The new world champion went fastest in FP2. Kimi Antonelli set a 1:10.763, 0.253 clear of Lando Norris. Rafael Camara’s first day as an F1 driver produced an 18th fastest in FP1 and a 16th fastest in FP2. It was a lively Friday, with a rookie-filled FP1 and a grid penalty for Russell.

An Audi F1 car on track at Interlagos during practice

Norris was fastest in FP1, with Antonelli second, Verstappen third, Hamilton fourth and Russell fifth. Rookies took over six regular drivers’ cars in the session. Slater, in Hülkenberg’s Audi, stopped on track, which brought out a red flag. Albon ended his session early with a loss of power steering, and Ferrari’s Dino Beganovic lost running time when the car’s floor was removed. It was dry, and the drivers got their running in before the rain arrived.

As for FP2, Antonelli went fastest, with Norris second, Verstappen third, Russell fourth and Piastri fifth. The drivers from 10th to 14th were separated by about a tenth. Hülkenberg set no time, reportedly because of an electrical issue. It was cloudy with spots of rain, but mostly dry overall. Many drivers struggled with brake lockups at Turn 1, which reports put down to the track, crosswinds, and track temperature.

Camara was 18th in FP1, 1.979 seconds off Norris’s pace, and moved up to 16th in FP2, 1.798 seconds behind Antonelli. He had a moment with Leclerc in FP2: Camara was moving slowly on the approach to the main straight while Leclerc was on a lap, and Leclerc had to take to the run-off area to avoid him. The stewards opened an investigation after the session.

Russell will take a five-place grid penalty for a new engine, his sixth internal combustion engine of the season, so he’ll start no higher than sixth on Sunday.

Next up is FP3 on Saturday at 9:30 am ET, and then qualifying at 1:00 pm ET. F1.com’s forecast has a 50% chance of rain on Saturday, mostly in the afternoon, which could shake up qualifying. Talk about a Friday.

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