The opening Friday practice for the final race of the 2008 season, the Brazilian Grand Prix, would get underway with the track dry there was the normal installation lap from the drivers but it would be the BMW's who would return to the track to set the first timed laps. Heidfeld was out first followed by Kubica. As per usual both Ferrari's had yet to take to the track. Heidfeld would pit followed shortly after by Kubica. Neither had set a time. With fifteen minutes of the session complete there had being little activity. Nico was on the pit wall while Raikkonen was getting ready to go out. Kazuki was in his car while Piquet took to the track, joined by Bourdais.

Piquet would set a time of 1m:16.510. Bourdais was second with a 1m:16.992. On his next lap Piquet would improve with a 1m:15.064. Glock was now out on the track. Bourdais would also improve with a 1m:15.735. Vettel would join team-mate Bourdais out on the track. Piquet was again faster with a 1m:14.458. This would drop to a 1m:14.296. Bourdais had also lowered his time with a 1m:14.347. Nico was now in his car as Kazuki took to the track. Glock was third with a 1m:15.904 but Vettel would move past him with a 1m:15.784. On his next lap Glock was down to a 1m:14.707. Piquet had pitted. Nico was also out on the track. Glock was now fastest with a 1m:14.270. Vettel had improved with a 1m:14.662.

Kazuki's first lap was a 1m:16.246, to see him fifth. Bourdais was now fastest with a 1m:13.839. Nico's first lap time was a 1m:15.100. Vettel was now second with a 1m:14.103. Trulli was also out moving ahead of Nico with a 1m:14.688. Nico would improve to see him third with a 1m:14.213. Button would join team-mate Barrichello out on the track. Kazuki would improve with a 1m:14.812 but was down in seventh. Bourdais would pit so with fifty five minutes remaining it was Bourdais from Vettel, Nico, Glock, Piquet, Trulli, Kazuki, and Barrichello. Both Vettel and Nico had improved their lap times with 1m:13.885 and 1m:14.112 respectively. Both McLaren's were now on the circuit.

Barrichello was now in sixth, ahead of Kazuki. Raikkonen would leave the pit lane. Vettel, Barrichello, and Trulli had all pitted. Glock was now second with a 1m:13.867. Kazuki would pit joined by Nico shortly after. Glock was now fastest with a 1m:13.466. Heidfeld was fifth followed by Button, Hamilton, and Kovalainen. Both Red Bull cars were out on the track. Kovalainen was now fastest with a 1m:13.194. Heidfeld was now in third, 1m:13.790. Nico was now sixth while Kazuki had dropped to twelfth. Massa was out on the track for the first time while Webber moved into tenth, 1m:14.202. Hamilton would move ahead of his team-mate with a 1m:12.731. There was some very light spots of rain falling as Massa moved into fourth with a 1m:13.764. Button was now sixth while Webber had moved into fourth, 1m:13.618. Massa was now second, 1m:12.688. Hamilton had improved with a 1m:12.495.

Heidfeld was up to fifth, 1m:13.426. Kubica was out on the track while both Force India cars remained in their pits. Both Nico and Kazuki were back out while Hamilton had pitted. Nico was now twelfth and Kazuki fourteenth. Kubica was now twelfth, 1m:13.941. Nico was down to a 1m:13.982 but was some 1.4 seconds off the pace of Hamilton. Massa had improved his time with a 1m:12.557. Kubica was now third with a 1m:12.874. Nico and Kazuki had dropped to fifteenth and sixteenth as the spots of rain continued to fall. Massa would pit after running wide while Nico would also leave the track running wide but was able to continue. Both Force India cars were on the circuit. Nico would pit with just under forty minutes left in the session.

The harder tyre was certainly the preferred tyre at this stage of the session. So Hamilton was leading from Massa, Kubica, Kovalainen, Webber, Heidfeld, Alonso, Glock, Piquet, and Barrichello in tenth. Alonso would move up the order to be seventh, 1m:13.443. Raikkonen had yet to set a time. Kazuki would pit with Nico and himself in sixteenth and seventeenth. Hamilton was back out. Alonso would also run wide but was able to continue. Kovalainen and Webber were back out while Raikkonen still stayed in his pit having completed just two laps. Both Massa and Kubica would also leave the pit lane with just over thirty minutes left. Alonso would pit. After a short run Hamilton would pit. Raikkonen would leave the pits.

Raikkonen's first time would see him in tenth, 1m:13.557. Massa would improve with a 1m:12.542 to be just 0.047 behind Hamilton. Nico was back out being told that there was time to be made in Turn eight. Raikkonen would spin in the exit to the Senna S corner as the rain started to fall heavier. Raikkonen was able to get away and continue in the session. The top six had all pitted as Kazuki joined Nico out on the track. The Renault team warned their drivers of the rain. Raikkonen was now fifth, 1m:13.006, while Alonso improved to be sixth, 1m:13.061. On his next lap Kimi was able to move into second with a 1m:12.529. Nico would pit remaining in seventeenth. Kazuki was eighteenth. Raikkonen would pit. There was now just a handful of drivers on the track. Kazuki would pit while Hamilton would rejoin the circuit.

With ten minutes left the order was Hamilton from Raikkonen, Massa, Kubica, Kovalainen, Alonso, Webber, Heidfeld, Piquet and Glock in tenth. Massa would improve to move into second with a 1m:12.509. Nico was back out while Massa improved and was able to move ahead of Hamilton with a 1m:12.305. With
seven minutes left Raikkonen was back out along with Kovalainen, Alonso, and Webber. Kazuki had also left the pits. Massa would pit making it just four cars in the pit lane as the rest of the field made their final runs. Hamilton would also pit while Nico would improve to now be in eleventh, 1m:13.621. Kazuki was down in eighteenth and over two seconds slower than Massa as everyone was out on the track except Button. Nico would pit just prior to the end of the session while Kazuki was able to move up to sixteenth, 1m:13.806. Nico had dropped to twelfth with the end of the session.

So it would be Massa leading Hamilton, Raikkonen, Kubica, Kovalainen, Alonso, Webber, Piquet, Heidfeld, and Glock. Raikkonen had improved his time, 1m:12.507, but remained third. For the Williams team this Friday practice session seemed to follow the pattern of others in previous races with both drivers a considerable margin of the pace of the quickest times, but it is early days.

Pos  Driver        Team                      Time     Laps
 1.  Massa        Ferrari               (B)  1:12.305  24
 2.  Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  1:12.495  23
 3.  Raikkonen    Ferrari               (B)  1:12.507  18
 4.  Kubica       BMW Sauber            (B)  1:12.874  24
 5.  Kovalainen   McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  1:12.925  20
 6.  Alonso       Renault               (B)  1:13.061  25
 7.  Webber       Red Bull-Renault      (B)  1:13.298  24
 8.  Piquet       Renault               (B)  1:13.378  39
 9.  Heidfeld     BMW Sauber            (B)  1:13.426  28
10.  Glock        Toyota                (B)  1:13.466  33
11.  Trulli       Toyota                (B)  1:13.600  24
12.  Rosberg      AT&T Williams-Toyota  (B)  1:13.621  23
13.  Bourdais     Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  1:13.649  30
14.  Barrichello  Honda                 (B)  1:13.676  28
15.  Button       Honda                 (B)  1:13.766  13
16.  Nakajima     AT&T Williams-Toyota  (B)  1:13.806  24
17.  Vettel       Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  1:13.836  30
18.  Coulthard    Red Bull-Renault      (B)  1:13.861  19
19.  Sutil        Force India-Ferrari   (B)  1:14.704  21
20.  Fisichella   Force India-Ferrari   (B)  1:14.821  21