| 10:50:39
| Welcome to F1-Live.com and our live coverage of the Australian Grand Prix weekend. Today we have the third practice session which starts shortly, followed by qualifying at 04.00 CET. |
| 10:53:12
| Yesterday we saw Ferrari top the timesheets with Felipe Massa setting the pace with a best lap of 1:27.353s. Kimi Raikkonen was four-tenths down in the second F2007, but was on target to pip Massa before he dove for the pits at the end of practice. |
| 10:54:47
| Lewis Hamilton was a superb third fastest in his McLaren Mercedes ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella in his R27. Renault had their own problems however with both Fisichella and Heikki Kovalainen stopping on track with a fuel pressure problem. The positive is that the team were especially strong over the longer runs, if not on a single lap, and will undoubtedly be a factor on Sunday. |
| 10:56:36
| BMW Sauber were also very competitive with Nick Heidfeld setting the fifth fastest time and team-mate Robert Kubica the ninth best time. Over at the rejuvenated Williams Toyota team Alex Wurz was sixth fastest ahead of Fernando Alonso is the second McLaren and Nico Rosberg. |
| 10:58:16
| Today the drivers have five sets of each spec of Bridgestone Potenza to play with. Most will try the option tyre later in the session to go for a simulated qualifying run. It is however starting to rain.... |
| 11:00:41
| The one hour session is now underway. |
| 11:01:07
| With rain in the air, there is no rush from the pits. |
| 11:02:28
| Christijan Albers heads out in his Spyker Ferrari. He is on wet tyres for what will be an installation lap. |
| 11:02:55
| Now Trulli, Sutil, Speed and Fisichella head out. |
| 11:03:25
| Albers has taken number 21. He was number 20 but apparently he likes odd numbers, hence the change.... |
| 11:03:52
| Alonso, Hamilton, Lovalainen. Wurz and others now on their installation lap. |
| 11:04:24
| Unlike yesterday, they are now running the engines and tyres that will be used over the remainder of the race weekend. |
| 11:05:28
| They are all pitting after an out lap to ensure everything is working okay. |
| 11:07:12
| Ralf Schumacher heads out in the Toyota. They are struggling as are Honda at the moment. |
| 11:08:24
| Jenson Button and Anthony Davidson head out for Honda and Super Aguri Honda. |
| 11:09:23
| Button has already completed an installtion lap so this should be his first timed lap. Barrichello and Sato join the action as Ralf pits. |
| 11:09:37
| After a second lap, Button pits again. |
| 11:11:14
| They all return to the pit lane. The rain shower is effecting things but it's not too wet as of yet. |
| 11:11:35
| Now Barrichello heads back out. |
| 11:13:19
| Nick Heidfeld is on track in the BMW Sauber. Barrichello pits the Honda. |
| 11:15:05
| Heidfeld completes his out lap and stays on track. |
| 11:15:57
| Now Albers is back out in the Spyker. |
| 11:16:36
| Team-mate Adrian Sutil is also back out. The rookie was right on the pace of Albers in friday practice. |
| 11:17:00
| Heidfeld has pitted the BMW Sauber. No lap times as of yet... |
| 11:19:29
| Showing that conditions are not too bad, Albers records the first lap time about four seconds off the Friday pace. |
| 11:19:57
| The impressive Sutil is immediately faster as he moves P1 ahead of Albers. |
| 11:20:18
| They're all going to be on dry tyres as the shower has not effected things much. |
| 11:20:38
| Fisichella, Trulli and Kubica head out. |
| 11:23:31
| Albers is actually second to Sutil by two seconds and has pitted. Fisichella starts his first timed lap |
| 11:23:58
| Fisichella moves fastest and is under the 90 seconds bracket in the Renault. |
| 11:25:06
| So we have Fisichella fastest from Sutil, Trulli and Barrichello. The circuit is now quite busy. |
| 11:25:44
| Albers pitted and seemed to be having some handling issues with the Spyker. |
| 11:26:07
| Raikkonen is now on track for Ferrari. |
| 11:26:50
