Free 3: Sebastian Vettel fastest in final practice at India

Sebastian Vettel has once again finished fastest during the final practice session in preparation for this weekend’s Indian Grand Prix, as the teams and drivers prepare for the all-important qualifying hour later this afternoon. The German driver was followed home by the McLaren of Jenson Button and team-mate Mark Webber.

Once again the Buddh International Circuit was slightly hazy as the final practice session of the weekend began, with the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen leading out a stampede of drivers all eager to continue their preparations for qualifying and the race. The majority of the field completed only one installation lap before returning to the pits, however the Red Bull duo and Nico Hulkenberg completed two installation laps.

Eventually, after several minutes of no track action, the Lotus duo of Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean set the first timed laps of the session, with the Finn setting the initial pace with a 01:30.183. Whilst several other drivers joined Lotus in setting their first timed laps of the day, Nico Rosberg made a mistake on the entry to turn 3 and ran wide over the gravel.

Kimi Raikkonen was able to vastly improve upon his first lap a little later, before the Red Bull of Mark Webber quickly shot to the top with a 01:26.887. Once again, the Red Bull duo looked imperious out in front, as reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel asserted his authority over proceedings with a 01:26.822. As the remainder of the field set their times, the Red Bulls simply traded fastest times at the front, with Mark Webber momentarily returning to the top spot before Sebastian Vettel set a scintillating 01:25.892 to remain dominant.

Lewis Hamilton managed to split the Red Bulls by going 2nd, with team-mate Jenson Button slotting into 3rd, thus demoting Mark Webber down to 4th. Kimi Raikkonen then forced Webber down to an even lower 5th, whilst team-mate Vettel continued to remain at the top of the timings sheets, two tenths ahead of Hamilton’s McLaren.

With just under 20 minutes of the session remaining, many drivers began opting for Pirelli’s softer tyre compound, with intentions on carrying out several qualifying simulation runs. This enabled the likes of Bruno Senna to improve greatly to 3rd as the Red Bull of Mark Webber made a rare mistake and spun at turn 15, eventually rejoining and then entering the pits. Kimi Raikkonen also made a minor error as the session drew to a close, running wide and off the track through turn 11.

As the final minutes of the third practice session ticked away, all of the drivers decided to take to the Buddh International Circuit at once to try and extract the most out of their machines in preparation for qualifying. Jenson Button managed to improve to 2nd ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton, whereas Sebastian Vettel marginally improved upon his time at the top with a 01:25.842 on the soft tyres.

As the checkered flag emerged, Sebastian Vettel was able to remain fastest overall ahead of the McLaren of Jenson Button and team-mate Mark Webber. Lewis Hamilton could only manage 4th fastest, with Kimi Raikkonen 5th for Lotus. With all three practice sessions now over, the drivers will now be frantically preparing for the all-important qualifying hour later this afternoon.

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