Max P15 after Interlagos FP1

Published on 01 November 2024 by Stefan Meens

Max Verstappen finished the first and final practice of the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend in fifteenth after aborting his flying lap on the soft Pirellis in the final sector of the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace. Lando Norris was quickest in the McLaren ahead of George Russell (Mercedes) and Oliver Bearman (Haas).

As the Brazilian Grand Prix features a sprint shoot-out on Friday and a sprint on Saturday, FP1 is the only practice session for the teams to get their cars dialled in. It means that it is immediately busy on track when the pitlane opens.

Most drivers head out on the medium Pirellis with Max clocking a competitive lap time on this tyre compound. In fact, the Dutchman is the quickest driver on mediums and is not usurped until the soft tyres are bolted on.

Rusell is the first driver to swap his medium Pirellis for the red side-walled soft tyres. His effort is good enough for P2 at the end of the session with only Lando Norris lapping Interlagos quicker.

Max does not attempt a flying lap on the softs until the closing stages of the session. In the first sector the Red Bull Racer is two tenths quicker than Russell, before losing two tenths in the second sector. In the third and final sector, Max takes his foot of the throttle, meaning he ends FP1 in P15.

Contest GP Brazil: win a by Max Verstappen signed Red Bull Racing cap!

Results first free practice Brazil: