Brazilian GP: Verstappen fastest as Hamilton hits Ferrari engine drama
Lewis Hamilton hit apparent Ferrari power unit issues in Brazil
Max Verstappen set the pace during the final practice session ahead of the 2026 Brazilian Grand Prix.
Knowing he will drop to the back of the grid regardless, that result will nonetheless provide some optimism for the major recovery mission ahead. Lewis Hamilton, also taking an engine penalty in Brazil, encountered apparent power unit issues during the session, costing him the chance to set a lap on soft tyres.
Brazilian GP FP3: Verstappen P1, Hamilton suffers
The drivers had one final hour of practice at their disposal before qualifying.
Dry conditions continued to prevail at Interlagos, though the forecasts suggested this could change by qualifying.
What was certain was that Max Verstappen would drop to the back of the grid after qualifying. Red Bull confirmed that a new power unit had been bolted into his RB22.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will be docked 10 grid spots apiece for new ICES. Sergio Perez was also going to the back.
George Russell will drop five places.
It was no surprise to see Nico Hulkenberg quickly out on track. After missing FP1 for Freddie Slater’s rookie session, fresh reliability woes for the Brit spilled over into FP2, keeping Hulkenberg out of the session.
Steering and upshift problems served as an early irritation for Kimi Antonelli in his Mercedes.
Verstappen: “You want to know something funny?” His steering wheel was heavy to the right this time. Yesterday was the left.
Good one, but we still preferred the Dutchman talking to his clutch in FP2.
Isack Hadjar was finding the sister Red Bull “so hard to drive everywhere.” He was brought in for a setup change.
It was a busy opening to FP3, mediums the tyre compound of choice. Charles Leclerc elevated the pace to a 1:12.439 with a quarter of the hour gone.
Ferrari was expecting light rain at Turn 1 imminently. It had the potential to get heavier, but as is always the case here at Interlagos, saying that with any certainty would not be wise.
Aston Martin could tell Lance Stroll confidently that he had a problem, so “stop the car.” He made it back to his pit box and climbed out. His session was done.
Hamilton was back in the garage after reporting a vibration from the engine.
Antonelli was now out front on a 1:12.209. It was still medium tyres across the board.
“I’ve got smoke in the cockpit.” Hamilton’s return to the track had proven brief. That new engine was audibly unhealthy even without the extra clue of smoke as he pulled into the pit box. Ferrari was quickly on the scene with the fire extinguishers.
The lull in action, with a quarter of FP3 remaining, suggested that the qualifying simulations on soft tyres were loading. They were.
Advantage Verstappen. By 0.025s, he went P1 from Antonelli upon the step to softs. Lando Norris slotted into third, the upgraded McLaren continuing to look handy around Interlagos. Russell went a close fourth.
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Verstappen could not improve on his 1:11.622, but he remained out of reach to end FP3 on top.
Judging by the ominous black clouds approaching the track, everything may be about to change. The learnings on slick tyres may become somewhat redundant.
