German GP qualifying as it happened

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By Mark Orlovac

1429: Lunch is calling. Time to sign off. Thank you very much for your company and all of your messages today. I really enjoyed that and there's plenty more to come tomorrow. It should be a cracker. Keep across the website for all the reaction and news from Germany. Make sure you rest well and I'll see you tomorrow from 1130 BST tomorrow from the race. Don't miss it. See you then.

Sebastian Vettel (third on the grid): "It is not a disappointment. I would like to be further up but it was a tough session. The balance was not right yesterday and although we made a bit of a recovery today, we should have been quicker."

Lewis Hamilton (second on the grid): "The upgrades this weekend - updates and improvements to engine modes - have helped massively. I underestimated how good the car would be when we went to light fuel load. It was one of the happiest and most comforting laps I have ever had, I felt incredible. We are not far from them [Red Bull] so I'm very happy."

Pole-sitter Mark Webber: "My form has been getting better and this track not been too bad for me in the past. The boys did a great job on the car - there were some late nights in the lead up to here but we got it together in the end. After my lap I thought that if someone gets me they deserve it because I was at my limit and it was a great lap."

1420: The report of that superb qualifying session is now up, take a look here. While you finishing off your lunch, you can also take a look at some quotes from the drivers' media conference which are about to follow...

BBC F1 co-commentator David Coulthard: "Rain is forecast for tomorrow and all this could be turned on its head again."

Craig, Preston via text: "Just imagine how fast Lewis would have been in a Red Bull! Amazing, Vettel will surely hope Lewis doesn't join him at Red Bull."

rsjhayes on Twitter: "Stonking lap from Lewis, best qualifying for a long time."

1410: In a complete contrast to his team-mate, a downbeat Jenson Button is pretty upset after he aborted his lap in Q3. "I pulled out of the lap at the end, I could not find any grip," he told the BBC. "I really struggled. This morning the car was good, but this afternoon I had too much front end. We took some front wing out but that gave me understeer. It is very surprising to be about 1.1 seconds behind Lewis. Something is not right. The pace isn't there. It was there this morning, so I don't know where it has gone."

1408: Ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves a race tomorrow. And Lewis Hamilton knows it. You can hear the smile in his voice as he tells his team over the radio: "That was a good lap. That was a wicked lap. That was as good as it gets."

BBC F1 co-commentator David Coulthard: "It was a mighty lap from Mark Webber and one incredible lap from Lewis Hamilton. He found the confidence in the brakes and showed what he can do when he has the car underneath him."

1404: That was some qualifying session. "That was a very good lap Mark," Webber is told by team boss Christian Horner. Hamilton is in second after that stunning lap, then it is Vettel, Alonso, Massa, Rosberg, Button, Sutil, Petrov and Schumacher.

RED BULL'S MARK WEBBER QUALIFIES ON FOR THE GERMAN GP

1400: Alonso sets a 1:30.442, he's in second, then it's Webber, wow, he's quick. The Aussie sets a 1:30.079. Now it's Hamilton... and that it is fantastic... it's a 1:30.134. He's in second. Vettel, now, it's not good enough... he's in third.

1359: Alonso is improving but Webber has gone purple in the first sector, it's going to take something very special indeed to knock him off pole...

1357: Here's the final roll of the dice. Alonso, Webber, Hamilton, Vettel and Button are all leaving the pits. BBC F1 co-commentator David Coulthard: "It was interesting how much road Mark Webber was using on the way into the chicane - he has supreme confidence in his braking. Lewis Hamilton was similar with his braking, he looks to have his mojo back. Is he able to keep that third place? Front row might be too much for him, though.

Team Lotus driver Karun Chandhok: "It is so different for me, I have never driven on slicks before and ever used DRS, so there is a lot to learn. Team boss Tony Fernandes said to me 'get within a second and you should be proud of that'. I knew there was a good possibility I would do some races this year, and a couple of weekends ago I knew there was a chance I would race here. Jarno feels terrible - it is awful watching someone else driving your car. It's tough for him I'm sure. He'll be back for Budapest. It's a one-off for me, so we will see."

