Valtteri Bottas pips Lewis Hamilton in final practice

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Valterri Bottas pipped Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton by just 0.003 seconds in final practice at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel were next as the top four were separated by just 0.058secs.

Red Bull struggled, Max Verstappen, winner of two of the last four races, ninth after a spin and Daniel Ricciardo fifth and 0.9secs off the pace.

But there was a strong performance from McLaren's Fernando Alonso in sixth.

The two-time champion edged the Force Indias of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon by less than 0.1secs but was comfortably clear of the other cars with which McLaren are usually fighting, the Renaults and Williams.

Alonso's team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne was 11th, behind the fastest Renault of Carlos Sainz, and 0.349secs slower than the Spaniard.

The session was dry, despite forecasts of rain, and the threat of a downpour has now receded, with the latest prediction for only a 30% chance of rain.

The session took place against a backdrop of a weekend of intensity and intrigue, with political discussions about the future of F1 taking place, the news that members of the Mercedes team were robbed at gunpoint leaving the track on Friday night and a row between Toro Rosso and engine supplier Renault over the series of engine failures suffered by the team.

The Williams of Lance Stroll was an early casualty in final practice