Ferrari enjoyed a one-two in the final practice on Saturday for the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, as Fernando Alonso outgunned his team-mate Felipe Massa late in the session.
Alonso, the two-time world champion, was 0.622sec quicker than Massa, who had topped the time charts in the afternoon session on Friday. Lewis Hamilton, recovering from a pollen allergy, was third-fastest in warm but dry conditions.
Alonso clocked a lap time of one minute 35.391sec to snatch the best time.
Reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel was fourth-fastest, 0.895sec off title rival Alonso. Vettel’s estranged Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber came home fifth-fastest.
He was followed by the Force India of Adrian Sutil, ahead of Lotus’ Kimi Raikkonen. Jenson Button of McLaren, team-mate Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg, of Sauber, rounded out the top 10.
Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg, winner in Shanghai last year and who topped the first practice, had only the 14th-best time after suspension trouble saw him sit out the crucial last minutes of the session.
Qualifying for Sunday’s race is later on Saturday.
Alonso trumps Massa in China F1 GP final practice
