Norris fastest in FP1 with title rival down in P15 after aborting lap
F1 News
Lando Norris has finished fastest in the first and only free practice session, but Max Verstappen was set to go faster before pulling out in the third sector. The Red Bull Racing driver thus kept his powder dry on the soft tyre and finished 14th fastest. Norris finished one-tenth faster than second-placed George Russell, with Oliver Bearman finishing third fastest.
Oliver Bearman made another surprise appearance. Kevin Magnussen was sick and unable to compete, so Haas opted to use Bearman, who will drive for the team in 2025. Bearman will take part in the sprint race on Saturday, with a decision still unconfirmed for Grand Prix qualifying and Sunday. But he made an impression with the third-fastest time in Brazil.
Oscar Piastri finished fourth fastest, with Alex Albon rounding out the top five. The two Ferrari drivers finished 6th and 7th. Unlike his teammate, Perez did complete a lap on the soft tyre but finished 19th fastest.
What happened during the first free practice session in Brazil?
There was a lot to discover about the circuit in only 60 minutes of practice. The track has been completely resurfaced ahead of the event. This meant the track was filled very quickly. After 10 minutes, Perez climbed to the top of the timesheet and set the pace early in the session. The Red Bull driver needs to bounce back after a disastrous weekend in Mexico, and reports suggest he is using a different chassis. He was more than half a second faster than his teammate Verstappen following the first run on medium tyres. On the second run, Verstappen went three-tenths faster.
Mercedes started to up the pace around the halfway point, but Hamilton reported the ride height quality remained bad. He almost matched Verstappen's quickest time at that point in the session, with Russell within a tenth as well. Hamilton had a couple of issues on track. He was blocked by Sainz and then Norris. Both of those runs were compromised. Russell was the first on the soft tyre, and Russell went nine-tenths faster. Colapinto also suggested there was a huge tyre delta, as the Williams driver moved to P2 with a hot lap on the softs. Bearman and Albon also joined him at the top with around seven minutes remaining.
McLaren, who has made circuit-specific changes to its rear and beam wings, had a quiet session on the medium tyres. At one point, Norris languished in P16 and strangely tried to attack Perez going into the pit lane. On the soft tyres though, Norris lifted himself up the leaderboard. The same couldn't be said about Perez, who simply wasn't quick enough and finished 19th fastest.