Norris tops FP1 at Brazilian Grand Prix as Herta secures final super licence point

Lando Norris recorded the quickest lap of the opening practice for the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos, posting a time of 1:11.717 and edging new world champion Kimi Antonelli by 0.082 seconds. McLaren, the only team to bring upgrades to the weekend, introduced a new front and rear wing, revised floor elements and a beam wing.

Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) completed the top four, each within three tenths of a second of Norris, while George Russell was fifth and Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar sixth. Alpine’s Gabriele Mini was the fastest of the six drivers who only participated in FP1, finishing seventh, followed by regular driver Franco Colapinto in ninth. Brazilian-born Gabriel Bortoleto in an Audi placed eighth, and Liam Lawson rounded out the top ten for Racing Bulls.

McLaren reserve driver Leonardo Fornaroli was 11th, ahead of Haas’s Ollie Bearman and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso. Rafael Camara, set to debut in the race as Esteban Ocon’s replacement, completed his first FP1 in 18th place.

"unacceptable downshifts," Verstappen complained during his run.

Colton Herta secured the final 40th point required for an F1 super licence by exceeding the 100-kilometre running threshold, combining his four previous FP1 runs with the Brazilian session. A miscalculation in Cadillac’s FIA-verified data had previously suggested the requirement was met in Mexico, prompting the additional run in Brazil. Valtteri Bottas, who could be replaced by Herta in 2027, was 15th, nine tenths of a second quicker than Herta.

Freddie Slater’s second FP1 ended after seven laps when his Audi stopped, triggering a red flag and leaving him with just 21 laps across his two practice outings. Dino Beganovic of Ferrari also had a curtailed session after his team changed the car’s floor mid-run, limiting him to 11 laps.