Different programs for the top teams, with Verstappen’s consistency standing out, though he will have a 5-place grid penalty.
Fifth and penultimate Sprint weekend of the year; after this, only Qatar will remain.
In the first and only practice session,
Lando Norris immediately sent a message to Max Verstappen, setting the fastest time in the final seconds. Right behind him were Russell and a surprising Ollie Bearman, who will replace the unwell Kevin Magnussen, at least for the Sprint.
The Interlagos circuit is a medium-high downforce track, primarily due to the twisty central sector, which is crucial for setting up an overtaking opportunity on the straight of the third sector leading to Turn 1.
Pirelli has chosen to bring the softest tire range possible, with the C3, C4, and C5 compounds, unlike in 2023, when the Italian manufacturer made a more conservative choice by bringing the C2, C3, and C4.
Lando Norris was the fastest in the only practice session of this weekend at Interlagos.
The circuit has just been resurfaced, although several drivers, particularly Sainz, have complained about the bumps, mainly on the long straight. A two-stop race is expected, starting with the softer tires; however, the possibility of a Safety Car or even a red flag, as happened in 2023, should not be overlooked, which would lead to a reorganization of strategies.
Finally, the last variable to consider this weekend is the weather: indeed, while there are no significant risks of bad weather on Friday and Saturday, rain is expected on Sunday, which would lead to another reshuffling of strategies, recalling what happened in 2008 and 2012, for example.
FP1 Race Pace Analysis Brazil: here are the times from this afternoon!
During the middle part of FP1, all teams conducted a race simulation program, except for Mercedes, which initially preferred to carry out a qualifying simulation. As is the case in all weekends with a Sprint format, these practice sessions do not provide us with many references regarding the times themselves, mainly because we cannot know the different programs and fuel quantities used by the teams.
However, we can observe the consistency of the drivers: certainly the most consistent was Max Verstappen, who completed 12 laps, lowering his times in the final runs. However, in Sunday’s race, the championship leader will have to serve a 5-place grid penalty for the replacement of the internal combustion engine, and will therefore be forced to start from the middle of the grid.
On the other hand, McLaren seemed to struggle more with race pace, as the other title contender, Lando Norris, completed only 4 laps, and those were inconsistent. Oscar Piastri, on the other hand, conducted a longer simulation, also demonstrating a degree of consistency, although with fewer laps than Verstappen.
FP1 Race Pace Analysis Brazil: long run times (part 1)
A certainly different program for both Ferrari’s cars: indeed, as Marc Genè stated to Sky during the session, the Maranello team focused primarily on tomorrow afternoon’s Sprint race.
In fact, Leclerc completed a fast lap with a time of 1:12.0, then settled around 1:14, while Sainz conducted a more consistent simulation, lapping in the high 1:13s.
The race simulation from Mercedes was also good, with Russell even fitting soft tires, making him the only one alongside the two VCARB cars to do so. Both drivers remained very consistent around 1:14.5, and historically, the Brackley team has always achieved good results at Interlagos, including George Russell’s first career victory.
PHOTO: Mclaren F1, GPKingdom.
