Formula One’s newest and youngest world champion, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, already topped the charts in Friday practice for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, leaving the rest of the field scrambling. The 20-year-old just became F1’s youngest champion last weekend, securing the title with a third-place finish in Mexico. He even admitted he wasn’t in “best of shape” coming into Brazil after all the celebrating, but you wouldn’t know it watching him tear up Interlagos.
Antonelli’s Blistering Pace Leaves Rivals Reeling
Antonelli came out swinging, showing strong pace right from the start. He was initially pipped by Lando Norris in the day’s opening session, the very man he replaced as champion. But Antonelli wasn’t having it. He turned the tables, finishing Friday a full 0.253 seconds ahead of the McLaren driver. This isn’t just a practice fluke, folks. McLaren even brought a “significant upgrade package” to Interlagos, desperately trying to end the season strong and set themselves up for next year. And here’s Antonelli, stomping all over those plans right out of the gate. What does that say about Mercedes’s pace and the new champ’s raw talent?
Mercedes Targets the Constructors’ Title Amidst Team Drama
While Antonelli is making headlines, his Mercedes team is hunting big points. They can wrap up the constructors’ championship this weekend if they outscore Ferrari by just three points. Their other driver, George Russell, who’s now fourth in the championship standings, faces a tough start to the race with a five-place grid drop because of an engine change. He still managed to be fourth fastest in practice, which is crucial for Mercedes.
Meanwhile, the drama continued between Ferrari teammates Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Leclerc returned for FP2 after missing the first session for the birth of his first child, but he was well off the pace. Hamilton, on the other hand, was still fuming from Mexico last weekend, continuing his criticism of Leclerc on Thursday. Hamilton was absolutely furious with Leclerc for a lap-one move, questioning the 29-year-old’s “mentality” and vowing not to be silenced upon arriving in Brazil. He’s suggested Leclerc races against him differently than he does other drivers. It clearly didn’t help their performance today, with Hamilton and Leclerc finishing a disappointing sixth and seventh respectively, Leclerc over seven tenths adrift of Antonelli. Max Verstappen, who’s won three of the last four races, finished third, just ahead of Oscar Piastri.
The day also saw a new face on the grid, with Rafael Camara making his F1 debut for Haas, finishing 16th. The Brazilian, who leads F2 and will drive full-time for Haas next season, was parachuted in after Esteban Ocon was removed from the team. Ocon admitted to a disagreement with Haas during the Mexico round and was withdrawn midway through, with Haas confirming he’s out for good. Camara, the 21-year-old, is already heading to the stewards after his first day for impeding Leclerc, talk about a welcome to F1!
Interlagos usually brings wild weather, with potential for storms to disrupt both Saturday’s qualifying and Sunday’s race, and the mist was already rolling in as practice wrapped up. Can Mercedes clinch the constructors’ title, and will anyone be able to catch the new young champ when the real racing begins? It’s going to be an intense weekend!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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