Suzuka, FP3: Rosberg quickest in dry final practice

Normal service was resumed in a dry final practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix with Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg topping the timesheet ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton. Daniel Ricciardo was third for Red Bull Racing as Ferrari had an inconclusive morning in Suzuka.

After two wet sessions on Friday, this morning’s final hour of practice was always going to be busy as teams attempted to make up for lost dry running.

Ricciardo was quickest out of the blocks and he set an early benchmark, on hard tyres, of 1:36.010. Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen then slotted into second, just over half a second back from the Red Bull driver.

Ricciardo then bucked the normal FP3 trend of longer runs followed by a late-session option tyre qualifying-style run by taking on this weekend’s option medium tyre. He immediately lowered the bar to 1:34.755s, 1.3s up on his best hard tyre time. Verstappen then posted a time 1:35.160 on medium tyres, while Sainz rose to third on 1:36.059.

Elsewhere, drivers were struggling with the lack of grip on the circuit caused by Friday’s steady rain and Daniil Kvyat in the second Red Bull suffered a huge lock-up that left him complaining of significant vibration from a damaged right front tyre. Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson also falt-spotted one of his tyres in similar fashion.

Ferrari, meanwhile, were surprisingly absent from the track action until 12 minutes into the session when Kimi Räikkonen finally took to the circuit on medium tyres, while Sebastian Vettel ventured out on hard rubber.

When they eventually logged times laps Räikkonen could only manage ninth, with Vettel later P8 with a nervous lap that saw him struggle for grip.

Halfway through the session more drivers began to take on the medium tyre and Jenson Button took fourth place with a lap of 1:36.174s and Ricciardo on another set of mediums, jumped to the top of the order with a lap of 1:34.497. Williams’ Felipe Massa then slotted into P2 with a time of 1:34.934 that left him 0.437s adrift of Ricciardo’s time.

With almost 40 minutes on the clock the Mercedes drivers, who had been languishing in midfield after the hard tyre runs, finally took on option rubber and Rosberg immediately leapt to the top of the timesheet with a lap of 1:33.995, half a second quicker than Ricciardo.

Hamilton then logged a lap of 1:34.292 to further dislodge the Red Bull driver. Bottas then went fourth behind Ricciardo, 0.8s off the pace.

Mass stayed fifth but in the dying seconds of the session Räikkönen jumped from the lower orders to sixth, ahead of Verstappen. Vettel too vaulted up the standings in the final moments though only to eighth, his progress on his final lap being momentarily slowed by Kvyat. Lotus’ Romain Grosjean was ninth, ahead of Sainz.