The Mercedes pair were surprisingly down on pace in the final practice session ahead of qualifying. Nico Rosberg was third fastest, with Lewis Hamilton down in sixth. Fernando Alonso was at the top of the timesheets, but the top nine drivers were all within a second of each other. Williams managed to improve on their Friday times, and get into the top ten.

Meanwhile, there was a lot of focus on what was and wasn't allowed to be said on the radio, with Force India in particular trying to toe the line. "Sector time... oh, no, not allowed," the mechanic said before hurriedly going quiet.