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Formula 1 Brazilian GP

Brazilian GP final practice and qualifying

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Bottas and Hamilton make it a Mercedes 1-2 with a pair of 1m07.7s laps.
Kimi is pitting for the option tyre, while his team-mate Sebastian Vettel is stuck on the weighbridge while he needs to be out making the most of this dry-ish circuit.

Vettel takes the softs as well, drivers in the top 10 will start the race on the tyres used in this session.
Gasly has split the Saubers, putting himself sixth.
Raikkonen's first attempt on the softs puts him fourth.
Radio Comms
"I can see the rain coming," says Hamilton. It's about to get spicy in Brazil.
Vettel's soft-shod lap is good enough for second, splitting the Mercedes drivers.
Information
Max Verstappen has switched onto the soft tyres as well.
Grosjean takes seventh.
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1 Bottas, 2 Vettel, 3 Hamilton, 4 Verstappen, 5 Raikkonen, 6 Ricciardo, 7 Grosjean, 8 Ericsson, 9 Gasly, 10 Leclerc.
Hamilton almost took Sirotkin off the track on the run to the last corner, Sirotkin took evasive action.
Radio Comms
Vettel reports "heavy rain" in Turn 13 and 14.
Both Mercedes on the soft tyres now as well as the Ferraris and Red Bulls.
The Red Bulls both fall fractionally short of improving on their supersoft times with this run on the softs. Frustratingly for them, that means as things stand they'll be starting on what will presumably be the less favourable tyre. Bottas and Hamilton's best laps are currently on supersofts as well, while the Ferraris have got the job done on softs.
A twitchy Haas for Magnussen at the final corner show traction is at a premium at the moment.
Magnussen improves to 10th.
That's the top eight runners into the pits now.
Information
Current drop zone as the rain seems to be increasing: Leclerc, Perez, Ocon, Hulkenberg, Sirotkin.
It's the end of session lull now before the final runs. If there are any more runs that is. We'll keep an eye on the rain.
Replays show Hamilton out of shape at the Senna Esses, the cars clearly a handful in these conditions.
So as it stands, the Ferraris and Red Bulls start the grand prix on soft tyres, while the Mercedes will have to start on the supersofts.
Radio Comms
Ferrari are contemplating sending Vettel out on inters on a fact-finding mission as a radio discussion between driver and engineer ensues.
Radio Comms
"Rain is increasing now," Vettel is told by Ferrari.
Gasly, Leclerc, Perez, Ocon, Hulkenberg all on track. And Vettel on a set of supersofts, probably giving himself a preview of the track conditions before Q3.
Radio Comms
Leclerc is cursing his Sauber team, as he wants to stay out and lap, but his engineer confirms he doesn't have enough fuel for it.
Leclerc's had a good middle sector, could he get himself into Q3?
Leclerc does it! He goes eighth - there's time to be found out there if the drivers are up to it...
Hulkenberg improves, but he's only 14th.
Vettel is out on supersofts, one assumes in a bid to asses the track conditions for Q3.

Currently, we're 10 degrees lower in terms of track temperature than when Q1 started.
Checkered flag
Q2 is over, the chequered flag is out.
Leclerc's lap has bumped Magnussen - who was sat in the pits when all that action was going on at the end.
Crash
Out in Q2: Magnussen, Perez, Ocon, Hulkenberg, Sirotkin.
Radio Comms
"Wow, what a lap, I'm happy now," says Leclerc after being annoyed earlier in the session he didn't have enough fuel to complete more laps.

That's a stunning lap.

By: Geoff Creighton

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