Nico Rosberg won the battle on Saturday, but who will come out on top when it matters on Sunday? A mouth-watering prospect in store. Until then, it's good evening from me. See ya!
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Badger GPCopyright: Badger GP
Mercedes on Twitter: Genius! RT @BadgerGP: Name the #F1 personality…. (you'll like this @JennieGow)
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Today's front row lock-out here for Mercedes - their seventh in a row - sees them equal Williams' 1993 record of 28 front row starts, when Damon Hill and Alain Prost were driving.
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Mercedes on Twitter: Great to see @MassaFelipe19 in the top three in front of his home crowd too - they went #BrazilNuts! ;)
APCopyright: AP
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"Good result as a team for us in qualifying today, starting 4th for the race tomorrow," tweets Williams' Valtteri Bottas. "Tomorrow is what matters - it'll be fun!"
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Nico Rosberg has taken an impressive 10 pole positions this season, with Lewis Hamilton (pictured) the next best on seven. Felipe Massa is the only other driver to have started on P1, following his stunning lap in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix.
Tomorrow
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The plan for tomorrow is as follows. The race starts at 16:00 GMT, but we'll begin our build-up at 15:00. BBC Radio 5 live will join at 15:30 with highlights of the race on BBC One at 20:30.
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Bernie Ecclestone has rejected claims the sport he runs is in crisis following the collapse of two teams. Marussia folded on Friday and Caterham remain in administration after missing the US and Brazilian Grands Prix.
The F1 boss told BBC Sport: "People say F1 is in crisis. Absolute nonsense. We've had a couple of teams in crisis."
He pointed out that many F1 teams had failed over the years and criticised Marussia and Caterham for what he said was poor financial management. Read more here.
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ReutersCopyright: Reuters
If you want to catch up on any of today's action, you have lots of options. You can read our report here, keep an eye on the F1 pages for video highlights that'll be live shortly or wait until 21:00 GMT for highlights on BBC Two.
Title permutations
Lewis Hamilton has a 24-point lead over Nico Rosberg with a maximum of 75 points remaining - 25 in Brazil for a win and 50 in Abu Dhabi. The world title cannot be decided at this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix.
If Hamilton wins in Brazil and Rosberg fails to finish, he will have a 49-point lead going to Abu Dhabi. Hamilton would then need to finish 10th or higher to clinch the title.
If Rosberg wins in Brazil and Hamilton retires, Rosberg will lead the championship by one point going to Abu Dhabi. Hamilton would then need to finish ahead of Rosberg in the points in Abu Dhabi to secure the title.
If Hamilton wins in Brazil, with Rosberg second, Hamilton will arrive in Abu Dhabi with a 31-point lead. But if Rosberg then wins and Hamilton finishes sixth or lower, Rosberg will win the title.
Got it?
Get involved #bbcf1
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Adeel Ejaz: Unlucky for Lewis Hamilton with the lock-up in the last lap but game on tomorrow! Watch out Nico Rosberg! Let the hunt begin!
Danny Atkins: Nico Rosberg may be on pole position but it's the race that counts primarily!
Massa reaction
"It's very emotional to be here in Brazil and have a competitive car and start in the top three," says Felipe Massa, who starts third. "I didn't use everything I could from the car - I got a lot of traffic in my last run. There were also problems in the garage and I couldn't improve my lap time.
"Everyone was improving a bit on the second set. I was not going to improve to beat them but maybe I could get close. It was very tight between team-mates but I think that's the good thing. I'm so happy. I hope it's just the beginning for a good result tomorrow."
Hamilton reaction
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"It was great fun out there," says Lewis Hamilton, who starts second. "Nico did a great lap. I think I lost time at Turn 10 and maybe a tiny bit in Turn One.
"But it was great having to keep going out and fighting - that's what qualifying should be all about, and being that close is really exciting - I hope everyone enjoyed it.
"It's a long race tomorrow and it should be really exciting with all the pit stops. I want to win as much as anyone else."
Rosberg reaction
"Pressure, it's similar," adds Nico Rosberg. "The adrenaline is there, the tension, the excitement. It's not been changing that much, I'm just here, I'm going for it, pushing myself to stay optimistic all the time. I have learned from Austin, I know what I need to do better so from that point of view, I look forward to tomorrow."
Rosberg reaction
APCopyright: AP
"It's the perfect job only if it works out tomorrow," says Nico Rosberg, who starts on pole having finished top in every practice session and every part of qualifying this weekend. "Up to now it has been going well. I'm in the best place to be for tomorrow, but I need to make it happen in the race."
Qualifying result
1) Nico Rosberg 2) Lewis Hamilton 3) Felipe Massa 4) Valtteri Bottas 5) Jenson Button 6) Sebastian Vettel 7) Kevin Magnussen 8) Fernando Alonso 9) Daniel Ricciardo 10) Kimi Raikkonen
Craig Wells: Lewis Hamilton can come 2nd in these last two races and win the title just get the car home.
George Taylor: Well done to Rosberg. Hamilton is still the stronger racer. He can take the win.
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Mercedes on Twitter: It's @nico_rosberg! He's done it! Pole for the #BrazilGP and the inaugural pole trophy! Great job!
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Wonderful response from the crowd as Felipe Massa wanders over to the grandstands to give them a wave. This is a good result for the home fans. And it could be even better tomorrow, especially considering Williams' impressive pace in the final sector, which should boost their chances of overtaking into Turn One.
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That's Nico Rosberg's 10th pole position of the season and it means that he will win the Pole Position Trophy for the best qualifier of the year.
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The Williams challenge failed to materialise, with Felipe Massa aborting his final run. The Brazilian waves to the crowd as he cruises down the pit lane.
Pole position
Nico Rosberg takes pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
First qualifying ends
But Nico Rosberg responds! The German crosses the line 0.033 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton! Just three hundreths!
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Lewis Hamilton goes quickest!!!!
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Lewis Hamilton locks up on his final run! His challenge for pole position could be over...
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EPACopyright: EPA
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen goes seventh fastest, 0.9 seconds off the pace.
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Everyone is out on track. Let's do this.
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It's so close at the top! Could we really see a pole for home favourite Felipe Massa? The crowd would go crazy. Three minutes to go.
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Jenson Button goes fifth, ahead of McLaren team-mate Kevin Magnussen. Sebastian Vettel is seventh, ahead of Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo. Neither Ferrari has set a lap, but Kimi Raikkonen has just left the garage.
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Mercedes on Twitter: Three hundredths! THREE HUNDREDTHS!! @nico_rosberg sneaks under the bar - game on!
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Felipe Massa sets the fastest sector of all in the final sector to cross the line just 0.081 seconds behind Nico Rosberg! This is so close! Back to the pits for both Mercedes and Williams before one final run.
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Valtteri Bottas is on a very scrappy lap, locking the tyres on a couple of occasions. But the time is still good as he goes third, just 0.13 seconds adrift of pace-setter Nico Rosberg!
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Jeremiah: Down to 10 cars. Crucial last few minutes with Nico still having the edge. Still hoping Hamilton can turn the tables.
Kieran: It's one thing to drive fast and qualify pole, but to be able to race and keep calm under pressure is another.
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But it's not good enough as Nico Rosberg pips him with a 1:10.166. Just 0.029 seconds the difference! And Rosberg made a slight mistake in the final corner.
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Lewis Hamilton's first effort is an absolute beauty, the Briton clocking a 1:10.195. We're edging ever closer to a 1m09!
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Lewis Hamilton is first man out, followed closely by Nico Rosberg.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Will Lewis Hamilton have it in him to overcome the one to two tenth deficit he has had to Nico Rosberg so far this weekend? My gut feeling is no, but he doesn't have to be of course. He leads Rosberg by 24 points in the championship."
Final qualifying starts
The time has come. Ten drivers fight over one pole position. Let battle commence.
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No sign of rain at Interlagos, with plenty of blue skies peaking through among the clouds...
In
1) Nico Rosberg 2) Felipe Massa 3) Valtteri Bottas 4) Lewis Hamilton 5) Jenson Button 6) Sebastian Vettel 7) Kimi Raikkonen 8) Daniel Ricciardo 9) Kevin Magnussen 10) Fernando Alonso
Nico Rosberg finishes quickest in the second part of qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
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EPACopyright: EPA
Valtteri Bottas goes second quickest, just 0.1 seconds off the pace. He is then bumped down to third as Felipe Massa pops into second, just 0.040 seconds adrift of Nico Rosberg.
However, I question the wisdom of those laps considering those two have to start the race on those tyres. Their rivals Mercedes, meanwhile, were content with their early runs and didn't appear to show their true pace, thus save tyre life.
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Esteban Gutierrez, Adrian Sutil, Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat are currently in the drop zone.
Meanwhile, up front, Kimi Raikkonen continues to have the better of Ferrari team-mate Fernando Alonso for a change. The Finn goes sixth fastest with Alonso eighth.
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Valtteri Bottas moves into third with Felipe Massa fourth and Jenson Button, winner here in 2012, fifth. Around four minutes remaining.
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Drivers will try not to take the maximum out of the tyres they use to set the fastest time in this session because that is the rubber which they'll start tomorrow's race on.
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Felipe Massa pops into third, half a second adrift of pace-setter Nico Rosberg. Kimi Raikkonen is fourth ahead of Fernando Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Gutierrez.
Massa's lap was on a used set of soft tyres, so it was a good effort.
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The Mercedes of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton waste little time reasserting their dominance, with Rosberg's 1:10.303 putting him top with Hamilton four tenths adrift.
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Second qualifying starts
Time for Q2, folks. Four more drivers given the boot with the times reset once more ahead of the top-10 shoot-out.
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Will Allen: I would love to see what would happen if Ricciardo was in a Mercedes.
Rian Hoskins: Qualifying has not been an issue for Rosberg. However he is getting outclassed in races by Hamilton, who will win on form.
George Taylor: I really hope Caterham F1 are able to get the funding they need to stay in the sport.
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Good stuff from the Saubers there, both Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez getting into Q2. Williams looking solid, too, and will be there to pick up the pieces if either Mercedes make a mistake when it matters.
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Ferrari: Now the sun is shining on the Interlagos pit-lane, But the risk of having rain before the end of qualifying remains 40%.
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Lotus: Well that wasn't what the doctor ordered...
In
1) Nico Rosberg 2) Lewis Hamilton 3) Felipe Massa 4) Valtteri Bottas 5) Jenson Button 6) Kevin Magnussen 7) Kimi Raikkonen
8) Daniil Kvyat 9) Esteban Gutierrez 10) Fernando Alonso 11) Daniel Ricciardo 12) Nico Hulkenberg 13) Sebastian Vettel 14) Adrian Sutil
Nico Rosberg finishes fastest in the first part of qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Chequered flag
Felipe Massa looks like best of the rest behind the Mercedes this weekend. The Brazilian pops into third, 0.255 seconds off the pace and two tenths quicker than Williams team-mate Valtteri Bottas in fourth.
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Sebastian Vettel hauls himself out of the drop zone, but he's still only 13th. Jean-Eric Vergne, Sergio Perez, Pastor Maldonado and Romain Grosjean are currently in the drop zone. Both Mercedes are in the pits, they will be confident of moving into Q2 with ease.
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Pulumo: Having Alonso start a quali session with a low battery is like giving him a car without petrol to win! How is this possible?
Jeremiah: Looking at 1-2 for Mercedes and a surprise by Lewis. Massa taking 3rd. Possible top 5 for Kimi.
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Sebastian Vettel is in a spot of bother here. The reigning world champion is bottom of the timesheets with just four minutes remaining. Pastor Maldonado, Jean-Eric Vergne and Romain Grosjean join him in the drop zone.
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APCopyright: AP
McLaren looking pretty handy, with Jenson Button third, 0.750 seconds off the pace with Kevin Magnussen slotting into fourth.
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Nico Rosberg also improves on his second lap on these soft tyres to sneak ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton by a tenth of a second, which was pretty much the gap between the pair in final practice earlier today.
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Lewis Hamilton improves on his next lap, a 1:10.457 moving him to the top of the pile, 0.236 seconds quicker than his Mercedes team-mate. Fernando Alonso slots into third, but he's 1.1 seconds adrift. Williams' Felipe Massa is fourth with team-mate Valtteri Bottas fifth.
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However, Nico Rosberg is flying and benefits from a giant tow from Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen round the final corner and onto the final straight from to go quickest by an impressive half a second with a 1:10.693.
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Lewis Hamilton goes quickest with a 1:11.223, three tenths quicker than Felipe Massa with Valtteri Bottas three tenths further back.
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Sauber's Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez are first out and they're not messing around. Both have bolted on the soft tyres.
First qualifying starts
Right then, let qualifying begin. Eighteen cars in action, the four slowest will be booted out and the times then reset.
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This weekend is McLaren's 350th start using the Mercedes-Benz power unit - and by coincidence comes at the circuit where they started their partnership back in 1995. It's almost the end of an era as the team will switch to Honda power for next season.
Get involved #bbcf1
Lewis Walsham: What happened to the 'McLaren will win races in 2014' promise that Ron Dennis gave us at the start of the year?
Connor Price: The double points at the end of the season overshadows this whole championship battle.
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Most drivers are in their cars as the start of qualifying approaches. And it looks like a party atmosphere in the grandstands, too, with the fans having taken their spots. Eight minutes to go.
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f1.comCopyright: f1.com
Formula1.com: Ahead of #Qualifying for the #BrazilGP, here's how the intra-team rivalries have played out so far.
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BBC weatherman Ian Fergusson: Forecasters have now advised teams that heavy showers are no longer expected into qualifying.
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We will have commentary from James Allen and Allan McNish via the 'Live Coverage' tab at the top of the page just a few minutes before the session starts. As ever, Jennie Gow will be down in the pit-lane sniffing out the stories.
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Force India on TwitterCopyright: Force India on Twitter
Force India: Fans flooding the pit-lane - gives a whole new meaning to the term "busy pit-lane"! #UnsafeRelease
Get involved
Kayleigh Gray: "Rosberg for pole, Ham P2, Bottas P3."
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If Nico Rosberg secures pole position, I imagine Lewis Hamilton probably won't be that bothered as the German has only converted two of his nine poles this season into race wins. By comparison, Hamilton has converted six of his seven poles.
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Another front row lock-out here for Mercedes - which they've achieved at the last six races - will see them equal Williams' 1993 record, when Damon Hill and Alain Prost were driving, of 28 front row starts.
Caption me
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Loving your work so far on the caption contest (see 15:27 entry). Keep them coming...
Bulent Yazici: "I am the world champion, la la la, I can't hear you, la la la."
Simon Baker: "Wonder how bad my car will be next season..."
Buzz: "So this is how mark felt last year"
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Just 24 minutes to go until the start of qualifying, which will last one hour and be split into three sections. With Marussia no more and Caterham not present, there will be just 18 cars involved. So four will get the boot after Q1, a further four in Q2 and that will leave 10 to fight it out for pole in Q3.
"A few spots of rain on drag up from TV compound to paddock but nothing to affect the drivers as yet. Still bright but clouds building."
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We often find ourselves talking about the weather at Interlagos.
The 2012 race was struck by rain and all of Saturday's running in both 2009 and 2010 - when Nico Hulkenberg (pictured) scored an unlikely pole position for Williams - was in the wet, with qualifying delayed by an hour during Q2 in 2009.
And few will forget the 2008 race which saw rain set-up the dramatic finale where Lewis Hamilton on intermediates passed Timo Glock on slicks in the final corners to clinch the title.
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There has been a lot of chat about rain leading into this weekend, but as yet, we've failed to see any. BBC weatherman Ian Fergusson says the forecast remains uncertain for qualifying, with the latest shower en route to Interlagos fading on arrival, and producing no more than a few drops to the south of the circuit.
Caption me
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Now it's time for a caption contest. It's pretty simple. We select an image, which in this case is the one above of Sebastian Vettel, and you supply the captions.
The best ones will be published in this live text. What better prize could you want? Tweet us using the #bbcf1 hashtag, text 81111 (UK only) or leave a comment on the BBC Sport Facebook page.
The weekend so far
So to recap, Nico Rosberg has topped the times in each of the three practice sessions so far this season, with Lewis Hamilton running shotgun in second. Mercedes are comfortably the quickest team, but Williams look pretty close and could feature in qualifying.
The title battle
The drivers' championship cannot be won this weekend, which means it will go down to the wire in Abu Dhabi. If double points weren't on offer at the final race, Lewis Hamilton would only need to outscore Nico Rosberg by one point this weekend to close out his second world title.
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Welcome to Brazil, the only country on the 2014 F1 calendar that does not have red anywhere on its national flag. The South American country hosts the penultimate round of the Formula 1 World Championship, with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in a two-way battle for the title. Hamilton leads by 24 points but with two races and 75 points remaining, this fight is far from over...
Time for qualifying
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This weekend is not going to plan for Lewis Hamilton. The Briton has been unhappy with the balance of his Mercedes, resulting in a number of off-track excursions.
Meanwhile, his team-mate Nico Rosberg has been quietly going about his business and topping the timesheets in the process. But practising is now over and it's time to get down to business. Who will come out on top?
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Qualifying kicks off at 16:00 GMT, with the live text resuming at 15:15. Thanks for all your facial hair chat. Even James Allen, Allan McNish, Eddie Jordan, David Coulthard and Lee McKenzie were getting involved. I'm off for a break - see you back here shortly.
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So Nico Rosberg remains in control of this grand prix weekend as his Mercedes team-mate and title rival Lewis Hamilton struggles to nail a clean lap. Can Hamilton get it all together when it really matters?
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Force India: Two hours to qualifying - always a pretty hectic time in the garage but also one of great excitement!
Lee McKenzie on TwitterCopyright: Lee McKenzie on Twitter
"We have a strange office! @therealdcf1 gives Eddie Jordan a pre qualifying." trim
Final practice results
1) Nico Rosberg 2) Lewis Hamilton 3) Felipe Massa 4) Valtteri Bottas 5) Daniel Ricciardo 6) Jenson Button 7) Kimi Raikkonen 8) Fernando Alonso 9) Kevin Magnussen
10) Daniil Kvyat 11) Sebastian Vettel 12) Pastor Maldonado 13) Adrian Sutil 14) Romain Grosjean 15) Jean-Eric Vergne 16) Esteban Gutierrez 17) Nico Hulkenberg 18) Sergio Perez
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Allan McNish
BBC Radio 5 live analyst
"The two Mercedes are going to be nip and tuck. I was pleased to see Williams get up there and be best of the rest - I think they've got the best chance of challenging. I'm sure Daniel Ricciardo and Red Bull will be disappointed after the pace the showed yesterday, but they struggled in the cooler temperatures today."
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So Nico Rosberg completes the hat-trick, topping the times after doing the same in first and second practice on Friday.
Chequered flag
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Nico Rosberg finishes fastest in final practice for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
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Reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel goes 11th fastest, 1.5 seconds off the pace and seven tenths adrift of his Red Bull team-mate. How things change, eh?
Best driver facial hair in F1
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David Winter: Lest we all forget John Watson.
Nicholas Ozouf: The most recognisable and iconic facial hair is Graham Hill's moustache.
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Felipe Massa raises his arm out of the cockpit and waves it around in frustration in the direction of a Force India which has just ruined his latest timed lap.
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Ben Edwards
BBC F1 commentator on Twitter
"Rosberg sneaks beneath the qualifying record that has stood for 10 years but it doesn't count unless done in official qualifying."
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Daniel Ricciardo pops into fifth, 0.7 seconds off the pace, with Jenson Button sixth and Kimi Raikkonen seventh.
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James Allen
BBC Radio 5 live commentator
"We are going to have a battle royale in qualifying this afternoon. How many times had Rosberg surprised us this year?"
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Good stuff from Valtteri Bottas who goes third quickest on his soft-tyre run, six tenths off the pace, but he is bumped down a place by Williams team-mate Felipe Massa, who slots in third, 0.429 seconds adrift of pace-setter Nico Rosberg.
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Lewis Hamilton is quickest of all in the first sector, but he makes a mistake in the second and again in the third. As a result, he goes second, 0.114 seconds off the pace.
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Looks like Fernando Alonso's session is over. The Spaniard is out of his overalls and in his civvies with 12 minutes remaining. The Ferrari driver is currently fourth quickest after his soft tyre run, 0.953 seconds off the pace.
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What a stunning lap from Nico Rosberg. The German's soft-tyre shod Mercedes looks glued to the circuit and he is rewarded with a lap of 1:10.446, which is nearly a second quicker than anyone else.
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Nico Rosberg is out on the soft tyres while his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton is just putting his gloves on ahead of his qualifying-simulation run.
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Ferrari's Fernando Alonso bolts on a set of soft tyres and goes quickest with a 1:11.399, 0.160 seconds ahead of Williams' Felipe Massa, whose time was set on the medium tyres.
Best driver facial hair in F1
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Maria: I've always been a fan of Nick Heidfeld's facial hair!
Matt Claypole: Best beard? Harald Ertl of course! Just look at it!
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Felipe Massa continues to lead the way in his Williams, which his team-mate Valtteri Bottas just 0.159 seconds adrift. Massa's consistency is impressive, though, and seems to be the quicker of the two Williams, which has rarely been the case this season.
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Mercedes have been changing the suspension settings on Lewis Hamilton's car, but BBC Radio 5 live pit-lane reporter Jennie Gow reports that the work is done and their putting the front end back onto the car before sending him back out. Still 23 minutes to go.
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ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Lewis Hamilton is in the pits and tells his Mercedes team that he's unhappy with the balance. Meanwhile, Nico Rosberg reports that he has a vibration on the right front from a flat spot.
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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Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo joins Williams' Felipe Massa and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen as the only drivers to have got down into the 1m11s this morning. The Australian's time of 1:11.977 is good enough for third quickest.
Best driver facial hair in F1
#bbcf1
Jeremiah Kariuki: Alonso has had a consistent beard, usually well trimmed and kind of defines who Fernando is in the last couple of seasons. The best!
David Winter: Lest we all forget John Watson had the best before he won his first GP for Penske
Alex Quick: Best facial hair in F1? Got to be our Nige.
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Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Daniel Ricciardo, Pastor Maldonado (pictured), Nico Rosberg and Sergio Perez have the track to themselves at the moment.
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Mercedes: Fascinating radio chat in the garage - @LewisHamilton & @nico_rosberg picking through both their own & each other's laps with a fine comb...
"The 2015 driver market is all falling into place. Mercedes was never a question, with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg staying. Red Bull will have Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat following Sebastian Vettel's move to Ferrari to partner Kimi Raikkonen, which still has not been announced. That is apparently because there is still a bit of financial wrangling going on at Maranello to do with Fernando Alonso's move to McLaren, which will happen, as we reported earlier this week, but is not yet completely finalised.
"Alonso is very likely to partner Kevin Magnussen, with Jenson Button leaving F1, quite possibly for a crack at the world triathlon championship. Williams's line-up is staying the same. Force India have already announced Nico Hulkenberg and on Friday team owner Vijay Mallya said Sergio Perez was also staying but it had not been officially confirmed because they were discussing 2016 as well.
"Sauber have announced Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr. Sources say both Adrian Sutil and Giedo Van Der Garde also have signed contracts, but Sauber are getting a lot more money - perhaps as much as 40 million euros combined - from Ericsson and Nasr, so Sutil and Van Der Garde will likely be paid off after a bit of a legal row and the team still remain in credit.
