Lewis Hamilton reckons McLaren are looking good this weekend in Brazil but concedes that one cannot discount the Red Bulls.
Hamilton, who arrived in Brazil on the back of a victory in Abu Dhabi, is keen to end a rather disappointing 2011 season with a fourth grand prix victory.
And the McLaren driver proved to be the one to beat in Friday's practice, topping the timesheets with a 1:13.392.
However, didn't have it all his own way as Sebastian Vettel was just 0.167s adrift while the top eight were separated by less than half a second.
"The car felt really good today - on both high and low fuel. And degradation on the new Option tyre seems pretty acceptable; I was still doing decent times at the end of my run," said the Brit.
"I think there's still a bit more to come, but we're looking strong for the rest of the weekend.
"I also felt quite comfortable with the set-up changes we made going into this afternoon's session, and our long runs seem to be pretty competitive too.
"You never know what the Red Bulls are doing, but I'm comfortable that we're there or thereabouts."
Hamilton is sporting a new design for his helmet this weekend, as he remembers the late great Ayrton Senna, Brazil's three-time Formula One World Champ.
"For Brazil this weekend I wanted to create and wear a special helmet utilising Ayrton Senna's design - I asked Ayrton' sister, Viviane, if I could use it, and she said yes.
"It's my helmet design on the front and Ayrton's on the back. I used the green lining that Ayrton used on his helmet too - I had to order that especially.
"It's a very special edition, it's a real honour to be able to wear it, and hopefully we'll raise some money for the Senna Foundation too."
Related Links
Prac Two: Hamilton tops Vettel in Brazil
Friday's shots from Interlagos
