Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Sao Paulo

Haas finally confirmed on Friday that Kevin Magnussen was joining them next year - a news story that broke earlier in the week. The Dane’s decision secured his team-mate Jolyon Palmer’s position at Renault because the French team had offered Magnussen the drive alongside new signing Nico Hulkenberg. Palmer said he was “surprised to hear” about Magnussen’s decision to choose a two-year deal at Haas over a single season at Renault. 

“If Renault turned to Kevin then he's made a mistake to turn it down because I think they'll be ahead of Haas next year. It's a manufacturer team going places, and if you get the choice to go to Red Bull for one year it's better than going to Toro Rosso for two years.” He added: ”I need to do a good job next year and it's understandable for Renault that they'll want to see how I can do against Nico. I have an option for the future, I believe in myself and in my opinion the car will be stronger next year.” Magnussen’s reaction to Palmer’s remarks? “I think he should be happy that I left.”

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BBC Radio 5 live's Tom Clarkson visits the grave of Brazil's legendary F1 driver Ayrton Senna at the Morumbi Cemetery in Sao Paulo.

Just under half an hour to go. Here's how they stand:

1 Raikkonen; 2 Vettel; 3 Verstappen; 4 Ricciardo; 5 Hulkenberg; 6 Massa; 7 Perez; 8 Grosjean; 9 Bottas; 10 Magnussen.  

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Whatever was wrong with Alonso's car is fixed now and he's heading out.

As always we want you to get involved with our live page today. 

The retirement of Felipe Massa not only makes me feel old, but also very sad that his F1 career never delivered the title he came oh-so-close to winning in 2008. 

What it did deliver, however, was hugely impressive wins on home soil in 2006 and 2008, and yet again this weekend the Williams driver is shining at Interlagos. 

So today we want you to tell us your home race heroes. 

Which driver always excelled at his home event, or which individual performance by a driver on home turf really stands out for you?

#bbcf1 please.

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Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has announced via Instagram, external that he has decided to freeze his bulldog Roscoe's sperm.  

Read more in Gossip.

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We're starting to get some slightly more representative times now as the track dries. 

The Williams duo of Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas have had a stint at the top, and now we have the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen top of the pile. 

The Finn has done a 1:12.530. Nico Hulkenberg's Force India has just slotted into second place. 

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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Sao Paulo

Fernando Alonso’s Friday had echoes of 12 months ago, when he famously spent most of second practice watching from a deckchair after an engine problem and sparked an internet sensation. This year has been much better for McLaren-Honda but the car broke down early in second practice and Alonso was stranded on the outside of Turn Three, without a motorbike marshal to take him back to the pits. He provided more comedy when, after watching for a while, he played keepy-uppie with a stone and then was given a chair by a cameraman who asked him to try to follow a car - which he did with minimal success. 

"Unfortunately we had a problem in practice today, but I tried to have a good sense of humour. They told me over the radio they would broadcast from that camera [Sergio] Perez arriving, so I tried to find Perez, but I found the sky and the asphalt instead.  I feel very bad about my poor performance with the camera.”

He also returned a recurring theme of his this year - the unspectacular nature in his view of current F1. “Fans want to see fast cars, something where you cannot close your mouth after you see the car passing.  I was 30 minutes outside the circuit and I was sleeping. Thankfully I found this chair and this camera. If not, it's impossible [to watch]. We should pay the people who are in the grandstands to watch the cars passing.”

We've just had one of the odder caution periods in sector one after an umbrella blew down from the stands and right onto the racing line in the Senna S.

A game track official has gathered the offending item up and we're running green again.

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Hamilton has indeed gone out on the slicks and done a lap. 

However, it was a pretty scruffy one - a 1:16.980 - and his Mercedes team tells him to can the experiment for now and return to the pits.

We've seen a picture of a relaxed Fernando Alonso in McLaren hospitality looking like he's not going anywhere. 

He had an ERS issue yesterday that forced him out (with memorable results, below), and according to our very own Tom Clarkson it seems a gearbox issue keeping him out of this session so far. 

Keep smiling, Fernando.

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Funny weather conditions out there. It's wet-ish, but the teams are not prepared to burn up intermediate tyres in this session as they may need them in qualifying and the race.

So we have the odd sight of drivers on full wets on a track that barely merits it. 

To add to the confusion, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has just been on the radio to tell his team that they should be on slick tyres.

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Read the background to this story here., external

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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Sao Paulo

Interlagos has not been a happy hunting ground for Lewis Hamilton, either since he joined Mercedes or generally. Although he won his first world title here in 2008, he said on Thursday that he viewed that as “a day to forget” because of the tension involved - and Mercedes executive director (technical) Paddy Lowe, with Hamilton and McLaren back then, told me on Friday he felt exactly the same way about it. Hamilton was taken out of the lead here in 2012 by Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg and in the last two years has been beaten by Nico Rosberg. But things are looking up so far this year.

“There is more to come, definitely,” Hamilton said. “First practice was good but then in second practice I didn't get the best out of the lap but I was still quickest so I’m quite excited there is more time available. In the previous years I always struggled with rear end and this weekend that doesn't seem to be the problem. I hope that continues but also I prepared a little bit differently this weekend and it seems to be working. there are still close competitors and I need to make sure I stay on top of my game.”

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Final practice is under way.

Wet tyres are in order.

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