Valtteri Bottas topped a close final practice session for the Brazilian Grand Prix, ahead of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton and the Ferrari drivers. The top four driver covered by just over half a tenth.
Bottas posted a time of 1:09.281 on the Super Soft compound tyre in overcast but dry conditions at Interlagos. The rainfall staying away, amid changing forecasts.
Hamilton, after posting a new track record on Friday, finished 0.003s down on Bottas, via a couple of off-track excursions during the early runs on Softs.
Mercedes held a comfortable advantage in FP1 and FP2, but Ferrari closed in through FP3, with Kimi Räikkönen 0.045s adrift in third, and Sebastian Vettel 0.058s back.
Red Bull held both drivers in the garage early on, to save engine mileage. They ended the session a distant fifth with Daniel Ricciardo, around a second off the pace.
Ricciardo’s team-mate, Max Verstappen, finished back in ninth, after a messy morning, which included several spins. He struggled with understeer in his RB13.
Fernando Alonso put his McLaren-Honda sixth. He was ahead of Force India pair Sergio Pérez and Esteban Ocon. Renault’s Carlos Sainz Jr. rounded out the top 10.
Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren) and Felipe Massa (Williams) were 11th and 12th. The other Renault of Nico Hülkenberg split Haas pair Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean.
Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley gained more valuable mileage in 16th and 17th after tensions between Toro Rosso and engine supplier Renault boiled over pre-session.
Sauber duo Pascal Wehrlein and Marcus Ericsson were the slowest runners. Lance Stroll unable to post a time due to a suspected gearbox issues.
Stroll lost power, with a sudden grinding noise, as he exited Descida do Lago, his car coming to a halt at Ferradura and signalling a brief Virtual Safety Car phase.
INITIAL CLASSIFICATION (END OF FP3)
The top four are separated by just 0.058 seconds ?#BrazilGP ?? #FP3 pic.twitter.com/7X82noBySv
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 11, 2017