1354: Alonso sets a 1:30.866 but here's Hamilton... and that's a 1:30.725. Bosh. They've found something here. Hang on, though, Webber is on a stonking lap... that's a 1:30.251.

BBC F1 commentator Martin Brundle: "Fernando Alonso has been driving the wheels off that Ferrari since the start of first practice here. He so fancies a go at those Red Bulls in the second half of the season."

1352: Here we go, then. Q3 is up and running. The final 10-minute shootout. And it is Alonso to set the first time...

BBC F1 co-commentator David Coulthard: "I would be surprised if Lewis can be in the battle for pole but he is an amazing driver."

BBC F1 pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz: "To put Lewis Hamilton's impressive Q2 time in context, it is more than 0.5secs quicker than any other lap he has done this weekend, whereas the other leading runners more or less matched their final practice times. Could he be in the battle for pole with the Red Bulls and Alonso's Ferrari?"

1345: Here's a full list of the seven to drop out in Q2: Heidfeld, Di Resta, Maldonado, Barrichello, Perez, Buemi and Alguersuari. A big deep breath is needed for Q3... ready?

1342: Adrian Sutil goes seventh with a 1:31.809, and here's Schumacher - he's safe after a 1:32.180. Petrov is now also in the top 10 - Di Resta and Heidfeld have both slipped out. Rosberg is the quickest man in the final sector and a 1:31.343 right at the very end of Q2 puts him in fifth.

1341: Good stuff from Di Resta, he sets a 1:32.560 and he's now safe. But there's plenty of drivers still out there in the final minute of Q2...

1339: Fine lap from Maldonado, a 1:32.635, and he's ninth - for the moment. Di Resta also on a charge... he's looking good...

Force India on Twitter: "It will be a close fight to get into Q3. Both Force Indias out on track giving it everything."

1335: Webber moves up to fourth with a 1:31.311, Button sets a 1:31.532. he's fifth. Sutil, Perez, Barrichello, Di Resta, Buemi, Alguersuari and Maldonado are the ones in the drop zone. Coulthard believes that everyone from Rosberg upwards would be safe if they didn't go out again.

BBC F1 pundit Eddie Jordan on the Jarno Trulli/Karun Chandhok situation at Team Lotus: "I do not know a race driver who would willingly give up a chance to drive in a grand prix. My guess is Trulli has been told to stand down. It is a strange one, Trulli is at a turning point in his career and we don't know where it is going."

1330: Massa is on a set on soft tyres, we are not sure whether they are the same set as he used in Q1. He posts a 1:31.150 but that is soon beaten by Alonso, also on the options, with a 1:31.150. Hamilton now, and that's a 1.30.998. "That's a very impressive time," says David Coulthard. "Have McLaren found something in these conditions." Vettel goes second with a 1:31.017.

1327: And we are off for 15 minutes of Q2. Sauber's Sergio Perez and Ferrari's Felipe Massa are the first out.

BBC F1 pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz: "Looking at the drivers who only ran the hard tyre, on the evidence of first qualifying Vettel has found some speed, ending the session 0.1secs up on Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber. But bear in mind that Webber always finds a lot of speed between Q1 and Q2, so it looks like it could be a titanic battle for pole between them and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso - who was quickest of the front-runners who stayed on the slower prime tyre. 0.06secs quicker than Vettel."

BBC F1 commentator Martin Brundle: "I said to Mark Webber: 'Have you noticed the Pirelli tyres are getting harder as the season has gone on?' And he said: 'Yeah, mate, and it's playing right into my hands.'"

1324: Interesting exchange between Glock and his Virgin Racing team. The German is told: "Well done, P20 is just ahead of Chandhok." Glock, however, is not joining in the celebration. "You make my life difficult in the last two races. The car is just so difficult to drive at the moment." So there.

1323: Kobayashi, Kovalainen, Glock, Chandhok, d'Ambrosio, Liuzzi and Ricciardo are the seven drivers sent to the naughty step. Liuzzi will start from last, though, as he received a penalty for a gearbox change.

1320: Roberg sets a 1:32.785 so he's OK, that moves him to sixth. Kobayashi is in the final drop zone place, 18th, but is in the pits so he's out. Rubens Barrichello is safe, he's 17th. Q1 is over.

