With rain predicted tomorrow, qualifying should be a cracker. So if you don't have as good a view as this local burrowing owl at Interlagos, stick with this live text commentary, which kicks off at 12:30 GMT, and I promise you won't miss a thing. Until tomorrow, it's good evening from me. See ya.
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So the plan for tomorrow is as follows. Final practice starts at 13:00 GMT and will last an hour. You can listen to coverage on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and online.
Qualifying follows at 16:00 with commentary online with the closing moments of the session on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra.
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Teams saw their long-run data gathering disrupted in second practice as not one, not two but three red flags were brought out to deal with broken down cars. If final practice is wet tomorrow, it could make strategy for Sunday's race interesting, especially if it turns out to be dry.
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Lewis Hamilton's latest BBC Sport column is also worth a read, with the 2008 world champion talking about the legacy of Ayrton Senna in Brazil, double points in the final grand prix of the season and the prospect of a "first" world title. Find it on the F1 pages.
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It's been a busy day for F1 news, with Marussia closing their doors after failing to find a buyer and then Caterham asking fans to donate money to help them compete at the final race in Abu Dhabi.
Second practice results
1) Nico Rosberg 2) Lewis Hamilton 3) Kimi Raikkonen 4) Daniel Ricciardo 5) Valtteri Bottas 6) Felipe Massa 7) Fernando Alonso 8) Daniil Kvyat 9) Sebastian Vettel
10) Kevin Magnussen 11) Pastor Maldonado 12) Romain Grosjean 13) Nico Hulkenberg 14) Esteban Gutierrez 15) Adrian Sutil 16) Jenson Button 17) Jean-Eric Vergne
No time: Sergio Perez
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The drivers out on track stay out for another lap after the chequered flag so that the FIA can do another test of the virtual safety car.
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So Nico Rosberg gets the better of Lewis Hamilton for a second successive session, but Hamilton's lap wasn't an accurate reflection of his speed as he lost a bunch of time when he ran wide on his quick lap on the soft tyres.
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Chequered flag
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Nico Rosberg finishes fastest in second practice for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
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The Mercedes drivers are now on the medium tyres for the final part of this session. That's the harder of the two compounds this weekend.
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Tom Clarkson
BBC F1 pit-lane reporter
Tom Clarkson on TwitterCopyright: Tom Clarkson on Twitter
"The soft tyre is not enjoying long runs around Interlagos. This is Rosberg's front right after 10 laps."
Get involved
Byron FOXX Mubaiwa: This session has been messy. 3rd red flag?
James B: Alonso doing the stewards job. Can't hate that guy!!
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Here's how they stand with five minutes remaining:
1) Ros 2) Ham 3) Rai 4) Ric 5) Bot 6) Mas 7) Alo 8) Kvy 9) Vet 10) Mag 11) Mal 12) Gro 13) Hul 14) Gut 15) Sut 16) But 17) Ver No time: Per
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Everyone who hasn't had a mechanical problem (Fernando Alonso, Esteban Gutierrez, Jean-Eric Vergne and Sergio Perez) is out on track with six minutes to go.
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Clouds are building around Interlagos as second practice comes to a close. Watch the forecast for the weekend here.
Go! Go! Go!
We're back under way. Ten minutes to go.
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Mercedes: We should get another #FP2 run in but it's a somewhat truncated run plan this afternoon - stoppages aplenty at Interlagos.
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Ferrari: @alo_oficial's broken power unit had a lot of kilometres. There will be no penalty for him.
Red flag
The red flag is out for the third time, too, as that car is in a dangerous position. More irritation for the teams who are trying to gather long-run data.
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Esteban Gutierrez becomes the third driver to breakdown in this session. The Sauber driver has pulled off onto the grass, just a few hundred metres from the pit-lane exit.
Recap
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Here's the result of Force India reserve driver Daniel Juncadella's crash from the first session. It also explains why Sergio Perez has had to sit out this session.
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There's a hairy moment in the pit lane when Felipe Massa is released into the path of Kimi Raikkonen, who in turn has to brake to avoid hitting the Williams. The team may be penalised for an unsafe release.
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The red flags are a real pain for the teams as it is disrupting their long-run data gathering. It will be particularly frustrating, especially if the expected rain hits tomorrow during final practice and then qualifying as it'll make strategy for Sunday tricky.
Go! Go! Go!
The track is clear so we're back under way with 17 minutes remaining.
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The rest of the field return to the pits while they wait for the marshals to remove Fernando Alonso's stricken Ferrari.
Red flag
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Fernando Alonso has stopped out on track with huge plumes of smoke pouring from the rear of the Ferrari. Big flames then lick upwards. The Spaniard jumps out of the car, grabs a fire extinguisher and quickly attends to the flames himself. The red flag is out.
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Lewis Hamilton reports that the "car feels good, I just haven't hooked up a lap yet". The Briton is currently doing a long run.
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We've entered the long-run phase of the session, when teams fill the cars with fuel and send drivers out to complete a succession of laps to simulate stints in Sunday's race, They can then use that data to plan strategy.
Thirty minutes to go
With half an hour to go, here's how they stand:
1) Ros 2) Ham 3) Rai 4) Ric 5) Bot 6) Mas 7) Alo 8) Kvy 9) Vet 10) Mag 11) Mal 12) Gro 13) Hul 14) Gut 15) Sut 16) But 17) Ver No time: Per
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Kimi Raikkonen goes third quickest, six tenths off the pace in the Ferrari. Next time around, he runs off track at Turn 12 after locking up. The Finn has been mowing a lot of lawn today.
First practice highlights
If you missed first practice, when Nico Rosberg beat Lewis Hamilton to the fastest time, you can watch it here.
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This morning, Max Vertsappen took a wrong turn when he ran wide and ended up exploring the escape roads behind the barriers before rejoining. Watch it here or via the highlights tab at the top of the page. It also reminded me of 2012, when a similar thing happened to Kimi Raikkonen. Only that time, Raikkonen hit a dead-end and got stuck whereas Verstappen found a way out.
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Lewis Hamilton is off-track again, the Mercedes driver skating off at Turn One. There's plenty of run-off there, though, and he's soon back on his way.
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
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Good effort from Daniil Kvyat, who goes fourth quickest in the Toro Rosso. The Russian is bumped down a place to fifth after Felipe Massa (pictured) slots into fourth in the Williams.
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No he can't! Lewis Hamilton runs wide, losing a bunch of time at Turn 11. The Briton crosses the line, sixth tenths of a second off the pace set by Nico Rosberg.
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Nico Rosberg goes quickest with an impressive lap of 1:12.123 on the soft tyres. Can his team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who isn't too far behind, better that?
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Flashback
Not only is Kimi Raikkonen without a top four start all year, but he's now driven in 81 Grands Prix since his last pole, which came at the French Grand Prix in 2008 (pictured). The Finn is currently sixth quickest.
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Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo bolts on a set of soft tyres and goes quickest with a 1:12.856, just over a tenth quicker than Lewis Hamilton, whose current best time was set on the medium tyres. The Australian then cuts the corner at Turn One as drivers continue to struggle for grip.
APCopyright: AP
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Jenson Button is having a better time of it this afternoon, having not set a lap time this morning. The Briton has clocked 14 laps, with a best time of 1:14.772, which is good enough for 12th.
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Sergio Perez will not get any running today as his Force India team say there is too much work to be done on his car, which was damaged by Daniel Juncadella this morning, before the end of session. "There was a lot of heat soak which may have damaged some engine hydraulic components," say Force India. "These components are being changed as a precaution."
How they stand
With 55 minutes remaining, here's how they stand:
1) Ham 2) Ros 3) Ric 4) Alo 5) Mas 6) Rai 7) Mal 8) Bot 9) Mag 10) Kvy 11) Gro 12) But 13) Vet 14) Hul 15) Sut 16) Gut 17) Ver 18) Per
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Lewis Hamilton improves to a 1:13.072, two tenths quicker than Nico Rosberg, who has moved into second. The Mercedes duo then head back to the pits.
