Practice Three: Title rivals at the front

Formula One's title contenders came to the fore in Saturday's final practice with Sebastian Vettel ahead of his three rivals

The German driver, who is third in the standings, 15 points off the pace, was the man to beat in Abu Dhabi, clocking a 1:40.696 to edge his team-mate Mark Webber by 0.133s.

Lewis Hamilton was third ahead of Championship leader Fernando Alonso.

Jenson Button was best of the rest behind the Championship four, pipping Renault's Vitaly Petrov and Michael Schumacher. Nico Rosberg completed the top eight in a session that saw no major dramas unfold.

Report: Saturday afternoon's final practice got underway on a dry Yas Marina circuit, with the track temperature was a sweltering 43'C as Jarno Trulli leading out the field for their installation laps. With the system checks over the drivers headed back into the pits for last minute instructions before the serious work began.

Lucas di Grassi broke the silence, crossing the line with a 1:48.532. The Virgin driver lowered the benchmark time as Trulli and Timo Glock joined the action. Jaime Alguersuari put his Toro Rosso into the P1 slot with a 1:44.339, topping Nick Heidfeld and Sebastien Buemi.

Robert Kubica was the next up into the P1 slot before losing out to Michael Schumacher by 0.097s. Fernando Alonso took third place before he was pipped by Vitaly Petrov. Jenson Button slotted into fifth place ahead of Nico Hulkenberg, Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel.

Alonso overhauled the pack, taking the P1 slot with a 1:42.291. His reign was short-lived as Vettel went quickest with Nico Rosberg moving up to second place. Lewis Hamilton joined the action, up to second place, 0.366s off the pace. Mark Webber went fifth quickest and on his next lap took the P1 slot off his team-mate by 0.007s. Vettel responded with a fastest lap time of his own.

Alonso, having dropped to P9 during his time in the pits, ventured out on the softer option tyres, taking fourth place, 0.5s off the pace, on his first timed lap. His team-mate Massa went P7. The Red Bulls, first and second, were the next to try the soft option tyres. Vettel was unable to better his time, Alonso climbed to second place, Vettel did better his time and Webber climbed to second place, 0.011s behind his team-mate.

The session with Red Bull holding onto the 1-2, Vettel ahead of Webber, Hamilton was up to third place, 0.342s off the pace, while Alonso was fourth. Button was fifth quickest.

Times
01. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m40.696s 18 laps
02. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m40.829s + 0.133s 15 laps
03. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m41.280s + 0.584s 13 laps
04. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m41.490s + 0.794s 14 laps
05. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m41.578s + 0.882s 17 laps
06. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m41.689s + 0.993s 17 laps
07. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m41.690s + 0.994s 18 laps
08. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m41.729s + 1.033s 17 laps
09. Robert Kubica Renault 1m41.877s + 1.181s 18 laps
10. Nick Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1m41.893s + 1.197s 20 laps
11. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m41.934s + 1.238s 18 laps
12. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m41.978s + 1.282s 14 laps
13. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m42.316s + 1.620s 15 laps
14. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m42.566s + 1.870s 16 laps
15. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m42.587s + 1.891s 18 laps
16. Tonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m42.858s + 2.162s 14 laps
17. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m42.993s + 2.297s 20 laps
18. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m43.344s + 2.648s 18 laps
19. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1m44.876s + 4.180s 15 laps
20. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m45.048s + 4.352s 23 laps
21. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m45.050s + 4.354s 20 laps
22. Bruno Senna Hispania-Cosworth 1m45.490s + 4.794s 16 laps
23. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1m45.629s + 4.933s 22 laps
24. Christian Klien Hispania-Cosworth 1m46.464s + 5.768s 17 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Practice Three: Kubica tops a wet session

Red Bull's rivals were relishing the rain in Sao Paulo on Saturday morning, although no one more than Renault's Robert Kubica

The Polish driver defied the odds to take the P1 slot in the Brazilian GP weekend's final practice session with a 1:19.191, beating Sebastian Vettel by 0.309s.

Next in line in the wet practice was Lewis Hamilton, who had already stated on Friday that he expected McLaren would do well on a wet Interlagos circuit.

Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso were fourth and fifth, finishing ahead of Vitaly Petrov and Sebastien Buemi. Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button were the final two drivers to get within a second of Kubica's P1 time.

As for Mark Webber, the Aussie, who is second in the Drivers' Championship, could only manage the 11th best time in the rain.

Report: The third and final practice session for the Brazilian GP got underway under laden skies and on a rather wet Interlagos circuit with light rain falling. Heikki Kovalainen led the field out for the wet installation laps with plumes of spray trailing behind his Lotus. With all 24 drivers having ventured out for a lap or two, silence decended as they waited for the track conditions to improve at least a little bit.

With the rain easing up, Timo Glock put in the morning's first lap time, a 1:24.642 for the Virgin Racing driver. Nick Heidfeld was next into the P1 slot, followed by Sebastien Buemi, Vitaly Petrov and Nico Hulkenberg with the latter dropping the P1 time to a 1:21.277.

Jenson Button climbed to second place behind Hulkenberg, who was down to a 1:20.535. However, the reigning World Champ soon lost the position to Lewis Hamilton, who in turn lost out to Mark Webber. Sebastian Vettel claimed fifth place ahead of Michael Schumacher, Petrov and Rubens Barrichello.

But it was all chance as Fernando Alonso put his Ferrari up into the P1 slot, improving from 16th place. It was a 1:20.200 for the Championship leader. Webber followed him up the order, second quickest, 0.137s off the pace. Alonso continued lapping, lowering the benchmark while Hamilton took second place ahead of Webber and Nico Rosberg.

Felipe Massa took over from his team-mate at the top, a 1:19.735 for the Brazilian. Vettel climbed to fourth ahead of Sebastien Buemi, who was having a fantastic run on the wet track. Vettel moved up to the top of the timesheets, 0,235s up on Massa.

