F1 Brazil GP FP2: Antonelli ahead of Norris and Verstappen

Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) topped the second free practice session of the Brazilian Grand Prix on Friday at Interlagos with a 1:10.763. He finished 0.253 s ahead of Lando Norris (McLaren) and 0.259 s ahead of Max Verstappen (Red Bull). The session was also marked by an incident between Rafael Camara and Charles Leclerc, and by Nico Hülkenberg not turning a wheel.

The FP2 classification

• 1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes): 1:10.763
• 2. Lando Norris (McLaren): +0.253 s
• 3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull): +0.259 s
• 4. George Russell (Mercedes): +0.273 s
• 5. Oscar Piastri (McLaren): +0.321 s
• 6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari): +0.450 s
• 7. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): +0.720 s
• 8. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi): +1.017 s
• 9. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull): +1.076 s
• 10. Ollie Bearman (Haas): +1.228 s

Mercedes puts both cars in the top 4. According to Crash.net, Verstappen kept complaining about the state of his Red Bull and did his long run on medium tyres, a couple of tenths slower than the drivers on softs. Hamilton is sixth, 0.450 s back, and Leclerc seventh, 0.720 s back.

Camara and Leclerc: incident under investigation

At Turn 15, just before the start-finish straight, Rafael Camara (Haas) squeezed Leclerc towards the run-off. Camara was starting a lap while Leclerc was finishing his. Leclerc kept his foot in, completed the lap and lost a couple of tenths. According to The Race, Camara will be investigated after the session. He finished 16th, 1.798 s off.

Hülkenberg without a time, Audi in trouble

Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) did not go out: the team could not fix in time the problem that stopped Freddie Slater in FP1. His team-mate Bortoleto set the 8th-fastest time. At the bottom, Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) are 20th and 21st, 2.553 s and 2.620 s back.

Tricky braking at the Senna S

According to The Race, at least half the field had lock-ups under braking for the Senna S, where the track falls away and the bumps are severe. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) is 15th, 1.775 s back.

Key takeaway

Antonelli has turned the tables on Norris, who was quickest in FP1, while Verstappen stays in touch. The rest of the weekend will show whether Mercedes can confirm this at Interlagos.