Singapore Grand Prix - Qualifying

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So Lewis Hamilton scored his sixth pole position of the season, but he has only gone on to win twice in five attempts from that position in 2014.

Here's Andrew Benson's qualifying report. Keep an eye on the website for highlights later this afternoon or reach for your remote at 17:10 BST to watch it on BBC One.

Lewis Hamilton's brother Nicolas: 7 thousands of a second, now that's close! Good job Bro!

LotusCopyright: Lotus

Rivers are forming in the Singapore F1 paddock as the rain continues to lash down. This would cause utter chaos if it happened during the race. As it is, everyone - including the BBC F1 team - is simply getting soaked as they film segments for the highlights show, which will be on BBC One at 17:10 BST.

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"The scene at Ferrari as we wait for Fernando Alonso #monsoon."

MercedesCopyright: Mercedes

Mercedes: Did we mention what 0.007s look like in real terms? Yep, that's right, 33.5cm.

Fernando Alonso: Best qualy performance so far this year in one of my favourite tracks!! Very, very happy!! Looking forward to the race.

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"Were are pleasantly surprised with the result and how close it was," says Daniel Ricciardo. "They (Mercedes) were a fair way in front yesterday but today it was only two tenths. We thought Mercedes had more in the bag so that's going to be interesting.

"It's tricky to overtake here but we have got a chance to race them tomorrow. It could be on! It's nice there are more teams closer to pole this weekend so it will make the race more exciting."

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Lee McKenzie has grabbed Lewis Hamilton for another chat. "I knew I had the pace, but it was just about putting the sectors together which is not easy," says the Mercedes driver.

"It's most incredible feeling on last lap, with all the pressure when the smallest mistake could lose you a lot. After the first sequence of corners, I was already two tenths down, but I said to myself let's keep going and see what happens.

"The previous lap wasn't perfect either, I lost time in 13 and 16, but I fixed that and got the time back and the last sector was pretty hardcore fast."

Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo says it "could be on" for victory tomorrow when speaking to BBC F1's Lee McKenzie. What a race we have in store.

The heavens have opened in Singapore! Time for the umbrellas as drivers continue their post-qualifying session interviews.

1) Lewis Hamilton 2) Nico Rosberg 3) Daniel Ricciardo 4) Sebastian Vettel 5) Fernando Alonso 6) Felipe Massa 7) Kimi Raikkonen 8) Valtteri Bottas 9) Kevin Magnussen 10) Daniil Kvyat

11) Jenson Button 12) Jean-Eric Vergne 13) Nico Hulkenberg 14) Esteban Gutierrez 15) Sergio Perez 16) Romain Grosjean

17) Adrian Sutil 18) Pastor Maldonado 19) Jules Bianchi 20) Kamui Kobayashi 21) Max Chilton 22) Marcus Ericsson

"I came into the weekend thinking if we could be within two or three tenths, we had a chance," says Daniel Ricciardo, who qualified third. "It ended up a bit closer than we thought we would so that is encouraging.

"It was good fun out there and the track was improving as qualifying went on. Street circuits keep you on your toes but it was certainly good fun.

"I have got a few mates here this weekend and maybe some I don't know about. It's close to home so nice to see a few Aussie flags and hopefully I can see a few more of you from podium."

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Nico Rosberg, who starts second, says: "If I think back over the lap, seven thousandths of a second is nothing - a little bit here or there and I could have done it. But Lewis did a good job today. Fair play to him. Second place, it is OK. Sure first is better but it's a long race ahead, so that's fine.

"We changed the brakes heading into qualifying and I had got into a rhythm with the other brakes. That was a challenge and I expected it to take time to get into qualifying. Also the track had slowed down from the previous session, and I had to adapt to the settings. So I was pleased to be able to push flat out and get the qualifying time I did."

Replays show Lewis Hamilton punching the air after crossing the line to take pole position.

It's very rare that we see that kind of emotion from him during qualifying - but the manner in which he beat Rosberg will have done wonders for his confidence.

