Lawson's Steady Performance in São Paulo as Antonelli Sets Practice Pace
Liam Lawson kept his weekend clean and quietly competitive in Brazil, as newly crowned world champion Kimi Antonelli set the standard in practice.
On a circuit where Lawson has already twice finished in the points, the Kiwi’s only real blemish across Friday’s running was a front-wheel lock-up into turn one. Beyond that, he banked two solid sessions and stayed out of trouble on a day when several others stumbled.
Antonelli topped the times with a sharp 1m 10.763s, underlining his new status with a lap 0.253s clear of McLaren’s Lando Norris. Lawson ended the second session 1.279s adrift of the Italian, but the raw gap told only part of the story.
Intra-Team Battle
Inside the Racing Bulls garage, the intra-team battle tightened. Rookie Arvid Lindblad, on his first race weekend in Brazil, edged Lawson by just 0.034s. For Lindblad, it was an eye-catching marker. For Lawson, it was a reminder that every hundredth matters as he fights to lock down his place for next season.
There was another, more pressing duel on Lawson’s mind. In the scrap for ninth in the constructors’ standings, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly looms as his main rival. On Friday, Lawson had the edge, 0.067s clear of the Frenchman and, crucially, looking composed over longer runs as well.
Qualifying will decide how much that advantage counts. Lights go green at 7am on Sunday (NZT), with the midfield poised to be decided by inches and nerve.
FP1 Insights
Earlier in FP1, Lawson had already shown decent pace. His best lap of 1m 12.715s was good enough for 10th, 0.998s off Norris, who set the early benchmark. Lawson looked set to improve late in the session, only to be forced to bail out when yellow flags appeared and ruined what had been shaping as a stronger attempt.
The opening session carried a different kind of intrigue too. Six rookies stepped into the spotlight under Formula One’s young driver rules, and Gabriele Mini seized his chance. The Alpine prospect finished an impressive seventh, just 0.852s off Norris and 0.085s ahead of teammate Franco Colapinto, who took ninth.
Haas threw another newcomer into the mix. Rafael Camara, promoted in the wake of Esteban Ocon’s departure in Mexico, turned his first laps in front of a home crowd. He ended FP1 18th, nearly two seconds off the pace, but banked valuable mileage on a pressure-soaked debut.
The rhythm of the session broke just before halfway. Audi’s Freddie Slater stopped on track and brought out the red flag, cutting running time for all 22 drivers and compressing their programmes into a frantic final phase.
Out of that disruption, Lawson emerged with two clean sessions, a car in one piece, and a small but significant advantage over the man he needs to beat. Now comes the part that really counts.
