Ahead of this afternoon's all important qualifying session the air temperature is 25 degrees C, while the track temperature is 51 degrees. It remains bright and sunny.

After this morning's free practice session - which was disrupted by an oil spill from Heikki Kovalainen's detonating Renault powerplant - the British media is waiting with baited breath, hopeful that Lewis Hamilton can continue his form and take pole position. The Ferrari duo or Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa, not to mention Felipe Massa, will have other ideas.

The lights go green, but a few minutes before an engine roars into life and a car heads down the pitlane… it's Coulthard. Moments later he is joined by Schumacher and Trulli, who both looked good in this morning's session.

Coulthard goes on to the grass on his out lap, moments later locking-up at the first corner as his flying lap gets underway.

It's a scrappy lap from the Scot, who tells his crew that h has a problem, the car "crabbing" under braking, in other words jerking sideways.

Schumacher sets the benchmark (18.929) ahead of Trulli, as Coulthard dives back into the pits.

It really couldn't get much worse for Kovalainen. He is already due to forfeit ten grid spots following his engine change, now he has lost his rear wing, and a few other bit, having clouted the wall. The session is red-flagged as he makes his way back to the pits. The replay shows him appearing to be going just a little too fast, though the kerbs didn't exactly help. We've seen a lot of that this weekend, the kerbs launching a number of cars into the air, perhaps it's time the GPDA looked into this.

The session resumes and Jenson Button leads a train of drivers eager to get back to work. Amazingly, the Renault crew is attempting to get Kovalainen back on track - with eight minutes remaining. Should they fail, he will probably be joining DC on the back row - the Red Bull crew still working on the Scot's brakes.

Fisichella goes quickest, though there are still only seven names on the timesheets.

Alonso and Massa are both on hot laps. The Brazilian posts 17.236 to go quickest, but Alonso crosses the line at 16.562. Hamilton and Raikkonen are both on track.

Hamilton goes second with a 16.576 ahead of Massa, Raikkonen and Kubica, who goes fifth.

Coulthard leaves the Red Bull garage but is then promptly pushed back, the Scot's day seemingly over. Elsewhere, teammate Webber goes sixth, ahead of Heidfeld, Davidson and Fisichella.

Heidfeld goes fifth, as Rosberg takes sixth, however, all eyes are on Raikkonen who has gone quickest in the second sector. Sure enough, the Finn goes quickest (16.468).

Coulthard is back on track, but he is clearly struggling, unlike Sato, who goes ninth ahead of his Super Aguri teammate.