"I think coming into the weekend, we had an opinion about how the tyres would behave," adds Lewis Hamilton.

"When we got into the long runs yesterday, we saw quite a big difference to what we expected.

"Tomorrow should be interesting. Looking after the tyres is not easy, but I think it will be a good race to watch for the fans."

"It was quite an exciting qualifying session," says Lewis Hamilton, who starts on pole. "I wasn't expecting to see so much difference in how close everyone was.

"We did some good laps in the first and second parts of qualifying and the Ferraris were close. The way it ends is good for our team.

"On my last lap, I locked up into Turn One, I lost a bit of time, but managed to pull it back. At that point, I thought it was over, but I just kept going and it got better and better. It's a great effort by the team."

Mike Willis: That was an intense qualifying! Probably more exciting than the race will be. Lets just say we probably won't see much overtaking.

Reece Young: Get in Lewis Hamilton, stellar lap right when he needed it. Bring it home tomorrow.

Daniel Day: Damn, Hamilton is very good 0.007 gap between him and Rosberg. Going to be good race.

Smiles and handshakes all round as Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Daniel Ricciardo pose for the traditional top three photograph before heading off for the news conference.

"They're catching up my friend, they're catching up," says Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda to Mercedes co-team boss Paddy Lowe. He's not wrong. Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was just over a tenth-and-a-half slower than the Mercedes.

1) Lewis Hamilton 2) Nico Rosberg 3) Daniel Ricciardo 4) Sebastian Vettel 5) Fernando Alonso 6) Felipe Massa 7) Kimi Raikkonen 8) Valtteri Bottas 9) Kevin Magnussen 10) Daniil Kvyat

"Damn it!" says Nico Rosberg over team radio when he told that Lewis Hamilton has just pipped him to pole position. It was so, so close. What a thrilling climax to a super qualifying session.

Lewis Hamilton makes a mistake into Turn One but he turns it round to go fastest now by just 0.007 seconds!

More misery for Kimi Raikkonen who is told that he needs to stop out on track after reporting a problem with a lack of power. It's such a shame considering how quick he's been today.

Lewis Hamilton takes on another set of super-soft tyres and heads straight back out on track. Daniel Ricciardo is out there, too, along with Nico Rosberg, Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel.

So with four minutes remaining, here's how they stand:

1) Felipe Massa 2) Daniel Ricciardo 3) Fernando Alonso 4) Kimi Raikkonen 5) Valtteri Bottas 6) Lewis Hamilton 7) Nico Rosberg 8) Sebastian Vettel 9) Daniil Kvyat 10) Kevin Magnussen

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"If you've got any more front wing, put it on," says Lewis Hamilton as he heads back to the pits for some tweaks before a final run.

Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams looks shocked as she gazes at the timesheets. No one expected to see Felipe Massa on top after the first flurry of laps.

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Daniel Ricciardo goes second, 0.061 seconds off the pace with Fernando Alonso third and Kimi Raikkonen (pictured) fourth.

You have to go down to sixth and seventh to find the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Remarkable.

Felipe Massa's first effort is a 1:46.007, with Kevin Magnussen slotting into second 1.5 seconds adrift.

Rian Hoskins: Button is desperate to race for McLaren next year but with Magnussen out-qualifying him again, his position is really under threat.

Bronie: Would love to see Ferrari on the front row

Pogba: The Ferraris are surprisingly quick.

This is it. Ten drivers, 12 minutes, one pole position.

We've just seen a replay of Nico Rosberg tell his team over the radio that a Red Bull, believed to be Sebastian Vettel, cost him some time on his last lap.

"I cannot believe it, bloody engine, bloody engine," says Lotus Romain Grosjean on team radio to which his race engineer says: "Understand Romain, I'm very sorry it's the same issue as we had in P3. Grosjean responds: "I don't care, I don't care, it's too much."

1) Nico Rosberg 2) Lewis Hamilton 3) Fernando Alonso 4) Kimi Raikkonen 5) Felipe Massa 6) Daniel Ricciardo 7) Sebastian Vettel 8) Valtteri Bottas 9) Kevin Magnussen 10) Daniil Kvyat.

