Lewis Hamilton will take a five-place grid penalty for Sunday's Sao Paulo Grand Prix, which is another blow to the Briton's hopes of winning a record eighth Formula One world championship this season. 

The Mercedes driver lapped fastest for Mercedes in practice on Friday, 19 points adrift of Red Bull's Max Verstappen. 

Formula One's governing body confirmed on Friday that Hamilton had taken a new engine, his fifth of the 22-race campaign. 

Drivers have three engines to last the season, with any more triggering a penalty of 10 places for the first time the limit is exceeded and then five places for subsequent engines. 

Hamilton collected a 10-place grid penalty after taking his fourth engine in Turkey in October and started Friday practice at Interlagos with his fifth. 

Red Bull are favorites to win at Interlagos, with Dutch 24-year-old Verstappen chasing his third win in a row and 10th of the season. He won the last pre-pandemic race at the Sao Paulo circuit in 2019. 

Verstappen started the Russian Grand Prix in September from the back of the grid, finishing second, due to power unit penalties. 

Team boss Christian Horner saw no need for Red Bull, who are only a point behind Mercedes in the constructors' championship, to take any further engine penalties with four races remaining. 

"We're just focused on ourselves and do the best job we can. All things being normal, we expect to get to the end of the year with the combustion engines that we have," Horner said. 

The Dutchman has dominated the last two races in Texas and Mexico while Hamilton has struggled, winning only once in eight races since the British Grand Prix in July. 

The Brazilian race is the second in a triple-header of contests on three continents with races in Mexico City, Sao Paulo and Qatar. 

(With input from agencies)