Ahead of today's all-important qualifying session, the air temperature is 32 degrees C, while the track temperature is 60 degrees. It remains bright and sunny.

We mentioned in our free practice report that there might be repercussions following an incident involving Felipe Massa. At this time we understand that the Race Stewards are still considering the matter.

The incident in question saw Felipe Massa fail to slow down when yellow flags were being waved following Robert Kubica's retirement from the session with a technical problem. Massa didn't hit the brakes until he was virtually alongside the Pole's stricken BMW.

When the lights go green there is just one car in the pitlane, Sakon Yamamoto in the Spyker, soon to be renamed Force India. The Japanese driver is eventually joined by his teammate, Adrian Sutil.

Yamamoto posts the first time of the afternoon, but it's a disappointing 1:16.135. Moments later Sutil posts 15.217, at which point the Toyotas head down the pitlane.

As the clock ticks more and more cars pour out on to the track. However, the 'big guns' opt to wait.

As Schumacher posts 14.256, Sutil pulls off track in the third sector, his session seemingly over.

It's a Renault 1-2 with Fisichella heading Kovalainen, however the pace is much slower than this morning.

All eyes on Lewis Hamilton as Webber goes quickest ahead of Red Bull teammate David Coulthard. It's a fast and frantic as it reads.

Hamilton goes straight to the top of the timesheets (13.033), but that's almost a second of his best time this morning.

Raikkonen goes quickest in the first sector, however a poor mid-sector sees him go sixteenth with a 14.464. Hamilton remains quickest, ahead of Webber and Coulthard.

As Kubica goes third, Massa goes quickest in the first sector. Elsewhere, Raikkonen takes the top spot with a 13.016.

A 12.203 sees Massa go quickest, as Alonso goes eighth. With less than four minutes remaining Button is still in the danger zone, as are Yamamoto, Nakajima, Schumacher and Davidson. Trulli, Kovalainen, Sato and Fisichella are all hovering above the danger zone.

With two minutes remaining, the top three - Massa, Raikkonen and Hamilton - appear to have settle for the times they've set. Fernando Alonso has no such luxury and is forced to go out again.

Schumacher goes eleventh, but there are a number of drivers still on track. Button improves to sixteenth, and it is only a poor final sector from Kovalainen that prevents the Englishman from failing at the first hurdle.

Therefore, we lose Kovalainen, Sato, Nakajima, Davidson, Sutil and Nakajima.