Norris edges new champion Antonelli in Brazilian GP opening practice as Verstappen fumes over RB22 issues

Lando Norris led a tightly-bunched field in first practice at the Brazilian Grand Prix in São Paulo, posting a 1m11.717s on soft tyres to edge newly-crowned champion Kimi Antonelli by just 0.082s. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton completed the top four, two and three tenths adrift respectively, underlining how closely matched the leading teams remain.

Verstappen’s session was far from comfortable despite his competitive lap time. The Red Bull driver repeatedly vented his frustration over team radio, first over a recurring downshift problem — “Unacceptable, man. Unacceptable, these downshifts. What the ****?” — and later over a worsening steering issue: “There’s something wrong with my steering. It’s getting harder and harder to turn the wheel.”

The session also served as a showcase for several young drivers making their FP1 appearances. The most high-profile was Rafael Camara, the Formula 2 championship leader who was handed an early F1 debut by Haas at his home race following Esteban Ocon’s fallout with the team. Camara finished 18th, nearly nine tenths slower than team-mate Oliver Bearman, with lock-ups into Turn 1 a recurring theme for rookies and veterans alike.

Alpine’s Gabriele Mini was the standout among the test drivers, taking seventh with a 1m12.569s — 0.085s quicker than Franco Colapinto in the sister car. McLaren’s Leonardo Fornaroli was 11th, 1.116s off Norris, while Williams’ Luke Browning finished 17th after Alex Albon encountered a mechanical problem. Cadillac’s Colton Herta was 20th, 0.904s adrift of Valtteri Bottas, but his clean run should theoretically secure the final point he needs for an FIA superlicence, potentially opening the door to a 2027 F1 seat if Cadillac choose to promote him.

At the foot of the timesheets, Ferrari junior Dino Beganovic and Audi’s Freddie Slater were hampered by technical problems that prevented both from setting soft-tyre times. Slater triggered a red flag just 12 minutes into the session after his car cut out entirely — “The car has just switched off,” he reported — leaving the pair to complete just 11 and seven laps respectively.