Soft delivers at Interlagos as Antonelli sets the pace

Kimi Antonelli was the fastest driver on the opening day of the São Paulo Grand Prix weekend. The newly crowned World Champion set the benchmark in the second free practice session with a lap of 1:10.763. Behind him, Lando Norris finished second on a 1:11.016, while Max Verstappen posted the third quickest time with a 1:11.022.

All three set their best laps on the Soft compound. During FP2, Antonelli and Norris ran both the Hard and the C5, while Verstappen opted for the Medium and Soft. Overall, the red-banded tyre was the most widely used, although both the Hard and Medium also saw significant track time.

Norris was quickest in FP1. The McLaren driver topped the opening hour of running with a 1:11.717, ahead of Antonelli in second on a 1:11.799 and Verstappen in third with a 1:11.953. Apart from Oscar Piastri, all drivers began the day on either the Medium or Hard compound. As in FP2, all three available compounds were used during the first free practice session.

While track temperatures at Interlagos peaked at 44°C in the morning, they dropped significantly in the afternoon, reaching a low of 28°C by the end of FP2. Similar conditions are expected tomorrow to those seen during the second session, although there remains a chance of showers.

SIMONE BERRA – PIRELLI CHIEF ENGINEER

“The two free practice sessions were held in very different conditions, providing teams with valuable information ahead of the next two days. In FP1, the higher temperatures led to increased thermal degradation and greater tyre sliding, particularly on the C3. As a result, much of the race simulation work was carried out on the C4 and C5, often with little tyre management, as teams sought to explore their operating limits. Even in these conditions, all three compounds came up to performance quickly from the opening laps, with no significant warm-up issues.

The second session took place in considerably cooler temperatures and under changeable weather conditions. Some teams experienced greater difficulty bringing the front tyres up to temperature during qualifying simulations, while long-run performance appeared more favourable thanks to reduced overheating and lower degradation levels. The Soft delivered particularly consistent behaviour and confirmed a strong level of performance.

The absence of graining and similar abrasion levels across all three compounds suggest that degradation will continue to be driven primarily by thermal effects, with wear on the rear-right tyre becoming a factor over longer stints. With forecasts indicating even cooler temperatures for Sunday and a greater than 60% chance of rain, all options remain open at this stage, including wet-weather scenarios. In dry conditions, a two-stop strategy also appears viable, given the relative ease of overtaking at Interlagos. We will continue to analyse the data from the upcoming sessions before reaching any definitive conclusions.”