Malaysia – Free Practice 3: Vettel before qualifying

As Heikki Kovalainen jokes with Tony Fernandes in the Caterham stand, the weather is fine, until it rains later in the day. The track temperature is 39°C and the ambient temperature is 32°C.

The session begins and it’s Jules Bianchi who takes to the track first. All the drivers completing their installation lap do so on hard tires (orange). The first man to set a time is Mark Webber with 1:44.486, quickly surpassed by more than three seconds by Giedo van der Garde. Charles Pic further improves his teammate’s mark with 1:41.040 before the Dutchman from Caterham retakes the provisional lead by improving by 140 thousandths.

After ten minutes, Kimi Räikkönen improves the P1 by 2.4 seconds before Nico Rosberg clocks in at 1:38.218 to top the timesheet. A few minutes later, it’s Adrian Sutil who posts 1:37.933, but Rosberg doesn’t let him lead for long and surpasses him by a few thousandths. Lewis Hamilton puts everyone in agreement with 1:37.527.

After twenty minutes, Hamilton leads Sutil, Rosberg, Grosjean, and Di Resta. The Force India team seems comfortable. Webber seems to be struggling with his tires and experiences a skid during acceleration before the final straight. Sebastian Vettel experiences a similar slip in another corner. Grosjean, who damaged his car by going over the curbs, is stuck in the pits where his underbody is being inspected. Meanwhile, Nico Hülkenberg reports that his tires have significantly degraded: a constant issue since the first tests in Sepang.

After half an hour, Hamilton leads ahead of Sutil, Räikkönen, Grosjean, and Di Resta. Grosjean should be able to go back out: Lotus is attempting a quick repair on the front of the floor panel, and he should be able to finish the session. Rosberg sets the fastest time, on medium (white) tires, which he is the first to use, with a time of 1:39.949. Jenson Button falls more than six-tenths short in second position. Hamilton is getting ready to respond to his teammate, as he has put on the medium tires: he sets the provisional fastest time at 1:36.568.

With twenty minutes remaining, Hamilton, Webber, Rosberg, Button, and Sutil form the top 5. Grosjean has been able to rejoin the track to finish this FP3. The drivers have started their stints with more fuel to test the tires. In this little game, the Lotus driven by Räikkönen seems quite economical. Button, on his side, complains of a change in his car’s behavior. Sutil records an excellent time on medium tires, falling just 0.020 seconds short of Hamilton.

At ten minutes from the checkered flag, Hamilton leads Sutil, Webber, Button, and Rosberg. Sergio Pérez is hindered by Bianchi in the fast Esses and lets him know. The final minutes provide an opportunity for improvements from all drivers. Vettel sets the best time at 1:36.435. Grosjean, who was on a very fast lap, faces traffic and has to slow down due to a Caterham. The Franco-Swiss expresses his dissatisfaction to Van der Garde. The checkered flag is waved at Sepang.

It is therefore Sebastian Vettel who finishes this session in the lead ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Adrian Sutil.

Results of Free Practice 3 of the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix: