29/03/2014
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's practice session the air temperature is 31 degrees C, while the track temperature is 50 degrees. Today's practice session is three hours later than yesterday's opening session - and an hour earlier than the second - hence the higher temperatures. There is also a 30 percent chance of rain.
Mercedes topped the timesheets in both of yesterday's sessions, Lewis Hamilton in the morning and teammate Nico Rosberg in the afternoon however, the team is concerned at the high level of tyre degradation it is suffering.
McLaren was on the pace in both sessions, but even then drivers Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen are playing down their chances, the Woking team also citing tyre performance.
Interestingly, mixing it with the Mercedes duo in both sessions was Kimi Raikkonen, the Finn looking far more at ease than he did in Melbourne.
The misery continues for Lotus with both Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado having limited running, the Venezuelan failing to post a time in either session. Another driver encountering a miserable day was Kamui Kobayashi who suffered an energy store issue which kept him out of both sessions.
Ignoring the ongoing fuel flow row, both Red Bulls were on the pace - or thereabouts - while Williams looked strong in the afternoon.
The lights go green, and first out is Magnussen, followed by Vergne, Maldonado, Grosjean, Chilton, Magnussen and a whole host of others as the teams anticipate the 'traditional' downpour. Indeed, within the first four minutes all but the Red Bulls have been out... but nobody stays out for a second lap.
As the Red Bulls finally leave the sanctuary of the garage, Maldonado is the first driver out for a second run - no doubt the Lotus driver has his fingers (or toes) crossed that he will actually get to complete a lap far less post a time.
The Venezuelan doesn't help the situation when he runs worryingly wide in T8 however, he make it to the line and breaks the timing beam at 1:49.882.
As Vettel complains of "something loose on the right side of the cover", possibly a sticker, Ericsson, Chilton, Sutil and Massa are on track.
Maldonado improves to 45.211 as Ericsson goes second with a 47.302. The Swede complains of "very, very low grip".
A 42.855 sees Massa go quickest as Raikkonen and Rosberg finally leave their garages. Sutil goes second and Chilton fourth, ahead of Kobayashi and Ericsson.
As Hamilton and Alonso head down the pitlane, Kvyat posts 43.713 to go second.
Drivers having to work very hard in order to stay on the black stuff, Kobayashi having a worrying moment in the final corner.
As Raikkonen goes quickest (41.835), Magnussen suddenly slows, almost causibng Massa to run into the back of him, the Dane having suffered a sensor issue in yesterday's opening session.
Hamilton goes quickest (41.246), Bottas third and Alonso fourth, as Magnussen finally arrives back at his garage.
Rosberg takes the top spot with a 40.946 as Hamilton complains about his feet - yes his feet!!! He is told to return to the pits where spacers will be fitted. A new sponsorship deal with Scholl surely beckons. The Mercedes driver subsequently runs wide in T4.
"Very boring these high speed corners," says Button, "very boring."
Despite his foot issue, Hamilton takes the top spot back (40.552), ahead of Rosberg, Raikkonen, Bottas and Alonso. Approaching 'half time', all but Grosjean, Magnussen and the Red Bull duo have posted times.
At 'half-time', as Maldonado is the first driver to switch to the medium (options, it's: Hamilton, Rosberg, Raikkonen, Bottas, Alonso, Hulkenberg, Vergne, Perez, Massa and Kvyat.
A 42.072 sees Ricciardo pop up in fourth, as Maldonado runs wide in T4. Vettel subsequently posts 42.309 to go sixth.
Maldonado runs wide again, this time in T1, the Lotus driver not yet getting the best out of his options... far from it.
Behind the leading ten, And with only one driver having tried the options, it's: Gutierrez, Grosjean, Sutil, Maldonado, Chilton, Bianchi, Kobayashi, Ericsson, Button and Magnussen.
As the Ferrari duo switch to options, Ricciardo is told that he is using too much brake pressure. "Sorry, I got carried away," is the response.
A big lock up for Perez while Rosberg also makes a mistake on his out lap, the German having switched to options.
Alonso posts a PB in S1 before going quickest in S2, teammate Raikkonen going quickest in the first sector. The Spaniard posts 40.736 to go second (0.184s off Hamilton's pace), with Raikkonen leapfrogging the pair (40.156) moments later.
Rosberg goes quickest in S1 as Hamilton heads down the pitlane on options. The German goes quickest in all three sectors raising the benchmark with a 39.008... a very, very impressive lap.
Both McLaren are understood to be suffering a power unit sensor issue which is shutting down the engine even though there isn't really a problem. Those pesky sensors.
On only his second lap on the options, Hamilton is struggling, though he goes quickest in S2. A PB in S3 sees him cross the line at 39.240 to go second.
With thirteen minutes remaining only a handful of drivers have run the options, Rosberg switching back to the primes.
As the McLaren due sit patiently in their garages, Lotus tweets "a first for 2014 - crew able to stand around in garage during a session as the car is on track" replete with picture of said crew.
Cameras pick up on a piece falling from Ericsson's Caterham.
Hulkenberg goes fourth, despite a big lock-up in T15, splitting the Ferraris, with a 40.523, as the majority of the field finally make the switch to the softer rubber. Perez improves to sixth (41.029), ahead of Gutierrez and Ricciardo.
Ricciardo improves to fifth (40.686) while teammate Vettel languishes in tenth (42.107).
Satisfied with its times - and why wouldn't it be - Mercedes is now focussing on pit stops, each driver performing three of them in these final moments. No such confidence in the McLaren garage where both drivers are out of their cars.
While Maldonado is the busiest driver, the Lotus pilot having completed 20 laps, Kobayashi's misery continues the Japanese having completed just 7 laps. Elsewhere, a long, long trip through the gravel and grass for Grosjean at T11.
Vettel improves to fourth (40.387), albeit 1.379s off Rosberg's pace.
A late improvement sees Bottas go ninth, just behind his Williams teammate, while Grosjean complains that there is "no performance from the diffuser, the rear end is a disaster"
The session ends with Rosberg quickest ahead of Rosberg, with Raikkonen third ahead of Vettel, Hulkenberg, Ricciardo, Alonso, Massa, Bottas and Perez.
Kvyat is eleventh, ahead of Vergne, Sutil, Gutierrez, Grosjean, Maldonado, Chilton, Bianchi, Ericsson, Kobayashi, Button and Magnussen.
Check out our Saturday gallery, here.
Chris Balfe