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There's a mix-up between Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton, with Hamilton slowing down and moving out of the way at Turn Eight, but Raikkonen almost makes contact him, who sweeps right across at the apex.
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Lewis Hamilton demotes his team-mate Nico Rosberg at the top of the standings, the Briton clocking a 1:13.468, which is just over a tenth quicker. Daniel Ricciardo splits, them, though, with the Red Bull driver just a few thousandths quicker than Rosberg.
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Nico Rosberg goes quickest with his first effort of the afternoon, the German clocking a 1:13.572.
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Only Force India's Sergio Perez, whose car required fixing after Daniel Juncadella crashed it this morning, and Williams' Felipe Massa have yet to make an appearance in this session.
Go! Go! Go!
The track is clear and we're back under way at Interlagos. One hour and nine minutes to go.
With the season finale on the horizon, BBC Radio 5 live have planned a special show, that will go out next week, which will count down the sport's greatest final day title showdowns.
Jennie Gow will be joined by BBC Radio 5 live's F1 correspondent James Allen, former driver John Watson and journalist Maurice Hamilton, to discuss their most memorable title deciding moments.
Listen on Wednesday 12 November from 20:00 GMT.
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Red flag
The red flag is out for the second time today as the marshals recover Jean-Eric Vergne's stricken Toro Rosso. The first red flag came in the first session when Daniel Juncadella crashed in the Force India.
Mechanical
Jean-Eric Vergne missed all of this morning's session as Max Verstappen was given his Toro Rosso. And his afternoon starts off pretty badly as he rolls to a stop after just 11 minutes of this session.
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Adrian Sutil has a spin between Turns One and Two in his Sauber. The German keeps the engine running, spins the car back round and then continues on his way.
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McLaren's Kevin Magnussen is the early pace-setter with a 1:15.232, two tenths quicker than the Lotus of Pastor Maldonado.
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Esteban Gutierrez, who spent most of first practice in the garage, is the first man out in the Sauber.
Go! Go! Go!
Let second practice begin!
BBC Sport app F1 alerts
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The BBC Sport development team have been working hard on Formula 1 alerts for our app, following on from the football goal alerts, and I'm pleased to say they're ready to go.
Simply head to the MyAlerts section from the Sport app's menu and choose the alerts you want to add. For F1, you'll receive results for practice, qualifying and the race itself as they happen.
Get involved
As ever, I'm always keen to hear your thoughts on the weekend's racing, so don't be shy and get in touch. Who is your tip for victory this weekend? And what about your thoughts on the championship battle? Will Lewis Hamilton pull it off or will double points come to Nico Rosberg's rescue and hand the German his first world title? Thoughts via #bbcf1, 81111 (UK only) or the BBC Sport Facebook page.
"A few days ago, the chances of rain on Friday here in Sao Paulo were said to be 80%. There's no sign of that right now. It's a glorious day, with big blue skies and wispy white clouds and a temperature of 29C. There seems little chance of rain affecting second practice."
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So just hours after Marussia ceased trading, with all their staff made redundant, their fellow struggling team Caterham announce their attempt to stay afloat and compete in Abu Dhabi.
The opportunity to donate starts now and will last until it reaches the aforementioned funding target of Friday 14 November, whichever is sooner.
"We are working non-stop to get the Caterham F1 Team back racing, initially in Abu Dhabi, but hopefully that will be just a stepping stone to get it back racing on a permanent basis, under new ownership," said Finbarr O'Connell, Caterham Sports Limited administrator and interim Caterham F1 team principal.
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BreakingBREAKING NEWS
Caterham, who are in administration and not present in Brazil this weekend, have launched a crowd-funding project in a bid to raise the £2.35m needed to get the team on the grid for the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, the team's administrators have said.
Looking ahead
BBCCopyright: BBC
We've got a very special Classic F1 programme coming your way next week with legendary commentator Murray Walker your host.
It's a one-hour show focused on title deciders and having just watched it, I can tell you it's an absolute cracker.
When can you see it? Next Wednesday at 21:30 BST on the red button, this very website and the BBC iPlayer.
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It was Nico Rosberg who came out on top in first practice, the German edging his team-mate and title rival Lewis Hamilton by 0.221 seconds. But as I mentioned earlier, it's in second practice where Hamilton usually begins to kick into gear. That session starts at 16:00 GMT with commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra.
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Lewis Hamilton leads Nico Rosberg by 24 points in the drivers' championship. Under the old points scoring system, Hamilton would need just one point on Sunday to claim the title. As it is, the championship will go down to the wire in Abu Dhabi no matter what happens, thanks to Bernie Ecclestone's double points rule.
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Afternoon all, I hope you've been well fed and watered during the break between sessions because we've got another 90 minutes of practice coming up for you around Brazil's Interlagos. Buckle up.
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Advantage Nico Rosberg, then, after first practice but it's in the second session when Lewis Hamilton (pictured) really kicks into gear. The Briton has topped FP2 14 times in 17 race weekend's this year. Can he make it 15? See you in a bit to find out. Cheerio for now.
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So it's time for a quick pit stop between sessions. I'll be back at 15:30 GMT ahead of FP2 which starts at 16:00. That'll last 90 minutes and provide teams with an opportunity to get some long runs under their belt ahead of Sunday's race as well as testing the option tyre.
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So Mercedes finish one-two in this session for the 11th time in 18 rounds this year, with Nico Rosberg 0.221 seconds quicker than team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
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Eddie Jordan
BBC F1 chief analyst
"Thirdly, teams have to use Ecclestone's freight but the costs of this are high. There used to be a £10m payment from the commercial rights holder to teams to support the freight costs but Ecclestone withdrew that two years ago.
"Fourthly, there is the gross disparity of of $300m being skimmed off the top of the money allocated to pay the teams as a cash payment for the top five teams, Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, Williams and Mercedes."
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Eddie Jordan
BBC F1 chief analyst
"There are four reasons why the three teams who entered F1 in 2010 have all failed.
"First, Caterham [previously Lotus], Marussia [previously Virgin] and HRT were promised that the sport would have a budget cap of 50m Euros and governing body the FIA failed to impose this.
"Secondly, the costs for an engine were about £5m last year but have gone up to £15m this season with the introduction of new turbo hybrid engines.
"Who's accountable? It's Bernie Ecclestone's job to make sure promises are adhered to, and these costs are not coming down next year even though the manufacturers originally said they would."
Marussia latest
If you're just joining us, you may have missed that Marussia have ceased trading and all staff will be made redundant.
Marussia have folded despite having their best season in four years in F1. Marussia currently lie ninth in the championship thanks to the two points Bianchi scored by finishing ninth in Monaco.
They will retain that place officially, but when it comes to allocating the prize money from this season, the remaining team below them - Sauber - will be moved up and receive the funds instead.
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Impressive stuff from Max Verstappen, 17, who finished sixth quickest as he continues gaining experience ahead of his F1 race debut with Toro Rosso next season. Twenty years ago, is father Jos Verstappen made his race debut at this venue with Benetton.
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McLaren: Mixed fortunes in that session - Kevin managed to gather a lot of data, but Jenson was sidelined by electrical troubles on his first lap.
First practice results
1) Nico Rosberg 2) Lewis Hamilton 3) Daniil Kvyat 4) Fernando Alonso 5) Felipe Massa 6) Max Vertsappen 7) Pastor Maldonado 8) Kimi Raikkonen 9) Kevin Magnussen
10) Daniel Ricciardo 11) Adrian Sutil 12) Felipe Nasr 13) Nico Hulkenberg 14) Sebastian Vettel 15) Romain Grosjean 16) Daniel Juncadella 17) Jenson Button 18) Esteban Gutierrez
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Replays show that Kimi Raikkonen spun again. The Finn got his tyres on the grass on the approach to Turn 12, spinning the Ferrari round and off onto the grass. He kept the engine running before rejoining.