With the track drying out, there was plenty of action in the final few minutes with the drivers pushing hard, resulting in a few slides and a few off-track moments. Hamilton moved up to second place, 0.036s behind Vettel. However, it was Kubica who overhauled the Red Bull driver, posting a 1:19.191 to finish the session fastest of all.

Times
01. Kubica Renault 1:19.191 16 laps
02. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:19.500 + 0.309 16 laps
03. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:19.536 + 0.345 18 laps
04. Massa Ferrari 1:19.735 + 0.544 9 laps
05. Alonso Ferrari 1:19.791 + 0.600 9 laps
06. Petrov Renault 1:19.887 + 0.696 22 laps
07. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:20.009 + 0.818 24 laps
08. Rosberg Mercedes 1:20.056 + 0.865 13 laps
09. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:20.164 + 0.973 24 laps
10. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:20.320 + 1.129 13 laps
11. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:20.337 + 1.146 6 laps
12. Schumacher Mercedes 1:20.421 + 1.230 18 laps
13. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:20.452 + 1.261 21 laps
14. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:20.535 + 1.344 12 laps
15. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:20.541 + 1.350 26 laps
16. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:20.546 + 1.355 19 laps
17. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:20.613 + 1.422 19 laps
18. Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1:20.985 + 1.794 25 laps
19. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:22.326 + 3.135 17 laps
20. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:22.449 + 3.258 26 laps
21. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:22.874 + 3.683 20 laps
22. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:23.194 + 4.003 21 laps
23. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:23.358 + 4.167 20 laps
24. Klien HRT-Cosworth 1:23.650 + 4.459 19 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Practice Three: Vettel sets a storming pace

Sebastian Vettel was again the man to beat in practice in Singapore, although a late yellow flag prevented his rivals from launching an attack

The Red Bull racer, who was quickest on Friday night, clocked a 1:48.028 to finish 0.622s ahead of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

However, both Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber were on flying laps when the yellow flags were waved, forcing them to back off, finishing P3 and P6 respectively.

As for the other title contender, Jenson Button, he could only manage the 13th best time, over two seconds off the pace.

Report: Just as with Friday's first session, Practice Three began on a mostly dry track, however, there were still several wet areas left over from the earlier rain. That prompted a mix of slick and intermediate tyres as the drivers ventured out for their installation laps with Vitaly Petrov at the front of the train. With the track not wet enough for inters and not dry enough for slicks, a period of silence descended before Lucas di Grassi finally broke it, crossing the line with a 2:00.831 before taking four seconds off his time on the following lap. Jaime Alguersuari joined the action, immediately quicker than the Virgin Racing driver while Petrov went third and Jarno Trulli fourth.

With more drivers venturing out the lap times tumbled while the timesheets were ever-changing. Robert Kubica was the next to lead the way, followed by Alguersuari, Sebastien Buemi, Kubica, Nico Hulkenberg and Kubica again with a 1:50.428. Michael Schumacher took second place behind the Renault driver before losing out to Nico Rosberg.

Halfway through the session, the only drivers not to have set times were Mark Webber, Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel. Their title rivals, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, were P10 and P14 respectively.

Schumacher hit the front with a 1:50.144 while Button claimed third place on his first attempt moments before his team-mate Hamilton went quickest. Bruno Senna lost the back end of his Hispania at the approach to Turn 10. Hulkenberg took over from Hamilton but his reign was short-lived as the McLaren driver came back with a 1:49.000. Webber went second with Vettel P4.

Alonso took the P1 slot off Hamilton with a 1:48.909 before he was pipped by Vettel. A few minutes later, Alonso was almost collected by Kubica as the Renault driver attempted to keep his car away from the wet stuff. With the clock running down, four of the five Championship contenders were in the top five on the timesheets. The only one not was Button down in 12th place.

The final few minutes saw the usual switch to the option tyres, the super-soft rubber. Vettel improved his P1 time to a 1:48.028, Alonso closed the gap to the Red Bull driver but only marginally, Massa took fourth place and Senna stopped out on track, which brought the yellow flags preventing Webber and Hamilton from finishing their flying laps.

Times
01. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m48.028s 15 laps
02. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m48.650s + 0.622s 16 laps
03. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m49.000s + 0.972s 12 laps
04. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m49.023s + 0.995s 18 laps
05. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m49.056s + 1.028s 17 laps
06. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m49.212s + 1.184s 13 laps
07. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m49.304s + 1.276s 17 laps
08. Robert Kubica Renault 1m49.520s + 1.492s 16 laps
09. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m49.916s + 1.888s 15 laps
10. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m49.949s + 1.921s 16 laps
11. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m50.040s + 2.012s 15 laps
12. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m50.053s + 2.025s 16 laps
13. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m50.060s + 2.032s 12 laps
14. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m50.067s + 2.039s 16 laps
15. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m50.067s + 2.039s 14 laps
16. Tonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m50.868s + 2.840s 16 laps
17. Nick Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1m51.016s + 2.988s 15 laps
18. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m51.027s + 2.999s 17 laps
19. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m52.340s + 4.312s 14 laps
20. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1m53.146s + 5.118s 15 laps
21. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1m53.297s + 5.269s 15 laps
22. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m53.681s + 5.653s 17 laps
23. Christian Klien Hispania-Cosworth 1m54.826s + 6.798s 16 laps
24. Bruno Senna Hispania-Cosworth 1m55.367s + 7.339s 16 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Prac Three: Low-downforce Hamilton leads

Lewis Hamilton set the pace in the final practice session at Monza, putting his low-downforce package to good use

Practice Three for the Italian Grand Prix quickly proved to be a battle of the McLarens in an interesting tussle between Hamilton's low-downforce package and Jenson Button's f-duct with the two trading blows as the Red Bulls and Ferraris also got involved in the fight.

In the end, though, it was Hamilton who emerged quickest of all, beating the late-charging Sebastian Vettel by 0.047s. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa were next in line, ahead of Button and Nico Rosberg.

And the great news ahead of qualifying: the top six were separated by less than half a second.

