19/09/2015
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's sole practice session, the air temperature is 30 degrees C, whilst the track temperature is 38 degrees. Approaching 18:00 it is bright, though somewhat hazy.
Daniil Kvyat topped the timesheets in yesterday's second session, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, Daniel Ricciardo and Lewis Hamilton. Nico Rosberg finishing a distant sixth.
The German had been quickest in FP1, but since the session takes place earlier than any other this weekend the result is almost redundant.
With the Mercedes duo fourth and sixth, some immediately began questioning whether the team was finally running out of steam. The more sensible opted to bide their time, feeling that the German outfit has something in reserve.
Yes, the German team wasn't itself, and Hamilton, in particular is unhappy with the track revisions, but let's not write them off just yet.
Being a street track and power not that big a factor, Red Bull was always going to be in with a chance, for further proof look no further than the McLarens in 8th and 14th.
On longer, heavy fuel runs, the Red Bulls had the measure of the Mercedes, which was clearly suffering degradation and balance issues, as did the Ferraris, whilst Williams looks to be in for another difficult weekend.
Force India also looked strong, whilst crashes involving Alexander Rossi and Will Stevens kept the Manor crew on its toes.
Struggling on track, a situation not helped by a lack of spares, Lotus had better luck in the High Court in London where the judge gave the Enstone outfit a further stay of execution.
Tyre options are soft and supersoft, with around 1.5s between the two. Indeed, some claimed that the reason for Rosberg's lack of pace yesterday could have been the team considering a two-stop strategy, only for the German to admit he went the "wrong way" in terms of set-up..
The lights go green and Maldonado leads the way, the Venezuelan having missed much of FP2 following a gearbox issue. He is subsequently joined by Rossi, Bottas and Grosjean.
Both Manor drivers are already on the option rubber, this due to the fact that they had minimal running on the softer tyres yesterday.
Rossi posts the first time of the day, the American stopping the clock at 1:53.249. Moments later teammate Stevens posts 55.293.
Told not to go "too deep" in to the corners, Ericsson posts 50.770 to go quickest.
A 48.716 sees Kvyat go quickest as Nasr gets it wrong at T1 but, unlike yesterday, follows the correct re-joining procedure.
Verstappen locks-up big time and heads down the escape road at T7. Shortly after teammate Sainz, currently third, makes the same error.
As Kvyat improves with a 47.968, Verstappen goes second, ahead of Sainz, Perez and Hulkenberg. In the Ferrari garage mechanics are working on Raikkonen's car.
Fifteen minutes in and only nine drivers have posted times.
Kvyat has a close encounter with the walls, as he shaves more time off his previous best. Elsewhere, Hulkenberg complains that he is not happy with his rear balance. "Quite a bit of mid-corner understeer," he says.
Masa goes third (48.638) and Bottas seventh (49.057) only for both to be demoted when Rosberg posts 48.393 to go third, 0.764s off Kvyat's pace.
As Hamilton begins his first flying lap of the day, Raikkonen heads down the pitlane.
Hamilton posts 47.969 to go second, 0.340s off Kvyat's best.
After a cooling down alp, Rosberg goes quickest in S1. At the line the German posts 47.891 to go second, still 0.262s down on Kvyat.
On his first flying lap Vettel is quickest in the first two sectors, maintaining the pace he finally crosses the line at 46.728, almost a second quicker than Kvyat.
Within moments of one another Ricciardo and Hamilton have problems at T7, the Briton spinning. Elsewhere, Raikkonen goes second with a 47.571 despite it being a quite scruffy lap.
Next time around the Ferrari drivers trade fastest sectors. "The rear of the car feels a bit funny," complains Raikkonen.
Verstappen is the latest driver to be caught out by the high speed and bumpy T7.
At 'half-time', it's: Vettel, Raikkonen, Kvyat, Rosberg, Hamilton, Ricciardo, Verstappen, Grosjean, Massa and Sainz.
Within moments the Red Bull duo have split the Ferraris, Kvyat goes second (47.249) and Ricciardo third (47.507).
With 25 minutes remaining, Alonso bolts on a set of options, the Spaniard currently sixteenth on 49.243.
"We've definitely lost the rear grip," says Ricciardo, as Grosjean becomes the latest casualty of T7.
On his first lap on the softer rubber, Alonso fails to improve. Raikkonen also complains of a loss of rear grip.
"I'm struggling with the rears," complains Kvyat, "the right at T7 is undriveable."
"We're predicting a gap of around 1.5 seconds between the two compounds," says Pirelli, "this may come down slightly."
With 16 minutes remaining both Ferrari drivers have completed just 7 laps. Supreme confidence or merely the fact that track conditions will change as darkness falls. Rossi has completed 17 laps, Massa 16, Bottas 15 and Kvyat, Ericsson, Nasr and Stevens all on 14.
Ricciardo and Ericsson emerge on the softer rubber as final preparations for this evening's all-important qualifying session get underway. Kvyat and Raikkonen also.
Although he can only manage a PB in S1, Ricciardo goes quickest in S2. At the line he posts 46.359 to go quickest. Ericsson, also on the softer rubber, posts 47.568 to go fourth.
Raikkonen goes quickest (46.132) with PBs in all three sectors, but moments later teammate Vettel posts 45.682. Kvyat takes third with a 46.167.
Rosberg (option) can only manage fifth (47.223) only to be demoted when his teammate posts 46.802, both Mercedes over a second off the pace.
The Ferraris lead the Red Bulls and Mercedes.
Alonso posts 47.237 to go seventh, teammate Button still down in twelfth (47.715).
Hamilton and Rosberg both posts PBs in S1 but continue to lose pace in the final sectors, neither driver improving. The Briton's cause is not helped by a 'tussle' with Verstappen.
The session ends with Vettel quickest, ahead of Raikkonen, Kvyat, Ricciardo, Hamilton, Rosberg, Alonso, Sainz, Verstappen and Ericsson.
Bottas is eleventh, ahead of Hulkenberg, Button, Massa, Maldonado, Perez, Grosjean, Nasr, Rossi and Stevens.
In the moments following the session, a worried looking Paddy Lowe admits that what we've just witnessed is Mercedes true pace. Interesting.
Check out our Saturday gallery, here.