11) Jenson Button 12) Jean-Eric Vergne 13) Nico Hulkenberg 14) Esteban Gutierrez 15) Sergio Perez 16) Romain Grosjean

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Nico Rosberg finishes fastest in the second part of qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix.

Nico Rosberg leaves it late but puts down a marker with a sensational lap of 1:46.287, nearly half a second quicker than anyone else.

Jenson Button has been bumped down into the drop zone, along with the two Force Indias, Jean-Eric Vergne, Esteban Gutierrez and Romain Grosjean.

Felipe Massa bolts on a fresh set of super-soft tyres and makes the most of them, moving into fourth with a time of 1:46.472, which is only 0.185 seconds off the pace.

Frank Meehan: Two most natural drivers Kimi & Alonso benefitting from no radio controls. Maybe F1 drivers ARE controlled by their teams.

Adeel Ejaz: Have I woken up in an alternate universe or so? Where did this pace of Ferrari come from?!

Pmaster: The Mercs have got a fight on their hands.

There's a lull in the action while drivers and teams prep for their final runs in this session. Five minutes remaining.

Both Williams are currently in the drop zone, with the Force Indias, Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez. Remember that Williams did their first run on used super-softs, so should improve on their next run.

Now it's Lewis Hamilton who is quickest with a 1:46.287, but he's only a few thousandths ahead of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. We could be in for a real battle for pole this afternoon, folks.

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Fernando Alonso goes quickest with a 1:46.328, just a few thousandths quicker than his Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen. The Italian team are showing good speed just a few days after their president Luca Di Montezemolo stepped down.

Williams report that they are going to use used super-soft tyres for the first runs in Q2 for both Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas.

So we've got 15 minutes and another six drivers to shave off before we hit the final part of qualifying.

Shohidur Rahman: Mercedes not dominant for the first time in a long while. I think we're gonna see a non-Mercedes car on pole.

Edward Williams: If they line up in Q3 as they have in Q1, it will make a cracking race

Alan: Are curbs on radio chatter benefiting Kimi most? "Leave me alone - I know what to do."

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1) Kimi Raikkonen 2) Fernando Alonso 3) Lewis Hamilton 4) Jenson Button 5) Valtteri Bottas 6) Nico Rosberg 7) Nico Hulkenberg 8) Jean-Eric Vergne

9) Sebastian Vettel 10) Daniel Ricciardo 11) Felipe Massa 12) Daniil Kvyat 13) Romain Grosjean 14) Esteban Gutierrez 15) Kevin Magnussen 16) Sergio Perez

"There was no more in it, there was no power," reports Adrian Sutil. "We need to look at the car." His Sauber team-mate Esteban Gutierrez did a good job, though, getting into Q2 with the 14th fastest time.

17) Adrian Sutil 18) Pastor Maldonado 19) Jules Bianchi 20) Kamui Kobayashi 21) Max Chilton 22) Marcus Ericsson

Kimi Raikkonen finishes fastest in the first part of qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix.

Adrian Sutil, Pastor Maldonado, Kamui Kobayashi, Jules Bianchi, Max Chilton and Marcus Ericsson are in the drop zone with two minutes remaining. Felipe Massa is on the bubble in 16th.

Kimi Raikkonen goes quickest, two tenths quicker than his Ferrari team-mate Fernando Alonso. Lewis Hamilton can only slot into third, with Jenson Button fourth and Nico Rosberg fifth. Ferraris looking stronger here than they have all season.

Richard Parfitt: Ideal result for Ham would be him 1st, with the red bulls and Alonso between him and Ros - based on practice could be realistic

Kayleigh Gray: Good quali for Jenson please

Daniel Mugoh: Had Alonso managed to do half of what he's done this weekend at Monza, the Tifosi would have laid out some red carpet for him.

Sebastian Vettel waves his hand in frustration at Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat as the four-time world champion gets held up. Both are on timed laps, though, so it's really up to the car behind to find some space.

