Antonelli dominates Brazil GP Friday as Ferrari struggles with balance and tyre degradation

Kimi Antonelli set the pace in both qualifying and long-run simulations during Free Practice 2 at the Brazilian Grand Prix on Friday, with Mercedes looking comfortably ahead of the field heading into the remainder of the Interlagos weekend.

In the qualifying simulation, the newly crowned world champion was 0.253 seconds faster than Lando Norris in the McLaren and 0.259 seconds clear of Max Verstappen in the Red Bull. The race simulations, however, offered the more telling picture of Sunday’s prospects.

Once stint lengths and tyre compounds were adjusted for comparison, Antonelli again came out on top. He completed a particularly impressive 20-lap stint on the soft tyre, with team-mate George Russell second-fastest but already 0.311 seconds per lap slower on adjusted figures. Verstappen was third, 0.474 seconds per lap behind Antonelli.

Tyre degradation is notably high at Interlagos, meaning even small differences in stint length can significantly affect average lap times — a factor that makes Antonelli’s margin all the more striking.

Antonelli acknowledged there was still work to do on the long run despite his satisfaction with the session. “It wasn’t bad,” he said. “I felt good with the car over a single lap. There is still a little bit of work to do on the long run. Overall, though, I feel good and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord echoed the positive tone, though he noted both drivers were still dealing with understeer — an issue that had largely been resolved following the upgrade package introduced in Malaysia. Lord believes Mercedes’ long-run pace is broadly on a par with Norris and Verstappen, and places Ferrari approximately half a step behind, though he expects the Scuderia to improve as temperatures rise on Saturday.

A sector-by-sector breakdown reveals where Mercedes is finding its advantage. The Silver Arrows were comparatively slow through the first sector, where Ferrari initially showed stronger pace. Mercedes’ gains came predominantly in the second and third sectors.

For Ferrari, Friday was a stark contrast. The team struggled with balance and high tyre degradation throughout the day, leaving them with significant ground to make up before qualifying.