"At Lotus, Pastor Maldonado is staying, and the team may well keep Romain Grosjean, although there is a hint of tension in their relationship at the moment after the Franco-Swiss's recent outspoken comments about the car."
Thirty five minutes to go
Here's how they stand: 1) Mas 2) Rai 3) Bot 4) Kvy 5) Ric 6) Alo 7) Mag 8) Ver 9) Sut 10) Mal 11) But 12) Vet 13) Gro 14) Gut 15) Hul 16) Ros 17) Per 18) Ham
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Felipe Massa does a series of laps which are all within a few tenths of his fastest lap. That's good pace from Williams, although I suspect Mercedes have plenty in their pocket.
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Kimi Raikkonen continues his good form this weekend, the Finn going second quickest in the Ferrari with a 1:11.946, fourth tenths off the pace set by Felipe Massa.
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Home favourite Felipe Massa is flying at Interlagos, that Williams looking hooked up around this place. The Brazilian clocks a 1:11.559 to go quickest of all.
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Jean-Eric Vergne gets lost down at Turn One, much like Toro Rosso's Max Vertsappen did yesterday. The Frenchman heads into the run-off after out-braking himself and then navigates the escape roads behind the barriers before finding a path back onto the track.
"Kimi Raikkonen had what a Ferrari insider described as his best Friday of the year, setting third fastest time overall, 0.426secs faster than Fernando Alonso, who lost half the session to a massive failure of the very high mileage engine he was running. Raikkonen was generally being much happier with the car than he has been for most of the year.
"He had four quite big moments, including three spins and one off-track moment at Juncao, but this was just him making mistakes, rather than signifying any kind of problem with the car. On overall pace, reading behind the headline times, Ferrari reckoned they were fourth and fifth fastest behind the two Mercedes and Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull, and ahead of Williams. Whether they can stay there is another matter, of course."
Spin!
Lewis Hamilton loses the rear end as he brakes for Turn One, the Mercedes driver spinning round and into the run-off. He keeps the engine running and gets going again but those tyres are done.
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Williams' Valtteri Bottas and McLaren's Kevin Magnussen are trading times at the top, with them tumbling down into the 1m12s. Bottas leads with a 1:12.097, with Magnussen six tenths further back.
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Big lock-up for Lewis Hamilton at Turn Eight and it looks like he's flat-spotted those tyres. Still 45 minutes of this session to go.
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Mercedes: No keen eyes required to notice @LewisHamilton & @nico_rosberg propping up the times. It's almost as if they're simulating something...
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Kevin Magnussen moves to the top of the timesheets with a 1:13.016, three tenths quicker than Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne. Lewis Hamilton is lapping in the 1m15s, while his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg is in the high 1m14s. Both on the medium tyres.
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Tom Clarkson on TwitterCopyright: Tom Clarkson on Twitter
Daniel Ricciardo isn't in the car yet, but he's left a honey badger cuddly toy on the cockpit of his Red Bull to keep it company.
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Jean-Eric Vergne sets the early pace, the Frenchman clocking a 1:15.117 in the Toro Rosso. He has yet to sign a deal for next season, but has said this weekend that he is feeling more confident about his future in the sport now than he was a month ago.
"On Friday, Red Bull looked like they might be able to give Mercedes a race of it this weekend. Daniel Ricciardo might have been the best part of a second off the Mercedes on single lap pace, but he was at least as quick on the race runs later in the session. It was hard to get a proper reading from these because they were affected by two red flags.
"Ricciardo's peak lap time on the race simulation runs on the preferred race tyre, the medium, was actually 0.4s faster than Nico Rosberg on peak lap time and did two laps quicker than any managed by Rosberg, who was faster than Lewis Hamilton. Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan said: 'If it's dry and the race is as we might expect, then we'll probably watch the Mercedes. If you throw in a bit of inclement weather, a few unexpected pit stops, we'll do our utmost to finish at the front, yes."
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Mercedes duo Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton both leave the garage at the same time for their first run of the day.
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Pastor Maldonado, Romain Grosjean, Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas are among the first cars to head out and about.
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Ben Edwards
BBC F1 commentator
"Light breeze pushing the cars down the start finish straight this morning, but looks like this session will be dry. Track 33C."
Go! Go! Go!
Let third practice begin!
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Hours after the Marussia F1 Team went out of business, Caterham announced that they have a plan to stay afloat and race in Abu Dhabi - and it involves your money. Yep, the Leafield team - who missed the race in Austin and aren't in Sao Paulo this weekend are aiming to raise £2.35m using crowdfunding by Friday, 14 November. And so far, it's going quite well. This morning, the team said they have raised £500,000 in 24 hours.
"McLaren did not have a good Friday, so much so that Jenson Button was moved to say: 'We need a dry FP3 because at the moment we're nowhere.' Button added: 'We know the reasons we're not competitive and it's easy to put them right.' Among their biggest problems was a lack of straight-line speed, and that they did not understand. 'The only thing we find quite strange is our speed on the straight is quite far off,' Button said. 'To go that fast we would have to take a lot of downforce off and we're losing a lot of time. We need to solve that.'"
Next week
BBCCopyright: BBC
We've also 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 watched it already, I can tell you it's a cracker.
When can you see it? Next Wednesday at 21:30 BST on the red button, this very website and the BBC iPlayer. What a night of F1 you have in store.
The World Championship is going down to the wire, with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg vying for the title. So BBC Radio 5 live have planned a special show 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.
Formula 1's best beard?
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Now to the important question of the day. Just a week after Daniel Ricciardo's Austin inspired facial hair, I'm asking whether this beard, modelled by Fernando Alonso, is the best Formula 1 has ever seen? In fact, let's open it out - which driver, across the decades of F1, has had the best facial hair?
Tweet us using the #bbcf1 hashtag, text 81111 or leave a comment on the BBC Sport Facebook page.
"Lewis Hamilton said he wasn't bothered about being second fastest behind team-mate Nico Rosberg in Friday practice. 'It wasn't the best of days,' Hamilton said. 'I didn't really put together a good lap but that will come on Saturday hopefully.' Neither Mercedes driver said a great deal after their first day's running, and although Rosberg said he was 'a bit worried' about his soft tyres blistering badly he reassured himself that it was not expected to be as hot on race day."
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While Mercedes were cruising at the top of the timesheets, it wasn't such a good day for others.
Fernando Alonso (his car pictured below in the 12:30 entry) suffered an engine failure, while Jenson Button missed first practice altogether with an electrical issue. Esteban Gutierrez and Jean-Eric Vergne stopped out on track with mechanical gremlins while Force India's third driver Daniel Juncadella binned it in first practice.
And all of the drivers struggled for grip on what is a newly laid surface as part of the upgrades going on at Interlagos.
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Nico Rosberg did the double over Lewis Hamilton on Friday, topping both practice sessions as Mercedes continued their utter domination of this championship. It was the perfect day for the German, who must overturn a 24-point deficit to Hamilton in the championship with two races and 75 points still on the table.
"The threatened rain has not yet affected Formula 1 running in Sao Paulo and so far it still doesn't look like it is going to. It rained overnight but it's fine and dry this morning. But the forecasts still say there is a strong change of rain, especially in the early afternoon when qualifying starts. It could be a very interesting day."
Yep, final practice starts at 13:00 GMT and lasts an hour. It'll be a final opportunity for teams to tinker with their cars and do a qualifying-simulation run. We'll have live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, which is available by the 'Live Coverage' tab at the top of the page.
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Afternoon all and welcome to Brazil, host of the penultimate round of the 2014 Formula 1 World Championship. It's all about qualifying today, but before we get down to business, there's the small matter of third and final practice.
Live Reporting
Lawrence Barretto
All times stated are UK
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Latest PostSee you tomorrow at 15:00 GMT
Nico Rosberg won the battle on Saturday, but who will come out on top when it matters on Sunday? A mouth-watering prospect in store. Until then, it's good evening from me. See ya!
