Rosberg took over the top spot from teammate Hamilton, with a few tenths in hand for the final practice sessions. Williams were best of the rest, but Fernando Alonso finally managed to get some running in to finish fourth. He still found the Ferrari stopped beneath him, though, as he struggles in his final race weekend for the team.

Elsewhere, Will Stevens finally found his way in the Caterham and started closing the gap to teammate Kamui Kobayashi. The pair were still well off the pace of the rest of the field, however.