Nico Rosberg pits and has a set of the super-soft tyres fitted before rejoining. It looks like Mercedes are not willing to risk trying to get through Q2 on the soft tyres. Lewis Hamilton follows suit.

Lotus: See, that's what happens without radio instructions. Drivers forget to brake or take the corners. Sheer lunacy ensues.

Romain Grosjean locks up and skates off the track, the Frenchman then reporting issues with his brakes.

Lewis Hamilton, running the prime (soft) tyre, goes quickest with a 1:47.847, three tenths quicker than Fernando Alonso. Both Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo are still in the garage with 10 minutes remaining.

"I think it was the new brake discs on Rosberg's car that caused him to lock up and go off the circuit."

It's a Ferrari one-two with Fernando Alonso clocking a 1:48.203, three tenths quicker than team-mate Kimi Raikkonen. Valtteri Bottas down to third, with Nico Rosberg fourth and Kevin Magnussen fifth.

Valtteri Bottas is the early pace-setter, the Williams driver clocking a 1:48.743, six tenths quicker that Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne. Both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have done slow opening laps.

Nico Rosberg locks up and skates down an escape road. The German engages reverse and rolls back out onto the circuit, as he did in Monaco qualifying, and continues on his way.

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Sebastian Vettel is in no rush to get out and about. The German looked quick in practice this morning, after missing most of second practice as his team changed his engine, and has won this race in each of the last three years.

Let's get this show on the road...

Chef Gordon Ramsay - a frequent visitor to the F1 paddock - is in position at the front of the McLaren garage, headphones on, ready to watch Jenson Button drive out for qualifying.

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We've got a 5km track with 23 corners in Singapore, a real stop-and-go circuit. Lewis Hamilton (pictured) and Nico Rosberg are favourites to lock-out the front row, with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and the Red Bulls likely to be their closest challengers in Q3.

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Roger E Hooker: SG looking great tonight as F1 race city.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

It's so hot and sticky, even taking your balaclava off is a little bit tricky....

Qualifying in Singapore marks the 44th anniversary of the first time a Tyrrell started from pole at the 1970 Canadian GP. Tyrrell evolved into BAR, Honda, Brawn GP and ultimately Mercedes.

Nico Rosberg is eating his chopped, plain boiled potatoes out of a Chinese takeaway tub, the German carbo-loading before qualifying hour, which is now just 10 minutes away.

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Lewis Hamilton hasn't finished in the top four in Singapore in this decade and has the disappointing record of retirement-fifth-retirement-fifth over the past four years here. He did win here in 2009, as pictured, though.

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What must Pastor Maldonado be thinking? He dumped Williams in the hope of glory with Lotus and took his millions of sponsorship with him only to see the form of both teams reverse over the winter.

Once again, he's flapping around at the back, while Williams grace the podium. The Venezuelan has only one point in the last 33 grands prix and crashed heavily in second practice yesterday, forcing his team to replace his chassis.

But Maldonado qualified on the front row in Singapore only two years ago and he has also been unlucky to never score here. In 2012, he retired with hydraulic failure after running in a comfortable third place and he was 11th in his other two starts, a better finish than he's managed in any 2014 race.

"The drivers are pretty unanimous that Singapore is the toughest race of the year. But what does that mean, exactly, in terms of what they experience? Well, Fernando Alonso said that the temperature in his Ferrari's cockpit peaked at 55C on Friday - and that's while wearing four-layer fireproof overalls, fireproof underwear, helmet, balaclava and gloves. And the heat of the air means there is no cooling breeze. And the track is so bumpy, the drivers actually get bruised heels. All that while trying to keep a Formula 1 car out of the walls around a track with 23 corners."

Jamie DunmoreCopyright: Jamie Dunmore

Jamie Dunmore: Mercedes front wing at Raffles where they are holding a Mercedes partner event

BBC F1 chief analyst Eddie Jordan leaves no doubts about his feelings on Bernie Ecclestone's proposal to have three-car teams in the context of the financial struggles of the smaller teams: "I am really at odds with Bernie over this. It is disrespectful. The three teams at the back signed the Concorde Agreement.