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Mercedes on Twitter: Genius! RT @BadgerGP: Name the #F1 personality…. (you'll like this @JennieGow)
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Today's front row lock-out here for Mercedes - their seventh in a row - sees them equal Williams' 1993 record of 28 front row starts, when Damon Hill and Alain Prost were driving.
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Mercedes on Twitter: Great to see @MassaFelipe19 in the top three in front of his home crowd too - they went #BrazilNuts! ;)
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"Good result as a team for us in qualifying today, starting 4th for the race tomorrow," tweets Williams' Valtteri Bottas. "Tomorrow is what matters - it'll be fun!"
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Nico Rosberg has taken an impressive 10 pole positions this season, with Lewis Hamilton (pictured) the next best on seven. Felipe Massa is the only other driver to have started on P1, following his stunning lap in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix.
Tomorrow
The plan for tomorrow is as follows. The race starts at 16:00 GMT, but we'll begin our build-up at 15:00. BBC Radio 5 live will join at 15:30 with highlights of the race on BBC One at 20:30.
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Bernie Ecclestone has rejected claims the sport he runs is in crisis following the collapse of two teams. Marussia folded on Friday and Caterham remain in administration after missing the US and Brazilian Grands Prix.
The F1 boss told BBC Sport: "People say F1 is in crisis. Absolute nonsense. We've had a couple of teams in crisis."
He pointed out that many F1 teams had failed over the years and criticised Marussia and Caterham for what he said was poor financial management. Read more here.
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If you want to catch up on any of today's action, you have lots of options. You can read our report here, keep an eye on the F1 pages for video highlights that'll be live shortly or wait until 21:00 GMT for highlights on BBC Two.
Title permutations
Lewis Hamilton has a 24-point lead over Nico Rosberg with a maximum of 75 points remaining - 25 in Brazil for a win and 50 in Abu Dhabi. The world title cannot be decided at this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix.
If Hamilton wins in Brazil and Rosberg fails to finish, he will have a 49-point lead going to Abu Dhabi. Hamilton would then need to finish 10th or higher to clinch the title.
If Rosberg wins in Brazil and Hamilton retires, Rosberg will lead the championship by one point going to Abu Dhabi. Hamilton would then need to finish ahead of Rosberg in the points in Abu Dhabi to secure the title.
If Hamilton wins in Brazil, with Rosberg second, Hamilton will arrive in Abu Dhabi with a 31-point lead. But if Rosberg then wins and Hamilton finishes sixth or lower, Rosberg will win the title.
Got it?
Get involved #bbcf1
Adeel Ejaz: Unlucky for Lewis Hamilton with the lock-up in the last lap but game on tomorrow! Watch out Nico Rosberg! Let the hunt begin!
Danny Atkins: Nico Rosberg may be on pole position but it's the race that counts primarily!
Massa reaction
"It's very emotional to be here in Brazil and have a competitive car and start in the top three," says Felipe Massa, who starts third. "I didn't use everything I could from the car - I got a lot of traffic in my last run. There were also problems in the garage and I couldn't improve my lap time.
"Everyone was improving a bit on the second set. I was not going to improve to beat them but maybe I could get close. It was very tight between team-mates but I think that's the good thing. I'm so happy. I hope it's just the beginning for a good result tomorrow."
Hamilton reaction
"It was great fun out there," says Lewis Hamilton, who starts second. "Nico did a great lap. I think I lost time at Turn 10 and maybe a tiny bit in Turn One.
"But it was great having to keep going out and fighting - that's what qualifying should be all about, and being that close is really exciting - I hope everyone enjoyed it.
"It's a long race tomorrow and it should be really exciting with all the pit stops. I want to win as much as anyone else."
Rosberg reaction
"Pressure, it's similar," adds Nico Rosberg. "The adrenaline is there, the tension, the excitement. It's not been changing that much, I'm just here, I'm going for it, pushing myself to stay optimistic all the time. I have learned from Austin, I know what I need to do better so from that point of view, I look forward to tomorrow."
Rosberg reaction
"It's the perfect job only if it works out tomorrow," says Nico Rosberg, who starts on pole having finished top in every practice session and every part of qualifying this weekend. "Up to now it has been going well. I'm in the best place to be for tomorrow, but I need to make it happen in the race."
Qualifying result
1) Nico Rosberg 2) Lewis Hamilton 3) Felipe Massa 4) Valtteri Bottas 5) Jenson Button 6) Sebastian Vettel 7) Kevin Magnussen 8) Fernando Alonso 9) Daniel Ricciardo 10) Kimi Raikkonen
11) Esteban Gutierrez 12) Nico Hulkenberg 13) Adrian Sutil 14) Daniil Kvyat
15) Romain Grosjean 16) Jean-Eric Vergne 17) Sergio Perez 18) Pastor Maldonado
Get involved #bbcf1
Craig Wells: Lewis Hamilton can come 2nd in these last two races and win the title just get the car home.
George Taylor: Well done to Rosberg. Hamilton is still the stronger racer. He can take the win.
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Mercedes on Twitter: It's @nico_rosberg! He's done it! Pole for the #BrazilGP and the inaugural pole trophy! Great job!
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Wonderful response from the crowd as Felipe Massa wanders over to the grandstands to give them a wave. This is a good result for the home fans. And it could be even better tomorrow, especially considering Williams' impressive pace in the final sector, which should boost their chances of overtaking into Turn One.
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That's Nico Rosberg's 10th pole position of the season and it means that he will win the Pole Position Trophy for the best qualifier of the year.
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The Williams challenge failed to materialise, with Felipe Massa aborting his final run. The Brazilian waves to the crowd as he cruises down the pit lane.
Pole position
Nico Rosberg takes pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
First qualifying ends
But Nico Rosberg responds! The German crosses the line 0.033 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton! Just three hundreths!
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Lewis Hamilton goes quickest!!!!
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Lewis Hamilton locks up on his final run! His challenge for pole position could be over...
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Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen goes seventh fastest, 0.9 seconds off the pace.
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Everyone is out on track. Let's do this.
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It's so close at the top! Could we really see a pole for home favourite Felipe Massa? The crowd would go crazy. Three minutes to go.
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Jenson Button goes fifth, ahead of McLaren team-mate Kevin Magnussen. Sebastian Vettel is seventh, ahead of Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo. Neither Ferrari has set a lap, but Kimi Raikkonen has just left the garage.
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Mercedes on Twitter: Three hundredths! THREE HUNDREDTHS!! @nico_rosberg sneaks under the bar - game on!
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Felipe Massa sets the fastest sector of all in the final sector to cross the line just 0.081 seconds behind Nico Rosberg! This is so close! Back to the pits for both Mercedes and Williams before one final run.
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Valtteri Bottas is on a very scrappy lap, locking the tyres on a couple of occasions. But the time is still good as he goes third, just 0.13 seconds adrift of pace-setter Nico Rosberg!
Get involved #bbcf1
Jeremiah: Down to 10 cars. Crucial last few minutes with Nico still having the edge. Still hoping Hamilton can turn the tables.
Kieran: It's one thing to drive fast and qualify pole, but to be able to race and keep calm under pressure is another.
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But it's not good enough as Nico Rosberg pips him with a 1:10.166. Just 0.029 seconds the difference! And Rosberg made a slight mistake in the final corner.
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Lewis Hamilton's first effort is an absolute beauty, the Briton clocking a 1:10.195. We're edging ever closer to a 1m09!
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Lewis Hamilton is first man out, followed closely by Nico Rosberg.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Will Lewis Hamilton have it in him to overcome the one to two tenth deficit he has had to Nico Rosberg so far this weekend? My gut feeling is no, but he doesn't have to be of course. He leads Rosberg by 24 points in the championship."
Final qualifying starts
The time has come. Ten drivers fight over one pole position. Let battle commence.
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No sign of rain at Interlagos, with plenty of blue skies peaking through among the clouds...
