For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Since F1 introduced the Sprint Race format, people watching the events have been getting double the action for every such weekend. But one should also consider the effect this move has had on teams and drivers. There's more stress, less practice time, and more chances of getting it all wrong and crashing early into the game.
And all of that might reflect the outcome of the first day at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Drivers had their first contact with the track at 12.30 PM (GMT-3/Local time). This would mark the first practice session of the weekend and their first hour back at Interlagos after one long year.
Lewis Hamilton was the fastest man in FP1 last year in Brazil, with a fast lap of 1:09.050. As you would imagine, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were not far behind. But the rhythm in yesterday's practice session was slightly slower than it was in 2021.
Sergio Perez was the fastest man of the session, as he crossed the finish line in 1:11.853. Both Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen were inches away in P2 and P3, respectively. It's always amazing to see three drivers within less than 0.01 seconds away from each other.
Mick Schumacher looked as if he was on to something in FP1 as he finished the session in P8, just in front of Alpha Tauri's Valtteri Bottas. Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo was the slowest driver of the session, having completed a fast lap in 1:13.359. That's just over 1.5 seconds behind Perez.
Photo: Ferrari
But FP1 results aren't quite as important, especially with qualifying coming up next. That's not something you'd normally see during an F1 weekend, as this session is usually held on Saturdays. With 17 seconds remaining for Q1, Alex Albon was in the lead for Williams.
Norris and Gasly were right behind, but that did not ensure things would stay that way for too long. Lewis Hamilton came in strong and assumed the dominant position for a moment, but he would ultimately have to settle for second place overall. Lando Norris would be the one to emerge victorious out of Q1, while Fernando Alonso was down in third.
In a rather unusual moment, Verstappen was in a difficult position up until the last moment when he emerged sixth fastest. With Kevin Magnussen down in seventh place, Alex Albon would only take P8. But it all felt even more strange to see Leclerc in P12 and Sainz in P14.
Plenty of Scuderia fans are unhappy with how things have been going this year for their favorite team, but it's always easier said than done. At the end of Q1, both Alfa Romeo drivers were out of qualifying, as were Nicholas Latifi, Yuki Tsunoda, and Mick Schumacher.
Photo: Haas F1 Team/Kevin Magnussen
The rain made things even more complicated in Q2, but Max Verstappen didn't seem to care about that at all. He was the fastest driver in Q2, with Sainz and Leclerc right on his tail. George Russell once again delivered for the Silver Arrows as he finished P4.
Lewis Hamilton was only ninth fastest, but still ahead of Esteban Ocon in P10. Both Aston Martin drivers, Albon, Gasly, and Ricciardo would not make it into Q3. And that would be the decisive moment of the day, as whoever would be fastest would claim Pole Position for the Sprint race.
Nine minutes to go into Q3, no one probably expected to see a driver from Haas in the lead role. But Kevin Magnussen's driving was on point throughout the day, and his 1:11.674 would give him his maiden F1 Pole Position. The 30-year-old driver from Denmark has been competing in F1 since 2014. And this success marks the first one of its kind for Haas as well.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen was the only other competitor to dip below the 1:12 mark, with George Russell in P3. The Britton went off-track before he could go any faster and got stuck in the gravel pit. For today's Sprint race, Lando Norris will be starting from fourth, with Carlos Sainz in fifth. The top 10 list goes on with Esteban Ocon, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Perez, and Charles Leclerc. FP2 is just about to begin, so we'll report back as soon as it's over.
The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News