Max third in FP1 Brazilian GP
Published on 11 November 2022 by Stefan Meens
Max Verstappen opened his Brazilian Grand Prix weekend with third place in the opening practice session. Team mate Sergio Perez was quickest, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc splitting the two Oracle Red Bull Racing cars in second.
Because the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend features a sprint race on Saturday, FP1 is a busy session as it is the only opportunity for the teams and drivers to prepare for qualifying later on Friday.
The first half of the session sees most drivers lap the Interlagos circuit on hard and medium Pirelli tyres. Despite reporting to the team that the car struggles on turn-in, Max sets the pace on the hards.
It is not until the halfway point that the focus shifts to qualifying simulations and the red side-walled soft compounds makes an appearance. Red Bull continues to be the pace-setter, this time with Sergio Perez utilising the extra grip from the fresh softs.
With fifteen minutes left on the clock, both Red Bulls top the leader board as most teams prepare for one final quick lap on the soft Pirellis. Where Perez and Max do not better their time, Leclerc does and splits the Red Bulls at the end of the session.
Contest Brazilian GP: win a by Max Verstappen signed orange RBR Driver Cap 2022!
Results first free practice Brazil:
| pos | driver | team | time | gap | laps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sergio Perez | PER | Red Bull Racing RBPT | 1:11.853 | 28 | |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | LEC | Ferrari | 1:11.857 | +0.004s | 30 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | VER | Red Bull Racing RBPT | 1:11.861 | +0.008s | 27 |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz | SAI | Ferrari | 1:12.039 | +0.186s | 29 |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | HAM | Mercedes | 1:12.040 | +0.187s | 24 |
| 6 | George Russell | RUS | Mercedes | 1:12.055 | +0.202s | 23 |
| 7 | Sebastian Vettel | VET | Aston Martin Mercedes | 1:12.157 | +0.304s | 29 |
| 8 | Mick Schumacher | MSC | Haas Ferrari | 1:12.314 | +0.461s | 26 |
| 9 | Valtteri Bottas | BOT | Alfa Romeo Ferrari | 1:12.466 | +0.613s | 30 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | GAS | AlphaTauri RBPT | 1:12.467 | +0.614s | 31 |
| 11 | Fernando Alonso | ALO | Alpine Renault | 1:12.554 | +0.701s | 24 |
| 12 | Alexander Albon | ALB | Williams Mercedes | 1:12.633 | +0.780s | 28 |
| 13 | Esteban Ocon | OCO | Alpine Renault | 1:12.705 | +0.852s | 29 |
| 14 | Lance Stroll | STR | Aston Martin Mercedes | 1:12.759 | +0.906s | 25 |
| 15 | Lando Norris | NOR | McLaren Mercedes | 1:12.955 | +1.102s | 27 |
| 16 | Kevin Magnussen | MAG | Haas Ferrari | 1:12.997 | +1.144s | 24 |
| 17 | Nicholas Latifi | LAT | Williams Mercedes | 1:13.019 | +1.166s | 31 |
| 18 | Zhou Guanyu | ZHO | Alfa Romeo Ferrari | 1:13.115 | +1.262s | 29 |
| 19 | Yuki Tsunoda | TSU | AlphaTauri RBPT | 1:13.347 | +1.494s | 31 |
| 20 | Daniel Ricciardo | RIC | McLaren Mercedes | 1:13.359 | +1.506s | 27 |