In
1) Nico Rosberg 2) Felipe Massa 3) Valtteri Bottas 4) Lewis Hamilton 5) Jenson Button 6) Sebastian Vettel 7) Kimi Raikkonen 8) Daniel Ricciardo 9) Kevin Magnussen 10) Fernando Alonso
Out
11) Esteban Gutierrez 12) Nico Hulkenberg 13) Adrian Sutil 14) Daniil Kvyat
Second qualifying ends
Nico Rosberg finishes quickest in the second part of qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
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Valtteri Bottas goes second quickest, just 0.1 seconds off the pace. He is then bumped down to third as Felipe Massa pops into second, just 0.040 seconds adrift of Nico Rosberg.
However, I question the wisdom of those laps considering those two have to start the race on those tyres. Their rivals Mercedes, meanwhile, were content with their early runs and didn't appear to show their true pace, thus save tyre life.
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Esteban Gutierrez, Adrian Sutil, Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat are currently in the drop zone.
Meanwhile, up front, Kimi Raikkonen continues to have the better of Ferrari team-mate Fernando Alonso for a change. The Finn goes sixth fastest with Alonso eighth.
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Valtteri Bottas moves into third with Felipe Massa fourth and Jenson Button, winner here in 2012, fifth. Around four minutes remaining.
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Drivers will try not to take the maximum out of the tyres they use to set the fastest time in this session because that is the rubber which they'll start tomorrow's race on.
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Felipe Massa pops into third, half a second adrift of pace-setter Nico Rosberg. Kimi Raikkonen is fourth ahead of Fernando Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Gutierrez.
Massa's lap was on a used set of soft tyres, so it was a good effort.
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The Mercedes of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton waste little time reasserting their dominance, with Rosberg's 1:10.303 putting him top with Hamilton four tenths adrift.
Second qualifying starts
Time for Q2, folks. Four more drivers given the boot with the times reset once more ahead of the top-10 shoot-out.
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Will Allen: I would love to see what would happen if Ricciardo was in a Mercedes.
Rian Hoskins: Qualifying has not been an issue for Rosberg. However he is getting outclassed in races by Hamilton, who will win on form.
George Taylor: I really hope Caterham F1 are able to get the funding they need to stay in the sport.
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Good stuff from the Saubers there, both Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez getting into Q2. Williams looking solid, too, and will be there to pick up the pieces if either Mercedes make a mistake when it matters.
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Ferrari: Now the sun is shining on the Interlagos pit-lane, But the risk of having rain before the end of qualifying remains 40%.
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Lotus: Well that wasn't what the doctor ordered...
In
1) Nico Rosberg 2) Lewis Hamilton 3) Felipe Massa 4) Valtteri Bottas 5) Jenson Button 6) Kevin Magnussen 7) Kimi Raikkonen
8) Daniil Kvyat 9) Esteban Gutierrez 10) Fernando Alonso 11) Daniel Ricciardo 12) Nico Hulkenberg 13) Sebastian Vettel 14) Adrian Sutil
Out
15) Romain Grosjean 16) Jean-Eric Vergne 17) Sergio Perez 18) Pastor Maldonado
First qualifying ends
Nico Rosberg finishes fastest in the first part of qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Chequered flag
Felipe Massa looks like best of the rest behind the Mercedes this weekend. The Brazilian pops into third, 0.255 seconds off the pace and two tenths quicker than Williams team-mate Valtteri Bottas in fourth.
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Sebastian Vettel hauls himself out of the drop zone, but he's still only 13th. Jean-Eric Vergne, Sergio Perez, Pastor Maldonado and Romain Grosjean are currently in the drop zone. Both Mercedes are in the pits, they will be confident of moving into Q2 with ease.
Get involved #bbcf1
Pulumo: Having Alonso start a quali session with a low battery is like giving him a car without petrol to win! How is this possible?
Jeremiah: Looking at 1-2 for Mercedes and a surprise by Lewis. Massa taking 3rd. Possible top 5 for Kimi.
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Sebastian Vettel is in a spot of bother here. The reigning world champion is bottom of the timesheets with just four minutes remaining. Pastor Maldonado, Jean-Eric Vergne and Romain Grosjean join him in the drop zone.
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McLaren looking pretty handy, with Jenson Button third, 0.750 seconds off the pace with Kevin Magnussen slotting into fourth.
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Nico Rosberg also improves on his second lap on these soft tyres to sneak ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton by a tenth of a second, which was pretty much the gap between the pair in final practice earlier today.
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Lewis Hamilton improves on his next lap, a 1:10.457 moving him to the top of the pile, 0.236 seconds quicker than his Mercedes team-mate. Fernando Alonso slots into third, but he's 1.1 seconds adrift. Williams' Felipe Massa is fourth with team-mate Valtteri Bottas fifth.
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However, Nico Rosberg is flying and benefits from a giant tow from Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen round the final corner and onto the final straight from to go quickest by an impressive half a second with a 1:10.693.
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Lewis Hamilton goes quickest with a 1:11.223, three tenths quicker than Felipe Massa with Valtteri Bottas three tenths further back.
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Sauber's Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez are first out and they're not messing around. Both have bolted on the soft tyres.
First qualifying starts
Right then, let qualifying begin. Eighteen cars in action, the four slowest will be booted out and the times then reset.
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This weekend is McLaren's 350th start using the Mercedes-Benz power unit - and by coincidence comes at the circuit where they started their partnership back in 1995. It's almost the end of an era as the team will switch to Honda power for next season.
Get involved #bbcf1
Lewis Walsham: What happened to the 'McLaren will win races in 2014' promise that Ron Dennis gave us at the start of the year?
Connor Price: The double points at the end of the season overshadows this whole championship battle.
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Most drivers are in their cars as the start of qualifying approaches. And it looks like a party atmosphere in the grandstands, too, with the fans having taken their spots. Eight minutes to go.
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Formula1.com: Ahead of #Qualifying for the #BrazilGP, here's how the intra-team rivalries have played out so far.
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BBC weatherman Ian Fergusson: Forecasters have now advised teams that heavy showers are no longer expected into qualifying.
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We will have commentary from James Allen and Allan McNish via the 'Live Coverage' tab at the top of the page just a few minutes before the session starts. As ever, Jennie Gow will be down in the pit-lane sniffing out the stories.
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Force India: Fans flooding the pit-lane - gives a whole new meaning to the term "busy pit-lane"! #UnsafeRelease
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Kayleigh Gray: "Rosberg for pole, Ham P2, Bottas P3."
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If Nico Rosberg secures pole position, I imagine Lewis Hamilton probably won't be that bothered as the German has only converted two of his nine poles this season into race wins. By comparison, Hamilton has converted six of his seven poles.
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Another front row lock-out here for Mercedes - which they've achieved at the last six races - will see them equal Williams' 1993 record, when Damon Hill and Alain Prost were driving, of 28 front row starts.
Caption me
Loving your work so far on the caption contest (see 15:27 entry). Keep them coming...
Bulent Yazici: "I am the world champion, la la la, I can't hear you, la la la."
Simon Baker: "Wonder how bad my car will be next season..."
Buzz: "So this is how mark felt last year"
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Just 24 minutes to go until the start of qualifying, which will last one hour and be split into three sections. With Marussia no more and Caterham not present, there will be just 18 cars involved. So four will get the boot after Q1, a further four in Q2 and that will leave 10 to fight it out for pole in Q3.
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Interlagos
"A few spots of rain on drag up from TV compound to paddock but nothing to affect the drivers as yet. Still bright but clouds building."
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We often find ourselves talking about the weather at Interlagos.
The 2012 race was struck by rain and all of Saturday's running in both 2009 and 2010 - when Nico Hulkenberg (pictured) scored an unlikely pole position for Williams - was in the wet, with qualifying delayed by an hour during Q2 in 2009.
And few will forget the 2008 race which saw rain set-up the dramatic finale where Lewis Hamilton on intermediates passed Timo Glock on slicks in the final corners to clinch the title.