Report: Sunshine, blue sky, a track temperature of 17'C and a large crowd awaited the drivers for the start of the final practice session for the Italian GP. McLaren have opted for two different strategies this morning with Lewis Hamilton running the low-downforce package and Jenson Button the f-duct car. As soon as the track was green-lighted, the drivers headed out for their installation laps with both Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber running the flow-visibility paint to test the new parts on their RB6's rear wings.

Glock posted the first time of the morning, a 1:29.334 but was easily beaten by Michael Schumacher, despite the German locking up through the chicane. Robert Kubica was the next to lead the way before he was overhauled by both McLarens with first Button and then Hamilton going quickest. Hamilton clocked a 1:24.100.

Hamilton's reign was short-lived as Button again went fastest only to lose out to his team-mate again. And again by eight-tenths of a second. Button, though, came back at Hamilton, fastest through the first two seconds as he closed the gap to just 0.036s to his team-mate.

Meanwhile, in the Merc GP garage, the team were altering the weight distribution for Schumacher, moving weight forward in the car. The seven-time World Champ had dropped to 12th place at the halfway stage of the session while his team-mate Nico Rosberg was P15.

Vettel took the fight to McLaren, moving up into third place, 0.256s adrift of Hamilton. His team-mate Webber improved to fourth, a further 0.4s off the pace. Nico Hulkenberg was fifth, followed by Kubica, Sebastien Buemi and Rubens Barrichello. Vettel and Webber continued lapping, taking second and third places ahead of Button. Fernando Alonso climbed to fifth place with Felipe Massa taking sixth, both just over half a second slower than Hamilton. Massa, though, hit the gravel at the second Lesmo on his next lap before heading back to the pits.

Alonso continued his run, moving up to third place behind Hamilton and Vettel while Schumacher ventured out for a short run before pitting again without improving on his 14th place. Button overhauled Hamilton at the top with a 1:22.858. Massa took second place. Problems for Webber as he stopped at the exit of the first chicane as it appeared as if his engine just shut down on him. Jaime Alguersuari joined the list of those experiencing the Italian gravel as he ran wide at the second Lesmo.

Vettel climbed to second place behind Button as Schumacher, using the softer option tyres, could only improve to 12th, 1.074s off the pace. Button, also on the softer tyres, lowered the benchmark time to a 1:22.768 but was beaten by Alonso, who went 0.112s quicker. Alonso went slightly quicker on his next lap as did Button, however, it was Hamilton who went quickest of all with a 1:22.498. Massa slotted into third place and Rosberg to sixth.

The session ended with Hamilton and his low-downforce package in the P1 slot with a 1:22.498 while Sebastian Vettel was next in line, followed by Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa and Button and his f-duct.

Times
01. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:22.498 19 laps
02. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:22.545 + 0.047 21 laps
03. Alonso Ferrari 1:22.644 + 0.146 15 laps
04. Massa Ferrari 1:22.648 + 0.150 16 laps
05. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:22.724 + 0.226 19 laps
06. Rosberg Mercedes 1:22.946 + 0.448 17 laps
07. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:23.082 + 0.584 9 laps
08. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:23.129 + 0.631 18 laps
09. Kubica Renault 1:23.209 + 0.711 20 laps
10. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:23.303 + 0.805 19 laps
11. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:23.450 + 0.952 19 laps
12. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:23.673 + 1.175 20 laps
13. Schumacher Mercedes 1:23.896 + 1.398 21 laps
14. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:23.908 + 1.410 24 laps
15. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:23.909 + 1.411 17 laps
16. Petrov Renault 1:23.967 + 1.469 19 laps
17. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:24.191 + 1.693 19 laps
18. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:24.439 + 1.941 15 laps
19. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:25.788 + 3.290 14 laps
20. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:25.925 + 3.427 16 laps
21. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:26.434 + 3.936 18 laps
22. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:26.682 + 4.184 19 laps
23. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:27.471 + 4.973 18 laps
24. Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth 1:28.730 + 6.232 14 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Prac Three: Another Red Bull show

Red Bull may have downplayed their pace on Friday afternoon but that didn't stop Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel from dominating Saturday's final practice.

Webber, who lost out to his team-mate on Friday in Hungary, posted a 1:19.574 to lead the way while Vettel was almost half a second off his team-mate's pace.

Once again it was Fernando Alonso who came the closest to challenging the Red Bull duo, however, the Ferrari driver was over a second slower than Vettel.
Robert Kubica, Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton were next in line on a sunny Saturday morning in Budapest.

Report: Despite the overnight rain, the Hungaroring was bone dry for the start of the weekend's final practice session - although there was plenty of cement dust down to absorb the oil dropped during the earlier Formula BMW race. It took over 15 minutes before the first lap time was set as Lucas di Grassi crossed the line with a 1:29.866. Lotus drivers Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli lined up behind him with Sakon Yamamoto in fourth place.

Jaime Alguersuari was the next to lead the way with a 1:25.343. However, he was pipped by Nico Hulkenberg as the green track, coupled with cement dust, sent a few drivers sliding wide off the track, although with no major consequences at all. Mark Webber slotted into second place behind Hulkenberg.

Sebastian Vettel took control at the top of the timesheets with a full house of purple sectors, which saw him post a 1:21.954. His reign, though, was short-lived as his team-mate overhauled him by 0.320s. Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa were both stuck in their respective garages as the session reached the halfway point.

Webber improved the benchmark time to a 1:21.087 while Lewis Hamilton climbed to third place, although a full second down on the Aussie's best time. Michael Schumacher took ninth place with Robert Kubica slotting into P10. Vettel took the P1 slot off his team=mate, a 1:20.966 for the German racer as Alonso finally completed his first lap time, moving up to third place behind the Red Bulls.

Another flier from vettel lowered the benchmark to a 1:20.261 while Nico Rosberg was the next to take the fight to the Bulls with Pedro de la Rosa moving up into fourth place and Felipe Massa fifth, ahead of Alonso. Hamilton again climbed the order, third best time for the McLaren driver and a much-improved performance compared to Friday's practice sessions.

Vitaly Petrov had a massive moment at Turn 12 and barely managed to keep his Renault away from the barriers. Bruno Senna spun his HRT at the penultimate corner as he struggled for grip on old tyres. Alonso moved back up into third place with Button taking fourth behind him.

