As it happened: 2010 Korea - Free Practice 3

• 02:30

  Good morning everyone! You're just in time to enjoy the final hour of practice before qualifying for the Korean GP.

• 02:33

  Yesterday we saw the first and tentative laps from the drivers at this new track, but today, they should be going all out to get some good times.

• 02:34

  A few tweaks to the circuit have been made, after drivers complained to Charlie Whiting last night.

• 02:37

  The Turn 16 left hander has a higher kerb, after a few cars bottomed out there - notably Yamamoto who caused red flags in FP2.

• 02:38

  Turn 18 has a bit of a higher kerb after drivers were cutting the corner. It also seems the pit lane entrance has been looked at but not sure of any specific changes there.

• 02:39

  Tweet from @rf1paddockpass: Slightly overcast and a bit cool this morning but should remain dry today

• 02:41

  Tweet from @HockeyKamen: @factbytefactbox Hopefully it won't be dusty as well.

• 02:42

  Now, a little bit of admin. For UK viewers, the BBC will be streaming FP3 here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9117221.stm

• 02:43

  Autosport live will have some rather good text updates going here: http://live.autosport.com/commentary.php/id/287

• 02:43

  And live timing always adds another dimension to your viewing: http://www.formula1.com/live_timing/

• 02:44

  What you need, above and beyond anything else, though, is to join in the Sidepodcast comments. You can use the fabulous dashboard: https://sidepodcast.com/dashboard or direct on the live thread: https://sidepodcast.com/2010/10/23/live-korea-2010-free-practice-3/

• 02:44

  Pop by and say hello!

• 02:50

  Yesterday had x1 Hamilton and x1 Webber taking top honours for practice - who will it be this morning?

• 02:52

  If you want a quick roundup of Friday, and are at a loose end for 60 sends, I highly recommend a podcast called F1 Minute. http://www.f1minute.com/2010/10/22/free-practice-sees-cars-debut-in-korea/ Eh-hem.

• 02:52

  Tweet from @MyLotusRacing: 10 minutes to go. First fire ups done. Drivers in the garage. All set for P3 in Korea!

• 02:55

  Aww, Heikki's girlfriend is not very well at all, although she's still smiling: http://plixi.com/p/52272392 The FBFB hopes she gets well soon, but also thinks that having an F1 driver as a boyfriend is good if you get top notch medical centre care!

• 02:56

  

  18°C

  Track	22°C
  Humidity	58%
  Wind Speed	0.5mps

• 02:57

  Temperatures way down on yesterday, which may or may not affect how quickly the track comes together.

• 03:00

  Session started.

• 03:00

  Trulli leads the pack, although he gets away very slowly.

• 03:02

  Everyone has bundled out on track, except for Schumacher, Vettel, Webber, Barrichello and Kovalainen.

• 03:03

  It looks like installation lap times are on the cards today, as many drivers return to the pitlane immediately.

• 03:05

  Tweet from @eddstrawF1: Shame they have changed the track - exit of Turn 16 yesterday was a brilliant place to watch! But is sensible to have modified it.

• 03:07

  All the drivers have returned to the pitlane. A moment of calm.

• 03:10

  Vettel breaks the silence and heads back out on track.

• 03:10

  Tweet from @alexjsnell: Lucas confirming that they've done as expected & put a big 'lump' on the inside of turn 16! ;) #F1

• 03:11

  Tweet from @MyLotusRacing: Initial reports from both Jarno and Heikki are that track is no better than yesterday, possibly worse in places #fb

• 03:12

  A few of the drivers aren't even in the car at the moment, Alonso chats with his engineers, Hamilton views some data on screen, Senna takes some refreshment. Come on chaps, laps to be done.

• 03:12

  Vettel returns to the garage, all drivers now have an installation lap complete. Who will be the first to set a time?

• 03:15

  Some information about Turn 7 - given the short distance from the sharp left-hander at Turn 6, initial speeds are low compared to earlier corners on the lap.

  Braking Analysis

  Turn 7
  (forecast data from Brembo)
  Initial Speed	156km/h
  Final Speed	134km/h
  Stopping Distance	14m
  Braking Time	0.35s
  Maximum Deceleration	2.07g
  Maximum Pedal load	55kg

• 03:16

  Yesterday, Senna entered Turn 7 backwards on full lock - presumably the pedal load was a bit difference for him then.

• 03:16

  Tweet from @InsideFerrari: Fernando left the garage walking towards the FIA garage for wheighing

• 03:16

  The ever-keen Alguersuari heads out for another lap.

• 03:20

  Jaime becomes the first man to set a lap time - 1:45.671. Much faster for him than yesterday's debut, but a way to go before beating the top times of FP2.

• 03:21

  Hamilton views practice from the comfort of his garage.

• 03:22

  Buemi joins his teammate, with a time almost a second slower. I suspect Jaime has opened the floodgates for times now.

• 03:23

  For reference, the fastest times from yesterday were 1:40.887 (FP1 HAM) and 1:37.942 (FP2 WEB).

• 03:25

  Interview with Andy Stobart: "It's rather slippery out there, but I think we knew that from watching on screens. We know it's a very new surface. The tyre isn't gripping, it isn't interacting, it isn't ripping and shredding as it should do on the tarmac, it's sliding across it, and we get this situation of graining. It makes things worse.

  The layout of the track with this dusty surface even meant we had graining in two directions because we have some adverse camber corner. This session is going to be very interesting to see how much the track improves over the session.

  Other places will have a lot of support races, so that even though the rubber is different, they are cleaning the track."

• 03:27

  Sutil has a bit of a wobble. Quite a lot of a wobble actually.

