Kimi Antonelli set the fastest time of Friday at the F1 São Paulo Grand Prix, topping second practice at Interlagos for Mercedes with a lap of 1m10.763s.
The 20-year-old, who sealed the title in Mexico last weekend, was the only driver to break 1m11s. He finished 0.253s clear of McLaren's Lando Norris.
Close behind the champion
Red Bull's Max Verstappen was third in second practice, 0.259s off the pace, with George Russell fourth in the other Mercedes, 0.273s back.
Oscar Piastri was fifth for McLaren. The Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were sixth and seventh, 0.450s and 0.720s behind.
Rafael Câmara was 16th on his first Grand Prix weekend for Haas, where he has replaced Esteban Ocon. Nico Hülkenberg did not set a time, because Audi could not fix the problem that had stopped reserve driver Freddie Slater's car in first practice.
Norris quickest in the first hour
Norris topped first practice with a lap of 1m11.717s in a McLaren carrying the team's new upgrades. Antonelli was second, 0.082s behind, with Verstappen third and Hamilton fourth.
Cadillac test driver Colton Herta ran in the session and earned the final point he needed for an F1 superlicence, the licence a driver must hold to race in the championship.
What happens next
Russell will not start where he qualifies. He is taking a new engine this weekend and drops five places on Sunday's grid.
Third practice starts at 8:00pm India time on Saturday 7 November, and qualifying at 11:30pm, running past midnight. The 71-lap race starts at 10:30pm India time on Sunday 8 November.
Race it on Late Brake
Interlagos is one of the six real circuits in Late Brake, the free browser game. Before qualifying tonight, set a lap, then race your own ghost and follow the racing line through the Senna S to chase the gold medal time.
Sources: Autosport, The Race (second practice), The Race (first practice), Motorsport.com, Formula 1 race page