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There has been a lot of chat about rain leading into this weekend, but as yet, we've failed to see any. BBC weatherman Ian Fergusson says the forecast remains uncertain for qualifying, with the latest shower en route to Interlagos fading on arrival, and producing no more than a few drops to the south of the circuit.
Caption me
Now it's time for a caption contest. It's pretty simple. We select an image, which in this case is the one above of Sebastian Vettel, and you supply the captions.
The best ones will be published in this live text. What better prize could you want? Tweet us using the #bbcf1 hashtag, text 81111 (UK only) or leave a comment on the BBC Sport Facebook page.
The weekend so far
So to recap, Nico Rosberg has topped the times in each of the three practice sessions so far this season, with Lewis Hamilton running shotgun in second. Mercedes are comfortably the quickest team, but Williams look pretty close and could feature in qualifying.
The title battle
The drivers' championship cannot be won this weekend, which means it will go down to the wire in Abu Dhabi. If double points weren't on offer at the final race, Lewis Hamilton would only need to outscore Nico Rosberg by one point this weekend to close out his second world title.
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Welcome to Brazil, the only country on the 2014 F1 calendar that does not have red anywhere on its national flag. The South American country hosts the penultimate round of the Formula 1 World Championship, with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in a two-way battle for the title. Hamilton leads by 24 points but with two races and 75 points remaining, this fight is far from over...
Time for qualifying
This weekend is not going to plan for Lewis Hamilton. The Briton has been unhappy with the balance of his Mercedes, resulting in a number of off-track excursions.
Meanwhile, his team-mate Nico Rosberg has been quietly going about his business and topping the timesheets in the process. But practising is now over and it's time to get down to business. Who will come out on top?
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Qualifying kicks off at 16:00 GMT, with the live text resuming at 15:15. Thanks for all your facial hair chat. Even James Allen, Allan McNish, Eddie Jordan, David Coulthard and Lee McKenzie were getting involved. I'm off for a break - see you back here shortly.
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So Nico Rosberg remains in control of this grand prix weekend as his Mercedes team-mate and title rival Lewis Hamilton struggles to nail a clean lap. Can Hamilton get it all together when it really matters?
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Force India: Two hours to qualifying - always a pretty hectic time in the garage but also one of great excitement!
BBC F1 facial hair latest
Lee McKenzie
BBC F1 pit-lane reporter
"We have a strange office! @therealdcf1 gives Eddie Jordan a pre qualifying." trim
Final practice results
1) Nico Rosberg 2) Lewis Hamilton 3) Felipe Massa 4) Valtteri Bottas 5) Daniel Ricciardo 6) Jenson Button 7) Kimi Raikkonen 8) Fernando Alonso 9) Kevin Magnussen
10) Daniil Kvyat 11) Sebastian Vettel 12) Pastor Maldonado 13) Adrian Sutil 14) Romain Grosjean 15) Jean-Eric Vergne 16) Esteban Gutierrez 17) Nico Hulkenberg 18) Sergio Perez
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Allan McNish
BBC Radio 5 live analyst
"The two Mercedes are going to be nip and tuck. I was pleased to see Williams get up there and be best of the rest - I think they've got the best chance of challenging. I'm sure Daniel Ricciardo and Red Bull will be disappointed after the pace the showed yesterday, but they struggled in the cooler temperatures today."
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So Nico Rosberg completes the hat-trick, topping the times after doing the same in first and second practice on Friday.
Chequered flag
Nico Rosberg finishes fastest in final practice for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
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Reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel goes 11th fastest, 1.5 seconds off the pace and seven tenths adrift of his Red Bull team-mate. How things change, eh?
Best driver facial hair in F1
#bbcf1
David Winter: Lest we all forget John Watson.
Nicholas Ozouf: The most recognisable and iconic facial hair is Graham Hill's moustache.
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Felipe Massa raises his arm out of the cockpit and waves it around in frustration in the direction of a Force India which has just ruined his latest timed lap.
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Ben Edwards
BBC F1 commentator on Twitter
"Rosberg sneaks beneath the qualifying record that has stood for 10 years but it doesn't count unless done in official qualifying."
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Daniel Ricciardo pops into fifth, 0.7 seconds off the pace, with Jenson Button sixth and Kimi Raikkonen seventh.
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James Allen
BBC Radio 5 live commentator
"We are going to have a battle royale in qualifying this afternoon. How many times had Rosberg surprised us this year?"
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Good stuff from Valtteri Bottas who goes third quickest on his soft-tyre run, six tenths off the pace, but he is bumped down a place by Williams team-mate Felipe Massa, who slots in third, 0.429 seconds adrift of pace-setter Nico Rosberg.
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Lewis Hamilton is quickest of all in the first sector, but he makes a mistake in the second and again in the third. As a result, he goes second, 0.114 seconds off the pace.
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Looks like Fernando Alonso's session is over. The Spaniard is out of his overalls and in his civvies with 12 minutes remaining. The Ferrari driver is currently fourth quickest after his soft tyre run, 0.953 seconds off the pace.
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What a stunning lap from Nico Rosberg. The German's soft-tyre shod Mercedes looks glued to the circuit and he is rewarded with a lap of 1:10.446, which is nearly a second quicker than anyone else.
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Nico Rosberg is out on the soft tyres while his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton is just putting his gloves on ahead of his qualifying-simulation run.
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Ferrari's Fernando Alonso bolts on a set of soft tyres and goes quickest with a 1:11.399, 0.160 seconds ahead of Williams' Felipe Massa, whose time was set on the medium tyres.
Best driver facial hair in F1
#bbcf1
Maria: I've always been a fan of Nick Heidfeld's facial hair!
Matt Claypole: Best beard? Harald Ertl of course! Just look at it!
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Felipe Massa continues to lead the way in his Williams, which his team-mate Valtteri Bottas just 0.159 seconds adrift. Massa's consistency is impressive, though, and seems to be the quicker of the two Williams, which has rarely been the case this season.
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Mercedes have been changing the suspension settings on Lewis Hamilton's car, but BBC Radio 5 live pit-lane reporter Jennie Gow reports that the work is done and their putting the front end back onto the car before sending him back out. Still 23 minutes to go.
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Lewis Hamilton is in the pits and tells his Mercedes team that he's unhappy with the balance. Meanwhile, Nico Rosberg reports that he has a vibration on the right front from a flat spot.
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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Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo joins Williams' Felipe Massa and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen as the only drivers to have got down into the 1m11s this morning. The Australian's time of 1:11.977 is good enough for third quickest.
Best driver facial hair in F1
#bbcf1
Jeremiah Kariuki: Alonso has had a consistent beard, usually well trimmed and kind of defines who Fernando is in the last couple of seasons. The best!
David Winter: Lest we all forget John Watson had the best before he won his first GP for Penske
Alex Quick: Best facial hair in F1? Got to be our Nige.
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Daniel Ricciardo, Pastor Maldonado (pictured), Nico Rosberg and Sergio Perez have the track to themselves at the moment.
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Mercedes: Fascinating radio chat in the garage - @LewisHamilton & @nico_rosberg picking through both their own & each other's laps with a fine comb...
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Interlagos
"The 2015 driver market is all falling into place. Mercedes was never a question, with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg staying. Red Bull will have Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat following Sebastian Vettel's move to Ferrari to partner Kimi Raikkonen, which still has not been announced. That is apparently because there is still a bit of financial wrangling going on at Maranello to do with Fernando Alonso's move to McLaren, which will happen, as we reported earlier this week, but is not yet completely finalised.
"Alonso is very likely to partner Kevin Magnussen, with Jenson Button leaving F1, quite possibly for a crack at the world triathlon championship. Williams's line-up is staying the same. Force India have already announced Nico Hulkenberg and on Friday team owner Vijay Mallya said Sergio Perez was also staying but it had not been officially confirmed because they were discussing 2016 as well.