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The cars will remain out on track for a few minutes after the chequered flag so that the FIA can continue testing their virtual safety car system.
Chequered flag
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Nico Rosberg finishes fastest in first practice for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
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At last, Jenson Button is in the car, but it looks like he's run out of time to get into this session. What a miserable start to the weekend for the 2009 world champion.
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Felipe Massa, whose last victory on home soil at Interlagos back in 2008, moves up to fifth, one second off the pace. His fellow Brazilian Felipe Nasr, who is Valtteri Bottas' Williams for this session, is 12th quickest.
Spin!
Kimi Raikkonen, currently seventh quickest, is facing the wrong way at Turn Six after the rear end of his Ferrari stepped out, spinning the Finn round. He's soon back on his way, though.
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Jenson Button's McLaren is still on the stands, but we could be seeing the 2009 world champion out on track shortly as he's back in the garage and just putting his helmet on.
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Sauber say they sent Esteban Gutierrez out, as the Mexican bids to set his first timed lap of the day, but call him straight back in as the problem, which is unspecified, is not solved yet.
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Heavy lock up for Max Verstappen at Turn One, the Toro Rosso skating across the run-off and into the area behind the barriers before negotiating a way back out and onto track. The Dutch teenager is currently fifth fastest, one second off the pace.
BBC Sport app F1 alerts
BBCCopyright: BBC
The BBC Sport development team have been working hard on Formula 1 alerts for our app, following on from the football goal alerts, and I'm pleased to say they're ready to go.
Simply head to the MyAlerts section from the Sport app's menu and choose the alerts you want to add. For F1, you'll receive results for practice, qualifying and the race itself as they happen.
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McLaren continue to work on Jenson Button's car. The 2009 world champion and Sauber's Esteban Gutierrez are the only two drivers who have yet to set a time in this session. Just 16 minutes remaining.
Go! Go! Go!
Daniel Juncadella's Force India has been removed and the track is now clear so we're back under way at Interlagos.
Get involved
Euan Sass: Very sad to hear Marrusia has come to an end. Best of luck to all Marussia staff members and drivers.
Daniel Kelly: Shame to hear about Marussia, they've had a good season in their terms, and now it's all collapsed.
Marussia latest
Marussia had been in talks with two potential investors as they bid to save the team, but when a deadline of 12:00 GMT on Friday passed with no funds transferred, the team folded. The news leaves more than 200 people without jobs.
Twenty five minutes to go
APCopyright: AP
While we've got a break in the action, here's a recap of how they stand:
1) Ros 2) Ham (pictured) 3) Ver 4) Mal 5) Rai 6) Mag 7) Kvy 8) Ric 9) Sut 10) Hul 11) Alo 12) Vet 13) Gro 14) Nas 15) Mas 16) Jun 17) But 18) Gut
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Before the crash, there was a change at the top with Nico Rosberg going quickest, the German clocking a 1:12.764, a couple of tenths quicker than Mercedes' team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
Red flag
The red flag is out as marshals head over to recover the damaged Force India. Daniel Juncadella is out of the car and heads over to the medical to hitch a lift back to the paddock.
Crash!
Daniel Juncadella is in the barriers and there's quite a bit of damage to the front end of that Force India. It's hardly ideal for Sergio Perez, whose car Juncadella is borrowing.
Latest on Marussia
"It goes without saying that it's deeply regrettable that a business with such a great following in Britain and worldwide has had to cease trading and close its doors," says Geoff Rowley of FRP Advisory who were appointed as Marussia's administrators.
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I'll bring you more on that Marussia story when I get it. The Banbury-based team and rivals Caterham went into administration last month. They missed the United States Grand Prix and are not present in Brazil.
BreakingBREAKING NEWS
The Marussia F1 team have folded, according for the team's administrators.
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Max Verstappen has completed the most laps today, the Dutchman making the most of his chance in this session to gain experience ahead of his race debut with Toro Rosso next year. The teenager has a best time of 1:13.827 from 18 laps. That's just four tenths off the pace set by Lewis Hamilton.
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It's pretty quiet out on track with just the Toro Rossos of Daniil Kvyat and Max Verstappen and the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen out and about.
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Jenson Button has not been seen since he rolled to a stop at the entry to the pit-lane after just one lap. His team are working hard to fix an electrical problem on his McLaren.
There has been a lot of speculation about Button's future, with the 2009 world champion likely to leave the sport at the end of the year. McLaren look set to sign Fernando Alonso, with Kevin Magnussen keeping his seat alongside him.
Button's former team-mate Lewis Hamilton thinks his old team should keep Button. "If I had a team, I would want him in it because he's a great asset," said Hamilton, 29.
"Button is a great driver, still one of the strongest, and he's had an amazing career. He's also a decent guy, so it doesn't correlate."
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Giedo Van Der Garde found out with the rest of the world on Wednesday evening that Sauber had picked Felipe Nasr for next season, when he had been expecting to get the drive.
He said: "I was very confident about the ride and what came up I got very very surprised about that; nothing more to say about that. I just have to do my job this weekend, stay calm, come home and then sit down on the Monday with the management. It is a bit tough, but I have to stay relaxed cool, and that's it.
"There's plenty I want to say, but it's probably better I stay quiet for now."
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McLaren's Kevin Magnussen has the track to himself and uses it to good effect, moving up to third with a 1:14.312, eight tenths off the pace.
"After the anger of Austin, talks have started on the subject of improving the lot of Formula 1's smaller teams, who are struggling to make ends meet. Sauber, Force India and Lotus are now in dialogue with the commercial rights holders CVC over getting more money after CVC boss Donald MacKenzie vowed to them he would personally sort the situation out. Sauber team principal Monica Kaltenborn said that the discontent expressed last weekend appeared to have made an impression.
"'It was important to get into this dialogue, but it's equally important to have actions taking place, not just talking,' she said. 'The fact they are in a dialogue with us says they see the issue and they have to find a solution to this. I do think we did get that far last weekend, that the points we made have been acknowledged and this is what started the conversation.' As for a time frame, she said: 'Something definitely has to be done within this season. The signals are good, but one thing is talking, another thing is then taking actions. It has to be done very quickly.'"
Get involved
#bbcf1
Mick Wheeler: If Rosberg takes the title by one point in Abu Dhabi we will be able to hear the booing crowd back in UK!
One hour to go
Lewis Hamilton leaps to the top of the timesheets with a 1:13.468, half a second quicker than Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg, who has headed back to the pits.
With a little over an hour remaining, here's how they stand.
1) Ham 2) Ros 3) Kvy 4) Alo 5) Vet 6) Ric 7) Ver 8) Gro 9) Rai 10) Nas 11) Mas 12) Hul 13) Mal 14) Sut 15) Jun 16) But 17) Gut 18) Mag
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Daniel Ricciardo has had a stunning debut season with Red Bull, taking the first three wins of his career. He's also the only non-Mercedes driver to stand on the top step so you may be unsurprised to hear he is likely clinch third in the championship this weekend, as a top-two finish would guarantee it no matter what Valtteri Bottas, Sebastian Vettel or Fernando Alonso do.
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The times are tumbling, with Lewis Hamilton improving to a 1:14.172. However he's bumped down to second almost immediately as Nico Rosberg pips him with a 1:14.001. Romain Grosjean goes a shock third in the Lotus, though I don't imagine he'll stay there long.
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Daniel Ricciardo is Mercedes' closest challenger at the moment, the Australian slotting into third, one tenth off the pace. Kimi Raikkonen is fourth with Felipe Nasr fifth and Sebastian Vettel sixth.
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The times are coming thick and fast now with Nico Rosberg setting the early pace with a 1:15.002, three tenths of a second quicker than Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
Spin!