Webber returned to the action with a deficit of eight-tenths to his team-mate. However, he dropped that to just 0.066s. Kubica was another to improve, moving up to fifth place.
Meanwhile, Webber put in a blistering 1:19.940 to overhaul Vettel at the top of the timesheets.

The final few minutes saw the drivers switch to the softer option tyres as they tried their hands at qualifying runs. Button improved to fourth place but lost it to Petrov and then Hamilton. Rosberg took sixth place before being dropped as Kubica went fourth, Vettel caught a handful of traffic. He went on to improve his time but Webber did the same, ensuring he finished the session fastest of all.

Times:

01. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m19.574s 17 laps
02. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m20.058s + 0.484s 15 laps
03. Alonso Ferrari 1m20.724s + 1.150s 19 laps
04. Kubica Renault 1m21.066s + 1.492s 19 laps
05. Massa Ferrari 1m21.264s + 1.690s 16 laps
06. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m21.376s + 1.802s 17 laps
07. Petrov Renault 1m21.399s + 1.825s 15 laps
08. Rosberg Mercedes 1m21.422s + 1.848s 18 laps
09. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m21.473s + 1.899s 18 laps
10. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m21.513s + 1.939s 18 laps
11. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m21.705s + 2.131s 19 laps
12. Schumacher Mercedes 1m21.939s + 2.365s 15 laps
13. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1m22.151s + 2.577s 21 laps
14. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m22.337s + 2.763s 20 laps
15. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m22.427s + 2.853s 19 laps
16. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m22.508s + 2.934s 22 laps
17. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m22.918s + 3.344s 14 laps
18. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m23.708s + 4.134s 8 laps
19. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1m24.547s + 4.973s 19 laps
20. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m24.576s + 5.002s 22 laps
21. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1m24.623s + 5.049s 22 laps
22. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m24.805s + 5.231s 17 laps
23. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1m26.479s + 6.905s 21 laps
24. Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth 1m27.176s + 7.602s 21 laps

Source: Planet-f1

Prac Three: Vettel takes top honours

Sebastian Vettel put in a late effort to set the pace on a drying track in the final practice session for his home race, the German GP

Although the session started slowly due to early rain and a damp track, the final 20 minutes in the dry saw an interesting battle explode between the Red Bulls, Ferraris and McLarens.

Mark Webber, Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton traded fastest lap for fastest lap as they made the most of conditions while Michael Schumacher was up there but not quite.

However, the final few minutes saw Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso join the mix, with the German having the final say as he clocked a 1:15.103. Alonso was second ahead of Webber, Massa, Nico Rosberg, Hamilton, Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello.

Report: As the lights went green to signal the start of the weekend's final practice session, the rain returned to the Hockenheim circuit. Red Bull informed Sebastian Vettel that it should last no more than a few minutes as others ventured out for their installation laps, taking a cautious approach due to the slippery track - although that still did not stop Adrian Sutil from running wide as he entered the stadium section.

Lucas di Grassi put in the first timed lap of the morning on a track that was partly wet and party dry. A 1:37.406 for the Virgin Racing driver. His time was easily beaten by Sebastian Vettel, who went more than seven seconds quicker. The duo continued lapping, shaving seconds off their time. Nico Hulkenberg took second place and Timo Glock third.

Nico Rosberg had his first off-track moment of the session while Sutil ran into problems, informing his team that he has a clutch problem as he crawled his way around the track, attempting to make his way back to his Force India garage. Vettel improved to a 1:24.988. The two Saubers took the challenge to Vettel with Pedro de la Rosa taking second ahead of Kamui Kobayashi. However, both were more than three seconds off Vettel's P1 time.

Kobayashi improved to within a second of Vettel's time as Michael Schumacher locked up, running off the track and thankfully not getting clipped by his team-mate in the process. Rubens Barrichello moved up to fourth place ahead of Tonio Liuzzi, Fernando Alonso, Hulkenberg and Schumacher.

Felipe Masa was the next to lead the way, clocking a 1:24.542 while minutes later Robert Kubica put his Renault up into third place. However, with 25 minutes left on the clock, ten drivers had still to set times, opting to wait until their drivers had established a more pronounced dry line around the track.

Jenson Button finally ventured out and ran wide at Turn Six but he still managed to take fourth place, 1.166s off Massa's P1 time. Sebastien Buemi also made his mark, going seventh quickest. The Toro Rosso driver continued lapping, taking the P1 slot with a 1:21.369 before losing out to his team-mate, Jaime Alguersuari.

With 15 minutes remaining, Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton put in their first timed laps. Webber claimed fourth place while Hamilton went P6. Webber continued lapping, climbing to the top of the pile with a 1:20.360. Massa improved to fourth place but dropped one as Hamilton took the position off him. Button climbed to seventh.

Massa was the next to take the P1 slot but soon lost out to Webber who in turn lost out to Button. Schumacher took third place as the ever-drying track saw lap times tumble. Massa went quickest again only to lose out to Hamilton. Schumacher improved to second. Another quick lap and another P1 for Massa.

Alonso took over his team-mate at the front before he was overhauled by Webber, who then lost out to Vettel. Hamilton climbed to second place, slotting in between the two Bulls while Schumacher took fourth behind them. Alonso returned to the P1 slot, 0.049s up on Webber, however, it was his team-mate who had the final stay, Vettel taking the P1 slot with a 1:15.103. Alonso claimed second ahead of Webber and Massa.