1318: And Massa has gone fastest with a 1:31.826. But he's used a set of those options. The boys in the drop zone are Rosberg, Kovalainen, Glock, d'Ambrosio, Chandhok, Liuzzi and Ricciardo. Rosberg needs something here...

1316: Williams are fighting to make Q2 and Pastor Maldonado is also on the options, so is Heidfeld, while Massa has also switched to the softer compound.

1314: Both Sauber drivers are on the softer tyres now, so is Petrov in the Renault. Not long left here fellas.

BBC F1 commentator Martin Brundle: "I've seen Vettel two or three times this weekend just around the paddock and he has not had a sunny face. I think he's feeling less comfortable than he has. I think he feels that Webber is coming at him in the same team, and so is Alonso in the Ferrari."

1311: The big boys are on the harder prime tyre, and Alonso is leading at the minute with a 1:32.916, then it's Hamilton (1:32.934) and Webber (1:33.096). "For the bigger teams, this is just some sighting laps on the harder tyre," says Coulthard.

BBC F1 co-commentator David Coulthard: "The heaviest braking point on the track is going into Turn One, the drivers are pulling just under 5G - it is like a sledgehammer hitting you on the back of the head."

1307: It's very busy out there. Hamilton is quickest at the minute, a 1:32.934, with Vettel second (1:33.116) and Alonso third (1:33.444).

BBC F1 commentator Martin Brundle: "Pirelli are getting a flak out there about the tyres and they are making them last longer and longer. These soft tyres will do at least 30 laps before they have had enough and the hard tyres can go 100 laps. Pirelli are moving back to what we had with Bridgestone."

1300: And we are off for 20 minutes of Q1. Ricciardo is told that no rain is expected for the opening part of qualifying.

McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh: "We are here to win, and by our high standards we are not good enough at the moment. But it is a bit early to say the wheels are coming off. We can do a better job and that's what we are committed to doing. We are making it tough for ourselves at the moment, but mathematically it is still possible to win the championship and we will keep pushing. I expect both our drivers to here next year - they are committed members of this team. Lewis chatting to Red Bull in the paddock was not embarrassing. We have drivers visit us. We all know each other, we talk to each other. Lewis wants to win, we want to win. We have seen his frustration - he has to control that a little bit but we don't want to change him, he is a passionate driver and we wouldn't want him any other way."

BBC F1 co-commentator David Coulthard: "The big challenge is at altitude, you lose a bit of downforce and engine performance. There is a lot of undulation and braking is key to delivering a good lap time. The cool conditions is going to be one of the biggest challenges because of the difficulty in getting the tyres to switch on."

1252: Only 10 minutes to go, now. Hispania driver Daniel Ricciardo is talking DC through a lap of the Nurburgring. DC takes off the Australian's beanie hat, which is quite forward. I just wish someone would do that kind of thing to the Edge from U2. Ricciardo reveals that he is a big music fan, 'the heavy stuff', and makes a plea to the organisers of the Belgian Grand Prix to change the date of their race as it clashes with the Reading Festival and "it hurts that I can't be there".

1245: Wow, I think there was a bit of sun there. And as EJ interviews McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh in the paddock, I think I can see white clouds in the distance. Touch wood, we may have a dry qualifying session.

BBC Sport's Sarah Holt at the Nurburgring: "As the only national team on the grid at the German Grand Prix, it's fair to say that there's a fair degree of pressure on Mercedes to do well this weekend. When I asked if the car company had any special guests here this weekend, a team spokesman said: 'Only our entire board'. Yikes! Mercedes bought the championship-winning Brawn team at the end of 2009 but since then the Silver Arrows have found themselves overtaken by Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari. Mercedes' target today is to qualify closer to the McLarens and the second Ferrari of Felipe Massa. Michael Schumacher had a problem with his Kers power-boost system in final practice and his mechanics are now fixing the problems. By the way, stats fans may wish to know that Schumacher's highest qualifying position this season is fifth and Nico Rosberg's best is third."

1240: A reminder that we have our driver tracker feature available for qualifying. It's in the console at the top of this page and you can also access it by clicking here.