Daniel Juncadella, stepping in for Sergio Perez at Force India for this session, gets it all wrong at Turn Six, spinning into the run-off. He gets going again, but he's picked up a couple of big flat spots.
"The predicted rain is bad news for Williams. They are establishing themselves as the second fastest team after Mercedes - even if they ended up being beaten by Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull in Austin last weekend after a very impressive performance by the Australian.
"But the car lacks overall downforce so they struggle in the wet. 'We do prefer dry, definitely,' Valtteri Bottas said. 'The main places where we're losing to Mercedes and Red Bull is still the corners and the more time we spend in the corners the worse it is, so we do like dry. But if it's wet. We are optimistic we have improved a lot since the beginning of the season in terms of managing the tyres. And it is a race where anything can happen.'"
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Adrian Sutil runs off at Turn Six, the German struggling with oversteer in the slippery conditions.
The Sauber driver is seemingly without a seat next year after his team announced the signing of Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson for 2015 despite Sutil previously saying he has a contract for next season.
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Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen sets the first timed lap of the day with a 1:19.999 but the young Dutchman was really struggling for grip. With little running on this track before F1's arrival, it'll take some time for the circuit to rubber in.
Get involved
#bbcf1
Codswallop T Bear: If Bernie insists on double points at the season finale, why not give the "star" GPs all double points, Monaco, Spa, Suzuka?
"Fernando Alonso might not be in the world title battle, but his status in the sport and the apparent uncertainly over his future means he is still in the headlines. His expected move to McLaren next year has still not been announced, although it is expected to be finalised shortly, even if it is not already. But he said there was no rush to sort it out. 'I don't think there is any deadline,' he said on Thursday.
"'One week is McLaren saying something, last week it was (Lotus team principal Gerard) Lopez saying he was in talks about me for future, which is true, but not for F1, about another project we may have together, but on the business side not F1. Every day there is a rumour. Even today I read I bought Marussia for $1. But it's absolutely not true. It's the same thing always. Two or three months ago, I took a decision, I followed that direction, and hopefully you will know soon.'"
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BBC F1 weatherman Ian Fergusson: "Looking dry for first practice, turning very warm. It's odds-on to stay dry in second practice with hot and sunny spells. However, by later in the day, showers are likely to be breaking-out in the vicinity, some including overnight.
"Looking ahead to Saturday, there's a moderately-high chance of wet running into qualifying and a fair chance of some residual rain remaining for race day."
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Everyone has been out and about for an installation lap before retreating back to the pits. After a dull start, the sun is trying to break through the clouds. Here's BBC weatherman Ian Fergusson with expectations for the weekend...
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Allan McNish on TwitterCopyright: Allan McNish on Twitter
Replays show that Jenson Button's car appeared to simply switch itself off, which isn't ideal.
Mechanical
It's a disappointing start to the weekend for Jenson Button, who went out for his installation lap but couldn't make it back to the garage. He's stop at the pit-lane entry and now must wait for his McLaren mechanics to run down and rescue him. BBC F1 analyst Allan McNish suggests it might be an electrical problem.
"Brazil's atmospheric grand prix track is undergoing changes over the next few seasons in an attempt to bring it more into line with the modern standard. The first evidence of these has been seen this year, with a big change to the pit-lane entry. This used to have a hairy-looking end of a wall, which drivers headed directly towards flat out as they emerged onto the curving pit straight. The entry has now been opened out, the margin between the track and pit entry made wider and a little chicane added to slow the cars down."
Go! Go! Go!
Ready for the penultimate first practice session of 2014? Let's do this.
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We've got a few driver changes for this session with Felipe Nasr, who will join Sauber as a race driver next year, is in Valtteri Bottas' Williams while Max Vertstappen is borrowing Jean-Eric Vergne's Toro Rosso. And Daniel Juncadella makes his third first practice appearance of the year, stepping in to Sergio Perez's Force India.
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Jennie Gow on TwitterCopyright: Jennie Gow on Twitter
It looks like McLaren will be focusing on data gathering in the early part of first practice as they have placed some aero rakes on Kevin Magnussen's car.
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Lotus on TwitterCopyright: Lotus on Twitter
Lotus: It's really groovy on the straight between T6 and T5.
James Allen and Allan McNish will be live on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra at 11:55 BST, with Jennie Gow reporting from the pit-lane. If you missed last night's show, you can listen to the podcast here.
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So who is your tip for the title and why? Does Lewis Hamilton deserve it courtesy of his 10 wins to Nico Rosberg's four? Or should Rosberg's impressive consistency - he's finished first or second 14 times this season?
If Hamilton misses out, where did it all go wrong or what could he do differently? The same questions apply to Rosberg.
Fire over your thoughts via the #bbcf1 hashtag, text 81111 (UK only) or leave a comment on the BBC Sport Facebook page.
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Lotus driver Romain Grosjean: Traditional #TeamDinner last night. Had a superb time with all our guys, proud to be part of them! @Lotus_F1Team
"The controversial decision to award double points means all sorts of statistical anomalies could come true over the next two races, and most of them make unpleasant reading for Lewis Hamilton. He already has 10 wins to Nico Rosberg's four, which means potentially Hamilton could potentially lose the title despite winning double the number of races of Rosberg. Equally, were double points not around, Hamilton would need to score only one more point than Rosberg this weekend and he would be world champion. Hamilton has a matter of fact attitude to it. 'What is fair?' he said 'It's the same for everyone. this whole double things has always been a question. It is the way it is. I don't really know what to say about it.'"
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A good performance this weekend, then, is a MUST for Nico Rosberg, his title hopes hanging by a thread. He'll have a chance to start on the right foot when first practice kicks off at 12:00 GMT, with the session lasting 90 minutes.
A second session will follow later on at 16:00 and also last 90 minutes. Tomorrow, we'll have one more session of practice for good measure - that'll last an hour - at 13:00 before qualifying at 16:00. And then it's all about the race (16:00) on Sunday.
Grab your diary and pencil it all in. It's going to be busy one.
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For a long time this year, it looked like 2014 was going to be Nico Rosberg's season. As the German quietly racked up the points, his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton was making mistakes and suffering from poor reliability.
But that all changed at Spa when Rosberg turned in on Hamilton. The Briton's tyre was punctured and he ultimately failed to finish the race. The incident sparked something inside of Hamilton, a fire that was stoked inside his belly.
From then, Hamilton has won every single race - five in total - making Rosberg look pedestrian in the process. The result for Hamilton is a 24-point lead, the momentum and a team-mate whose confidence has taken a battering.
"Brazil is in the middle of a severe drought and in Sao Paulo it is the worst one for more than a century. Water supplies are so short in the city that many homes have water for only a couple of hours a day. So the weather forecast for the Brazilian Grand Prix, with thunderstorms predicted for Friday afternoon and Saturday and showers on Sunday is a welcome one for the Paulistas. Interlagos always tends to produce a good race, and rain only intensifies that characteristic. Lewis Hamilton, with a 24-point championship lead to protect, says he does not mind either way. 'When it rains, it always makes things harder but it's really exciting,' Hamilton said. 'I feel much happier in this car in the rain than last year's. It looks like it's going to be a wet weekend. I hope it's dry for the fans because they sit out but I feel confident whether it rains or is dry we can be strong."
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Welcome to Sao Paulo - the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the Americas and the 12th largest city in the world - host of the Brazilian Grand Prix, the penultimate round of the Formula 1 World Championship.
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There's been disobeying of team orders, ruthless defence of position and clashing of carbon fibre as Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have fought a private battle for the world title in their silver Mercedes.
It's been a rivalry Formula 1 has dreamed off since Alain Prost versus Ayrton Senna in the late 80s and early 90s. Rosberg, Mr Consistent, was the frontrunner early on, but the second half of the season, Hamilton's raw talent has shone through to gift him a 24-point lead with two races to go.
