Lando Norris Tops Brazil Practice in Upgraded McLaren

Lando Norris has set the early pace in Brazil. The McLaren driver was fastest in first practice at Interlagos with a lap of 1:11.717, just 0.082 seconds ahead of Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, with Max Verstappen third, Lewis Hamilton fourth and George Russell fifth, Sky Sports reports. That is a strong start to the weekend for the British driver.

McLaren brought a new front wing, rear wing, beam wing and floor to the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Russell takes a five-place grid penalty for a new engine, while Rafael Camara made his F1 debut for Haas in place of Esteban Ocon and finished 18th. Colton Herta also covered 100 kilometres.

Herta's mileage takes him to the 40 super licence points he needs, a key step toward a future F1 seat. With McLaren's upgrades looking promising, Norris will be hoping the early pace carries into qualifying and Sunday's race, even though practice times rarely tell the whole story about race day.