1236: Interesting piece from BBC F1 One Martin Brundle on F1 tyres. It was aided by a 'Sympathy For The Devil' soundtrack. Brilliant. Now we've got a video of Nico Rosberg taking David Coulthard around the historic Nordschleife track. DC is superb in the passenger seat, he looks terrified and at one point is desperately is searching for something to hold on to. At the end he grabs Rosberg's hand and places it on his rapidly beating heart. "That's fear," says the former McLaren and Red Bull driver. Love it.

1231: Bernie Ecclestone is asked on BBC One about his admission that he paid £27m to a German banker when F1 was sold five years ago, a payment prosecutors in the resulting legal case have described as a bribe. Ecclestone says: "What I've said was I never made any payment concerning the shares of the company that was sold to CVC (its current owners). It shouldn't have happened. When the facts come out, people will be a bit more surprised. At the moment I can't say any more than that. I've ignored all this apart from one or two people and press asking questions. Because it's news. There are a lot of things about that bank, people have forgotten to mention names. My name catches people's eye because of Formula 1. People are a bit disappointed - they thought I was going to be arrested here. I'm sorry to disappoint people."

Mercedes GP on Twitter: "Countdown to Qualifying at an increasingly dark and gloomy Nurburgring!"

BBC Sport's Sarah Holt at the Nurburgring: "Fernando Alonso has come up with a unique way of stopping Sebastian Vettel running away with the title this season. 'We need six or seven team-mates against Vettel,' Alonso mused in Germany. 'To beat Vettel we need a combination of things - it's not only Ferrari or me. We need the best possible combination of results for ourselves and we need a strong McLaren car to take points from Red Bull. That's not easy.' No wonder Alonso is thinking outside the box, Vettel already has an 92-point lead over the Ferrari driver with 10 races still to run. Alonso may have had a relaxed approach in final practice, standing back in the garage with his arms folded as the Red Bulls set the fastest times, but the Ferrari has looked quite capable of fighting them for pole all weekend. Alonso's 'Plan A' is to launch an all out attack, he explained: 'It means be aggressive on the strategy, maybe saving tyres, maybe one day we are even 18th and out in Q1. We have nothing to lose.'"

1220: The telly boys are taking a stroll down the pit lane, it's decidedly grey but there's no rain as yet. Can't be far away, though. Coulthard is asked about Red Bull telling Mark Webber not to challenge Sebastian Vettel for second at Silverstone and here's what he had to say: "The respect and position Mark has within the team, I don't think he is in any danger of losing his position, in fact I think they are talking about a new contract. It causes difficulties for [team boss] Christian Horner. His goal is for Red Bull to win drivers' and constructors' titles and he does not care which way round it is."

Joe Pretorius via text: "Could be a great battle for pole today, c'mon Alonso!!!"

BBC F1 co-commentator David Coulthard: "It is actually colder here than Silverstone. It is very challenging for the tyre temperatures. We have had two historic grands prix back to back, Silverstone and then here, and the challenge for the drivers is that if you put one wheel off the track, then you are out there on the grass."

1213: Moody opening to the BBC telly coverage, which then morphs into some heavy rock. I'm pumped now. And there's EJ dressed in black, with red buttons on that shirt of his. Splash of colour is obviously required. Told you it was smart.

MitchShoesmith on Twitter: "Rain predicted for qualifying and the race. Should mix things up a bit!"

notauniqueid on Twitter: "Just had a quote for rendering on the house from a bloke who looks worrying like Martin Whitmarsh- moonlighting."

1207: BBC One telly coverage is about to get under way and I have had a preview of Eddie Jordan's outfit. Smart. Very smart. It's his winter collection. No sunglasses required.

1204: Fernando Alonso seems to be the only man that can challenge those Red Bulls today. McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who was 0.662 seconds off Vettel in final practice, said after Friday practice that he has little chance of chasing them down on Saturday afternoon. "Our race pace is much closer than we had in the last race which is a good thing," he told the BBC. "The Ferraris and Red Bulls are massively quick. We expect to be just behind them but then in the race anything can happen. We definitely can't challenge them for pole."