"They have contracts with drivers, staff and sponsors and it is disrespectful to single them out and does not show the support they should be getting from Bernie. Historically, the manufacturers are the ones who have left. This is the time for people to come together to support the smaller teams."

Championship leader Nico Rosberg and Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo are the only drivers to have made the Q3 top 10 shoot-out for pole position at all 13 events this season.

Qualifying starts at 14:00 BST and will last an hour. Each session is split into three sessions, with the first last 18 minutes and seeing the six slowest drivers knocked out and the times reset.

The second last 15 minutes and removes six more drivers from the process, with the times reset once more. That leaves 10 to fight it out for pole in a 12-minute shoot-out.

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Red Bull Racing Spy: Spy reckons someone at McLaren really likes Batman.

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Nico Rosberg leads the way in the championship, 22 points clear of Mercedes team-mate and chief rival Lewis Hamilton. Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo is their closest challenger, 50 points - the equivalent of two races wins - adrift with Valtteri Bottas an impressive fourth in the Williams. Check out the full standings here.

"Night has fallen and the tension is mounting ahead of one of the most crucial qualifying sessions of the year. Its importance was betrayed by the behaviour of the Mercedes drivers in final practice. Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton ended up third and sixth, but this was a reflection of a game of a cat and mouse rather than their actual competitiveness.

"Rosberg's lap was scrappy and Hamilton had been unhappy with his set-up earlier in the session. But the team suspect neither driver wanted to reveal to the other their true pace when pole is so important on a track where overtaking is difficult. And a win here for either would have a decisive impact on the championship."

EPACopyright: EPA

Afternoon everybody and welcome to our live coverage of qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix around the tight and twisty streets of Marina Bay.

Fernando Alonso was the surprise pace-setter in final practice but it seems the Mercedes boys were each keeping something back as to not reveal anything to the other.

What a session we have in store, folks.

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Darkness has fallen, the floodlights have flickered on. Twenty two drivers and just one pole position. Let battle commence.

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It was a scruffy session for Lewis Hamilton, the Briton never managing to nail a clean and tidy lap. But it won't matter if he can get it together for qualifying, when it really matters.

Qualifying starts at 14:00 BST, with this live text resuming at 13:30 and BBC Radio 5 live team joining the party a little bit later. See you in a bit.

Marty Turner: Way To go Ferrari

Wayne Smith: About time Alonso did something. Must have had his eyebrows trimmed.

James Riley-Hards: Come on Lewis Hamilton in qualifying today you're number one.

Here's Andrew Benson's developing final practice report ahead of a qualifying session which could be the most important of the year as overtaking is very difficult around the streets of Marina Bay.

1) Fernando Alonso 2) Daniel Ricciardo 3) Nico Rosberg 4) Jean-Eric Vergne 5) Sebastian Vettel 6) Lewis Hamilton 7) Felipe Massa 8) Valtteri Bottas 9) Kimi Raikkonen 10) Esteban Gutierrez

11) Nico Hulkenberg 12) Kevin Magnussen 13) Jenson Button 14) Daniil Kvyat 15) Sergio Perez 16) Adrian Sutil 17) Romain Grosjean 18) Pastor Maldonado 19) Jules Bianchi 20) Kamui Kobayashi 21) Max Chilton 22) Marcus Ericsson

Well no one saw that one coming did they? Fernando Alonso, a two-time winner here, ended up quicker. Mercedes looked like they were sandbagging, but that's nevertheless an impressive performance from Alonso and indeed Daniel Ricciardo who was 0.051 seconds further back.

Sebastian Vettel goes fifth fastest with a time of 1:47.711, four tenths of a second off the pace. The German is 0.35 seconds slower than his Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo.

It looks like session over for Mercedes as both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are in the pits with three minutes remaining.

Lewis Hamilton goes fourth quickest with a 1:47.738, the Briton running very close to the wall on a couple of occasions. 5 live commentator James Allen suggests Mercedes are sandbagging.

