Max Verstappen topped the time sheets in the final F1 practice session of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend ahead of Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris.
The fastest three drivers in FP3 were unchanged from FP1 and FP2, only changing order once again as Verstappen went fastest with a 1:11.622. Kimi Antonelli was just 0.025 off Verstappen’s time, and third fastest Norris was within 0.131.
Early issue for Antonelli
Newly crowned champion Kimi Antonelli came across an issue in the first few minutes of the session, complaining about his steering wheel and then another problem with the upshifts before being called into the pits for a different steering wheel.
Lando Norris set a 1:13.064 on his first flying lap, which was the fastest of the first 10 minutes of running until lap times from Leclerc and Antonelli came in, pushing the McLaren driver to third with times in the 1:12s. There was still plenty of lap time to come though, as the fastest time in FP2 yesterday was a 1:10.763 from Antonelli.
15 minutes in, Leclerc was told on team radio light rain was expected soon, potentially impacting the teams’ qualifying preparation, but the rain didn’t come. Leclerc is set to join a host of other drivers taking grid penalties in Brazil for engine components, including teammate Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Sergio Perez, and Max Verstappen who will take a complete new engine after issues in Friday’s running.
Even with a brand new ICE fitted, Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari unfortunately came back into the garage for the rest of the session after Hamilton reported smoke in the cockpit. With 20 minutes left on the clock, Hamilton’s 1:12.833 was only good enough for eighth fastest.
Soft tyres on for final 15 minutes
Mercedes and McLaren were first out on the soft tyres, George Russell putting in a 1:11.806 to briefly go fastest before more soft compound lap times starting flying in from Norris and Antonelli. It was Verstappen with the fastest though, two tenths quicker than Russell.
Hamilton and Lance Stroll are the only drivers not to get a lap on the soft tyres, with the Ferrari still in the garage and the Aston Martin also forced to retire from the final practice session with a suspected ERS issue.
As the session came to a close, there were heavy dark clouds looming over Interlagos, suggesting an impending fall of rain that teams would be hoping wouldn’t coincide with qualifying later on.
READ MORE – F1 2026 Sao Paulo Grand Prix – FP3 Results
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