Mercedes ended Friday on top at the 2026 F1 São Paulo GP, with Kimi Antonelli leading the way during practice at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace. The newly crowned World Champion finished second in FP1 before topping FP2 with a 1:10.763, finishing 0.253 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Teammate George Russell also demonstrated competitive pace, finishing fifth and fourth across the two sessions. However, the Briton faces a five-place grid penalty for an engine change, which will affect his starting position for Sunday’s race.
Although Antonelli secured the Drivers’ Championship at the previous round in Mexico City, Mercedes continues its pursuit of the Constructors’ Championship. Following Friday’s running, Antonelli and Mercedes Deputy Team Principal Bradley Lord reflected on the team’s progress, the challenges presented by Interlagos and their expectations ahead of qualifying.
Antonelli reflects on strong Friday at the 2026 F1 São Paulo GP
Antonelli expressed satisfaction with Mercedes’ performance across both practice sessions, highlighting the car’s competitiveness over a single lap and during longer runs. After finishing second in FP1, the Italian improved during the afternoon to secure the fastest time of the day.
Although the car demonstrated encouraging pace, Antonelli acknowledged that Mercedes still had areas to improve before Saturday’s qualifying session.
“Yeah, it was not bad. I felt good with the car in single lap, long run. There’s a bit of work to do, but overall, yeah, feeling good and excited for tomorrow,” Antonelli stated.
The Italian believes Mercedes has a realistic opportunity to challenge for pole position. However, he expects close competition from McLaren and Red Bull, with Norris and Max Verstappen finishing second and third in FP2 respectively.
Antonelli also highlighted the uncertain weather forecast, which could influence the team’s preparations and the competitive order during qualifying.
“I think we have a good chance for tomorrow. However, we’re all very close. McLaren is strong as well, Red Bull is strong. So, we just try our best to be ready. Also, we’ll see how the weather is going to be. But I’m really excited for tomorrow.”
Antonelli enjoys return to Interlagos despite low grip
Antonelli also reflected positively on his return to Interlagos, describing the Brazilian circuit as an enjoyable venue despite the challenging track conditions.
Several drivers struggled with grip throughout Friday’s practice sessions, particularly under braking at Turn 1. Nevertheless, Antonelli remained comfortable with his Mercedes as he continued preparing for the remainder of the weekend.
“Yeah, the track is, you know, a lot of fun around here. The grip is a bit low, but yeah, trying to do my best. But let’s see, let’s see tomorrow, but we’ll do our best.”
The Italian has positive memories of Interlagos after finishing second during his rookie Formula 1 season in 2025. Having already enjoyed success at the circuit, he hopes to build on his strong Friday performance and challenge for another podium finish.
“Yeah, of course. It’s a place that I love and, you know, it would be amazing to come away from the weekend with another great result. And that’s why I’ll do my best to put myself in the best position to achieve that.”
Antonelli explains Turn 1 lock-up during FP1
Although Antonelli demonstrated strong pace on Friday, he also encountered difficulties during his first soft-tyre run in FP1. The Mercedes driver locked up at Turn 1, disrupting his flying lap as he attempted to improve his position.
Antonelli explained that the bumps around the braking zone made it difficult to identify the ideal braking point. As grip increased throughout the session, he attempted to brake progressively later, but the uneven surface complicated his approach.
“Yeah, it’s quite bumpy there, so, you know, it’s not easy to find the right braking, you know, spots. Because, obviously, with the grip coming up, you try to brake later and later. But it’s quite bumpy, so as well it’s hard to manage the brake pressure. So, yeah, it’s not easy. I was trying to do a little bit more, but it was a bit too much,” Antonelli stated.
The incident did not prevent him from finishing second in the opening session. He subsequently improved during FP2, setting the fastest lap of the day as Mercedes continued refining its preparations.
Lord assesses Mercedes’ progress during São Paulo GP practice
While Mercedes topped Friday’s timesheets, Deputy Team Principal Bradley Lord emphasised that the team’s progress extended beyond its outright lap times.