1158: The big question today is can anyone break the stranglehold Red Bull have had on qualifying this season? They have been on pole in all nine races so far in 2011, with Vettel taking seven and Webber on pole in Spain and Great Britain. Not only that, Vettel has been on the front row for the last 14 races. That Adrian Newey bullet is going to take some beating.

seng40 on Twitter: "OK! Sat down & ready for my #redbull boys to do their thing!"

1150: Admittedly that was a tiny bit longer than 10 minutes. Consider me told off. My boss is aware of the situation. Welcome back all, not long now.

1120: Sarah Holt's report on final practice is now up, you can take a look at it here. So will Alonso be able to beat the Red Bulls in qualifying? Where are you going to be to watch the action? Who with? Should you be with them? I'm going to have a quick break for 10 minutes, which will give you enough time to send the answers to those questions over to me. Use Twitter (via hashtag #BBCF1 ) or text me via 81111 with F1 before your message. Won't be long.

twist_id on Twitter: "Looking forward to #BBCF1 this weekend - hoping the McLarens can improve on their pace."

PickletF1 on Twitter: "Walking proudly to the shop wearing my McLaren top I brought at Silverstone! Shall wear it every race weekend now!"

Carl__Jones on Twitter: "Alonso vs Webber for pole today I think. Just waiting for the odds to come in so I can put a bet on!"

BBC Radio 5 live F1 analyst Anthony Davidson: "I am sure Fernando Alonso had another lap's worth of pace in the option tyre. It is a tyre issue, they are struggling to warm up. I hope it does not rain because we have a really good fight on our hands between Ferrari and Red Bull. Vettel has his work cut out to beat his team-mate because Webber did lose time in that final sector."

1105: So here's how it finished. Vettel fastest, followed by Webber, with Alonso (1:31.138), Hamilton (1:31.578), Button (1:31.623), Rosberg (1:31.694), Massa (1:32.144), Sutil (1:32.391), Schumacher (1:32.523) and Maldonado (1:32.751) making up the top 10.

1102: Chandhok has really struggled in that Lotus this weekend, and he has a big moment at the Schumacher S. He goes sideways across the gravel, spraying stones everywhere. He ruefully gets out of the car. That's your lot for FP3, session over.

1100: Webber goes quickest with a 1:31.049 but here's Vettel now... and that's a 1:30.916. Have that. Red Bull one and two. Again.

1055: Webber moves up to second with a 1:31.178 and here's team-mate Vettel... but it's not quicker... it's a 1:31.463. Hamilton is fourth after a 1:31.578. Webber stays out for another run... and he's quick...

BBC F1 pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz: "The drivers are switching to the softer tyre much earlier than usual in this session. This looks to be for two reasons. Firstly, the teams have learned everything they need to know about the harder prime tyre. It is very durable, but slow. With a difference of up to 1.5secs per lap, it's likely only Red Bull will be able to get through first qualifying on that tyre. Ferrari might chance it, but their recent operating procedure has been to run the softer tyre in Q1 just to be sure of getting through. McLaren, likewise, might chance it, if they're feeling brave. With that in mind, there's more work to be done tailoring the car to the soft tyre, in attempt to make it last as long as possible, and to get a better understanding of how long it takes to get the best performance out of it in qualifying trim."

1048:... and it's good, a 1:31.138 places him top of the pile. And here's Ted with more on what tyre strategies may be used in qualifying...

1046: Force India have their two drivers in the top four, but they have been on the softer options. Fernando Alonso is now also out on the yellows, let's see what he's got...

1042: We've had a question for Ted Kravitz from Pengumile on Twitter - and here's his answer.
Do you think McLaren are letting their two top class drivers down? They aren't giving them the machinery to compete?
"Let's not forget two facts: McLaren have won two races so far this season, one each for Hamilton and Button, and that's double the races Ferrari have won so far. Secondly, McLaren are second in the constructors' championship. But… it's true that recent races have seen McLaren fall back from just about on Red Bull's race pace (as they were in Spain and Monaco) to third fastest behind Red Bull and Ferrari. And at Silverstone the team did let both drivers down - a botched pit stop for Button and a mistake on fuel level for Hamilton. But things change quickly in F1. If it rains on Sunday, we could be looking at a McLaren one-two, and that wouldn't be too shabby, would it?"

