Lando Norris topped the opening practice session of the 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix, giving McLaren an encouraging start to the Brazilian race weekend. The British driver set a fastest lap of 1:11.717 at Interlagos on Friday, finishing ahead of Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

Antonelli was just 0.082 seconds behind Norris, while Verstappen recorded the third-fastest time, 0.236 seconds off the McLaren driver's pace. The closely contested session offered an early indication that several teams could challenge for the front positions as the weekend progresses.

McLaren's Four Upgrades Make an Immediate Impression

Much of the attention at Interlagos centred on McLaren's updated MCL40. The team arrived in Brazil with four notable aerodynamic changes, covering the front wing, rear wing, beam wing and floor furniture.

The upgrades are aimed at improving the car's aerodynamic performance and helping McLaren remain competitive during the closing stages of the season. Norris's position at the top of the timesheets will provide encouragement, although practice results alone cannot establish how much performance the new components have unlocked.

McLaren will be keen to carry that early pace into the remaining sessions, particularly with the competitive order appearing relatively close among the leading teams.

Kimi Antonelli Makes Strong Return After Winning F1 Title

Antonelli also delivered an impressive performance, finishing second in his first Grand Prix weekend since securing the 2026 drivers' world championship at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

The Mercedes driver missed out on the fastest time by less than a tenth of a second, suggesting that his title celebrations have not affected his competitive rhythm. His performance will give Mercedes confidence heading into the rest of the São Paulo weekend.

Verstappen, meanwhile, finished third but experienced difficulties with his Red Bull. The Dutchman raised concerns over the car's downshifts during the session and subsequently reported increasing resistance in the steering. The team will need to investigate these issues before the next competitive running.

THE TOP THREE IN FP1

1️⃣ Lando
2️⃣ Kimi
3️⃣ Max #F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/QwFucbNaHF

— Formula 1 (@F1) November 6, 2026

Lando is proud of Kimi's achievement as he hands over the baton 😮‍💨

"It couldn't have gone to a better person..." 💪#F1 #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/anBLb4uqTE

— Formula 1 (@F1) November 2, 2026

Hamilton Fourth as Russell and Rookie Drivers Feature

Lewis Hamilton finished fourth for Ferrari, followed by Mercedes teammate George Russell in fifth. Russell's weekend also carries an additional challenge, as he faces a five-place grid penalty following an engine change.

The opening session also provided opportunities for six rookie drivers. Brazilian Rafael Câmara made his Formula 1 practice debut with Haas in front of his home crowd, finishing 18th. Audi's Freddie Slater experienced a difficult session after stopping on track with a technical problem, triggering an early red flag.

What Lies Ahead at Interlagos?

Norris's opening-session performance puts McLaren in a promising position, but the small gaps between the leading drivers suggest that the battle remains open.

With qualifying and the Grand Prix still to come, teams will be assessing their upgrades, tyre performance and race pace. For Norris, the immediate objective will be to turn his strong practice showing into a competitive qualifying result and maintain McLaren's momentum in Brazil.