Great lap from Esteban Gutierrez who goes seventh quickest in the Sauber, who have yet to score a point this season.

Felipe Massa posts the fourth fastest time in the Williams, with Nico Hulkenberg slotting into fifth. Lewis Hamilton heads out on the super-soft tyres.

Fernando Alonso goes quickest with a 1:47.299, with Daniel Ricciardo slotting into second, 0.051 seconds adrift. Alonso is looking very, very good, the Spaniard doing a stunning job working round the deficiencies of his Ferrari.

Largely clean and tidy lap from Nico Rosberg, the German clocking a 1:47.488, 1.6 seconds quicker than anyone else.

There was a small mistake midway round when he drove over one of the sausage kerbs, slightly destabilising the car but you generally get the sense he wasn't pushing to the max and I think there's more to come from him.

Nico Rosberg heads out on track on the super-soft tyres. That means it's time for qualifying-simulation runs, folks. This will be the first proper simulation we've seen from Rosberg after the German had his ruined in second practice when Pastor Maldonado's crash brought out the red flags.

Phil Slocombe: I think Daniel could be in the mix with Lewis and Nico, but subject to reliability, I still see Lewis winning.

Adrian King: This is the race where the unexpected will happen. Caterham to bag points on the weekend when Bernie says they are no longer welcome?

Rebecca Molloy: What is the punishment if a team is found to be coaching one or both drivers over the radio? *cough* Force India *cough*.

You can send us your views via #bbcf1, Facebook & Google+

"Speculation continues to swirl around Ferrari, a team which gives the impression of being in constant turmoil at the moment. Fernando Alonso is clearly frustrated at the car's performance - and even more so this weekend, apparently, at what he has called disruptive rumours in the Italian media about a seat swap between himself and Sebastian Vettel. It's clear all is not well between the Spaniard and the team, but the signs are this might be a better weekend for them on track. Even allowing for the fact that Ferrari tend to look artificially more competitive on Fridays because they run their car in a faster specification than their rivals, Alonso looked in reasonable shape and feels a podium finish is a more realistic target than it has been for some time."

Mercedes: Discussions underway re; that moment for @LewisHamilton. All looks to be ok on the car but the crew are giving her a once over to be sure.

Both Mercedes are in the garage, with Lewis Hamilton out of the car as his mechanics get to work making a few tweaks before a final flurry of laps. Just 19 minutes to go.

Interesting from Sebastian Vettel. The German, who has won this race for the last three years, goes third quickest with a time of 1:49.180 that is six tenths of a second off the leading pace but his third sector was faster than anyone else, including the Mercedes.

Bit of movement at the top of the timesheets with Daniel Ricciardo's 1:49.226 good enough for second, behind Nico Rosberg but faster than Lewis Hamilton. Fernando Alonso is an impressive fourth, one second off the pace, with Valtteri Bottas fifth and Felipe Massa sixth.

Sergio Perez's race engineer: "Bit smoother in the third sector, Checo. Maybe don't try to fight the car so much."

Hmmm, is that a bit of driver coaching?

"As is often the case here, the Singapore paddock is a hotbed of speculation and uncertainty about changes for the future. And this time it's not just about the driver market. With the futures of at least two or three teams in doubt, Bernie Ecclestone has again raised here the prospect of teams running three cars next season - which becomes a requirement should the grid drop below 20 cars.

"'It has always been on the cards if we lose up to three teams the others will run three cars,' he said. 'I think we should do it anyway. I would rather see Ferrari with three cars, or any of the other top teams with three cars, than having teams that are struggling.' The smaller teams are not keen on this idea, for obvious reasons.

"Meanwhile, Ecclestone's much-despised double points at the final race looks like it might last only one year - as was always likely to be the case after its introduction was met with such widespread dismay. 'I wanted it (double points) to be for the last three races. Then people would believe it still possible somebody else could win, but everyone said I was mad, so we won't do it. As for keeping it for the last race, I don't know. Probably not. We can't yet see whether it has worked, it depends.'"

