Summary

  • Lando Norris fastest in only Sao Paulo GP practice session

  • Sprint qualifying at Interlagos from 18:30 BST

  • Norris leads Oscar Piastri by one point in drivers' title

  • Four races remaining in season

  • Alpine retain Colapinto for 2026

  • Select audio icon for 5 Sports Extra commentary (UK only)

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Live Reporting

Lorraine McKenna

  1. Report: Norris heads Piastri in Sao Paulo practice

    Andrew Benson
    BBC F1 correspondent

    Lando NorrisGetty Images

    Lando Norris pipped McLaren team-mate and title rival Oscar Piastri to the fastest time at the very end of practice at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

    Norris, who took the championship lead from Piastri by one point following his win in Mexico City two weeks ago, beat the Australian by 0.023secs.

    Until then, Piastri had been the fastest McLaren driver throughout the hour of running before sprint qualifying at 18:30 GMT.

    Max Verstappen, the only other driver in realistic title contention, 36 points behind Norris, was down in 17th place as his Red Bull team ran a different programme.

    Verstappen's team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was the only driver to crash, albeit lightly, when he spun at Turn Four early in the session.

    Read the full report here

  2. Back for sprint qualifying from 18:15 GMT

    That's our lot for practice in Sao Paulo.

    Championship leader Lando Norris put down the fastest time in that session but team-mate and title rival Oscar Piastri was close behind. Can anyone else muscle in on what will probably be a McLaren fight for sprint pole later on? Max Verstappen and Ferrari still need to show us what they've got today, and Mercedes, who bolted on the mediums earlier than their competitors.

    Go and grab yourselves a break and then come back and join us for sprint qualifying from 18:15 GMT. SQ1 goes green at 18:30.

    See you shortly!

  3. Get Involved - 'can't see Verstappen winning title'

    Select 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say

    Stuart: I can't see Max winning the title, no matter what he does. Both McLarens need to have four bad weekends. Piastri looked like he was 'starting' to find his mojo again in Mexico and Norris won. It's a big ask to expect them both to mess up in every remaining race.

  4. The leaderboard looks a little bit different after this one and only practice session, as there was no medium tyre running for Max Verstappen, plus the Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Seven-time world champion Hamilton also had a pretty spectacular spin right at the end.

    So, a McLaren one-two to start us off this weekend. Will we see that again in sprint qualifying?

  5. And the rest

    11. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)

    12. Alex Albon (Williams)

    13. Esteban Ocon (Haas)

    14. Oliver Bearman (Haas)

    15. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

    16. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)

    17. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

    18. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

    19. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)

    20. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)

  6. Top 10

    1. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 1:09.975

    2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.023

    3. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) +0.619

    4. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +0.631

    5. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) +0.641

    6. George Russell (Mercedes) +0.670

    7. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +0.706

    8. Carlos Sainz (Williams) +0.711

    9. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +0.732

    10. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.769

  7. chequered flag

    Chequered flag

    Right at the end of the session, Lando Norris turns up the heat on his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri and goes quickest with a time of 1:09.975 - just 0.023 seconds separates the two drivers.

    A great outing for Sauber, as Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto both finish in towards the top of the field with the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso completing the fastest five.

    Lewis Hamilton had a big spin at Turn 11 as the chequered flag came out. "Rear hit the floor," said the seven-time world champion to Ferrari.

  8. Norris goes quickest

    Max Verstappen's soft run has placed the Dutchman 17th on the timing tower while his Red Bull team-mate Yuki Tsunoda is 20th. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are also near the bottom of the board but at the top, Lando Norris is ready to take Oscar Piastri's practice crown...

  9. Top five

    1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 1:09.998

    2. Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.261

    3. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) +0.596

    4. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +0.608

    5. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) +0.618

  10. Piastri improves

    The times are improving with every lap now and Oscar Piastri finds even more pace in his McLaren and hits a 1:09.998. Gabriel Bortoleto, the first home driver in a long time in Brazil, has moved up to fifth on the timesheets, joining his Sauber team-mate Nico Hulkenberg in the top five, while Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda are the only two drivers on the soft tyre.

  11. Hulkenberg goes P3

    Interlagos loves throwing us a curveball when it comes to podiums, so with rain in the air and strong winds forecast, will we see a surprise on Sunday? Nico Hulkenberg claimed his first ever podium this season at Silverstone and the German is in the same third spot today with a time 0.577 seconds away from Oscar Piastri's best marker.

  12. McLaren one-two

    The two McLarens are on the mediums and instantly fly to the top of the timing tower - but who is the quickest? It's Oscar Piastri, who clocks a 1:10.193 to sit 0.278 seconds better off than championship leader Lando Norris.

    A blurred image of the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris alongside each other during Sao Paulo Grand Prix practiceGetty Images

  13. Liam Lawson has a message for his pit wall regarding the Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda. "Oh my god, what is he doing?!" says the Racing Bulls driver.

    Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz and Esteban Ocon, both on the medium tyre, top the timesheets, with the Williams man 0.086 seconds faster than the Haas. Will they stay there? Nope...

  14. Albon goes quickest on mediums

    Yuki Tsunoda has moved a couple of places up on the timesheets to 10th spot on his latest soft run, just as the rest of the hard crew head back into the pits for a compound change to the mediums.

    Quickest man so far George Russell is one of those drivers who have opted to take the medium tyres out for a spin - we'll be seeing them during sprint qualifyng a little bit later on - but it's the Williams of Alex Albon who shoots to the top on the yellow rubber with a 1:11.004.

  15. Abbi Pulling
    F1 Academy champion on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    It looks like Mercedes are liking the circuit so far. Going into the weekend, you feel it's a track that has suited them, for sure. I wouldn't be surprised if we do see Mercedes on the podium this weekend.

  16. Get Involved - Verstappen to win the title?

    Selim: Max is still my favourite to win it. He will deliver something big in the remaining races.

    Henry: If Max wins the championship this year, does that solidify him as the GOAT given the number of points he needed to catch up by, and he would have five championships in a row matching Schumacher from 2000 to 2004?

  17. George Russell and Max Verstappen get a bit close to each other as the pair battle for position at Interlagos. The stewards noted the incident between the Mercedes and Red Bull but decided to take no further action. Carry on with your hard-tyre running, folks.

    If you're having problems with the leaderboard as you follow along with the live today, just refresh the page and it will be there now.

  18. Abbi Pulling
    F1 Academy champion on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    I just absolutely love this circuit, it's incredible. Seeing the onboards and the elevation changes, and how pinpoint you have to be in that middle sector, the steering wheel is never straight.

  19. And with his first flying lap on the soft rubber, Yuki Tsunoda moves up to 13th on the timesheets with a 1:11.929.

  20. Tsunoda heads back out

    Front wing fixed for Yuki Tsunoda so now the Red Bull man can rejoin the action and get some vital laps under his belt before sprint qualifying this afternoon. His tyre of choice? The C4 soft.