Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time in the first and only practice session for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix ahead of Friday afternoon's qualifying session.
The seven-time champion, who is facing a five-place grid penalty for Sunday's race, was 0.367s faster than his title rival Max Verstappen in second place.
The grid penalty will only apply to Sunday's race, so Hamilton will still be in contention for the three points on offer for victory in Saturday's sprint race if he qualifies well on Friday afternoon.
Red Bull appeared to shift focus to race pace at the end of the practice session, which may prove to be wise as each driver's setup will be locked in place from the start of Friday qualifying onward.