Super effort from Valtteri Bottas, who pops up into fourth with a 1:49.952. It's the first time this weekend that Williams have shown any kind of pace.

Sochi AutodromCopyright: Sochi Autodrom

Sochi Autodrom: Sochi Autodrom is officially opened!

Sochi will host the inaugural Russian Grand Prix, which takes place on 12 October.

Lewis Hamilton runs very, very wide at the final corner, but finds the race track again and crosses the line to go second fastest with a time of 1:49.337, seven tenths off the pace of his team-mate Nico Rosberg. It's been a scruffy session for the Briton ahead of qualifying.

Sergio Perez's race engineer: "Sector one... Oh no, not allowed to say that."

Teams are still getting used to the new rules which have been enforced from this weekend which govern the amount of advice teams are allowed to give their drivers over team radio.

Lewis Hamilton: "The engine just stalled, I pulled in the clutch and jumped started it."

Heart-in-mouth moment for Lewis Hamilton who runs over one of the kerbs, losing control of the car and sliding as the rear end snaps before catching it.

He's very lucky to keep it out of the barriers because damage now would mean potentially missing qualifying.

Nico Rosberg pops out for spin and nails a corker of a lap, the German clocking a 1:48.575 to go quickest of all. Here's how the top 10 stands with just over 30 minutes remaining.

1) Rosberg 2) Ricciardo 3) Raikkonen 4) Vettel 5) Vergne 6) Kvyat 7) Perez 8) Button 9) Grosjean 10) Magnussen

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"Williams arrived in Singapore on something of a high after a string of podium finishes for Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa, but they came back to earth with a bump on Friday here. The drivers were at the wrong end of the time sheets in 17th and 18th places and this was more than Williams doing their usual low-key race preparation.

"Massa said it was a 'very difficult day', and Bottas pointed out that Williams found only 0.5secs on the super-soft tyre when others were improving by more like 2.5secs. This downforce-reliant track was always expected to be a little tricky for Williams, whose strength is on the straights. 'We believe we have enough information that can be pulled together to make positive steps forward,' said head of performance Rob Smedley. Let's see."

HaikelCopyright: Haikel

Haikel: Managed to get some carbon fibre from Maldonado's crash :-) (in second practice)

"You don't need to be a professor of body language to know there are some difficulties [with Fernando Alonso] in the Ferrari garage this weekend."

McLaren's Jenson Button has a moment down at Turn 14, outbraking himself and running straight on into the escape road. A quick 180 degree spin and he's back on his way.

Drivers really struggling for grip at the moment, which explains why some of the big names have chosen to stay put and wait for others to "rubber in" the track.

Dinesh BhatiaCopyright: Dinesh Bhatia

Dinesh Bhatia: Beautiful view of track and turn.

"McLaren have a big upgrade package for this race but Jenson Button did not sound that happy with life after practice on Friday. 'We tried a few things this afternoon that didn't work too well and considering that it's not too bad compared to the people around us,' he said.

"'We got a lot of information and hopefully we can improve a lot. The lap times were not too bad, though, with Button seventh, a place behind team-mate Kevin Magnussen, impressively attacking on his first experience of the Marina Bay track. But the new parts did not appear on first evidence to have moved McLaren any closer to the front."

Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have been out for installation laps, but with 46 minutes remaining, they seem content to sit in their garages and wait.

Sebastian Vettel is our new pace-setter, the German clocking a 1:50.393, which is four tenths quicker than his Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo.

Lotus: Good news from Pastor's side of the garage: chassis swapped, no curfew broken. Well done boys #hardcore #teamwork.

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Pastor Maldonado caused a scene on Friday when he crashed in second practice. The impact ripped off the front right corner of the car and severely damaged the chassis meaning it was a long night for his Lotus mechanics.

