Ahead of today's sole free practice session the air temperature is 31 degrees C, while the track temperature is 43 degrees.

Red Bull, and in particular, Sebastian Vettel dominated both sessions yesterday, the only threat appearing to come from Lotus and Ferrari.

In reality, the Lotus threat came from Romain Grosjean as teammate Kimi Raikkonen was unable to get a lap in which he wasn't bogged down in traffic however, the Iceman's pace was all too clear.

Both Ferraris were up there, Fernando Alonso fully aware that this is his last chance to mount a challenge to Vettel before his team decides to switch its full attention to 2014.

The Lotus clearly benefits from the conditions here, however, one has to say the Red Bull is exceedingly "hooked up", as they say.

While Lewis Hamilton laments the fact that his team is losing out in terms of the revised rubber, McLaren has taken a clear step forward, the Woking outfit seemingly benefitting from the ban on the practice of playing with tyre pressures and switching tyres from side to side.

While force India made a recovery, of sorts, in the second session, Toro Rosso and Sauber are also struggling… as is Williams.

Tyre options are medium and soft, with two stops likely to be the norm tomorrow, possibly three, the difference between the two compounds around 1.5s.

There are two DRS zones - one on the main pit straight, the other from Turn 1 to Turn 2 - but just one detection point, at the entrance to Turn 14, the final corner.

As the lights turn from red to green, di Resta waits patiently at the end of the pitlane. He is subsequently followed by Chilton.

In no time at all, sixteen drivers have been out, including Raikkonen and Hamilton, each completing an installation lap before heading back to the pits.

Gutierrez is one of the first to run wide, the Sauber driver getting it all wrong at T7.

Seven minutes into the session, as Pic crosses the line to post the first time of the day (30.044), all but Vettel have been out. Moments later, Van der Garde posts 28.404.

As Vettel finally leaves the pits, Pic - who is told that his rear tyres are "at the limit" - posts 24.692.

Rather than returning to the pits, Vettel stays out to post a 25.570 as Raikkonen also heads down the pitlane.

The Iceman posts 22.717, while Vettel improves (slightly) to 25.269.

Grosjean crosses the line at 22.903 to make it a Lotus 1-2, with Vergne and Ricciardo taking third and fourth. Vettel heads back to the pits.

Grosjean raises the bar with a 22.345 as Perez posts 22.776 to go third. All running on primes (mediums) thus far.

As Rosberg goes fifth (23.565), Perez goes fastest in the first two sectors. The Mexican loses time in S3 but nonetheless posts 22.577 to go second.

In the Sauber garage the mechanics are changing the engine in Gutierrez' car.

Bottas goes fourth and Williams teammate Maldonado fifth as Hamilton posts 27.729 to go seventeenth.

Despite going quickest in S1, Rosberg fails to improve on 23.080, the German losing a heap of time in S3. Elsewhere, countryman Sutil complains that his brakes are "unusual". The German celebrates his one-hundredth GP start this weekend.

A 22.644 sees Webber go third, the Australian suffering a problem with his upshifts. Hamilton, who has improved to fifth (23.022) goes quickest in S1, posts PBs in the next two sectors, finally crossing the line at 22.266 to go quickest.

As Hamilton consolidates his position with a 21.942, Raikkonen is advised that drivers are posting their best times on their second flying lap once the tyre are fully warmed up.

Button goes sixth with a 22.788, like his teammate he is struggling in S3.