World Champion Lewis Hamilton led a Mercedes 1-2 during the opening practice session for the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos.
Hamilton headed team-mate Valtteri Bottas on both the Soft and Supersoft compound tyres, finishing the 90-minute session with a best lap of 1:09.202.
Hamilton’s benchmark was the quickest ever lap of the circuit, as he wound up 0.127s clear of Bottas.
Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen was third, 0.542s behind Hamilton, as he in turn finished a mere 0.006s clear of Red Bull rival Max Verstappen.
Daniel Ricciardo finished fifth fastest, though is set to be handed a 10-place grid penalty after taking on a new MGU-H, his eighth of the campaign.
Sebastian Vettel recovered from an early spin through the left-hander at Pinheirinho to place sixth, in front of Felipe Massa, preparing for his penultimate race in Formula 1, and last on home soil.
McLaren pair Stoffel Vandoorne and Fernando Alonso placed eighth and 10th, sandwiching Force India’s Esteban Ocon.
Lance Stroll was 11th for Williams, ahead of Mercedes-backed GP3 champion George Russell, who received his first run out for Force India.
Haas pair Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen took 13th and 14th respectively, ahead of the Dane stepping aside for Ferrari reserve Antonio Giovinazzi for the second session.
Renault duo Carlos Sainz Jr. and Nico Hülkenberg were next up, while Charles Leclerc edged Marcus Ericsson at Sauber, in his fourth and final planned practice run for Sauber.
Toro Rosso endured a dismal session as its difficult run of events continued.
Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley took on new MGU-Hs prior to the session, meaning the duo will cop a 10-place grid drop each, and completed minimal running due to further problems.
Gasly managed just one timed lap, and five in total, before he was sidelined by another MGU-H issue, while Hartley suffered an on-track engine failure during the early stages of the session.