1038: Time to take stock. Rosberg improves to a 1:31.694, which is 1.184 seconds faster than second placed Vettel, who set his time on the harder compound. That's a big difference. Schumacher is third (1:32.912), then it is Webber (1:32.968), Alonso (1:33.099) and Button (1:33.106).

BBC 5 live pit-lane reporter Natalie Pinkham: "News from Williams - Rubens Barrichello is still testing the new front wing and a decision will be made at the end of this session which wing they will go with. But they have had to abandon the new rear wing because of structural problems."

BBC Sport's Sarah Holt at the Nurburgring: "Renault have decided to revert to their tried-and-tested forward-facing exhaust system on Nick Heidfeld's car ahead of qualifying. The German trialled a more conventional Red Bull-style layout during Friday practice but, after a day of gathering data on its performance, it's now been taken off. The team say it's too early to risk running it during qualifying but that it will make a return at the next race in Hungary."

1034: Webber is now out and about after that brake issue, and he is second with a 1:33.492 on the primes but here's Vettel on the same tyre and it's a 1:33.243. Button now goes second with a 1:33.106, while Alonso improves to a 1:33.099. Rosberg is flying on the options and he sets a 1:31.911 to go fastest. Phew, this is like a qualifying session.

1031: Perez goes top of the timesheets with a 1:33.531 but he's not there for long as that man Fernando Alonso, on the primes, sets a 1:33.302.

1028: ... and a 1:35.267 is good enough for fourth for Hamilton. Sutil is back to third with a 1:34.858. Now the McLarens are setting quick times on the harder prime tyres. Hamilton improves to a 1:33.694 and that is beaten by team-mate Button who posts a 1:33.646. And Perez, on the softer option tyre, is on a quick one too...

1025: Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg is now leading the way after posting a 1:34.240, then it is Schumacher (1:34.418), Adrian Sutil (1:35.570), Heidfeld (1:35.718) and Sergio Perez (1:35.743.) Hang on, Paul di Resta moves up to third with a 1:35.317 and Hamilton is out and about on a flier...

BBC F1 pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz: "We've crunched the numbers from Friday practice and the results are good for Mark Webber, but suggest this session will need some more improvement from the other frontrunners. Webber was quickest on both his lower-fuel run and on his longer race-stint simulation on the soft tyre. By his own admission, Sebastian Vettel has 'room for improvement', and the lap times suggest he needs to find at least 0.2secs a lap to match his team mate. Fernando Alonso looks to be Webber's closest challenger, but his race pace was harder to read due to the Spaniard going off the track as he pushed the limits. As Webber said: 'You never know when McLaren are going to show up.' This is a crucial session for them to find some speed, as from Friday's evidence, Lewis Hamilton was approaching half a second off Webber's pace."

1017: Oops, Chandhok spins at the entry to the pit lane. He takes a little excursion over the grass but is soon on his way. BBC pit-lane reporter Maurice Hamilton says Red Bull are bleeding Mark Webber's brake system as he was reporting a soft pedal on his installation lap. Times then, Nick Heidfeld is leading at the moment with a 1:35.881, with Schumacher (1:35.937) second.

DickieArmour on Twitter: "I think it's going to be hard to oust Vettel from pole in qualifying for the German GP. Home advantage will play a part."

BBC Sport's Sarah Holt at the Nurburgring: "Karun Chandhok was in typically super-relaxed mood at Team Lotus HQ as he prepared for his Saturday duties as an F1 driver in more than a year in Germany. He was so chilled he even offered to make a tea before he popped into his technical meeting ahead of third practice. Chandhok made his F1 debut with Hispania last season before he lost his seat at the British Grand Prix and, although he is an experienced racer, he says he spent Friday practice getting used to the brakes and tyres. The man he has replaced was not in such high spirits. Jarno Trulli was about to head out for a bike ride explaining he was 'trying to keep busy'."

