Live Reporting

Lorraine McKenna

  1. Verstappen handed grid penalty for Sao Paulo GP

    Andrew Benson
    BBC F1 correspondent

    Max VerstappenGetty Images

    Championship leader Max Verstappen will have a five-place grid penalty at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

    The Dutchman’s Red Bull team have fitted a new internal combustion engine, and Verstappen had already exceeded his allocation for the year.

    The penalty means the highest position in which Verstappen can start the race on Sunday is sixth. He was 15th fastest in Friday’s practice session.

    Verstappen is 47 points ahead of title rival Lando Norris of McLaren heading into the weekend, which also features a sprint race on Saturday.

    Norris ended practice fastest, pipping Mercedes’ George Russell by 0.181 seconds with his final lap of the session.

    Oliver Bearman, who is replacing Kevin Magnussen in the Haas for the sprint after the Dane became ill, made it a British top three in practice.

    Read the full report here

  2. Back at 18:15 GMT for sprint qualifying

    Lewis Hamilton walks back to the pitsGetty Images

    That first hour on track sounds like it was a bruising experience for the Mercedes drivers. Will their bouncing woes continue into qualifying?

    We'll take a quick break now and then come back at 18:15 GMT for sprint qualifying. Remember, this next session sets the grid for tomorrow's 100km race.

    See you shortly!

  3. And the rest

    11. Liam Lawson (RB)

    12. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)

    13. Franco Colapinto (Williams)

    14. Valtteri Bottas (Sauber)

    15. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

    16. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

    17. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

    18. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)

    19. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)

    20. Zhou Guanyu (Sauber)

  4. Top 10

    1. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 1:10.610

    2. George Russell (Mercedes) +0.181

    3. Oliver Bearman (Haas) +0.195

    4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.340

    5. Alex Albon (Williams) +0.345

    6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.428

    7. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +0.490

    8. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) +0.514

    9. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +0.605

    10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +0.606

  5. "That was one bumpy ride," says George Russell. "Wow."

  6. chequered flag

    Chequered flag

    Lando Norris did get something out of his second run on the soft tyre.

    The McLaren driver steps over George Russell in the final moments to top first practice with a time of 1:10.610.

    Briton Ollie Bearman, a last-minute replacement for the unwell Kevin Magnussen at Haas, finishes his session in third spot.

  7. Interesting radio message from Lewis Hamilton, The 39-year-old is asking engineer Pete Bonnington how long is left in the session, as he is in "a bit of pain".

    Max Verstappen was hovering around the same times as Ollie Bearman and George Russell but the Red Bull driver backed off his soft attempt and stays down in 15th place.

  8. Top five

    1. George Russell (Mercedes) - 1:10.791

    2. Oliver Bearman (Haas) +0.014

    3. Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.040

    4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.159

    5. Alex Albon (Williams) +0.164

  9. It's been a quiet session for Lando Norris but now the McLaren jumps up the leadboard to go third behind Ollie Bearman and George Russell after his soft flyer.

    Russell is having an uncomfortable time in his Mercedes. "My right elbow is getting caught on some duct tape," says the Briton. Ouch.

    Lando NorrisGetty Images

  10. Bearman goes second

    There are flashes of red starting to pop up all over the timesheets now.

    Franco Colapinto has received a warm welcome from the Brazilian crowds and the Argentine has just gone second behind George Russell in the Williams.

    With the track evolving, that time doesn't last long for Colapinto, as he's replaced by fellow rookie Oliver Bearman. The 19-year-old is in for Kevin Magnussen at Haas today and has moved to within 0.014 seconds of George Russell's quickest marker on the softs.

  11. Back in his regular Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton is still running the medium tyres while his team-mate stays on the soft compound. The seven-time world champion isn't having a particularly smooth ride so far, however, and he's on the team radio once again, this time to highlight that he is "bouncing across the track".

    Lewis HamiltonGetty Images

  12. Hamilton set to drive Senna's title-winning car

    Lewis Hamilton wears an Ayrton Senna T-shirt in BrazilReuters

    The 2024 season marks 30 years since the death of three-time world champion Ayrton Senna and on Saturday, Lewis Hamilton gets to do something very special at Interlagos.

    Hamilton will driving the Brazilian's 1990 title-winning McLaren MP4/5B for a special demo run after qualifying.

    "I never in a million years thought I’d ever get to drive Senna’s car here," said the seven-time world champion.

    Hamilton had hoped the experience would be a surprise for the fans, with the idea being he would wear a white suit and Senna's iconic race helmet. But, somehow, he added, the secret got out. "It's impossible to keep things quiet," said Hamilton.

  13. George Russell is a lone red runner at the moment. The rest of the field are either still in the pits or completing their plans on the medium tyres. It's the yellow rubber that drivers we'll be using in both SQ1 and SQ2 later on, before the softs come into play for the sprint pole shootout.

  14. Russell top on softs

    Yuki Tsunoda crashed out very early doors at the Mexico City Grand Prix last weekend, so the Japanese driver will be hoping to bounce back in Brazil to keep his name in the mix for a potential shot at that Red Bull seat. Tsunoda is also on the soft tyre, but he has just headed back into the pits.

    How did George Russell do on his opening C5 run? Very well. The Mercedes driver is now quickest with a 1:10.791.

  15. The two Mercedes are back in the garage while every other car heads back out on track. This is a busy session now, with first practice the only chance to iron out any kinks before we go sprint qualifying later today.

    Now George Russell joins the action and slips on a set of soft tyres for his latest laps.

  16. So, Max Verstappen needs a strong main qualifying tomorrow afternoon to minimise the damage of that five-place grid penalty. But with Interlagos being a circuit with ample overtaking opportunities, the Dutchman should, if the Red Bull is behaving itself, move through the field without too much trouble.

    Over at Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton has information for his pit wall. "Ride quality is still bad," says the seven-time world champion.

  17. What does Norris need to do to catch and beat Verstappen?

    Lando Norris and Max VerstappenGetty Images

    A clean sweep on a sprint weekend would be ideal for Lando Norris.

    With the grands prix running out for the McLaren driver, there are a total of 120 points available. This means he needs to close on world champion Max Verstappen by an average of just under 12 points a race.

    BBC Sport analyses the Formula 1 title battle to examine what the Norris needs to do, the factors that may help him and whether history offers him hope.

    Have a read here

  18. Five-place grid penalty for Verstappen confirmed
    Breaking

    Confirmation from the FIA that Max Verstappen has taken his sixth engine of the season in Brazil, meaning he will take a five-place grid penalty for Sunday's Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

  19. Top five

    1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 1:11.712

    2. George Russell (Mercedes) +0.094

    3. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) +0.387

    4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +0.389

    5. Liam Lawson (RB) +0.592 (softs)

  20. Only two cars remain on the Interlagos circuit now, and one of them, Liam Lawson in the RB, is taking the soft compound out for an early spin. The New Zealander had an eventful race in Mexico, squabbling with the Red Bull of Sergio Perez and finishing P16.

    After his opening soft runs in Sao Paulo, he's sitting fifth on the timesheets with a 1:12.304.