Webber confident of going into Q3

The Red Bull driver, whose team are running several new aero bits, posted the sixth fastest time in today's afternoon session, just three tenths behind pace-setter Kimi Raikkonen.

"It was a good day for us, carrying on from where we left off at the test," said Webber.

"We are running with all the new aero parts we tested last week and they are all working in the right direction. We had a small problem in the first session but the afternoon was faultless for us.

"We got through all our programme which was aimed mainly at preparation for Sunday's race. I am quite happy with the car and we will do a bit more work tomorrow morning.

"I am sure it will be very difficult but I think we can make it through to Q3 tomorrow afternoon ," added Webber, who has only qualified in the top ten once this season, in Malaysia.

Teammate David Coulthard finished as eighth fastest, the Scot satisfied with his day's work despite the different track conditions making last week's test less valuable.

"We ran a normal Friday programme today," he said. "While we have a lot more experience of the track because of last week's testing here, it doesn't actually matter what you achieve in a test day because the track conditions are only relevant to that day - so we're trying to find a balance as always.

"Testing the tyres last week gave us some information, but it's warmer than at the test, which means the properties of the tyre are different, the humidity is different, so the downforce is different.

"You get less horsepower on a warm day because there is less oxygen to burn so there are many factors which affect the way the car feels."