Lewis Hamilton has thrown down the gauntlet to his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg after topping the timesheet in the first practice session of the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The three-time world champion faces an uphill battle to retain the Formula 1 title as he currently sits 19 points adrift of Rosberg in the driver rankings with two races left on the calendar.

Even if Hamilton wins in Brazil and Abu Dhabi, Rosberg will take the crown - his first ever world title - if he secures second and third-placed finishes.

Today, though, Hamilton showed his intent by clocking the fastest lap in Sao Paulo, while Rosberg was third-quickest behind Max Verstappen of Red Bull.

Verstappen's teammate Daniel Ricciardo recorded the fourth best lap of the session, but Ferrari pair Sebastian Vettel, who took a spin on Turn 11, and Kimi Raikkonen were lower in the field as they finished ninth and 10th quickest respectively.

First practice standings:

1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
3. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
4. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
5. Valtteri Bottas (Williams)
6. Sergio Perez (Force India)
7. Nico Hulkenberg (Force India)
8. Felipe Massa (Williams)
9. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
10. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
11. Carlos Sainz Jr (Toro Rosso)
12. Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso)
13. Jenson Button (McLaren)
14. Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
15. Romain Grosjean (Haas)
16. Felipe Nasr (Sauber)
17. Marcus Ericsson (Sauber)
18. Esteban Ocon (Manor)
19. Jolyon Palmer (Renault)
20. Pascal Wehrlein (Manor)
21. Charles Leclerc (Haas)
22. Sergey Sirotkin (Renault)