Lord highlighted how quickly both drivers established competitive pace, although Antonelli and Russell continued working to address understeer. The issue represented a change from the car’s recent behaviour following the upgrade package Mercedes introduced in Malaysia.
He also identified encouraging long-run performance, suggesting that Mercedes remained competitive with Norris and Verstappen during Friday’s running.
“Well, topping the timesheets is always nice, but what’s the real progress? Real progress is hit the ground running with the car, both drivers still looking to dial out some understeer, which is not something we’ve had too much of since we put the update package on in Malaysia. Overall, long run pace is in the mix with Lando, Max, and both of our drivers. Maybe Ferrari are half a step behind today, but I’m sure they’ll come good as well in the hotter conditions on Saturday,” Lord stated.
Despite Ferrari’s difficult Friday, Lord expects the Italian team to recover some performance as conditions change. His assessment also reflects the close competition Mercedes anticipates throughout the remainder of the weekend.
Changing track temperatures present another challenge for Mercedes
Lord also discussed the potential impact of changing temperatures at Interlagos, with the forecast suggesting considerably different conditions across the weekend.
Friday’s cooler running provided Mercedes with useful information about its car’s performance. However, the team must now determine whether it can maintain that competitiveness as track temperatures increase on Saturday before potentially falling again on Sunday.
The changes could affect the car’s balance and operating window, creating another consideration as Mercedes attempts to maintain its advantage over the leading competitors.
“That’s a good question. I’m not quite sure how we would answer that, to be honest. We’ll see this weekend. We’ve got a great test of it with cool conditions today, much warmer on Saturday, and then cool again on Sunday, and then whether we can cope with that sort of adjustment of track temperature and what that does to the balance as well.”
Mercedes will therefore need to evaluate how its car responds to the changing conditions while continuing to address the understeer concerns identified during Friday’s practice sessions.
Lord highlights Antonelli’s motivation after securing the title
Although Antonelli arrived in Brazil with the Drivers’ Championship already secured, Lord insisted that the Italian remains highly motivated.
Mercedes still has the Constructors’ Championship to win, providing an important objective for both Antonelli and Russell. Lord emphasised the drivers’ determination to reward the work carried out by the team’s personnel at Brackley and Brixworth.
He also highlighted the importance of maintaining momentum ahead of 2027, with both drivers looking to finish the current campaign strongly.
“There’s two big things. We’ve got our Constructors’ Championship to win and a job to complete, and both drivers are really determined to do that, to sort of translate and recognise the effort of everyone back in Brixworth and in Brackley. And then this is the start of 2027 for Kimi, and he’s determined to finish the season on a high but take that momentum through into the winter. His teammate, George, exactly the same. So yeah, they’re both going to be racing very hard indeed,” said Lord.
Lord’s comments underline Mercedes’ determination to maintain its competitive approach throughout the final rounds, rather than allowing Antonelli’s earlier success to change its priorities.
Lord expects close qualifying battle at São Paulo GP
Looking ahead to Saturday, Lord cautioned against assuming Mercedes would retain the advantage it demonstrated during FP2.
Interlagos features one of the shortest lap times on the Formula 1 calendar, meaning relatively small performance differences can have a significant impact on the classification. With Norris, Verstappen and Russell separated by just 0.020 seconds during FP2, the competition behind Antonelli already appeared particularly close.
Lord also highlighted the potential influence of changing track temperatures, which could alter the balance between Mercedes and its closest rivals.
“This is one of the shortest lap times of the season, so the gaps are always tiny and one little detail, one degree of track temperature and quality can make all the difference. So yeah, we always assume it’s going to be close. You know it’s close here, much like we often see in Austria as well. So I’d be surprised if the advantage we saw in FP2 translates into qualifying, but hopefully we can still come out on the right side of it,” Lord concluded.
Mercedes therefore enters Saturday with encouraging pace but several areas to monitor, particularly its handling characteristics and the changing weather conditions.
Antonelli will aim to build on his strong Friday performance, while Russell will seek to maximise qualifying despite his five-place grid penalty. Both drivers will now focus on translating their practice pace into a competitive result.
