Lewis Hamilton suffers further Brazil misery as Max Verstappen tops final practice

Max Verstappen has ended the final practice session on top of the timesheet, besting newly crowned champion Kimi Antonelli to the top spot in Brazil.

The lap time was almost one second down on the fastest lap set by Antonelli at the end of FP2 on Friday.

While it marked a positive time for Verstappen, the four-time champion will be starting Sunday's grand prix from the back of the grid after taking on a new power unit.

Verstappen is one of several drivers who have a grid penalty confirmed due to engine component usage.

With Verstappen and Antonelli rounding out the top two, Lando Norris managed the third-fastest lap in the upgraded McLaren.

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George Russell was fourth for Mercedes, ahead of Charles Leclerc in the leading Ferrari.

Both drivers are among those who will take a grid drop for Sunday's race.

Oscar Piastri was sixth in the second McLaren car, ahead of Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson for Racing Bulls, who no doubt will be hoping to take advantage of the grid penalties for teh start of the race.

Isack Hadjar was ninth for Red Bull as he endured another challenging session, while Gabriel Bortoleto rounded out the top 10.

Lewis Hamilton was one of several drivers who entered the session with a confirmed grid penalty for a new engine, but things got even worse for him during FP3.

The new power unit began emitting a strange sound with roughly 25 minutes remaining, forcing Hamilton back to the pit lane where it began to smoke.

Hamilton jumped out of the car, and now many need a new engine change ahead of qualifying.

As a result, he was unable to complete a soft tyre run and finished the session in 12th place.

There were also problems for Lance Stroll, who, early on, was spotted jumping out of his car in the pit lane due to an ERS issue.

Both Hamilton and Stroll ended the session with seven laps each, putting them on the back foot ahead of qualifying.

Rafael Camara enjoyed an encouraging session as his fastest lap put him in 15th and ahead of his more experienced team-mate Oliver Bearman.

Qualifying will get underway at 15:00 local time!