SÃO PAULO — Red Bull racer Max Verstappen posted the fastest lap in the final practice session for the Brazilian Grand Prix on Saturday, edging newly crowned world champion Kimi Antonelli by 0.025 seconds at Autódromo José Carlos Pace.
Verstappen recorded a time of 1 minute, 11.622 seconds on soft tires, barely beating Mercedes driver Antonelli, who clocked in at 1:11.647, Motorsport reported. McLaren’s Lando Norris finished third, 0.131 seconds behind Verstappen, while George Russell and Charles Leclerc rounded out the top five. The tight times meant the four leading teams were separated by less than three-tenths of a second ahead of qualifying.
Mechanical woes strike Hamilton and others
Drivers hurried onto the Interlagos circuit at the start of the one-hour session due to the impending threat of rain, according to GPblog. The rush was especially urgent for Audi driver Nico Hülkenberg, who had missed the second practice session entirely after his car sustained terminal damage while driven by rookie Freddie Slater in the opening practice.
The session proved difficult for multiple competitors dealing with setup problems and low grip. Antonelli and Verstappen both reported steering issues early on, while Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was sidelined just 15 minutes into running because of an energy recovery system problem, Motorsport reported.
Trouble mounted most dramatically for Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. After complaining of severe vibrations from his powertrain and aggressive engine braking, Hamilton pitted when smoke began filling his cockpit. The seven-time champion was confined to the garage for the rest of the session, missing out on soft-compound qualifying simulations and finishing 12th on the timing sheets.
Grid penalties loom over Sunday’s race
Despite Verstappen’s front-running pace in practice, neither he nor Hamilton will start near the front for Sunday’s Grand Prix. Both drivers were hit with extensive grid penalties after making unprogrammed power unit changes, MotorBiscuit reported.
Hamilton received a 75-place grid drop after Ferrari replaced every element of his power unit following his practice engine troubles, consigning him to 20th on the starting grid. Verstappen took a 30-place penalty after Red Bull elected to swap out multiple engine components following persistent issues on Friday. Ferrari’s Leclerc, Mercedes driver Russell, and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez were also among those assessed engine penalties ahead of Sunday.
Overtaking concerns without DRS
Both Verstappen and Hamilton expressed skepticism about their ability to carve through the field as they have in past rain-soaked or chaotic Brazilian races. Formula 1 cars no longer use the Drag Reduction System, which previously helped trailing cars pass on long straights.
“Now we don’t have the DRS anymore, and the overtake mode is very limiting around here because of the long straight,” Verstappen told reporters, according to MotorBiscuit. “Everyone is draining the battery, so your speed difference on the straight is going to be a lot less.”
Hamilton echoed those concerns, pointing out that defending positions is far easier under the current aerodynamic rules.
“Back then, we obviously had very long straights, and if you got close you had the DRS and maybe a car wouldn’t have it, whereas now everyone just opened up the wing, so I think overtaking will be very, very hard,” Hamilton told reporters, as reported by MotorBiscuit.
Although Antonelli clinched the 2026 drivers’ championship in Mexico City as the youngest champion in series history, the fight for second remains intense, The Sporting News reported. Verstappen holds second place with 261 points, followed closely by Hamilton with 259 and Russell with 250. How effectively Verstappen and Hamilton can navigate the field from the back row will be settled when the Grand Prix gets underway Sunday afternoon.