But with 75 points still on the table - thanks to Bernie Ecclestone's questionable double points rule - there's plenty of room for another twist or two before this season is out.
Live Reporting
Lawrence Barretto
All times stated are UK
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Latest PostPost update
With rain predicted tomorrow, qualifying should be a cracker. So if you don't have as good a view as this local burrowing owl at Interlagos, stick with this live text commentary, which kicks off at 12:30 GMT, and I promise you won't miss a thing. Until tomorrow, it's good evening from me. See ya.
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So the plan for tomorrow is as follows. Final practice starts at 13:00 GMT and will last an hour. You can listen to coverage on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and online.
Qualifying follows at 16:00 with commentary online with the closing moments of the session on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra.
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Teams saw their long-run data gathering disrupted in second practice as not one, not two but three red flags were brought out to deal with broken down cars. If final practice is wet tomorrow, it could make strategy for Sunday's race interesting, especially if it turns out to be dry.
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Lewis Hamilton's latest BBC Sport column is also worth a read, with the 2008 world champion talking about the legacy of Ayrton Senna in Brazil, double points in the final grand prix of the season and the prospect of a "first" world title. Find it on the F1 pages.
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It's been a busy day for F1 news, with Marussia closing their doors after failing to find a buyer and then Caterham asking fans to donate money to help them compete at the final race in Abu Dhabi.
Second practice results
1) Nico Rosberg 2) Lewis Hamilton 3) Kimi Raikkonen 4) Daniel Ricciardo 5) Valtteri Bottas 6) Felipe Massa 7) Fernando Alonso 8) Daniil Kvyat 9) Sebastian Vettel
10) Kevin Magnussen 11) Pastor Maldonado 12) Romain Grosjean 13) Nico Hulkenberg 14) Esteban Gutierrez 15) Adrian Sutil 16) Jenson Button 17) Jean-Eric Vergne
No time: Sergio Perez
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The drivers out on track stay out for another lap after the chequered flag so that the FIA can do another test of the virtual safety car.
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So Nico Rosberg gets the better of Lewis Hamilton for a second successive session, but Hamilton's lap wasn't an accurate reflection of his speed as he lost a bunch of time when he ran wide on his quick lap on the soft tyres.
Chequered flag
Nico Rosberg finishes fastest in second practice for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
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The Mercedes drivers are now on the medium tyres for the final part of this session. That's the harder of the two compounds this weekend.
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Tom Clarkson
BBC F1 pit-lane reporter
"The soft tyre is not enjoying long runs around Interlagos. This is Rosberg's front right after 10 laps."
Get involved
Byron FOXX Mubaiwa: This session has been messy. 3rd red flag?
James B: Alonso doing the stewards job. Can't hate that guy!!
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Here's how they stand with five minutes remaining:
1) Ros 2) Ham 3) Rai 4) Ric 5) Bot 6) Mas 7) Alo 8) Kvy 9) Vet 10) Mag 11) Mal 12) Gro 13) Hul 14) Gut 15) Sut 16) But 17) Ver No time: Per
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Everyone who hasn't had a mechanical problem (Fernando Alonso, Esteban Gutierrez, Jean-Eric Vergne and Sergio Perez) is out on track with six minutes to go.
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Clouds are building around Interlagos as second practice comes to a close. Watch the forecast for the weekend here.
Go! Go! Go!
We're back under way. Ten minutes to go.
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Mercedes: We should get another #FP2 run in but it's a somewhat truncated run plan this afternoon - stoppages aplenty at Interlagos.
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Ferrari: @alo_oficial's broken power unit had a lot of kilometres. There will be no penalty for him.
Red flag
The red flag is out for the third time, too, as that car is in a dangerous position. More irritation for the teams who are trying to gather long-run data.
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Esteban Gutierrez becomes the third driver to breakdown in this session. The Sauber driver has pulled off onto the grass, just a few hundred metres from the pit-lane exit.
Recap
Here's the result of Force India reserve driver Daniel Juncadella's crash from the first session. It also explains why Sergio Perez has had to sit out this session.
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There's a hairy moment in the pit lane when Felipe Massa is released into the path of Kimi Raikkonen, who in turn has to brake to avoid hitting the Williams. The team may be penalised for an unsafe release.
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The red flags are a real pain for the teams as it is disrupting their long-run data gathering. It will be particularly frustrating, especially if the expected rain hits tomorrow during final practice and then qualifying as it'll make strategy for Sunday tricky.
Go! Go! Go!
The track is clear so we're back under way with 17 minutes remaining.
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The rest of the field return to the pits while they wait for the marshals to remove Fernando Alonso's stricken Ferrari.
Red flag
Fernando Alonso has stopped out on track with huge plumes of smoke pouring from the rear of the Ferrari. Big flames then lick upwards. The Spaniard jumps out of the car, grabs a fire extinguisher and quickly attends to the flames himself. The red flag is out.
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Lewis Hamilton reports that the "car feels good, I just haven't hooked up a lap yet". The Briton is currently doing a long run.
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We've entered the long-run phase of the session, when teams fill the cars with fuel and send drivers out to complete a succession of laps to simulate stints in Sunday's race, They can then use that data to plan strategy.
Thirty minutes to go
With half an hour to go, here's how they stand:
1) Ros 2) Ham 3) Rai 4) Ric 5) Bot 6) Mas 7) Alo 8) Kvy 9) Vet 10) Mag 11) Mal 12) Gro 13) Hul 14) Gut 15) Sut 16) But 17) Ver No time: Per
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Kimi Raikkonen goes third quickest, six tenths off the pace in the Ferrari. Next time around, he runs off track at Turn 12 after locking up. The Finn has been mowing a lot of lawn today.
First practice highlights
If you missed first practice, when Nico Rosberg beat Lewis Hamilton to the fastest time, you can watch it here.
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This morning, Max Vertsappen took a wrong turn when he ran wide and ended up exploring the escape roads behind the barriers before rejoining. Watch it here or via the highlights tab at the top of the page. It also reminded me of 2012, when a similar thing happened to Kimi Raikkonen. Only that time, Raikkonen hit a dead-end and got stuck whereas Verstappen found a way out.
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Lewis Hamilton is off-track again, the Mercedes driver skating off at Turn One. There's plenty of run-off there, though, and he's soon back on his way.
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Good effort from Daniil Kvyat, who goes fourth quickest in the Toro Rosso. The Russian is bumped down a place to fifth after Felipe Massa (pictured) slots into fourth in the Williams.
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No he can't! Lewis Hamilton runs wide, losing a bunch of time at Turn 11. The Briton crosses the line, sixth tenths of a second off the pace set by Nico Rosberg.
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Nico Rosberg goes quickest with an impressive lap of 1:12.123 on the soft tyres. Can his team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who isn't too far behind, better that?
Flashback
Not only is Kimi Raikkonen without a top four start all year, but he's now driven in 81 Grands Prix since his last pole, which came at the French Grand Prix in 2008 (pictured). The Finn is currently sixth quickest.
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Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo bolts on a set of soft tyres and goes quickest with a 1:12.856, just over a tenth quicker than Lewis Hamilton, whose current best time was set on the medium tyres. The Australian then cuts the corner at Turn One as drivers continue to struggle for grip.
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Jenson Button is having a better time of it this afternoon, having not set a lap time this morning. The Briton has clocked 14 laps, with a best time of 1:14.772, which is good enough for 12th.
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Sergio Perez will not get any running today as his Force India team say there is too much work to be done on his car, which was damaged by Daniel Juncadella this morning, before the end of session. "There was a lot of heat soak which may have damaged some engine hydraulic components," say Force India. "These components are being changed as a precaution."
How they stand
With 55 minutes remaining, here's how they stand:
1) Ham 2) Ros 3) Ric 4) Alo 5) Mas 6) Rai 7) Mal 8) Bot 9) Mag 10) Kvy 11) Gro 12) But 13) Vet 14) Hul 15) Sut 16) Gut 17) Ver 18) Per
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Lewis Hamilton improves to a 1:13.072, two tenths quicker than Nico Rosberg, who has moved into second. The Mercedes duo then head back to the pits.