McLaren's Jenson Button: Great 2 get back in the car around this crazy circuit! Some work needed to maximise the setup but feeling good #SingaporeGP #Sweaty

Kevin Magnussen sets the early pace, the McLaren driver clocking a 1:51.985, two tenths quicker than team-mate Jenson Button. The Saubers of Esteban Gutierrez and Adrian Sutil are the only others to have set a lap time. Gutierrez complains over team radio that there is no grip.

There has been a concern that if it rains during the sessions in Singapore, the reflection and glare from the lights shining onto the water could cause visibility issues. However, as yet, we've not seen rain in any of the previous six races to be held at the venue.

Let practice begin! With the threat of rain in this session, expect it to be very busy, very early.

Lewis HamiltonCopyright: Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton: Nico looks very quick, as do the Ferraris and the Red Bulls, but I'm feeling good this weekend and I'm focused on the job.

You can listen to audio commentary online, via the link at the top of the page, with James Allen in the commentary box and Jennie Gow in the pit-lane. Just five minutes to go until practice gets under way, folks. Just enough time to get yourself a brew.

"Sebastian Vettel was in confident mood after practice on Friday, despite having a disrupted day. An engine failure at the end of first practice meant he missed all but 10 minutes of the second session even though the Red Bull mechanics impressively got the engine changed in less than three hours. He went straight out on a pair of super-soft tyres and banged in a lap just 0.5secs off Lewis Hamilton's pace-setting time.

"Team-mate Daniel Ricciardo was 0.251secs quicker in third place and the Red Bulls looked in decent shape on race pace, too. Can you challenge the Mercedes, Vettel was asked: 'Yes,' he said. 'In terms of pace it looks quite good this weekend.' Ricciardo was less sure, saying he felt Mercedes 'have probably got a bit more in the bag', although he did add: 'Pole is not a long shot, but it's probably a bit out of reach for now. But top three should be what we should aim for.' Can they mix it with Hamilton and Rosberg?"

Daniel Ricciardo is all smiles (though when isn't he?) as he wanders through the paddock towards his garage, signing autographs and posing for pictures along the way.

The Australian has been a revelation this season, holding the upper hand over his more decorated team-mate Sebastian Vettel. Can he extend his 60-point advantage over Vettel this weekend?

McLarenCopyright: McLaren

McLaren: A few snaps from the Masters Historic GP. Those cars stir some epic memories of past McLaren legends.

Once final practice is done and dusted, we'll have a short break before building up to qualifying hour, which will take place under the floodlights as darkness falls. That starts at 14:00.

So here's how today is going to work. Final practice starts at 11:00 BST and lasts an hour. It provides the drivers and their teams with one final opportunity to tinker with their multi-million pound motors. A low fuel qualifying simulation will be high on their agenda, too.

BBCCopyright: BBC

If you missed first or second practice of Friday, or just want to enjoy it all over again, you can catch up with Inside F1 here for all the best bits with the added bonus of some chat from Eddie Jordan.

Romain GrosjeanCopyright: Romain Grosjean

Lotus driver Romain Grosjean: Woke up at 3pm and it's grey over Singapore. Now time to go to the track.

"Friday at Marina Bay teased and tantalised, but provided no answers as to who is best placed in this latest instalment of the gripping battle between Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Hamilton was fastest with Rosberg 13th in the times after the second session, but the German had been forced to abort his fastest lap following a crash by Lotus's Pastor Maldonado, and decided not to bother with another attempt, preferring to focus instead on race preparation.

"On their race-simulation runs, Hamilton appeared to have a slight advantage, but Rosberg had looked very competitive in the first session, when there was almost nothing to choose between the two silver cars. This final session will provide further clues ahead of one of the most important qualifying sessions of the season. A victory here for either Mercedes driver would shift the momentum in the championship decisively in their favour. With overtaking difficult here, pole is a crucial first step."

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Morning all and welcome to live coverage of third and final practice for the Singapore Grand Prix around the streets of Marina Bay. This race weekend has fast become one of the favourites - if not the favourite - among fans and drivers alike.

APCopyright: AP

It's hot, it's sweaty and it's very sticky. Welcome to Singapore - host of the physically toughest grand prix weekend of the year.