Max Verstappen tops Brazil FP3 as Lewis Hamilton hits trouble at Interlagos

The Red Bull driver’s effort stood until the chequered flag, with the top eight separated by just over half a second. But while Verstappen showed promising speed, a power-unit penalty means he faces starting Sunday’s race from the back of the grid, according to team principal Laurent Mekies.

Verstappen had earlier reported that his steering felt heavier when turning to the right. He also ran wide at Turn 4 and abandoned another push lap, suggesting Red Bull still have work to do before qualifying despite their place at the top of the timesheets.

Newly crowned world champion Kimi Antonelli led the way on medium tyres during the first part of the session. The Mercedes driver had complaints of his own, reporting issues with his steering wheel and gearshifts, before a snap of oversteer at Turn 1 during his later running.

Lando Norris and the Mercedes drivers were among those to move up the order as the field switched to soft tyres for qualifying simulations. Norris recorded the fastest first sector of the session, Antonelli the best middle sector and Verstappen the quickest final sector.

For Hamilton, however, the final hour of practice brought more questions than answers. The Ferrari driver reported an engine vibration and unusual engine-braking behaviour before smoke appeared in the cockpit. His car was subsequently worked on in the garage, leaving him without a soft-tyre qualifying simulation.

Ferrari face a difficult Sunday regardless of their qualifying pace: both Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have received 10-place grid penalties for taking new internal combustion engines. George Russell, meanwhile, carries a five-place penalty for his own engine change.

Leclerc had described Friday as particularly difficult for Ferrari, saying the car had struggled in corners as well as on the straights. The Monegasque set a 1:11.896 during his soft-tyre running in FP3.

There was also a setback for Lance Stroll, who was called back to the Aston Martin garage because of a suspected energy-recovery system issue. Overhead, low clouds gathered as the session ended, with the threat of rain adding another variable ahead of qualifying.