Overview
- Max Verstappen topped FP3 on Saturday at Interlagos but Red Bull fitted a full new power unit that will send him to the back of the grid for Sunday’s race.
- Ferrari installed new internal combustion engines in Lewis Hamilton’s and Charles Leclerc’s cars, each taking 10‑place penalties, while George Russell takes a five‑place drop and Sergio Pérez will also start from the rear.
- Hamilton reported heavy engine braking and smoke from his SF‑26 during FP3, was brought into the garage, missed a soft‑tyre qualifying simulation and finished well short of a representative run.
- On‑track times were tightly packed with Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren separated by tenths of a second, and McLaren’s new upgrade showed encouraging signs in FP1 that the team is still evaluating.
- Teams carried out late overnight work to fix reliability issues, with Red Bull and Aston Martin using curfew exemptions, and race strategies now hinge on how repairs, tyre choices and a looming rain threat play out.