Russell, who has a five-place grid penalty overhanging his weekend for taking a new engine, came to the fore with a 1m11.016s lap, before being demoted by Norris and Verstappen.
Russell's Mercedes partner Antonelli went quicker still, dipping below the 1m11 barrier with a 1m10.763s effort. That was a quarter of a second quicker than three drivers from three different teams, such is the convergence of performance towards the end of the 2026 season.
In the upgraded McLaren MCL40, which boasts a new front wing, Norris took second with a 1m11.016s lap, which was 0.006s ahead of third-placed Verstappen, who caused some hilarity with his radio complaints about his Red Bull's clutch.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: James Sutton / Formula 1 / Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images
Russell and Oscar Piastri all followed within a tenth of Norris to complete the top five. Ferrari, often strong out of the gates on Friday, had an unusually muted start in Brazil. After going quickest in 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 dark green Audi, Gabriel Bortoleto was eighth on home soil, with Isack Hadjar and Haas driver Oliver Bearman rounding out the top 10.
Camara eventually took 16th, half a second off his team-mate, as Haas' 2027 signing completed his first full day as a grand prix driver replacing the ousted Esteban Ocon.
Audi's Nico Hulkenberg remained stuck in the garage after undisclosed issues plaguing FP1 stand-in Freddie Slater earlier on Friday.
F1 Brazilian GP: FP2 Results
All Stats
Cla Driver # Chassis Engine Laps Time Interval Tyres km/h 1 A. Antonelli Mercedes 12
Mercedes Mercedes 37
1'10.763
S 219.216 2 L. Norris McLaren 1
McLaren Mercedes 31
+0.253
1'11.016
0.253 S 218.435 3 M. Verstappen Red Bull Racing 3
Red Bull Red Bull 23
+0.259
1'11.022
0.006 S 218.416 4 G. Russell Mercedes 63
Mercedes Mercedes 35
+0.273
1'11.036
0.014 S 218.373 5 O. Piastri McLaren 81
McLaren Mercedes 32
+0.321
1'11.084
0.048 S 218.226 6 L. Hamilton Ferrari 44
Ferrari Ferrari 35
+0.450
1'11.213
0.129 S 217.831 7 C. Leclerc Ferrari 16
Ferrari Ferrari 33
+0.720
1'11.483
0.270 S 217.008 8 G. Bortoleto Audi 5
Audi Audi 33
+1.017
1'11.780
0.297 S 216.110 9 I. Hadjar Red Bull Racing 6
Red Bull Red Bull 33
+1.076
1'11.839
0.059 S 215.932 10 O. Bearman Haas F1 Team 87
Haas Ferrari 36
+1.228
1'11.991
0.152 S 215.476 11 F. Colapinto Alpine 43
Alpine Mercedes 33
+1.233
1'11.996
0.005 S 215.461 12 A. Lindblad Racing Bulls 41
RB Red Bull 36
+1.245
1'12.008
0.012 S 215.426 13 L. Lawson Racing Bulls 30
RB Red Bull 36
+1.279
1'12.042
0.034 S 215.324 14 P. Gasly Alpine 10
Alpine Mercedes 37
+1.346
1'12.109
0.067 S 215.124 15 F. Alonso Aston Martin Racing 14
Aston Martin Honda 34
+1.775
1'12.538
0.429 S 213.852 16
R. Câmara Haas F1 Team
51 
Haas Ferrari 30
+1.798
1'12.561
0.023 S 213.784 17 C. Sainz Williams 55
Williams Mercedes 33
+1.979
1'12.742
0.181 S 213.252 18 L. Stroll Aston Martin Racing 18
Aston Martin Honda 31
+2.179
1'12.942
0.200 S 212.667 19 A. Albon Williams 23
Williams Mercedes 37
+2.190
1'12.953
0.011 S 212.635 20 S. Perez Cadillac F1 Team 11
Cadillac Ferrari 34
+2.553
1'13.316
0.363 S 211.582 21 V. Bottas Cadillac F1 Team 77
Cadillac Ferrari 33
+2.620
1'13.383
0.067 S 211.389 22 N. Hulkenberg Audi 27
Audi Audi 0
View full results
Photos from Sao Paulo - Friday
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
Sao Paulo GP - Friday, in photos
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