Kevin Magnussen missed the first practice session due to discomfort, and his place was taken by Oliver Bearman. In the only practice session before Sprint Qualifying, Red Bull performed weakly, while McLaren performed strongly.
But the rest of the drivers also faced a tough challenge, as the Interlagos circuit has been significantly renovated. The lap had barely begun when news broke that Max Verstappen would officially face a penalty for Sunday's race, dropping the Dutchman five places. During practice, Max Verstappen and the two Mercedes dominated for quite some time, and then, in the remaining time, the soft-tire trials began, during which Lando Norris finished on top at the last moment, ahead of George Russell and Oliver Bearman.