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There's a mix-up between Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton, with Hamilton slowing down and moving out of the way at Turn Eight, but Raikkonen almost makes contact him, who sweeps right across at the apex.
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Lewis Hamilton demotes his team-mate Nico Rosberg at the top of the standings, the Briton clocking a 1:13.468, which is just over a tenth quicker. Daniel Ricciardo splits, them, though, with the Red Bull driver just a few thousandths quicker than Rosberg.
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Nico Rosberg goes quickest with his first effort of the afternoon, the German clocking a 1:13.572.
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Only Force India's Sergio Perez, whose car required fixing after Daniel Juncadella crashed it this morning, and Williams' Felipe Massa have yet to make an appearance in this session.
Go! Go! Go!
The track is clear and we're back under way at Interlagos. One hour and nine minutes to go.
Looking ahead
BBC Radio 5 live
With the season finale on the horizon, BBC Radio 5 live have planned a special show, that will go out next week, which will count down the sport's greatest final day title showdowns.
Jennie Gow will be joined by BBC Radio 5 live's F1 correspondent James Allen, former driver John Watson and journalist Maurice Hamilton, to discuss their most memorable title deciding moments.
Listen on Wednesday 12 November from 20:00 GMT.
Red flag
The red flag is out for the second time today as the marshals recover Jean-Eric Vergne's stricken Toro Rosso. The first red flag came in the first session when Daniel Juncadella crashed in the Force India.
Mechanical
Jean-Eric Vergne missed all of this morning's session as Max Verstappen was given his Toro Rosso. And his afternoon starts off pretty badly as he rolls to a stop after just 11 minutes of this session.
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Adrian Sutil has a spin between Turns One and Two in his Sauber. The German keeps the engine running, spins the car back round and then continues on his way.
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McLaren's Kevin Magnussen is the early pace-setter with a 1:15.232, two tenths quicker than the Lotus of Pastor Maldonado.
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Esteban Gutierrez, who spent most of first practice in the garage, is the first man out in the Sauber.
Go! Go! Go!
Let second practice begin!
BBC Sport app F1 alerts
The BBC Sport development team have been working hard on Formula 1 alerts for our app, following on from the football goal alerts, and I'm pleased to say they're ready to go.
Simply head to the MyAlerts section from the Sport app's menu and choose the alerts you want to add. For F1, you'll receive results for practice, qualifying and the race itself as they happen.
Get involved
As ever, I'm always keen to hear your thoughts on the weekend's racing, so don't be shy and get in touch. Who is your tip for victory this weekend? And what about your thoughts on the championship battle? Will Lewis Hamilton pull it off or will double points come to Nico Rosberg's rescue and hand the German his first world title? Thoughts via #bbcf1, 81111 (UK only) or the BBC Sport Facebook page.
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Interlagos
"A few days ago, the chances of rain on Friday here in Sao Paulo were said to be 80%. There's no sign of that right now. It's a glorious day, with big blue skies and wispy white clouds and a temperature of 29C. There seems little chance of rain affecting second practice."
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So just hours after Marussia ceased trading, with all their staff made redundant, their fellow struggling team Caterham announce their attempt to stay afloat and compete in Abu Dhabi.
The opportunity to donate starts now and will last until it reaches the aforementioned funding target of Friday 14 November, whichever is sooner.
"We are working non-stop to get the Caterham F1 Team back racing, initially in Abu Dhabi, but hopefully that will be just a stepping stone to get it back racing on a permanent basis, under new ownership," said Finbarr O'Connell, Caterham Sports Limited administrator and interim Caterham F1 team principal.
BreakingBREAKING NEWS
Caterham, who are in administration and not present in Brazil this weekend, have launched a crowd-funding project in a bid to raise the £2.35m needed to get the team on the grid for the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, the team's administrators have said.
Looking ahead
We've got a very special Classic F1 programme coming your way next week with legendary commentator Murray Walker your host.
It's a one-hour show focused on title deciders and having just watched it, I can tell you it's an absolute cracker.
When can you see it? Next Wednesday at 21:30 BST on the red button, this very website and the BBC iPlayer.
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It was Nico Rosberg who came out on top in first practice, the German edging his team-mate and title rival Lewis Hamilton by 0.221 seconds. But as I mentioned earlier, it's in second practice where Hamilton usually begins to kick into gear. That session starts at 16:00 GMT with commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra.
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Lewis Hamilton leads Nico Rosberg by 24 points in the drivers' championship. Under the old points scoring system, Hamilton would need just one point on Sunday to claim the title. As it is, the championship will go down to the wire in Abu Dhabi no matter what happens, thanks to Bernie Ecclestone's double points rule.
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Afternoon all, I hope you've been well fed and watered during the break between sessions because we've got another 90 minutes of practice coming up for you around Brazil's Interlagos. Buckle up.
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Advantage Nico Rosberg, then, after first practice but it's in the second session when Lewis Hamilton (pictured) really kicks into gear. The Briton has topped FP2 14 times in 17 race weekend's this year. Can he make it 15? See you in a bit to find out. Cheerio for now.
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So it's time for a quick pit stop between sessions. I'll be back at 15:30 GMT ahead of FP2 which starts at 16:00. That'll last 90 minutes and provide teams with an opportunity to get some long runs under their belt ahead of Sunday's race as well as testing the option tyre.
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So Mercedes finish one-two in this session for the 11th time in 18 rounds this year, with Nico Rosberg 0.221 seconds quicker than team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
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Eddie Jordan
BBC F1 chief analyst
"Thirdly, teams have to use Ecclestone's freight but the costs of this are high. There used to be a £10m payment from the commercial rights holder to teams to support the freight costs but Ecclestone withdrew that two years ago.
"Fourthly, there is the gross disparity of of $300m being skimmed off the top of the money allocated to pay the teams as a cash payment for the top five teams, Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, Williams and Mercedes."
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Eddie Jordan
BBC F1 chief analyst
"There are four reasons why the three teams who entered F1 in 2010 have all failed.
"First, Caterham [previously Lotus], Marussia [previously Virgin] and HRT were promised that the sport would have a budget cap of 50m Euros and governing body the FIA failed to impose this.
"Secondly, the costs for an engine were about £5m last year but have gone up to £15m this season with the introduction of new turbo hybrid engines.
"Who's accountable? It's Bernie Ecclestone's job to make sure promises are adhered to, and these costs are not coming down next year even though the manufacturers originally said they would."
Marussia latest
If you're just joining us, you may have missed that Marussia have ceased trading and all staff will be made redundant.
Marussia have folded despite having their best season in four years in F1. Marussia currently lie ninth in the championship thanks to the two points Bianchi scored by finishing ninth in Monaco.
They will retain that place officially, but when it comes to allocating the prize money from this season, the remaining team below them - Sauber - will be moved up and receive the funds instead.
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Impressive stuff from Max Verstappen, 17, who finished sixth quickest as he continues gaining experience ahead of his F1 race debut with Toro Rosso next season. Twenty years ago, is father Jos Verstappen made his race debut at this venue with Benetton.
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McLaren: Mixed fortunes in that session - Kevin managed to gather a lot of data, but Jenson was sidelined by electrical troubles on his first lap.
First practice results
1) Nico Rosberg 2) Lewis Hamilton 3) Daniil Kvyat 4) Fernando Alonso 5) Felipe Massa 6) Max Vertsappen 7) Pastor Maldonado 8) Kimi Raikkonen 9) Kevin Magnussen
10) Daniel Ricciardo 11) Adrian Sutil 12) Felipe Nasr 13) Nico Hulkenberg 14) Sebastian Vettel 15) Romain Grosjean 16) Daniel Juncadella 17) Jenson Button 18) Esteban Gutierrez
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Replays show that Kimi Raikkonen spun again. The Finn got his tyres on the grass on the approach to Turn 12, spinning the Ferrari round and off onto the grass. He kept the engine running before rejoining.
