Overview
- On Friday, Kimi Antonelli led second practice at Interlagos with a 1:10.763 lap, the only driver under 1:11 and a clear sign of Mercedes’ race-pace strength.
- McLaren brought a major upgrade and Lando Norris responded by topping the opening session with a 1:11.717 lap, showing the upgrade works on short runs and longer runs.
- Mercedes can secure the 2026 Constructors’ Championship this weekend if its pair outscore Ferrari by three points, which makes each practice and qualifying lap more consequential.
- George Russell said he feels exhausted after roughly 14 races this season were affected by technical problems and he will start the race with a five-place grid penalty after an engine change.
- Rookie and stand-in drivers reshaped Friday’s running: Rafael Camara made his F1 debut for Haas, Freddie Slater’s Audi suffered a gearbox/power loss that caused an FP1 red flag, and Audi could not get Nico Hülkenberg on track for FP2.