| Fisichella improves again and is now within four tenths off his Friday pace. |
| 11:27:57
| Trulli has moves P2 in the Toyota ahead of Sutil and Barrichello. |
| 11:29:00
| Raikkonen's first timed lap moves his ahead of Fiscihella. Alonso is on track in the McLaren and on the pace. |
| 11:30:04
| Now Alonso vaults to the top of the timesheets. Game on. |
| 11:30:34
| Trulli runs off track and heads back to the Toyota pit. |
| 11:32:01
| Raikkonen re-takes P1 for Ferrari with the fastest time of the weekend so far. Certainly the track must be perfectly fine after the earlier shower. |
| 11:32:26
| Now Massa moves up to second in the sister F2007 |
| 11:32:51
| Hamilton is on track and about to set his first lap time. |
| 11:33:57
| David Coulthard moves sixth fastest in the Red Bull Renault. |
| 11:34:18
| Kubica and Hamilton move fourth and fifth. |
| 11:34:44
| Heikki Kovalainen remains in the Renault pit having completed just an installtion lap. |
| 11:35:46
| Raikkonen is now in the pits as Massa starts another fast lap. |
| 11:36:00
| Hamilton improves and moves third ahead of team-mate Alonso. |
| 11:36:58
| Massa moves ahead of Raikkonen by a narrow margin as Coulthard runs off track and heads back to the Red Bull pit. |
| 11:37:22
| Kovalainen is now out in the second Renault. |
| 11:37:46
| Rosberg has moved up into the top six in the Williams Toyota. |
| 11:39:20
| After showing some good speed, Nico Rosberg has stopped on track. That's the end of his session. |
| 11:40:26
| Albers has not been out since his early laps in the Spyker. He has a gearbox problem. |
| 11:41:03
| Button is back out in the Honda but way off the pace at this stage in the so-called 'earth car'. |
| 11:41:47
| Kubica is currently fifth fastest in his BMW Sauber and on a fast lap. |
| 11:42:38
| Kubica doesn't show his hand as he pits. He was on target to match the Ferrari duo. |
| 11:44:15
| Barrichello and Button are 19th and 21st at the moment. The car may be a bit of a donkey, but they must be running a lot of fuel at this stage to be that slow. |
| 11:44:45
| Alonso is back out in the McLaren Mercedes looking to improve on his fourth position. |
| 11:45:21
| Nick Heidfeld improves and is now sixth fastest in the BMW. |
| 11:45:36
| Raikkonen is back out in the Ferrari. |
| 11:46:53
| With less than 15 minutes remaining, the track is now quite busy. |
| 11:47:45
| Raikkonen starts a hot lap in the Ferrari. |
| 11:49:06
| Raikkonen finds half a second and moves fastest. In contrast Alonso did not find ant gains and pits the McLaren. |
| 11:50:32
| Sutil, 16th, runs wide but is able to continue in the Spyker. |
| 11:51:13
| Barrichello moves up the order in the Honda and is now 12th. |
| 11:51:46
| A quick lap from Fisichella as he moved second fastest. Kovalainen is currently 11th. |
| 11:52:34
| Webber moves up to sixth in the Red Bull. |
| 11:53:07
| The fast times are coming now as the session draws to a close. Kovalainen moves fourth. |
| 11:53:35
| Now Heidfeld is up to fourth ahead of Kovalainen and Hamilton. |
| 11:54:13
| Raikkonen is in the pits while his rivals remain on track. |
| 11:55:39
| An improvement from Hamilton who moves ahead of Felipe Massa. |
| 11:55:53
| Alonso and Raikkonen remain in the pit. |
| 11:57:30
| Alonso heads out with less than three minutes remaining. He is currently down in eighth. |
| 11:58:05
| Hamilton, third, pits the McLaren. |
| 11:58:42
| Alonso is now on a hot lap in the McLaren Mercedes. |
| 11:58:56
| Raikkonen is on track but may not have time for a timed lap. |
| 11:59:46
| A scruffy end to the lap for Alonso who moved just sixth having set the pace in the first part of the lap. |
| 12:00:54
| The chequered flag is out. |
| 12:01:11
| Davidson moves fourth fastest in the Super Aguri... |
| 12:02:05
| So we have two Super Aguris in the top ten and two Hondas out of the top ten. |
| 12:02:54
| So Kimi Raikkonen is fastest by a large margin over Fisichella, Hamilton, Davidson, Massa, Heidfeld, Alonso and Kovalainen. |
