Norris leads Antonelli and Verstappen in Brazilian GP FP1 as Herta seals superlicence

Lando Norris topped Free Practice 1 at the Brazilian Grand Prix in São Paulo, posting a 1m11.717s on soft tyres to edge Kimi Antonelli by 0.082s. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were two and three tenths adrift respectively, with the top four teams once again tightly bunched.

Verstappen’s session was far from comfortable. The Red Bull driver vented frustration over team radio about a persistent RB22 gearbox issue — “Unacceptable, man. Unacceptable, these downshifts” — before reporting a separate problem with his steering becoming increasingly heavy as the session wore on.

The session was notable for the volume of rookie drivers in action. Haas gave Rafael Camara an early F1 debut at his home race following Esteban Ocon’s departure from the team; the reigning Formula 2 championship leader finished 18th, nearly nine tenths slower than team-mate Oliver Bearman. Alpine’s Gabriele Mini was the standout among the debutants, taking seventh with a 1m12.569s — 0.085s quicker than Franco Colapinto in the sister car. McLaren’s Leonardo Fornaroli was 11th, Williams’ Luke Browning 17th, and Cadillac’s Colton Herta 20th.

Herta’s clean run — aside from a heavy lock-up into Turn 1 — carried significant implications beyond the timing sheet. The American collected the final point required for an FIA superlicence, making him eligible for a 2027 Formula 1 seat should Cadillac choose to promote him.

At the foot of the classification, Ferrari junior Dino Beganovic and Audi’s Freddie Slater were hampered by technical failures that prevented both from recording soft-tyre times. Slater triggered a red flag just 12 minutes in after his car cut out entirely — “The car has just switched off,” he reported — and the pair completed only 11 and seven laps respectively.