Times:

01. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:15.103 18 laps
02. Alonso Ferrari 1:15.387 + 0.284 21 laps
03. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:15.708 + 0.605 16 laps
04. Massa Ferrari 1:15.854 + 0.751 20 laps
05. Rosberg Mercedes 1:16.046 + 0.943 20 laps
06. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:16.207 + 1.104 13 laps
07. Schumacher Mercedes 1:16.473 + 1.370 16 laps
08. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:16.481 + 1.378 23 laps
09. Kubica Renault 1:16.646 + 1.543 20 laps
10. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:16.743 + 1.640 17 laps
11. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:16.882 + 1.779 19 laps
12. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:16.990 + 1.887 21 laps
13. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:17.037 + 1.934 15 laps
14. Petrov Renault 1:17.148 + 2.045 20 laps
15. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:17.220 + 2.117 19 laps
16. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:17.341 + 2.238 21 laps
17. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:17.538 + 2.435 22 laps
18. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:19.193 + 4.090 11 laps
19. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:19.607 + 4.504 10 laps
20. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:20.533 + 5.430 9 laps
21. Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth 1:21.538 + 6.435 14 laps
22. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:23.444 + 8.341 10 laps
23. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:23.873 + 8.770 7 laps
24. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 2 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Prac Three: Red Bull 1-2 in Britain

Red Bull Racing are proving to be the team to beat at Silverstone as Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber set the pace in the final practice

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso dominated the proceedings for much of the session as the Spaniard put in fastest sector after fastest sector. However, he eventually lost out to Vettel and Webber, who both dropped below the 1:31 barrier.

The Bulls, though, were by no means in a class of their own as the two five, including Nico Rosberg in fourth and Felipe Massa in fifth place, were separated by less than 0.3s.

Report: The track temperature was sitting at 26'C and the sun was shining as the final practice session for the British GP got underway. However, gusty cross winds could cause a bit of havoc for the drivers, who immediately went out for their installation laps. McLaren are running without their blown diffuser exhaust today while Ferrari confirm that 'both cars are fitted with the blown rear wing after the back-to-back test we carried out yesterday in FP1 and FP2.'

Jarno Trulli, who missed the bulk of Friday afternoon's session, posted the first time of the morning, a 1:37.000. He was overhauled by his Lotus team-mate Heikki Kovalainen and then Jaime Alguersuari. Rubens Barrichello was the next to lead the way before he was dropped by Vitaly Petrov. Nico Hulkenberg claimed third ahead of Lewis Hamilton, Kamui Kobayashi and Michael Schumacher.

Robert Kubica took the P1 slot from his team-mate with a 1:32.064. However, he was soon dropped as Barrichello returned to the front of hte pack with his team-mate Hulkenberg also improving, taking third place. Jenson Button slotted in to sixth behind his team-mate before Schumacher climbed to third and then Nico Rosberg to second.

Kubica continued his run, once again leading the field, this time with a 1:31.818 as the field waited for the two Red Bulls and Ferraris, Friday's fastest cars, to join the fray.

Alonso finally ventured out halfway through the session and immediately went quickest with a 1:31.580. The Spaniard went on to register two fastest sector times as he lowered the benchmark, putting almost half a second between himself and Kubica. Another spate of fastest sectors and Alonso was down to a 1:31.243. Sebastian Vettel claimed 12th place and Felipe Massa 14th.

Vettel improved to fourth place and then to second. However, Alonso also improved, putting more space between himself and the chasing German. Massa climbed to third but found himself over half a second behind his Ferrari team-mate. Vettel, though, finally overhauled Alonso and then went even faster with a 1:30.958.

Adrian Suti's morning came to a premature end with a suspected gearbox problem while Lotus revealed that Trulli was stuck in his garage with 'hydraulic issues again.' Alonso's session was another to end before the chequered flag as Ferrari had his car up on jacks.

Back on track, Webber took second place to hand Red Bull the 1-2, Pedro de la Rosa put his Sauber up into sixth place before Rosberg took fifth. Vettel ran wide as his suspension seemed to break, almost sending him into the barriers. He crawled back to the pits. Kubica improved to sixth place and Button to 12th.

The session ended with Vettel in the P1 slot with a 1:30.958 and his team-mate Webber 0.034s adrift. Alonso was third.

Times
01. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:30.958 14 laps
02. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:30.992 + 0.034 15 laps
03. Alonso Ferrari 1:31.101 + 0.143 10 laps
04. Rosberg Mercedes 1:31.188 + 0.230 15 laps
05. Massa Ferrari 1:31.240 + 0.282 16 laps
06. Kubica Renault 1:31.519 + 0.561 18 laps
07. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:31.549 + 0.591 16 laps
08. Schumacher Mercedes 1:31.555 + 0.597 14 laps
09. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:31.559 + 0.601 18 laps
10. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:31.581 + 0.623 16 laps
11. Petrov Renault 1:31.698 + 0.740 17 laps
12. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:31.703 + 0.745 16 laps
13. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:31.867 + 0.909 17 laps
14. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:31.947 + 0.989 16 laps
15. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:31.994 + 1.036 13 laps
16. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:32.235 + 1.277 18 laps
17. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:32.331 + 1.373 20 laps
18. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:32.723 + 1.765 18 laps
19. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:34.339 + 3.381 20 laps
20. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:35.479 + 4.521 17 laps
21. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:36.098 + 5.140 11 laps
22. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1:36.286 + 5.328 16 laps
23. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:36.640 + 5.682 6 laps
24. Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth 1:37.178 + 6.220 18 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Prac Three: Four teams fighting for P1

Lewis Hamilton may have finished Saturday's final practice at the top of the timesheets but he by no means had it all his own way

The McLaren driver, a pre-weekend favourite to win Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix, clocked a 1:16.058, giving him the upper hand ahead of Saturday's qualifying.

However, he was closely dogged by his rivals with three drivers from different teams all vying for the top spot.

Mark Webber finished in second place for Red Bull, Fernando Alonso third for Ferrari and Michael Schumacher fourth for Mercedes GP - and all three were within half a second of Hamilton's P1 time.

Report: Final practice for the Canadian GP got underway under dark skies with the track once again green after overnight and early morning rain washed away any rubber that had been laid down during Friday's two sessions. However, the track was dry in most places with only a few damp spots still remaining. Track temperature was 21'C with the air temp sitting at 19'C as the drivers got their installation laps out of the way before returning to the pits where they waited for the track to dry out some more.

