Even more than on other weekends, the 1st free practice is extra important if there is a weekend with a sprint race. The Brazilian GP is such a weekend and later today the drivers will already qualify. The teams must therefore make the most of this hour to set up the car optimally.
Lewis Hamilton already starts this weekend with a backlog. He’s getting his fifth internal combustion engine this season, while you’re only allowed to use three. The first offense will result in a 10-place penalty, but each subsequent motorcycle will give you only a 5-space penalty. The penalty starts before the race on Sunday. Tomorrow the current world champion can start on the front row, but on Sunday P6 is the highest achievable starting position.
Hamilton is also not happy with his car at the Interlagos circuit. He asks over the on-board radio whether his team has another solution for the front suspension. His Mercedes is still bouncing around the track too much, causing him to lose a lot of time. Both Mercedes drivers complete a lot of laps and it turns out that it pays off. The Mercedes seems to be working better at the end of the hour and in the end Hamilton sets the fastest time.
The times are difficult to compare, because the track is better broken in at the end of the training. At the moment Hamilton sets his fastest lap, Verstappen is working on race simulations, in which the times are slower. So it’s still a matter of guessing who will be fastest in qualifying later tonight.
Dates and times of the 2021 Brazil GP
Friday 12 November 2021
Qualification: 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Saturday 13 November 2021
2nd free practice: 4 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Sprint: 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Sunday 14 November 2021
Race: 6 p.m.
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