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Formula 1 Brazilian GP

Brazilian GP final practice and qualifying

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This has been a decent session for Haas, which has locked out what would be the Class B front row if they can repeat this 7-8 performance in qualifying. Gasly and Leclerc are now the nearest challengers.
Verstappen is told to cool the tyres, but he reports that his tyres feel cold on the front and he's lacking grip.
Three minutes left in FP3 and it looks like the qualifying simulation excitement has passed. Vettel, Hamilton, Bottas, Raikkonen is how the Ferrari v Mercedes battle shakes out.
Perez makes a sweary grumble about track position, so you'd have to think he caught some traffic. He's currently 19th fastest.
"Cool the brakes, cool the brakes - quick," urges Vettel as he pulls into the pits.
Chequered flag - Vettel fastest from Hamilton in FP3.
1 Vettel, 2 Hamilton, 3 Bottas, 4 Raikkonen, 5 Verstappen, 6 Ricciardo, 7 Magnussen, 8 Grosjean, 9 Gasly, 10 Leclerc.
Hello and welcome back to a currently dry Interlagos circuit, where this weekend's polesitter will be decided for the Brazilian Grand Prix.

There's always some surprises at the circuit near Sao Paulo, the session will be underway in just under 10 minutes.
As aforementioned, it's dry at the moment at around 23 degrees centigrade air temperature. The track temp is sizzling nicely towards 37, although there are threatening clouds in the air.

There's supersoft, soft and medium tyres available today for the teams and drivers, as well as the inters and wets which are often used at this venue at some point in the weekend.
Valtteri Bottas will be a man to watch today after taking pole at this event last year for Mercedes. His team-mate, Lewis Hamilton, had crashed out on his first flying lap in Q1 at the Ferradura right-hander in the same session.

As it stands, Hamilton could take a 10th pole of the season if he succeeds today, while Sebastian Vettel is the next highest pole scorer with five.
Hamilton is told: "The rain is on its way."

Early laps could be key while it's still dry here.
The times are going to come thick and fast at the start of Q1 due to the threat of rain. Hamilton sets the early pace, while Leclerc's first effort outpaces Bottas for second.
There's a tailwind into Turn 4, Kimi Raikkonen is told, while Verstappen is also tipped off that the wind is travelling in the same direction as yesterday.

It may seem trivial, but wind makes a difference.
Raikkonen beats Hamilton to go fastest with a 1m08.205s.
Hamilton's car appears to be smoking as it was in Free Practice 3. We'll monitor that closely.
We're using up our purple ink here - Verstappen beats Raikkonen's time with a 1m02.205s.
Vettel is only fourth, with Ricciardo fifth. Leclerc's Bottas-beating lap has him sixth now.
Stroll ran wide at Turn 8 which ruined his lap last time round in the Williams.
The Toro Rossos are the final drivers to set their first times, but they can only go 15th (Gasly) and 17th (Hartley).
1 Verstappen, 2 Raikkonen, 3 Hamilton, 4 Vettel, 5 Ricciardo, 6 Leclerc.
Vettel has another go, moving up to third, and Bottas climbs to fifth.
Bottas is complaining on the radio that he was held up at the last corner in his Mercedes. There were three cars in his way with a Haas causing the imminent problem as it was sat on the apex.
Hamilton sets two personal best sectors, but by the end of his lap, he's slower than his previous time.
Perez is told "rain is close".

Raikkonen adds: "We have some rain but it's very light."
Current drop zone: Perez, Hartley, Vandoorne, Sirotkin, Stroll.
"Reports of rain at Turn 12," Hamilton is told.

"Nothing there last time round," he replies.

By: Geoff Creighton

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