20 minutes into the session, Timo Glock posted the day's first lap time, a 1:24.902 for the Virgin Racing driver. Kamui Kobayashi, Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari joined the action, slotting in ahead of Glock while Lucas di Grassi was right behind his team-mate. Alguersuari improved to first place, lowering the benchmark to a 1:18.862 while Fernando Alonso took second place, Jenson Button fourth and Robert Kubica fifth, bringing the grand total to ten drivers to have set times in the first half of the session.

With time running out and the track drying, more drivers ventured out with Alonso taking first place before being dropped by Lewis Hamilton, the Brit clocking a 1:17.689. Button followed his team-mate up the timesheets while Michael Schumacher put his Mercedes GP into fifth place on his first attempt, third on his second lap and then second. However, another spate of purple sector times saw Hamilton lower the benchmark to a 1:17.131.

A good run from Tonio Liuzzi put the Force India up into fourth place, although that did not last long as Sebastian Vettel, Friday's pace-setter, slotted in ahead of him. Button was the next to lead the way, going fastest with a 1:16.699. He was soon challenged by Vettel, however, the German fell short and had to settle for second. Second soon become third as Hamilton again went quickest, almost half a second up on Button before Vettel also overhauled the reigning Champ.

With twenty minutes left on the clock there was still no sign of Nico Rosberg or Karun Chandhok, the latter's car believed to be suffering with a hydraulic leak.

Alonso moved up to fifth place and then second while Mark Webber was another on the move, going sixth, then fourth and then second. Felipe Massa climbed to seventh place and Kubica to sixth. That was the followed by a few minutes of relative quiet as the majority of the drivers returned to the pits before their final charge of the session.

There was a flurry of activity in the final five minutes with Webber closing the gap to Hamilton, although not able to take the lead off him, Kubica almost met the Wall of Champions as did Pedro de la Rosa, Petrov moved up to eighth place, Webber again closed up on Hamilton, just 0.081s slower than the McLaren driver, Kubica got a bit irritated with traffic, Hamilton lowered the benchmark to a 1:16.058, Rosberg finally ventured out to set a time, Kubica overhauled Button for fifth, Petrov leapfrogged Schumacher, Sutil leapfrogged them both and Button, Schumacher took fourth place and di Grassi lost it at the Hairpin, sliding along the wall before spinning and beaching his car in the gravel nd bringing out the yellow flag and effectively ending the session.

Times:

01. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:16.058 15 laps
02. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:16.340 + 0.282 16 laps
03. Alonso Ferrari 1:16.495 + 0.437 19 laps
04. Schumacher Mercedes 1:16.536 + 0.478 15 laps
05. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:16.582 + 0.524 16 laps
06. Kubica Renault 1:16.653 + 0.595 18 laps
07. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:16.673 + 0.615 15 laps
08. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:16.699 + 0.641 16 laps
09. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:16.814 + 0.756 15 laps
10. Petrov Renault 1:16.982 + 0.924 18 laps
11. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:17.121 + 1.063 16 laps
12. Massa Ferrari 1:17.231 + 1.173 16 laps
13. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:17.331 + 1.273 22 laps
14. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:17.548 + 1.490 20 laps
15. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:17.609 + 1.551 16 laps
16. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:17.633 + 1.575 21 laps
17. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:17.789 + 1.731 18 laps
18. Rosberg Mercedes 1:17.979 + 1.921 4 laps
19. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:19.013 + 2.955 15 laps
20. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:19.447 + 3.389 16 laps
21. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:19.536 + 3.478 22 laps
22. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:19.844 + 3.786 20 laps
23. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:20.325 + 4.267 18 laps
24. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1 lap

Source: Planet-F1

Prac Three: Kubica quickest as Alonso shunts

Robert Kubica is looking good ahead of qualifying in Monaco after setting the pace while Thursday's leading man, Fernando Alonso, put it in the barriers

A difficult session on a dirty track saw a
numbered of yellow flag incidents, the main one belonging to Alonso, who put his car into the P1 slot and then the barriers, causing major damage to the right side of his F10.

His departure from the session opened the door for others to step up with Kubica ending Practice Three with a 1:14.806, just 0.046s quicker than Felipe Massa.

Third place went to Mark Webber in a session that saw the top five separated by less than a quarter of a second and the top 12 by less than a full second.

Report: The final practice for the Monaco GP began under light cloud cover with the track temperature sitting at 25'C, although there was a definite bite in the air. The first goal for Saturday's final running before qualifying is not to put the car in the barrier while the second is to get as much experience and a perfect set-up. With that in mind, the drivers set out for their installation laps before beginning the serious work of putting in the mileage and setting times.

Jaime Alguersuari set the first time of the morning, clocking a 1:19.939 before he was beaten by Michael Schumacher, the Mercedes GP driver shaving a full second off the Toro Rosso driver's time. Sebastian Vettel slotted in to third place before Alguersuari overhauled Schumacher. Early issues for Timo Gock, who can't quite figure where the track lies and which way to go! Kamui Kobayashi and Pedro de la Rosa moved ahead of Vettel while Alguersuari lowered the benchmark to a 1:17.529.

Vettel improved to first place but was overhauled moments later by Thursday's pace-setter Fernando Alonso, the Spaniard posting a 1:16.266. His team-mate Felipe Massa took fifth place on his first run before being dropped as Sebastien Buemi moved up to third. Massa went on to climb to second, Mark Webber P5 and Jenson Button 11th.

Yellow flags were out 20 minutes into the session as Alonso stopped by the Hotel de Paris, just before Casino Square. Heavy damage to the front right of the Spaniard's Ferrari, which lost one of its wheels. Thankfully, Robert Kubica, who was behind Alonso on the track, managed to avoid the runaway wheel. That's really bad news for Alonso as his car most probably won't reach the pits until after the session is completed due to the nature of the track. And that means his Ferrari team will have very little time in which to repair the car before qualifying.

Back to the action, Kubica took the P1 slot, 0.202s ahead of Alonso while Button improved to fourth place and his team-mate Lewis Hamilton P7. Another improvement from Kubica, who took a further two-tenths off the P1 time. Hamilton was the next to lead the way, a 1:15.821 for the 2008 World Champ.

