Skip to main content

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe
Live text
Formula 1 Brazilian GP

Brazilian GP final practice and qualifying

Live Text

Sort by
Radio Comms
"You can probably see the balance when you look at the data - very strange today," Button not a happy man in his McLaren right now.
Stopwatch
The Dutchman's spell on top is brief. Championship leader Rosberg is the first man into the 1m11s today, and on top by almost three tenths of a second.
Stopwatch
Palmer pops up in fourth place for Renault, just before Max Verstappen leaps to the top of the timesheet with a 1m12.077s best
Radio Comms
Nasr reports that he's "getting a message of engine hot," to Sauber. The team tells him to ignore it, but there must be concerns given Ericsson's session-ending problems earlier.
Ricciardo goes fastest of all in the first sector, but the rest of his lap falls short and he crosses the line in 1m12.665s. Decent, but not an improvement.
Radio Comms
"Front still struggles," reports Ricciardo, who like everyone is struggling to slow down without locking up a front wheel.
Stopwatch
Daniel Ricciardo bangs in a 1m12.287s on his latest run to knock Ferrari off the top of the perch.
Radio Comms
His STR team-mate Sainz reports "a lot of graining on the rear tyres," in these cool conditions.
Kvyat finally rejoins the session and sets the 11th fastest time.
Radio Comms
"I can't run these tyres! I can't see on the straight!" cries Palmer, who is told he needs to stay out for fuel data by his Renault team. He eventually gets his wish to come into the pits and end a tricky run.
"You're confident on the weather?" asks Rosberg, who is told he needs to come in and do two starts in the pitlane by his Mercedes team. Drivers keen to make the most of the track while it's at its best.
Both Saubers have run into technical trouble this session, and are yet to set a time, as is Daniil Kvyat's Toro Rosso.
Radio Comms
"I don't think we got the fronts working," says Button, who is only 17th quickest in his McLaren-Honda.
Current top order midway through this session: 1. Raikkonen; 2. Vettel; 3. Verstappen; 4. Ricciardo; 5. Hulkenberg; 6. Massa; 7. Perez; 8. Grosjean; 9. Bottas; 10. Magnussen.
The Mercedes drivers look as though they are on longer runs at this stage. Rosberg and Hamilton are lapping in the 1m16s and 17s down in 18th and 19th overall on the timesheet.
Vettel improves to less than two tenths behind Raikkonen, who asks Ferrari what Mercedes is doing. Lots of traffic making it tricky to read who is pushing and who isn't.
Vettel makes it a Ferrari one-two by setting the second quickest time, but he's more than six tenths off his team-mate right now.
Hulkenberg goes second fastest, less than a tenth faster than Ricciardo's Red Bull, but over a second slower than Raikkonen.
Stopwatch
Seems as though it was worth it. The Ferrari likes cool conditions and Raikkonen shaves three tenths off his best time from earlier.
Radio Comms
"Good lap Kimi. P1 by a second," says engineer Dave Greenwood, who apologises for a mis-communication as Raikkonen says he's pushing for another lap.
Stopwatch
Times coming down as the laps reel off. Raikkonen betters Massa's time by over a second.
Verstappen briefly goes third fastest on the medium tyre for Red Bull, before Magnussen's soft-tyred Renault and Wehrlein's Manor jump him. He gets them back on the next lap though.
Ocon completes his first flying lap of the session for Manor, just under three tenths quicker than Palmer, both faster than Hamilton's earlier effort.
Stopwatch
Bottas improves to a 1m13.942s best, before Massa jumps to the top of the times with a 1m13.848s. Williams one-two right now.
Radio Comms
The track is clear again as Massa presses on with his run.
Yellow flag
Umbrella on the circuit in the Senna S!
Stopwatch
Bottas leaps to the top of the times with a 1m15.048s lap

By: Geoff Creighton

Published: