Bottas leads very close final practice session

Valtteri Bottas ended the final practice session for the Brazilian Grand Prix with the fastest time but just six hundredths of a second covered the top four.

The two Mercedes drivers were separated by three-thousandths of a second at the top of the times and the Ferrari drivers were in close attendance. Fourth-placed Sebastian Vettel was fastest through the middle sector and only 58 thousandths of a second slower than Bottas over a full lap.

The Red Bull drivers struggled, however. Max Verstappen complained of understeer at spun at Juncao on his way to the ninth-fastest time. Daniel Ricciardo put his car in its more customary fifth position behind the Mercedes and Ferrari drivers.

Fernando Alonso put in a strong showing for McLaren in sixth place, four-hundredths of a second off Ricciardo’s time. He was followed by the Force India pair.

Neither Williams featured in the top ten. Felipe Massa was 12th, less than a tenth of a second outside the top ten in a closely-knit midfield.
Team mate Lance Stroll was unable to set a time after a suspected gearbox problem halted his car at the beginning of the session.

Carlos Sainz Jnr improved to tenth place with his final lap, edging the second McLaren of Stoffel Vandoorne outside of the top ten.

Third practice visual gaps

Drivers more then ten seconds off the pace omitted.

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