Japanese GP: Nico Rosberg leads Mercedes one-two in dry practice
Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton gave Mercedes a one-two in final Japanese Grand Prix practice as the Formula 1 field got its first dry running of the weekend at Suzuka
Rosberg clocked a 1m33.995s on the medium tyres to finish 0.297 seconds clear of Hamilton with Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo two tenths further adrift in third.
The leading Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen was only sixth quickest, one second off the pace, with team-mate and Singapore Grand Prix winner Sebastian Vettel two tenths further back.
Persistent rain on Friday left drivers with big programmes to complete in Saturday practice to gather data for qualifying and race.
They wasted little time getting out on track, with Ricciardo setting the early pace on the hard tyres on a 1m36.392s.
The Australian was one of the first to do his qualifying-simulation run on the mediums, improving by 1.3s, before switching his attention to long runs.
But Mercedes then sent Rosberg and Hamilton out on the mediums and they were able to put clear air over the rest of the field, suggesting they will be the ones to beat in qualifying later on Saturday.
The Williams of Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas slotted into fourth and fifth respectively, ahead of both Ferraris, with Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen seventh.
Romain Grosjean was the leading Lotus in ninth with Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz Jr completing the top 10.
Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg was 11th ahead of McLaren's Jenson Button, who complained of "massive understeer" early in the session, and Marcus Ericsson's Sauber.
Daniil Kvyat had a messy session, running wide at Spoon and the Degner curves, and ended the session 11th, 1.7s slower than Red Bull team-mate Ricciardo.
Lotus's Pastor Maldonado was 15th, ahead of McLaren's Fernando Alonso, Force India's Sergio Perez and Felipe Nasr in the Sauber.
Will Stevens won the battle of the Manors, 0.116s quicker than team-mate Alexander Rossi.
PRACTICE THREE TIMES:
| Pos | Driver | Car | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1m33.995s | - | 19 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1m34.292s | 0.297s | 20 |
| 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull/Renault | 1m34.497s | 0.502s | 22 |
| 4 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams/Mercedes | 1m34.797s | 0.802s | 27 |
| 5 | Felipe Massa | Williams/Mercedes | 1m34.934s | 0.939s | 25 |
| 6 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | 1m35.082s | 1.087s | 16 |
| 7 | Max Verstappen | Toro Rosso/Renault | 1m35.160s | 1.165s | 26 |
| 8 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1m35.222s | 1.227s | 16 |
| 9 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus/Mercedes | 1m35.602s | 1.607s | 20 |
| 10 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Toro Rosso/Renault | 1m35.963s | 1.968s | 29 |
| 11 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India/Mercedes | 1m36.110s | 2.115s | 19 |
| 12 | Jenson Button | McLaren/Honda | 1m36.174s | 2.179s | 15 |
| 13 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber/Ferrari | 1m36.199s | 2.204s | 19 |
| 14 | Daniil Kvyat | Red Bull/Renault | 1m36.294s | 2.299s | 23 |
| 15 | Pastor Maldonado | Lotus/Mercedes | 1m36.307s | 2.312s | 21 |
| 16 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren/Honda | 1m36.360s | 2.365s | 18 |
| 17 | Sergio Perez | Force India/Mercedes | 1m36.430s | 2.435s | 21 |
| 18 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber/Ferrari | 1m36.919s | 2.924s | 24 |
| 19 | Will Stevens | Marussia/Ferrari | 1m39.653s | 5.658s | 24 |
| 20 | Alexander Rossi | Marussia/Ferrari | 1m39.819s | 5.824s | 22 |
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