Schumacher brought out the yellow flags as the rear end of his Merc stepped out on him. The German, though, was able to keep his car out of the barriers, put it in reverse and continued on his way. Minutes later Vitaly Petrov pulled off the exact same move, also at Mirabeau. Alonso walked down the pit lane. "I lost my car" he said, asked if it was driver error, he added: "Yeah."

Fourth incident of the session belongs to Adrian Sutil, who lost control at Casino Square, putting his car into a backward slide and slapping his rear wing against the barriers. The Force India driver returned to the pits.

Vettel climbed to second place, 0.060s off Kubica's P1 time. Hamilton went third, Rosberg fourth and Schumacher fifth. Rosberg continued lapping, taking second place, 0.012s slower than Kubica while Webber went fourth. Kobayashi did a great doughnut through Rasscasse - very nice!

Webber put an end to Kubica's reign, 0.294s up on the Renault driver with Buemi putting in another great lap to take fourth place off Hamilton. Massa has his second big incident - but like the first he just manages to avoid planting his car into the barriers at Rasscasse. Scary times for the Ferrari mechanics.

A bit of traffic in the final five minutes as everyone barring Alonso and Heikki Kovalainen, who was in his garage with a gearbox issues, took to the track. Schumacher had to back off due to a Renault in front of him, causing problems for the Red Bull behind him. Hamilton moved up to second place, Kubica first, Schumacher third.

Massa almost called a pile-up, overtaking another car only to then brake, causing those behind to all have to brake. Silly move from the Ferrari driver.

The session ended with Kubica quickest ahead of Massa, Webber, Hamilton, Vettel, Schumacher, Rosberg and Buemi.

Times

01. Kubica Renault 1:14.806 25 laps
02. Massa Ferrari 1:14.852 + 0.046 22 laps
03. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:14.945 + 0.139 24 laps
04. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:15.038 + 0.232 24 laps
05. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:15.046 + 0.240 25 laps
06. Schumacher Mercedes 1:15.236 + 0.430 21 laps
07. Rosberg Mercedes 1:15.252 + 0.446 20 laps
08. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:15.537 + 0.731 21 laps
09. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:15.659 + 0.853 13 laps
10. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:15.682 + 0.876 22 laps
11. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:15.691 + 0.885 19 laps
12. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:15.769 + 0.963 26 laps
13. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:16.164 + 1.358 24 laps
14. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:16.232 + 1.426 21 laps
15. Petrov Renault 1:16.240 + 1.434 26 laps
16. Alonso Ferrari 1:16.266 + 1.460 6 laps
17. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:16.644 + 1.838 25 laps
18. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:16.696 + 1.890 22 laps
19. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:17.782 + 2.976 18 laps
20. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:17.865 + 3.059 26 laps
21. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:18.063 + 3.257 24 laps
22. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:19.720 + 4.914 25 laps
23. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1:19.781 + 4.975 21 laps
24. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 3 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Prac Three: Vettel asserts his dominance

Sebastian Vettel fired a warning shot at his rivals ahead of qualifying, taking the P1 slot in the final practice session by over 7/10ths

The German, who was quickest in Friday's
second practice at Barcelona, clocked a 1:20.528 to beat his team-mate Mark Webber by 0.704s while the two McLarens had no answer to Red Bull's pace.

Lewis Hamilton was third ahead of his team-mate Jenson Button, who was a full second down on Vettel's P1 time, while Michael Schumacher was, for the third session running, the quicker of the two Merc GP drivers.

Report: Final practice for the Spanish GP got underway with the usual spate of installation laps, the track temperature sitting at just 13'C and a very green track after Friday night's rain. As such it took over 15 minutes before the first times were set with Kamui Kobayashi, Nico Hulkenberg, Pedro de la Rosa and Timo Glock getting proceedings underway. Kobayashi was quickest wtih a 1:23.331.

Vitaly Petrov's morning came to an abrupt halt as the Renault rookie crashed his car, bringing out the red flags. Under braking in to Turn Four, the rear of his Renault snapped out sending him hurtling into the barriers. There is major damage to his R30 and the Russian's team now faces a race against time to get his car ready for qualifying.

Petrov, though, wasn't the only driver in the wars as seconds later Kobayashi lost control of his Sauber, the rear getting away from him, putting him sideward into the gravel. His session was also over. It appears as if both drivers put wheels on to the kerbing at the outside of the long Turn 3, which remained wet after last night's rain.

The session was green-lighted eight minutes later with Kobayashi quickest, followed by Michael Schumacher, de la Rosa, Hulkenberg, Petrov and Tonio Liuzzi.

The drivers were quickly back into action with Jenson Button taking third place before he was dropped by de la Rosa's move up to second, Lewis Hamilton's to first with a 1:21.698 and Felipe Massa's to third. Sebastian Vettel, Friday's pace-setter, claimed to second place, 0.108s behind Hamilton, while Button improved to third before he was dropped by Mark Webber.

Webber continued his run, claiming first place with a 1:21.528. The Aussie took 0.296s off his time on the next lap while Vettel climbed to second place as the duo asserted Red Bull's dominance over the field. Many are predicting an all-Red Bull front row at this circuit later today.

Fernando Alonso, who had been touring outside the top ten, found some pace to move up to fifth ahead of Massa, Adrian Sutil, Sebastien Buemi, Kobayashi and Schumacher. The latter rejoined the action, improving to third place, 0.351s down on the Red Bulls as his team-mate Nico Rosberg climbed to seventh place.

Schumacher returned to the pits and the two McLaren drivers ventured out again with Hamilton taking third place off the seven-time World Champ, who was then dropped another as Button went fourth.

Sutil became the third driver to have his morning's running cut short as he parked his Force India on the side of the track after the car lost power.

With three minutes left in the session, Vettel put in a blinder, going 0.704s quicker than his team-mate Webber. And that's how it stood as the chequered flag fell: Vettel ahead of Webber, Hamilton, Button, Schumacher, Massa, Rosberg and Alonso.

