Lando Norris leads Britishs sweep in Brazil FP1, puts McLaren on top
Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool
Lando Norris leads all-British top three in Sao Paulo Grand Prix FP1.
Lando Norris showcased his championship credentials by leading a British one-two-three in the sole practice session for the Formula One's Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos. The McLaren driver set the pace with a fastest lap time of 1:10.610 seconds on soft tyres, edging out Mercedes' George Russell and Haas stand-in Oliver Bearman.
Norris, who trails Red Bull's Max Verstappen by 47 points in the drivers' standings, demonstrated impressive form on the anti-clockwise circuit. Russell finished the session 0.181 seconds adrift in second, while Bearman, filling in for an unwell Kevin Magnussen and set to take a regular race seat with Haas next season, completed the top three, just 0.195 seconds behind Norris.
"That was one bumpy ride," Russell remarked about the session, reflecting the challenging conditions at Interlagos.
McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri clocked the fourth fastest time, with Williams' Alex Albon rounding out the top five. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz secured the sixth and seventh fastest times respectively.
In a surprising twist, championship leader Verstappen could only manage the 15th fastest time. The Dutch driver will face additional hurdles in Sunday’s race, having incurred a five-place grid penalty for exceeding his engine allocation. Mercedes' seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton also struggled, finishing 16th in the session.
Due to the sprint weekend format, Friday's schedule was condensed to a single practice session followed by sprint qualifying later in the day. This intensified the pressure on teams to maximize the limited track time available.
Bearman's performance was a standout, as the Ferrari reserve driver continues to acclimatize to Formula One machinery ahead of his full-time role next season.
As the teams prepare for sprint qualifying, the competitive landscape of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend is shaping up to be electrifying, with Norris at the forefront of the British charge.
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