He was fastest for Mercedes in first practice, 0.367 seconds ahead of title rival Max Verstappen’s Red Bull. But the penalty is a blow to Hamilton’s hopes in the championship. Hamilton trails Verstappen by 19 points before this weekend’s Brazilian race, with a maximum of 107 available over the remaining four races. But after trailing Verstappen on his first lap on soft tyres, Hamilton edged ahead of the Red Bull on his second and then stretched further ahead on a third lap on the same set of tyres. Verstappen did only one flying lap on the soft tyres, so their times may not be directly comparable. Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez was third fastest, ahead of Hamilton’s Mercedes partner Valtteri Bottas.

Follow MotorMouth on social media:

• 
• 
• 
•