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The cars will remain out on track for a few minutes after the chequered flag so that the FIA can continue testing their virtual safety car system.
Chequered flag
Nico Rosberg finishes fastest in first practice for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
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At last, Jenson Button is in the car, but it looks like he's run out of time to get into this session. What a miserable start to the weekend for the 2009 world champion.
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Felipe Massa, whose last victory on home soil at Interlagos back in 2008, moves up to fifth, one second off the pace. His fellow Brazilian Felipe Nasr, who is Valtteri Bottas' Williams for this session, is 12th quickest.
Spin!
Kimi Raikkonen, currently seventh quickest, is facing the wrong way at Turn Six after the rear end of his Ferrari stepped out, spinning the Finn round. He's soon back on his way, though.
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Jenson Button's McLaren is still on the stands, but we could be seeing the 2009 world champion out on track shortly as he's back in the garage and just putting his helmet on.
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Sauber say they sent Esteban Gutierrez out, as the Mexican bids to set his first timed lap of the day, but call him straight back in as the problem, which is unspecified, is not solved yet.
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Heavy lock up for Max Verstappen at Turn One, the Toro Rosso skating across the run-off and into the area behind the barriers before negotiating a way back out and onto track. The Dutch teenager is currently fifth fastest, one second off the pace.
BBC Sport app F1 alerts
The BBC Sport development team have been working hard on Formula 1 alerts for our app, following on from the football goal alerts, and I'm pleased to say they're ready to go.
Simply head to the MyAlerts section from the Sport app's menu and choose the alerts you want to add. For F1, you'll receive results for practice, qualifying and the race itself as they happen.
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McLaren continue to work on Jenson Button's car. The 2009 world champion and Sauber's Esteban Gutierrez are the only two drivers who have yet to set a time in this session. Just 16 minutes remaining.
Go! Go! Go!
Daniel Juncadella's Force India has been removed and the track is now clear so we're back under way at Interlagos.
Get involved
Euan Sass: Very sad to hear Marrusia has come to an end. Best of luck to all Marussia staff members and drivers.
Daniel Kelly: Shame to hear about Marussia, they've had a good season in their terms, and now it's all collapsed.
Marussia latest
Marussia had been in talks with two potential investors as they bid to save the team, but when a deadline of 12:00 GMT on Friday passed with no funds transferred, the team folded. The news leaves more than 200 people without jobs.
Twenty five minutes to go
While we've got a break in the action, here's a recap of how they stand:
1) Ros 2) Ham (pictured) 3) Ver 4) Mal 5) Rai 6) Mag 7) Kvy 8) Ric 9) Sut 10) Hul 11) Alo 12) Vet 13) Gro 14) Nas 15) Mas 16) Jun 17) But 18) Gut
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Before the crash, there was a change at the top with Nico Rosberg going quickest, the German clocking a 1:12.764, a couple of tenths quicker than Mercedes' team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
Red flag
The red flag is out as marshals head over to recover the damaged Force India. Daniel Juncadella is out of the car and heads over to the medical to hitch a lift back to the paddock.
Crash!
Daniel Juncadella is in the barriers and there's quite a bit of damage to the front end of that Force India. It's hardly ideal for Sergio Perez, whose car Juncadella is borrowing.
Latest on Marussia
"It goes without saying that it's deeply regrettable that a business with such a great following in Britain and worldwide has had to cease trading and close its doors," says Geoff Rowley of FRP Advisory who were appointed as Marussia's administrators.
Post update
I'll bring you more on that Marussia story when I get it. The Banbury-based team and rivals Caterham went into administration last month. They missed the United States Grand Prix and are not present in Brazil.
BreakingBREAKING NEWS
The Marussia F1 team have folded, according for the team's administrators.
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Max Verstappen has completed the most laps today, the Dutchman making the most of his chance in this session to gain experience ahead of his race debut with Toro Rosso next year. The teenager has a best time of 1:13.827 from 18 laps. That's just four tenths off the pace set by Lewis Hamilton.
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It's pretty quiet out on track with just the Toro Rossos of Daniil Kvyat and Max Verstappen and the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen out and about.
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Jenson Button has not been seen since he rolled to a stop at the entry to the pit-lane after just one lap. His team are working hard to fix an electrical problem on his McLaren.
There has been a lot of speculation about Button's future, with the 2009 world champion likely to leave the sport at the end of the year. McLaren look set to sign Fernando Alonso, with Kevin Magnussen keeping his seat alongside him.
Button's former team-mate Lewis Hamilton thinks his old team should keep Button. "If I had a team, I would want him in it because he's a great asset," said Hamilton, 29.
"Button is a great driver, still one of the strongest, and he's had an amazing career. He's also a decent guy, so it doesn't correlate."
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Giedo Van Der Garde found out with the rest of the world on Wednesday evening that Sauber had picked Felipe Nasr for next season, when he had been expecting to get the drive.
He said: "I was very confident about the ride and what came up I got very very surprised about that; nothing more to say about that. I just have to do my job this weekend, stay calm, come home and then sit down on the Monday with the management. It is a bit tough, but I have to stay relaxed cool, and that's it.
"There's plenty I want to say, but it's probably better I stay quiet for now."
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McLaren's Kevin Magnussen has the track to himself and uses it to good effect, moving up to third with a 1:14.312, eight tenths off the pace.
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Interlagos
"After the anger of Austin, talks have started on the subject of improving the lot of Formula 1's smaller teams, who are struggling to make ends meet. Sauber, Force India and Lotus are now in dialogue with the commercial rights holders CVC over getting more money after CVC boss Donald MacKenzie vowed to them he would personally sort the situation out. Sauber team principal Monica Kaltenborn said that the discontent expressed last weekend appeared to have made an impression.
"'It was important to get into this dialogue, but it's equally important to have actions taking place, not just talking,' she said. 'The fact they are in a dialogue with us says they see the issue and they have to find a solution to this. I do think we did get that far last weekend, that the points we made have been acknowledged and this is what started the conversation.' As for a time frame, she said: 'Something definitely has to be done within this season. The signals are good, but one thing is talking, another thing is then taking actions. It has to be done very quickly.'"
Get involved
#bbcf1
Mick Wheeler: If Rosberg takes the title by one point in Abu Dhabi we will be able to hear the booing crowd back in UK!
One hour to go
Lewis Hamilton leaps to the top of the timesheets with a 1:13.468, half a second quicker than Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg, who has headed back to the pits.
With a little over an hour remaining, here's how they stand.
1) Ham 2) Ros 3) Kvy 4) Alo 5) Vet 6) Ric 7) Ver 8) Gro 9) Rai 10) Nas 11) Mas 12) Hul 13) Mal 14) Sut 15) Jun 16) But 17) Gut 18) Mag
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Daniel Ricciardo has had a stunning debut season with Red Bull, taking the first three wins of his career. He's also the only non-Mercedes driver to stand on the top step so you may be unsurprised to hear he is likely clinch third in the championship this weekend, as a top-two finish would guarantee it no matter what Valtteri Bottas, Sebastian Vettel or Fernando Alonso do.
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The times are tumbling, with Lewis Hamilton improving to a 1:14.172. However he's bumped down to second almost immediately as Nico Rosberg pips him with a 1:14.001. Romain Grosjean goes a shock third in the Lotus, though I don't imagine he'll stay there long.
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Daniel Ricciardo is Mercedes' closest challenger at the moment, the Australian slotting into third, one tenth off the pace. Kimi Raikkonen is fourth with Felipe Nasr fifth and Sebastian Vettel sixth.
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The times are coming thick and fast now with Nico Rosberg setting the early pace with a 1:15.002, three tenths of a second quicker than Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
Spin!
