The Williams F1 team topped the timesheets in the final practice session before qualifying for the British Grand Prix with Nico Rosberg heading teammate Kazuki Nakjima by two tenths of a second.
A damp Silverstone circuit meant the drivers were lapping over two seconds slower than they were on Friday and the timesheet is unlikely to be a true reflection of the pecking order as teams experimented with different fuel loads ahead of the all crucial qualifying hour.
Nevertheless, Williams look set for a strong qualifying session after a late flyer from Nico Rosberg, most likely on low fuel, saw the German edge out Nakjima for the top spot.
Jarno Trulli lapped third quickest ahead of Friday pacesetter Sebastian Vettel – the man Jenson Button and Brawn GP fear most this weekend.
Ferrari showed signs of improvement with Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen lining up in fifth and sixth, while championship leader Jenson Button had another low key session in twelfth.
Lewis Hamilton is bracing himself for another challenging qualifying hour as he continued to struggle for pace around the Northamptonshire circuit. A mistake at Stowe saw the McLaren driver run wide over the grass and he ended the session eleventh.
The racing at Silverstone continues to be overshadowed by the row between the FIA and the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) over next year’s rules. Further crisis meetings between the two parties will be held today and Formula One Supremo Bernie Ecclestone is expected to play a key role in brokering the discussions..
1 Nico Rosberg Williams 1:18.899 2 Kazuki Nakajima Williams 0:00.203 3 Jarno Trulli Toyota 0:00.226 4 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 0:00.472 5 Felipe Massa Ferrari 0:00.697 6 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 0:00.956 7 Timo Glock Toyota 0:00.969 8 Fernando Alonso Renault 0:01.018 9 Rubens Barrichello Brawn 0:01.129 10 Mark Webber Red Bull 0:01.147 11 Lewis Hamilton McLaren 0:01.149 12 Jenson Button Brawn 0:01.258 13 Nelson Piquet Renault 0:01.333 14 Sebastien Bourdais Toro Rosso 0:01.560 15 Adrian Sutil Force India 0:01.649 16 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India 0:01.673 17 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren 0:01.729 18 Nick Heidfeld BMW 0:01.797 19 Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso 0:02.125 20 Robert Kubica BMW 0:02.149
