Sebastian Vettel headed Lewis Hamilton during the final practice session for Formula 1’s Brazilian Grand Prix.
Ferrari driver Vettel posted a new track record at Interlagos as he clocked a time of 1:07.948 to finish 0.217s clear of World Champion Hamilton in overcast conditions.
Hamilton’s session was briefly interrupted when a breather pipe came loose from his Mercedes W09, forcing a repair in the garage, but the delay lasted only a few minutes.
Friday pacesetter Valtteri Bottas fell to third, over half a second down on Vettel, while compatriot Kimi Raikkonen was close behind in fourth spot.
Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo placed a distant fifth and sixth, the duo’s main time loss coming through the full-throttle final section.
Haas led the way in the midfield battle as Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean took seventh and eighth respectively, with Pierre Gasly and Charles Leclerc capping the top 10 for Toro Rosso and Sauber respectively.
Nico Hulkenberg bounced back after his FP2 crash to narrowly trail Leclerc in 11th, with Force India’s Esteban Ocon and Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson splitting the German from Renault team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr.
Sergey Sirotkin and Lance Stroll sandwiched Brendon Hartley – the Toro Rosso driver celebrating his 29th birthday – while McLaren pair Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne finished at the back, split by Force India’s Sergio Perez.
All 20 drivers set their quickest lap times on the red-banded Supersoft tyres, the softest of the three compounds that Pirelli has nominated for this weekend's action.
Saturday’s qualifying session is scheduled for 15:00 local time