"Sauber have announced Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr. Sources say both Adrian Sutil and Giedo Van Der Garde also have signed contracts, but Sauber are getting a lot more money - perhaps as much as 40 million euros combined - from Ericsson and Nasr, so Sutil and Van Der Garde will likely be paid off after a bit of a legal row and the team still remain in credit.
"At Lotus, Pastor Maldonado is staying, and the team may well keep Romain Grosjean, although there is a hint of tension in their relationship at the moment after the Franco-Swiss's recent outspoken comments about the car."
Thirty five minutes to go
Here's how they stand: 1) Mas 2) Rai 3) Bot 4) Kvy 5) Ric 6) Alo 7) Mag 8) Ver 9) Sut 10) Mal 11) But 12) Vet 13) Gro 14) Gut 15) Hul 16) Ros 17) Per 18) Ham
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Felipe Massa does a series of laps which are all within a few tenths of his fastest lap. That's good pace from Williams, although I suspect Mercedes have plenty in their pocket.
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Kimi Raikkonen continues his good form this weekend, the Finn going second quickest in the Ferrari with a 1:11.946, fourth tenths off the pace set by Felipe Massa.
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Home favourite Felipe Massa is flying at Interlagos, that Williams looking hooked up around this place. The Brazilian clocks a 1:11.559 to go quickest of all.
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Jean-Eric Vergne gets lost down at Turn One, much like Toro Rosso's Max Vertsappen did yesterday. The Frenchman heads into the run-off after out-braking himself and then navigates the escape roads behind the barriers before finding a path back onto the track.
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Interlagos
"Kimi Raikkonen had what a Ferrari insider described as his best Friday of the year, setting third fastest time overall, 0.426secs faster than Fernando Alonso, who lost half the session to a massive failure of the very high mileage engine he was running. Raikkonen was generally being much happier with the car than he has been for most of the year.
"He had four quite big moments, including three spins and one off-track moment at Juncao, but this was just him making mistakes, rather than signifying any kind of problem with the car. On overall pace, reading behind the headline times, Ferrari reckoned they were fourth and fifth fastest behind the two Mercedes and Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull, and ahead of Williams. Whether they can stay there is another matter, of course."
Spin!
Lewis Hamilton loses the rear end as he brakes for Turn One, the Mercedes driver spinning round and into the run-off. He keeps the engine running and gets going again but those tyres are done.
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Williams' Valtteri Bottas and McLaren's Kevin Magnussen are trading times at the top, with them tumbling down into the 1m12s. Bottas leads with a 1:12.097, with Magnussen six tenths further back.
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Big lock-up for Lewis Hamilton at Turn Eight and it looks like he's flat-spotted those tyres. Still 45 minutes of this session to go.
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Mercedes: No keen eyes required to notice @LewisHamilton & @nico_rosberg propping up the times. It's almost as if they're simulating something...
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Kevin Magnussen moves to the top of the timesheets with a 1:13.016, three tenths quicker than Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne. Lewis Hamilton is lapping in the 1m15s, while his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg is in the high 1m14s. Both on the medium tyres.
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Daniel Ricciardo isn't in the car yet, but he's left a honey badger cuddly toy on the cockpit of his Red Bull to keep it company.
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Jean-Eric Vergne sets the early pace, the Frenchman clocking a 1:15.117 in the Toro Rosso. He has yet to sign a deal for next season, but has said this weekend that he is feeling more confident about his future in the sport now than he was a month ago.
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Interlagos
"On Friday, Red Bull looked like they might be able to give Mercedes a race of it this weekend. Daniel Ricciardo might have been the best part of a second off the Mercedes on single lap pace, but he was at least as quick on the race runs later in the session. It was hard to get a proper reading from these because they were affected by two red flags.
"Ricciardo's peak lap time on the race simulation runs on the preferred race tyre, the medium, was actually 0.4s faster than Nico Rosberg on peak lap time and did two laps quicker than any managed by Rosberg, who was faster than Lewis Hamilton. Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan said: 'If it's dry and the race is as we might expect, then we'll probably watch the Mercedes. If you throw in a bit of inclement weather, a few unexpected pit stops, we'll do our utmost to finish at the front, yes."
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Mercedes duo Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton both leave the garage at the same time for their first run of the day.
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Pastor Maldonado, Romain Grosjean, Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas are among the first cars to head out and about.
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Ben Edwards
BBC F1 commentator
"Light breeze pushing the cars down the start finish straight this morning, but looks like this session will be dry. Track 33C."
Go! Go! Go!
Let third practice begin!
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Hours after the Marussia F1 Team went out of business, Caterham announced that they have a plan to stay afloat and race in Abu Dhabi - and it involves your money. Yep, the Leafield team - who missed the race in Austin and aren't in Sao Paulo this weekend are aiming to raise £2.35m using crowdfunding by Friday, 14 November. And so far, it's going quite well. This morning, the team said they have raised £500,000 in 24 hours.
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Interlagos
"McLaren did not have a good Friday, so much so that Jenson Button was moved to say: 'We need a dry FP3 because at the moment we're nowhere.' Button added: 'We know the reasons we're not competitive and it's easy to put them right.' Among their biggest problems was a lack of straight-line speed, and that they did not understand. 'The only thing we find quite strange is our speed on the straight is quite far off,' Button said. 'To go that fast we would have to take a lot of downforce off and we're losing a lot of time. We need to solve that.'"
Next week
We've also 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 watched it already, I can tell you it's a cracker.
When can you see it? Next Wednesday at 21:30 BST on the red button, this very website and the BBC iPlayer. What a night of F1 you have in store.
Next week
BBC Radio 5 live
The World Championship is going down to the wire, with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg vying for the title. So BBC Radio 5 live have planned a special show 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.
Formula 1's best beard?
Now to the important question of the day. Just a week after Daniel Ricciardo's Austin inspired facial hair, I'm asking whether this beard, modelled by Fernando Alonso, is the best Formula 1 has ever seen? In fact, let's open it out - which driver, across the decades of F1, has had the best facial hair?
Tweet us using the #bbcf1 hashtag, text 81111 or leave a comment on the BBC Sport Facebook page.
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Interlagos
"Lewis Hamilton said he wasn't bothered about being second fastest behind team-mate Nico Rosberg in Friday practice. 'It wasn't the best of days,' Hamilton said. 'I didn't really put together a good lap but that will come on Saturday hopefully.' Neither Mercedes driver said a great deal after their first day's running, and although Rosberg said he was 'a bit worried' about his soft tyres blistering badly he reassured himself that it was not expected to be as hot on race day."
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While Mercedes were cruising at the top of the timesheets, it wasn't such a good day for others.
Fernando Alonso (his car pictured below in the 12:30 entry) suffered an engine failure, while Jenson Button missed first practice altogether with an electrical issue. Esteban Gutierrez and Jean-Eric Vergne stopped out on track with mechanical gremlins while Force India's third driver Daniel Juncadella binned it in first practice.
And all of the drivers struggled for grip on what is a newly laid surface as part of the upgrades going on at Interlagos.
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Nico Rosberg did the double over Lewis Hamilton on Friday, topping both practice sessions as Mercedes continued their utter domination of this championship. It was the perfect day for the German, who must overturn a 24-point deficit to Hamilton in the championship with two races and 75 points still on the table.
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Interlagos
"The threatened rain has not yet affected Formula 1 running in Sao Paulo and so far it still doesn't look like it is going to. It rained overnight but it's fine and dry this morning. But the forecasts still say there is a strong change of rain, especially in the early afternoon when qualifying starts. It could be a very interesting day."
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BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
Yep, final practice starts at 13:00 GMT and lasts an hour. It'll be a final opportunity for teams to tinker with their cars and do a qualifying-simulation run. We'll have live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, which is available by the 'Live Coverage' tab at the top of the page.
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Afternoon all and welcome to Brazil, host of the penultimate round of the 2014 Formula 1 World Championship. It's all about qualifying today, but before we get down to business, there's the small matter of third and final practice.
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On Friday, we saw this...
Quite a bit of this...
And a lot of this...
What will today bring?