FP3 São Paulo: Shock for Ferrari star Hamilton, Max Verstappen fastest

With Lando Norris setting the fastest time in the first practice session at Interlagos and Kimi Antonelli doing the same in the second session, one of the big questions ahead of the final free practice session was who would prove to be the fastest on Saturday morning. The weather posed another question mark, as it could throw a spanner in the works for the Formula 1 organisers.

The forecast for qualifying was rain, and anyone who has ever been to Interlagos knows just how heavy it can get. For the third practice session, however, the probability of rain was ‘only’ 30 per cent; nevertheless, it didn’t take long for the first car to take to the track.

As expected, Audi driver Nico Hülkenberg was the first out, having been unable to complete a single lap the previous day. This was not least because he’d had to hand the wheel over to junior driver Freddie Slater during the first practice session. Slater didn’t get very far, as he suddenly found himself unable to change gear. The team pulled out all the stops, but a further problem with the electronics prevented the Hinwil-based team from getting the car ready in time to allow Hülkenberg to complete a lap in the second practice session.

World champion Kimi Antonelli struggles

The German didn’t have the 4.309 km track to himself for long and was consequently quickly overtaken on the timesheet. The session was only five minutes old when champion Antonelli reported a problem with the steering wheel. Shortly afterwards, the Mercedes driver reported that upshifting was no longer working, whereupon he was ordered back to the pits by the team.

Antonelli nevertheless managed to take the lead quickly, but his lap time of 1:12.497 was still well above his own best time from the previous day. Consequently, it didn’t take long for the Mercedes driver to be knocked off the top spot. Leclerc was 58 thousandths of a second faster and took the top spot ahead of Antonelli and Max Verstappen.

Topic of the week

World Champion Kimi Antonelli: record-breaker, heart-breaker, the Tifosi’s dream

With his third-place finish at the Mexican Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli has become the youngest of the 36 Formula 1 world champions to date. The 20-year-old Italian is on a record-breaking run. The Tifosi are dreaming of Antonelli in a Ferrari.

Mathias Brunner

Read More

TV Program

Today

Sao Paulo: Qualifying

FIA Formula One World Championship

07.11.2026 - 18:40

The Red Bull Racing star, who was two tenths off the Ferrari driver’s early fastest time, will have to stage a comeback in the Grand Prix as he will start the race with a new power unit that exceeds the permitted allocation. Sergio Pérez faces the same fate. Engine penalties have also been handed to George Russell (5 places), Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc (10 places each).

Lance Stroll’s brief outing

A quarter of an hour after the start of the session, Leclerc was informed by the Ferrari pit wall that a few raindrops were expected in three minutes’ time. The Monegasque driver asked whether heavier rain was on the way, and the team confirmed that there was certainly a possibility of more rain.

Lance Stroll was out of luck, having been called into the pits by his team after seven laps because a problem had been detected. That effectively ended the session for the Canadian; the team reported that they suspected a problem with the ERS. Hamilton was also plagued by concerns, reporting vibrations from the engine before heading for the pits.

Engine worries for Lewis Hamilton

Antonelli reclaimed the top spot just before the halfway mark with a time of 1:12.209, whilst Verstappen had also improved and moved up to second place, 75 thousandths of a second behind. Behind them, Leclerc, Russell, Liam Lawson, Piastri, Norris, Hamilton, Isack Hadjar and Arvid Lindblad rounded out the top 10 ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto, Hülkenberg, Pierre Gasly, Fernando Alonso, Ollie Bearman, Franco Colapinto, Carlos Sainz, Rafael Câmara, Alex Albon, Sergio Pérez, Valtteri Bottas and Stroll.

With 26 minutes remaining in the session, things came to a head for Hamilton. The seven-time world champion, who had returned to the track, reported smoke in the cockpit and immediately headed for the pits. The sound suggested something was amiss, and the strong smell of burnt oil also raised fears that the engine problems were not yet resolved. The record-holding Grand Prix winner did not reappear on the track.

Kimi Antonelli war auch im dritten Training schnell unterwegs

Foto: Charniaux / XPB Images

As a result, he missed the final qualifying simulation, as most of the Grand Prix stars used the final minutes to push the soft tyres to their limit. Verstappen did this best of all and took the lead with a time of 1:11.622 minutes before heading back into the pits.

Things went considerably worse for Pérez, who dislodged a part from his cockpit in the eighth corner, thereby coming under the scrutiny of the stewards. They announced an investigation following the session. There were no further changes at the top, so Verstappen was able to celebrate the fastest time ahead of Antonelli.