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The first practice session of the 2022 F1 Brazilian GP ended with a Red Bull at the front. This time around, however, it was Sergio Perez leading the timesheets ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. On a sprint race weekend, things do get compressed as teams try to make the most of the 60 minutes in hand before the qualifying session that replaces FP2 on a Friday.
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It was business as usual in the first session of running for the 2022 F1 Brazilian GP as teams tried to nail everything they could in the 60 minutes allotted to them. We have a Red Bull-Ferrari front row with a mixture of other drivers rounding out the top 6 from the top 3 teams (Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari). Beyond the top 6, it was a mixture of teams concluding different runs. So, what did we learn from the FP1 for the 2022 F1 Brazilian GP? Let's find out!
2022 F1 Brazilian GP FP1: What did we learn?
#1 Red Bull looks ominous!
From the start of the session, it seemed Red Bull had something in hand over the rest of the field. That Honda power unit is pulling significant lap time over the rest of the field in Sector 3 and the car looks dialed in throughout. Max Verstappen was not the most comfortable during the session and this should make things more concerning (he was still P3). For the Qualifying session, it's hard to look beyond Red Bull for the pole position.
#2 Ferrari and Mercedes appear to be a step behind
Ferrari and Mercedes were on a somewhat different run from Red Bull but if there is one thing that looks quite clear from the sector times then it is the power unit/straight-line superiority of Red Bull on this track.
Charles Leclerc lost close to three-tenths in the last sector (although he did not have the best exit), with the Mercedes drivers too leaking lap time in that section. Out of the two teams, Ferrari appears to have the edge over one lap and Leclerc could very easily find himself on the front row (well, because he is Charles Leclerc) but in the race, Mercedes should ideally be the car to have for the 2022 F1 Brazilian GP.
#3 Alpine and Alfa Romeo (Valtteri Bottas) leading the midfield
Valtteri Bottas appears to have flipped the switch in Sao Paulo for Alfa Romeo as he found form all of a sudden. If the first session is anything to go by, he has brought his Mexico form to the F1 Brazilian GP as well. Coupled with the Alpine pair (although the timing sheets might not show it), it's Bottas who appears to be leading the midfield.
It won't be a surprise if once again he pulls off a P7 grid position in the 2022 F1 Brazilian GP qualifying, just like he did in Mexico.
#4 McLaren could be on the back foot for the F1 Brazilian GP
McLaren ran a mysteriously conservative run plan for both the drivers and it meant that the team could not be judged as compared to the rest of the midfield teams. In the end, a somewhat low fuel run from Lando Norris on medium tires saw him only do a lap that was good enough for P15.
Norris is not feeling well this F1 Brazilian GP weekend, with the possibility of even missing the race. McLaren has Daniel Ricciardo in the other cockpit, who did have a good one in Mexico but is still a wildcard.
To add to all of that, we have the team not even trying to do a low-fuel qualifying simulation in the only meaningful 60 minutes the drivers would have. McLaren will be on the back foot heading to the 2022 F1 Brazilian GP as it is all a bit of an unknown for the drivers and the team.
#5 Aston Martin and Haas could be the dark horses
It's hard to ignore the lap times that both Mick Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel sneakily pulled off on their soft tire runs. Those times were within half a second of the fastest lap and it's fair to say that a Haas or an Aston Martin wasn't expected to be this close to the front at the 2022 F1 Brazilian GP.
There could be a meaningful explanation in place here as both Haas and Aston Martin could have just run the car with elevated power levels and lower fuel. Having said that, it could easily be the harbinger of a giant-killing performance from these teams.
