Max Verstappen set the fastest time in Free Practice 3 at the Brazilian Grand Prix, narrowly edging Kimi Antonelli by 0.025s with a 1m11.622s lap. Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari suffered a mechanical issue, producing "smoke in the cockpit" and confining him to the garage for the soft-tyre runs, leaving him 12th overall.
The looming threat of rain prompted a frantic start, with Nico Hulkenberg finally getting track time after his Audi's FP1 terminal failure. On medium tyres, Antonelli led early with a 1m12.209s, while Verstappen reported a "heavy to the right" steering feel. Liam Lawson impressed for Racing Bulls, nearly half a second clear of teammate Arvid Lindblad.
As teams switched to softs, Verstappen moved ahead, with Lando Norris third for McLaren, 0.131s back. The top four teams — Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari — were covered by just 0.274s. Lindblad then outpaced Lawson by a tenth, both well clear of the midfield.
Debutant Rafael Camara placed 15th for Haas, 0.128s ahead of Oliver Bearman, while Lance Stroll's session ended early with a suspected ERS failure. Read also: Hamilton, Leclerc and Verstappen face grid penalties for Sunday's race.
Source: Autosport F1 News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing