Championship leader Nico Rosberg got the better of title rival Lewis Hamilton in the final practice session for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
After Hamilton set the pace in both sessions on Friday, Rosberg responded with the fastest time in FP3 as he led the way with a 1:11.740. Rosberg's time - the quickest of the weekend so far - left him 0.093s clear of his team-mate in another close session, with Sebastian Vettel 0.2s further back in third place.
In cool conditions on a damp track, Ferrari was more competitive than it had been on Friday as Kimi Raikkonen was also just 0.287s off Rosberg's pace in fourth place. Raikkonen was helped by a tow on the long run to the finish line, but had also set the fastest first sector of the session on his lap as well as the best final sector time.
Red Bull also remains within striking distance of the Mercedes pair, with Max Verstappen 0.337s off the pace in fifth place, and Daniel Ricciardo half a second slower than Rosberg in sixth. Valtteri Bottas was the only other driver to get within a second of the championship leader, ahead of the surprise package of Jolyon Palmer in eighth.
Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso rounded out the top ten, just ahead of the two Force Indias and Kevin Magnussen in the second Renault. Alonso had a late start to the session, however, due to a suspected gearbox problem on his McLaren. Team-mate Jenson Button also had trouble as he lost drive exiting the final corner, eventually getting moving again to return to the pits but only completing nine laps.
Button was not the only driver in single figures, however, with Marcus Ericsson failing to set a time as a power unit issue was discovered on his Sauber after his installation lap, requiring an engine change ahead of qualifying.
Many drivers ventured out on wet tyres at the start of the session but found the track to be dry enough for slicks. There was a strange incident after 15 minutes, however, when an umbrella found its way onto the circuit at Turn 1, floating down just behind Bottas. With only the two Williams drivers circulating, a steward was able to quickly retrieve it under yellow flags to allow the session to continue.
Despite the somewhat tricky conditions, Romain Grosjean was the only spinner in the hour-long session as he lost control of his Haas under braking for Turn 4. Grosjean also had to avoid a slow Toro Rosso in the pit lane, cutting inside the car to avoid contact.
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| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:11.740 | 19 |
| 02 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:11.833 | 21 |
| 03 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:11.959 | 14 |
| 04 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | 1:12.027 | 16 |
| 05 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:12.077 | 19 |
| 06 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 1:12.287 | 21 |
| 07 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams | 1:12.614 | 27 |
| 08 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | 1:12.968 | 19 |
| 09 | Felipe Massa | Williams | 1:12.990 | 26 |
| 10 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren | 1:13.002 | 12 |
| 11 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India | 1:13.203 | 14 |
| 12 | Sergio Perez | Force India | 1:13.231 | 19 |
| 13 | Kevin Magnussen | Renault | 1:13.255 | 15 |
| 14 | Carlos Sainz | Toro Rosso | 1:13.293 | 20 |
| 15 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 1:13.344 | 15 |
| 16 | Esteban Gutierrez | Haas | 1:13.596 | 16 |
| 17 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso | 1:13.609 | 13 |
| 18 | Jenson Button | McLaren | 1:13.750 | 9 |
| 19 | Pascal Wehrlein | Manor | 1:13.972 | 20 |
| 20 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber | 1:13.992 | 14 |
| 21 | Esteban Ocon | Manor | 1:14.222 | 21 |
| 22 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber | 1 |