• 03:28

  Team radio from Alguersuari: "Great big oversteer, great big oversteer." "Keep pushing."

• 03:29

  Tweet from @InsideFerrari: Both the F10 are fitted with the blown rear wing and an updated floor, which was positively tested yesterday

• 03:29

  Buemi has jumped to the top, he and Hulkenberg have dropped the times into the 1:41s.

• 03:30

  Ted Kravitz reports that the circuit right now is about as dusty as it was in the early part of Friday. As if to illustrated the point, we see a replay of Trulli running wide.

• 03:31

  Tweet from @VirginRacing: Good effort by @LucasDiGrassi, going faster than KOV and Timo, clearly settling in despite missing FP1

• 03:32

  Hamilton backs off to give himself space for a first laptime.

• 03:33

  Half the session gone already, and exactly half the drivers have times. More work to be done.

• 03:34

  Top Speeds

  Sector 1	Liuzzi	245kph
  Sector 2	Hulkenberg	193kph
  Sector 3	Alonso	288kph
  Speed Trap	Liuzzi	313kph

• 03:34

  Alonso has jumped up to P1 - 1:40.795. I suspect the times will be dropping rapidly now.

• 03:36

  Tweet from @clubforce: Adrian: that wasn't a tidy run. It was too early to be out there as the grip was too poor. Very low traction.

• 03:38

  Tumbling times now, Alonso and Hamilton alternating fastest laps.

• 03:39

  Rosberg and Schumacher have yet to set times, but are out on track now. Everyone else has a time. Field spread of 7.7 seconds with fastest 1:39.217 and slowest 1:46.977.

• 03:40

  Team radio to Button: "Jenson, there's still time to gain in sector 3, possibly because of traffic."

• 03:41

  Button clearly found that time, jumping up to P1 - a 1:38.540.

• 03:41

  According to McLaren live data, both their cars are 0.4 seconds faster than anyone else through sector 1.

• 03:44

  Battle For 1st

  Pos	Driver	Gap
  1st	Hamilton	1:38.540
  2nd	Kubica	+0.226
  3rd	Webber	+0.463
  4th	Button	+0.862

• 03:46

  Current Bottom Five

  20	Jarno Trulli	1:43.521
  21	Lucas di Grassi	1:44.129
  22	Nick Heidfeld	1:44.577
  23	Bruno Senna	1:46.133
  24	Sakon Yamamoto	1:46.893

• 03:48

  Just under 13 minutes to go now, lots of drivers in the garages. It looks like everyone is gearing up for their last qualifying-simulation runs.

• 03:48

  Tweet from @autosportlive: Replays show the modification to the kerb at Turn 16 is beginning to degrade as drivers continue to clatter over the soft concrete patch.

• 03:49

  Two cars remain on track - Rosberg and Heidfeld.

• 03:50

  Ten minutes left. Just Heidfeld out there now.

• 03:50

  I do believe they call this the calm before the storm.

• 03:51

  Team radio from Senna: "Took a long time for the tyres to start getting temperature, but the rear end is very limited at the moment. It's very easy to lose the rear end... Anything just creates oversteer. A bit difficult at the moment."

• 03:52

  Tweet from @autosportlive: Marshals are now showing the slippery surface flag for the debris from that degrading kerb at Turn 16.

• 03:55

  Hamilton has bolted on the soft tyres, and ran very wide at one corner, picking up plenty of dust.

• 03:56

  Ted reports Hulkenberg still has the engine cover off his car, and is pondering if the Williams has a problem.

• 03:56

  Trulli stopped in Sector 1.

• 03:56

  No yellow flags, looks like he's off the racing line.

• 03:57

  More dust from Hamilton as he tries to avoid traffic and runs off the track a couple of times.

• 03:57

  Hulkenberg is the only driver still in the garage, and with just two and a half minutes to go, it's unlikely he'll be out now.

• 03:58

  Kubica jumps up to P1 with a 1:37.932, while Alonso appears to have his lap ruined by Rosberg.

• 03:58

  Kubica is almost half a second up on second place Button.

• 03:59

  Tweet from @clubforce: Suspected puncture for tonio, he is called to the box as a precaution

• 04:00

  Session complete.

• 04:00

  Kubica improves on his own time, as Alonso goes second.

• 04:01

  Hulkenberg did manage to get out, completing a lap for 8th place - ahead of Barrichello in 12th. Not too many problems for Hulk, then.

• 04:02

  Team radio from Alonso: "Nearly crashed with Rosberg the lap before, he was completely stopped in Turn 15."

• 04:02

  Top Five

  1	Robert Kubica	1:37.354
  2	Lewis Hamilton	1:37.402
  3	Fernando Alonso	1:37.426
  4	Mark Webber	1:37.441
  5	Nico Rosberg	1:37.629

• 04:04

  Recent Lap Times

  Lewis Hamilton
  Lap 13	1:48.2
  Lap 14	1:46.2
  Lap 15	2:02.2
  Lap 16	1:37.4

• 04:05

  It's worth mentioning, of course, that in that lap graph, lower is better, and his final lap saw him second.

• 04:06

  Three different teams have topped practice so far then, with McLaren, Red Bull and now Renault taking top honours.

• 04:06

  Kubica found some real speed at the end of that session, whilst Ferrari (who had looked a little slow previously) picked up their pace considerably.

• 04:07

  Of the top five dominating the sport, Button was a little further back on the others - 7th - but nowhere near as far down as Vettel who wound up 16th!

• 04:08

  We will be back in 90 minutes for qualifying - I hope you will join me - it's going to be fascinating!