Formula One's official results for Friday's Sao Paulo second practice put Kimi Antonelli first with a 1:10.763 lap. Lando Norris and Max Verstappen followed the Mercedes driver.
Antonelli sets the Friday benchmark
The official session report says Russell briefly headed the times after improving his lap. Norris and Verstappen then improved, before Antonelli lowered the benchmark again. Teams subsequently turned to longer runs, and his time remained the fastest.
The published order places Norris immediately behind Antonelli, Verstappen next and Mercedes team-mate George Russell after them. Oscar Piastri followed in the other McLaren. The result gives Mercedes and McLaren cars near the front, with Red Bull also represented by Verstappen.
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli said, “The conditions were quite tricky with the low grip”. He added that the balance had been difficult to find and that both the car and his driving still needed work. His comments came before the teams' final preparation for qualifying.
Opening practice puts the switch in context
SportsRivo checked Formula One's separate practice tables: Norris led the opening session with Antonelli behind him, before their order reversed in the afternoon. The two official tables establish which driver headed each session without treating Friday's fastest laps as a prediction of Sunday's race.
The second session also brought less track time for Nico Hülkenberg. Formula One reported that the Audi driver did not run while the team worked on the problem that had curtailed Freddie Slater's opening session in the same car. Hülkenberg therefore has no representative lap on the published afternoon sheet.
What the order leaves for Saturday
- Mercedes take the fastest completed practice time into the next session through Antonelli, while Russell is also near the front of the official order.
- McLaren have Norris directly behind Antonelli and Piastri further back, after Norris had led the opening session.
- Red Bull's Verstappen remains close to the front in the afternoon order, while Audi still needs a timed run from Hülkenberg.
Formula One's Sao Paulo schedule lists a final practice session and qualifying for Saturday. Antonelli said the weather could affect the fight at the front, so the teams' Friday order remains only the latest track evidence before the grid is decided.
Source: Formula One session report