Daniel Juncadella, stepping in for Sergio Perez at Force India for this session, gets it all wrong at Turn Six, spinning into the run-off. He gets going again, but he's picked up a couple of big flat spots.
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Interlagos
"The predicted rain is bad news for Williams. They are establishing themselves as the second fastest team after Mercedes - even if they ended up being beaten by Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull in Austin last weekend after a very impressive performance by the Australian.
"But the car lacks overall downforce so they struggle in the wet. 'We do prefer dry, definitely,' Valtteri Bottas said. 'The main places where we're losing to Mercedes and Red Bull is still the corners and the more time we spend in the corners the worse it is, so we do like dry. But if it's wet. We are optimistic we have improved a lot since the beginning of the season in terms of managing the tyres. And it is a race where anything can happen.'"
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Adrian Sutil runs off at Turn Six, the German struggling with oversteer in the slippery conditions.
The Sauber driver is seemingly without a seat next year after his team announced the signing of Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson for 2015 despite Sutil previously saying he has a contract for next season.
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Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen sets the first timed lap of the day with a 1:19.999 but the young Dutchman was really struggling for grip. With little running on this track before F1's arrival, it'll take some time for the circuit to rubber in.
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Codswallop T Bear: If Bernie insists on double points at the season finale, why not give the "star" GPs all double points, Monaco, Spa, Suzuka?
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Interlagos
"Fernando Alonso might not be in the world title battle, but his status in the sport and the apparent uncertainly over his future means he is still in the headlines. His expected move to McLaren next year has still not been announced, although it is expected to be finalised shortly, even if it is not already. But he said there was no rush to sort it out. 'I don't think there is any deadline,' he said on Thursday.
"'One week is McLaren saying something, last week it was (Lotus team principal Gerard) Lopez saying he was in talks about me for future, which is true, but not for F1, about another project we may have together, but on the business side not F1. Every day there is a rumour. Even today I read I bought Marussia for $1. But it's absolutely not true. It's the same thing always. Two or three months ago, I took a decision, I followed that direction, and hopefully you will know soon.'"
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BBC F1 weatherman Ian Fergusson: "Looking dry for first practice, turning very warm. It's odds-on to stay dry in second practice with hot and sunny spells. However, by later in the day, showers are likely to be breaking-out in the vicinity, some including overnight.
"Looking ahead to Saturday, there's a moderately-high chance of wet running into qualifying and a fair chance of some residual rain remaining for race day."
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Everyone has been out and about for an installation lap before retreating back to the pits. After a dull start, the sun is trying to break through the clouds. Here's BBC weatherman Ian Fergusson with expectations for the weekend...
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Replays show that Jenson Button's car appeared to simply switch itself off, which isn't ideal.
Mechanical
It's a disappointing start to the weekend for Jenson Button, who went out for his installation lap but couldn't make it back to the garage. He's stop at the pit-lane entry and now must wait for his McLaren mechanics to run down and rescue him. BBC F1 analyst Allan McNish suggests it might be an electrical problem.
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Interlagos
"Brazil's atmospheric grand prix track is undergoing changes over the next few seasons in an attempt to bring it more into line with the modern standard. The first evidence of these has been seen this year, with a big change to the pit-lane entry. This used to have a hairy-looking end of a wall, which drivers headed directly towards flat out as they emerged onto the curving pit straight. The entry has now been opened out, the margin between the track and pit entry made wider and a little chicane added to slow the cars down."
Go! Go! Go!
Ready for the penultimate first practice session of 2014? Let's do this.
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We've got a few driver changes for this session with Felipe Nasr, who will join Sauber as a race driver next year, is in Valtteri Bottas' Williams while Max Vertstappen is borrowing Jean-Eric Vergne's Toro Rosso. And Daniel Juncadella makes his third first practice appearance of the year, stepping in to Sergio Perez's Force India.
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It looks like McLaren will be focusing on data gathering in the early part of first practice as they have placed some aero rakes on Kevin Magnussen's car.
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Lotus: It's really groovy on the straight between T6 and T5.
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BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
James Allen and Allan McNish will be live on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra at 11:55 BST, with Jennie Gow reporting from the pit-lane. If you missed last night's show, you can listen to the podcast here.
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So who is your tip for the title and why? Does Lewis Hamilton deserve it courtesy of his 10 wins to Nico Rosberg's four? Or should Rosberg's impressive consistency - he's finished first or second 14 times this season?
If Hamilton misses out, where did it all go wrong or what could he do differently? The same questions apply to Rosberg.
Fire over your thoughts via the #bbcf1 hashtag, text 81111 (UK only) or leave a comment on the BBC Sport Facebook page.
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Lotus driver Romain Grosjean: Traditional #TeamDinner last night. Had a superb time with all our guys, proud to be part of them! @Lotus_F1Team
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Interlagos
"The controversial decision to award double points means all sorts of statistical anomalies could come true over the next two races, and most of them make unpleasant reading for Lewis Hamilton. He already has 10 wins to Nico Rosberg's four, which means potentially Hamilton could potentially lose the title despite winning double the number of races of Rosberg. Equally, were double points not around, Hamilton would need to score only one more point than Rosberg this weekend and he would be world champion. Hamilton has a matter of fact attitude to it. 'What is fair?' he said 'It's the same for everyone. this whole double things has always been a question. It is the way it is. I don't really know what to say about it.'"
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A good performance this weekend, then, is a MUST for Nico Rosberg, his title hopes hanging by a thread. He'll have a chance to start on the right foot when first practice kicks off at 12:00 GMT, with the session lasting 90 minutes.
A second session will follow later on at 16:00 and also last 90 minutes. Tomorrow, we'll have one more session of practice for good measure - that'll last an hour - at 13:00 before qualifying at 16:00. And then it's all about the race (16:00) on Sunday.
Grab your diary and pencil it all in. It's going to be busy one.
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For a long time this year, it looked like 2014 was going to be Nico Rosberg's season. As the German quietly racked up the points, his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton was making mistakes and suffering from poor reliability.
But that all changed at Spa when Rosberg turned in on Hamilton. The Briton's tyre was punctured and he ultimately failed to finish the race. The incident sparked something inside of Hamilton, a fire that was stoked inside his belly.
From then, Hamilton has won every single race - five in total - making Rosberg look pedestrian in the process. The result for Hamilton is a 24-point lead, the momentum and a team-mate whose confidence has taken a battering.
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Interlagos
"Brazil is in the middle of a severe drought and in Sao Paulo it is the worst one for more than a century. Water supplies are so short in the city that many homes have water for only a couple of hours a day. So the weather forecast for the Brazilian Grand Prix, with thunderstorms predicted for Friday afternoon and Saturday and showers on Sunday is a welcome one for the Paulistas. Interlagos always tends to produce a good race, and rain only intensifies that characteristic. Lewis Hamilton, with a 24-point championship lead to protect, says he does not mind either way. 'When it rains, it always makes things harder but it's really exciting,' Hamilton said. 'I feel much happier in this car in the rain than last year's. It looks like it's going to be a wet weekend. I hope it's dry for the fans because they sit out but I feel confident whether it rains or is dry we can be strong."
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Welcome to Sao Paulo - the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the Americas and the 12th largest city in the world - host of the Brazilian Grand Prix, the penultimate round of the Formula 1 World Championship.
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There's been disobeying of team orders, ruthless defence of position and clashing of carbon fibre as Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have fought a private battle for the world title in their silver Mercedes.
It's been a rivalry Formula 1 has dreamed off since Alain Prost versus Ayrton Senna in the late 80s and early 90s. Rosberg, Mr Consistent, was the frontrunner early on, but the second half of the season, Hamilton's raw talent has shone through to gift him a 24-point lead with two races to go.
But with 75 points still on the table - thanks to Bernie Ecclestone's questionable double points rule - there's plenty of room for another twist or two before this season is out.