SAO PAULO - Nico Rosberg finished ahead of his Mercedes teammate and title rival Lewis Hamilton in practice for the Brazilian Grand Prix on Friday. Tom LaGarde Jersey .Rosberg was fastest in both sessions, finishing with the best time of the day with a lap of 1 minute, 12.123 seconds at Interlagos. Hamilton was .0213 slower. Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari was third, about half a second behind Rosberg.The Mercedes drivers are the only two vying for the Formula One title. Hamilton leads Rosberg by 24 points with 75 available going into the last two races.The title will not be decided in Brazil as the season-ending race in Abu Dhabi will be worth double points. Hamilton can win his second world title with consecutive second-place finishes or a third in Brazil and a second in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 23.As they did for most of the season, the Mercedes drivers led throughout the practice sessions, which were run under dry conditions at Interlagos.It was a very normal day for us, Rosberg said. There was a lot of understeer early but after we solved the problem the car was very fast, as always. I liked the result.Hamilton doesnt think he needs to improve a lot to catch up with his teammate.I just need to put a lap together, he said.The newly-resurfaced track offered little grip compared to previous years and was especially slippery in the afternoon under warmer temperatures. Several drivers span and went off the track, including Hamilton a few times.The track is really difficult to drive in these temperatures, he said over the team radio.Both practices had to be briefly red flagged four times, including when Force Indias Spanish test driver Daniel Juncadella crashed into a tire barrier in the first session. He was not injured.There will be another practice on Saturday before qualifying.Fernando Alonso of Ferrari finished seventh but had his day cut short in the second session after his engine appeared to blow up. The Spaniard had to quickly get out of the car as flames appeared to spread. The incident caused one of the red flags.Raikkonen also went off the track several times in both sessions before managing to finish with the third-fastest time.Home crowd favourite Felipe Massa, a two-time winner in Brazil, finished sixth, one spot behind Williams teammate Valtteri Bottas.Red Bull, which has won four of the last five races in Brazil, struggled in the first session but picked up the pace in the second with Daniel Ricciardo finishing fourth. Sebastian Vettel, who at one point said there were some serious problems with his car, ended ninth.McLarens Jenson Button, still uncertain about his future in F1 next season, had mechanical problems and was the only driver without a timed lap in the first session. He was only 16th in the second.There will be only 18 cars again on the grid this weekend as Marussia and Caterham continue to deal with financial problems. Marussia was shut down on Friday and Caterham launched a crowdfunding project to ease its financial difficulties and return to the grid for the final grand prix.Hamilton is going for his sixth win in a row and 11th in the season, both of which would be a first for a British driver. Rosberg has four victories. Neither driver has won in Brazil.Mercedes has placed 1-2 in 10 of the 17 races this year, and clinched the constructors championship with three races to spare. It has 14 victories between the two drivers, one short of the season record shared by Ferrari and McLaren.The 4.3-kilometre counterclockwise (2.6 mile) Interlagos track has new runoff areas and a new pit entrance and pit exit, all added to improve safety.___Follow Tales Azzoni at http://twitter.com/tazzoni Seattle Supersonics Shirts . When the next inning rolled around Wednesday, though, Nationals manager Matt Williams sent Strasburg to the mound to face the top of the Dodgers order in what would become a 3-2 victory for Washington, the first time this season the No. Jim McIlvaine Jersey . City has reached new heights under manager Manuel Pellegrini as they transition from big spending/immediate impact to perennial contender. Yaya Toures seeming discontent Tuesday may complicate that, as does the little issue of Financial Fair Play. https://www.supersonicsjerseys.com/140s-alton-lister-jersey-supersonics.html . This week, topics cover the Blue Jays rotation, the futures John Gibbons and Alex Anthopoulos, protecting pitchers and a bonus question on his predictions for the MLB playoffs. OBERHAUSEN, Germany -- Wladimir Klitschko toyed with Alex Leapai and knocked him out in the fifth round to retain his four heavyweight belts on Saturday. Klitschko, taller with a longer reach, controlled the fight at will, scoring with left jabs and straight rights with hardly any opposition from the Samoan-born Australian. Leapai went down when he was hit with a left-right combination. He got up but Klitschko put him away for good with 58 seconds left in the fifth. "Glory to Ukraine," Klitschko said after his one-sided win. Klitschko recorded his 53rd KO in 62 wins, with three defeats. Leapai dropped to 30-5, with three draws. In his 25th world championship fight, Klitschko retained his WBA and IBF heavyweight belts, plus the minor WBO and IBO versions. Leapai, the first Australian challenger in 106 years, never had a chance. The only time he ever got close to the bigger Ukrainian was just before getting floored in the fifth. He took an eight count in the first round, although he claimed to have slipped. Leapais only chance was to try to get inside, buut Klitschko easily stopped him with his effective jab. Wally Walker Jersey. Leapai appeared to finally hit Klitschko in the fifth but the champion replied with a barrage and put the Australian down. Leapai got up but was clearly shaken, and Klitschko finished him off with a huge right to the jaw. "It wasnt easy, my head was in Ukraine and what is going on there. I hope there is no war and people dying. I am proud of my people," Klitschko said. Klitschkos elder brother, Vitali, who has retired from boxing to run for political office in Kyiv and who has been one of the leading opposition figures in Ukraine, was in Wladimirs corner as usual. Vitalis wife, Natalia, sang the Ukraine national anthem before the fight. "It was textbook fighting by Wladimir. He did not make a mistake," Vitali said. Leapai, a delivery truck driver, said it was time to "go back to the gym." "I tried to take the fight to him and it didnt work. I am all right, I was waiting for my opportunity but he is a champion and a great fighter," Leapai said. ' ' '