Who was fastest in second practice for the 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix?

Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) with a 1:10.763. Lando Norris was 0.253s back and Max Verstappen 0.259s back.

Why are the stewards investigating Charles Leclerc's incident at Interlagos?

On Leclerc's push lap, Haas rookie Rafael Câmara was running slowly on the racing line and held up the Ferrari driver. The incident is being looked at after the session.

How often does the fastest driver in FP2 win at Interlagos?

Since 1990, the FP2 pacesetter has gone on to win the race in nine of 32 cases. Lewis Hamilton was the last to do so, in 2016.

How many times has Antonelli topped second practice in 2026?

Four times: in Austria, Belgium, Spain and São Paulo. That is more than any other driver, with Charles Leclerc next on three.

Antonelli fastest in São Paulo second practice

The top five were covered by 0.321s at Interlagos, a Haas rookie got in Leclerc's way on a push lap and Hulkenberg went without a time.

A week after wrapping up the title in Mexico City, Andrea Kimi Antonelli topped second practice for the São Paulo Grand Prix. The 20-year-old Mercedes driver lapped Interlagos in 1:10.763, a quarter of a second clear of Lando Norris, who had led the opening session.

Six thousandths for second

Behind the champion the order was tightly packed. Max Verstappen missed out on second by just six thousandths, and George Russell was a further 14 thousandths back in fourth. Add Oscar Piastri and the top five, from three different teams, were covered by 0.321s. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc took sixth and seventh for Ferrari, while home favourite Gabriel Bortoleto put his Audi eighth.

Top eight in second practice
Pos	Driver	Team	Time / gap
1	Andrea Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:10.763
2	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.253
3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	+0.259
4	George Russell	Mercedes	+0.273
5	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	+0.321
6	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	+0.450
7	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.720
8	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	+1.017

One quick lap was not the whole story. Antonelli stayed on the soft tyres he had used for his qualifying simulation and reeled off a 20-lap run on them, finishing the hour with 37 laps. Verstappen managed only 23.

Stewards to look at Leclerc incident

Leclerc was back in the car for this session after becoming a father between the races in Mexico City and São Paulo. On his soft-tyre push lap he came up behind Haas rookie Rafael Câmara, who was running slowly on the racing line up the hill towards the main straight. The stewards will investigate after the session. Nico Hulkenberg failed to set a time, and the circuit sat under low cloud and light drizzle, with heavier rain forecast for the rest of the weekend.

A fourth FP2 top spot

Antonelli has now been fastest in second practice four times in 2026, more than anyone else. Leclerc had headed the three FP2 sessions before Interlagos, a run the new champion has now ended.

Who has topped second practice? — Fastest times across 14 FP2 sessions, sprint weekends excluded
Label	Value	Note
Andrea Kimi Antonelli	4	AUT, BEL, ESP, SAO
Charles Leclerc	3	BHR, USA, MEX
Oscar Piastri	2	AUS, JPN
Lewis Hamilton	2	MON, HUN
George Russell	2	ITA, AZE
Lando Norris	1	BCN

By team, Mercedes have six FP2 table-toppers this season, Ferrari five and McLaren three.

So far a Friday top spot has served him well: of his three earlier weekends led in FP2, he won in Belgium and Spain, while team-mate Russell took victory in Austria.

Interlagos history urges caution

The circuit tells a different tale. Practice data available since 1990 show 32 second practice sessions at Interlagos, and only nine times did the fastest driver go on to win on Sunday. Hamilton was the last to do it in 2016, and none of the five FP2 pacesetters since has won. Between 2023 and 2025 the Brazilian weekends used the sprint format, with a single practice session.

Antonelli finished second here behind Norris last year, and Mercedes last won in São Paulo in 2022, when Russell led Hamilton home for a one-two. If the champion bucks the trend on Sunday, his tenth win of the season would also be his first at Interlagos.