Norris Leads in São Paulo and the Debutants Steal the Show

Lando Norris has started the São Paulo Grand Prix on the right foot. The British McLaren driver set the best time in the first free practice session at Interlagos, with a record of 1:11.717 that allowed him to beat Kimi Antonelli by 82 thousandths and Max Verstappen by a little more than two tenths, a session that beyond the times, was marked by the presence of six debutant drivers who occupied the full-time drivers' cars and who starred in some of the most interesting moments of the morning.

Lando Norris, who last year won at this same circuit, confirmed his good form and his adaptation to the Brazilian layout. The Briton was the fastest on the soft tire and kept his time at the top until the checkered flag, despite the fact that the session focused on race simulations in the final part. Kimi Antonelli, recently crowned as F1 world champion, finished second and demonstrated that without the pressure of the title, he remains just as competitive. Verstappen, for his part was third and complained on the radio that the clipping of his Red Bull was "unacceptable" although his pace was enough to stay in the fight.

The session also left moments of tension: Lance Stroll, Alex Albon, Lewis Hamilton and Colton Herta went off at turn 1 in the first minutes and the red flag made its presence felt when Freddie Slater stopped on track. The Briton who had already had reliability problems in Mexico could not complete the session. Albon for his part also retired early due to a loss of power steering.

One of the big protagonists of the day was Rafael Camara. The Brazilian who will debut with Haas this weekend in his home race, went out on track as soon as the green light came on and completed a solid session, finishing seventeenth. Camara who will compete full time with Haas in 2027, took advantage of every minute to familiarize himself with the car and the circuit before his public, another outstanding debutant was Gabriele Mini who finished seventh with Pierre Gasly's Alpine demonstrating that the young talents are more than prepared to make the jump.

The session also served for Colton Herta to continue accumulating kilometers in his attempt to obtain the Super License. The American who drove Sergio Pérez's Cadillac, needs one more point to be able to compete in Formula 1 in 2027. His performance was discreet but his presence on track is one more step in his objective.

Lando Norris leads, but the equality is maximum. Kimi Antonelli, Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are separated by barely a few tenths and qualifying promises strong emotions. The rain, which could make its presence felt during the weekend adds an element of uncertainty to an event that presents itself as exciting. McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull seem to be in a handkerchief and any detail could make the difference, São Paulo, as always, will not disappoint.