1012: Kovalainen is the only driver not have completed an installation lap. And we only have one time, a 1:46.020 set by Virgin Racing's Jerome d'Ambrosio, which improves to a 1:44.172. Sorry about the Mercedes/Renault issue with the messages below, my fault. Sorry. If you manually refresh, everything will be as it should.

BBC F1 analyst Anthony Davidson: "Looking at Ferrari and Red Bull, McLaren seem that little bit off. It is really frustrating for the drivers because you can see the potential of the car and feel how close you are but come crunch time, you see your opposition pulling slowly away."

Renault F1 on Twitter: "Nick [Heidfeld] back in after his install lap. Quite a few changes to his car since yesterday, different exhausts and rear floor."

Force India on Twitter: "Install laps completed on the prime medium tyres. No issues to report. Radio sounding clear."

1000: And we are off for an hour of FP3. Kovalainen has a hydraulic problem, according BBC pit-lane reporter Natalie Pinkham, and he'll be out in around 20 minutes. Michael Schumacher is told by his Mercedes team that he has a Kers error.

0958: Worried faces in the Team Lotus garage... and they are all staring at Heikki Kovalainen's car which is missing an engine cover.

0954: If you missed yesterday's action, here's a little catch up. It was close between the big boys, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso was quickest in the morning, Red Bull's Mark Webber fastest in the afternoon; McLaren struggled - with Jenson Button down the timesheets after his one-off exhaust test failed; Sebastian Buemi's Toro Rosso flew into the gravel; while there were also more lock-ups than an edition of Porridge. And rain could be coming this afternoon... this could be interesting.

0950: Getting pictures from Germany now and it looks rather windy. The hardy souls in the grandstands are wrapped up against the chill. It looks a tiny bit brighter than yesterday and I can even see a little of bit sunshine. And there's Joan Jett's 'I Love Rock And Roll' blaring out over the Tannoy. Handsome.

0947: If you were with us yesterday you will have noticed that BBC pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz is not in Germany. Not because he wants to sit next to me, although I wouldn't blame him, but there's a far better reason - he is on paternity leave. So this is the perfect opportunity for you to ask him any question you want. Best to keep the subject on F1, though. We will sprinkle in the answers to the best questions in this commentary throughout the day. To get involved use the methods below. Lovely.

borderfish on Twitter: "Will McLaren pull the cat out of the bag and have a decent qualifying or will it be another struggle?"

BBC Sport's Sarah Holt at the Nurburgring: "Good morning. Here we are in the middle of the Formula 1 season, in the middle of summer, but there are distinctly spring-like conditions in the air. This unseasonal weather has not stopped the fans streaming to the Nurburgring in good time. The majority of the supporters here are huddled up in the scarlet red of Ferrari or the silvery grey of Mercedes in support of their hero Michael Schumacher. But I have spotted a few Red Bull bobble hats in support of Germany's newest superstar Sebastian Vettel. Rays of weak sunshine are doing their best to raise chilly temperatures here and the drivers will need to get a feel for how quickly they can get their tyres up to temperature during final practice before qualifying at 1300 BST."

0941: This is where you come in. I want predictions and hopes for the weekend. Yesterday, we also had quite a few F1 look-a-likes, which proved a bit of a hit. One I particularly liked was Fernando Alonso and the characters from the Dolmio advert (other tomato-based meat sauces are available). Don't be shy. Here's the details: there's Twitter (via hashtag #BBCF1 ), you can tweet me direct via http://twitter.com/#!/markorlovac or you can text me via 81111 with F1 before your message. Meanwhile, in Germany we have our very own Sarah Holt, and here's her first update of the day...

0937: Here's the schedule for today. We've got an hour of third and final practice at 1000 BST before qualifying gets going at 1300 BST. Telly coverage begins at 1210 BST on BBC One while there's also coverage on the Red Button and in the console at the top of this page.

0934: Greetings and a very good morning to each and every one of you. This is third practice and qualifying for the German Grand Prix, and you lucky people have me to take you through it. Ready?

0930: What's it going to be today - fabulous Ferrari or remarkable Red Bull? Or could someone else upset the apple cart in qualifying? Maybe not, but I refuse to give up hope. All these questions, and more, will be answered in the next three hours or so. Welcome aboard.