The São Paulo Grand Prix once again opened with only a single practice session, as the sprint weekend format returned for a fifth consecutive year at Interlagos. With dry weather throughout the hour, teams were able to complete valuable setup work before heading straight into sprint qualifying. From next season, however, Brazil will revert to the standard three-practice format, meaning 2025 marks the end of the circuit’s sprint experiment.

The session was delayed by five minutes due to debris on the track, with Kimi Antonelli first out of the pit lane, followed by George Russell. Local driver Gabriel Bortoleto also received a warm cheer from the home crowd as he took to the circuit. Traffic quickly became a factor, particularly for Antonelli, who found himself stuck between Lewis Hamilton and Oliver Bearman on a short straight, prompting a frustrated message over the radio.

Seven minutes into the session, Yuki Tsunoda ran wide at Turn 4 and hit the barrier with the front left of his Red Bull, breaking the endplate on his front wing. He was able to return to the pits for repairs without major damage. Max Verstappen later had a moment at the same corner but avoided contact entirely. Other drivers also faced minor traffic issues, showing how busy the track could be even in a single practice session.

For much of the first half, Russell and Verstappen exchanged fastest laps on the hard tyres, with Carlos Sainz third for Williams and Pierre Gasly briefly reaching fourth in Alpine, expressing surprise at his car’s pace. Most teams used the early stages for race simulations before switching to medium tyres for qualifying runs in the final 15 minutes. Alexander Albon briefly went fastest on the mediums, followed by Sainz, before the McLaren pair moved to the top. Oscar Piastri took the lead, only for Norris to improve to a 1:09.975, just 0.023 seconds ahead.

Lando Norris ended the session fastest, with Oscar Piastri in second. Nico Hulkenberg was third, just over six tenths slower than the McLaren drivers, and Fernando Alonso was fourth for Aston Martin. Local hero Gabriel Bortoleto finished fifth, narrowly ahead of George Russell in sixth, while Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz completed seventh and eighth. Isack Hadjar was ninth for Racing Bulls, with Kimi Antonelli rounding out the top ten for Mercedes. Verstappen and the Ferraris struggled to match the pace and ended the session further down the order.