Times

01. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:20.528 15 laps
02. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:21.232 + 0.704 11 laps
03. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.348 + 0.820 14 laps
04. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.376 + 0.848 16 laps
05. Schumacher Mercedes 1:21.583 + 1.055 14 laps
06. Massa Ferrari 1:21.749 + 1.221 16 laps
07. Rosberg Mercedes 1:22.013 + 1.485 14 laps
08. Alonso Ferrari 1:22.091 + 1.563 15 laps
09. Kubica Renault 1:22.242 + 1.714 20 laps
10. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:22.377 + 1.849 12 laps
11. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:22.400 + 1.872 18 laps
12. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:22.412 + 1.884 11 laps
13. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:22.527 + 1.999 20 laps
14. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:22.634 + 2.106 16 laps
15. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:22.926 + 2.398 20 laps
16. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:22.953 + 2.425 16 laps
17. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:23.597 + 3.069 12 laps
18. Petrov Renault 1:23.896 + 3.368 5 laps
19. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:24.610 + 4.082 14 laps
20. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:24.745 + 4.217 11 laps
21. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:25.722 + 5.194 15 laps
22. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:25.855 + 5.327 14 laps
23. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1:26.611 + 6.083 18 laps
24. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:30.246 + 9.718 6 lap

Source: Planet-F1

Prac Three: Ferrari battle Merc GP

Fernando Alonso heads into Bahrain qualifying as the fastest driver around the Sakhir circuit, having posted a 1:54.099 in Saturday's final practice.

The Spaniard, who was already in the top four before his late charge on the softer rubber, took the honours by 0.269s over Mercedes GP driver Nico Rosberg while Mark Webber was third quickest.

The final practice session, which took place in sweltering hot conditions, saw the top seven separated by less than a second and with four teams in the mix as McLaren's Jenson Button finished P7 behind Michael Schumacher, Seb Vettel and Felipe Massa.

Report: Blue skies and a track temperature of 42'C awaited the drivers in the third and final practice session for the season-opening Bahrain GP. With just an hour to get the cars up to scratch ahead of qualifying, the drivers were quickly out on track with everyone barring the two Red Bulls and HRTs completing their installation laps within the first five minutes.

Problems already for Lucas di Grassi, who returned to his Virgin garage after his first lap reporting a gearbox problem. The two Red Bulls finally went out and both stayed out on track to set the first times with Sebastian Vettel ahead of Mark Webber with a 1:55.178.

Seb Buemi went third and Ferrari, who have downplayed claims that they are the favourites to win this weekend's race, joined the action. However, Fernando Alonso slowed down at the end of his first lap after a bumpy ride of the kerbs.

Michael Schumacher, who admitted on Friday that he needs to up his game, took second place, 0.162s behind Vettel. His team-mate Nico Rosberg slotted into third place.

Major problems for Virgin Racing, though, as Timo Glock lost an entire wheel as he turned into a lefthander. Fellow newcomer Bruno Senna had to slow down and take evasive action to avoid the tyre. Not great for Virgin and extremely dangerous.

The FIA were quick to get down to Virgin's garage and inspect the problem. Initial reports claim the problem was with a wheel nut, which was not tightened due to a faulty wheel nut gun. It remains to be seen what the FIA will have to say about this matter.

Back to the action and Felipe Massa went quickest with a 1:54.761 while his team-mate Alonso took second place. Lewis Hamilton improved to seventh place ahead of Pedro de la Rosa and Jaime Alguersuari. Rosberg moved up to second place, 0.084s behind Massa.

A fastest final sector from Jenson Button saw him climb to sixth place as he rode the kerbs and bumped his way to a 1:55.763.

Senna returned to the track as Adrian Sutil slotted into eighth only to lose it moments later to Robert Kubica. Senna finally completed a lap, 11.5s off the pace.

Schumacher returned to the track, jerking and twisting around Turn Six, which cost him valuable time - and almost rear-ending Alonso as the two entered the pits nose-to-stern.

And problems for Hamilton, who is out for the rest of the session due to an as yet undisclosed problem at the front left of his car. It is not yet know if it's brakes or what but whatever it is, it will keep the 2008 World Champion from doing a qualy sim ahead of qualifying.

Glock, back on track after his earlier tyre woes, moved up to 19th place while there was still no sign of Karun Chandhok for HRT. And if the Indian driver doesn't complete a lap in practice he won't be allowed to take part in qualifying or Sunday's race. So big problems for the 26-year-old and his team.

The final seven minutes saw the drivers put on the softer tyres to see what their cars can do. Alonso went quickest,a 1:54.099, sixth-tenths up his team-mate, Tonio Liuzzi improved to sixth, Sutil to seventh, Webber second, Schumacher third, Vettel fourth and Rosberg second.

Times
1. Alonso Ferrari 1:54.099 14 laps
2. Rosberg Mercedes 1:54.368 + 0.269 13 laps
3. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:54.500 + 0.401 15 laps
4. Schumacher Mercedes 1:54.533 + 0.434 13 laps
5. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:54.646 + 0.547 16 laps
6. Massa Ferrari 1:54.739 + 0.640 14 laps
7. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:55.000 + 0.901 14 laps
8. Kubica Renault 1:55.331 + 1.232 15 laps
9. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:55.432 + 1.333 11 laps
10. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:55.461 + 1.362 13 laps
11. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:55.521 + 1.422 13 laps
12. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:55.860 + 1.761 8 laps
13. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:56.063 + 1.964 14 laps
14. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:56.259 + 2.160 15 laps
15. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:56.295 + 2.196 17 laps
16. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:56.504 + 2.405 16 laps
17. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:56.530 + 2.431 13 laps
18. Petrov Renault 1:56.811 + 2.712 16 laps
19. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:59.173 + 5.074 10 laps
20. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:59.789 + 5.690 15 laps
21. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 2:01.259 + 7.160 5 laps
22. Senna HRT-Cosworth 2:04.001 + 9.902 11 laps
23. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 2 laps
24. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth

Source: Planet-F1