Code: Select all
P Name Best Gap Sec 1 Sec 2 Sec 3 Laps
1 2 L. HAMILTON 1:25.801 28.6 22.9 34.1 13
2 1 J. BUTTON 1:26.076 0.275 28.5 22.9 34.2 16
3 6 M. WEBBER 1:26.248 0.447 28.7 23.1 34.2 22
4 3 M. SCHUMACHER 1:26.511 0.710 28.7 23.0 34.5 16
5 12 V. PETROV 1:26.732 0.931 28.7 23.2 34.7 26
6 16 S. BUEMI 1:26.832 1.031 28.7 23.3 34.2 29
7 14 A. SUTIL 1:26.834 1.033 28.8 23.1 34.5 22
8 15 V. LIUZZI 1:26.835 1.034 28.9 23.3 34.5 17
9 9 R. BARRICHELLO 1:26.904 1.103 29.0 23.3 34.5 25
10 4 N. ROSBERG 1:26.956 1.155 28.9 23.1 34.7 22
11 11 R. KUBICA 1:27.108 1.307 29.0 23.3 34.6 28
12 22 P. DE LA ROSA 1:27.108 1.307 29.1 23.4 34.3 25
13 23 K. KOBAYASHI 1:27.455 1.654 28.9 23.4 34.7 23
14 10 N. HULKENBERG 1:27.545 1.744 29.1 23.2 35.0 25
15 8 F. ALONSO 1:29.025 3.224 29.4 23.8 35.6 20
16 5 S. VETTEL 1:29.134 3.333 29.4 23.9 35.5 19
17 7 F. MASSA 1:29.591 3.790 29.6 23.9 35.7 21
18 19 H. KOVALAINEN 1:29.860 4.059 30.0 23.8 35.8 15
19 17 J. ALGUERSUARI 1:30.510 4.709 30.1 24.0 36.2 43
20 18 J. TRULLI 1:30.695 4.894 30.0 24.0 36.2 17
21 24 T. GLOCK 1:32.117 6.316 30.6 24.3 37.0 9
22 25 L. DI GRASSI 34.2 27.5 43.4 2
23 20 K. CHANDHOK 1Spoiler:
07:11 Unfortunately the rain spoiled what could have been a great second practice session.
McLaren has started the weekend well, but Michael Schumacher is clearly on form and ready to fight again at the front. Mark Webber ensures local interest for the event but no sign of the Ferrari drivers or Sebastian Vettel - yet.
HRT is struggling once again and the team will have to get on top of its reliability issues soon. Neither driver completed a lap this afternoon.
Can the McLaren pair stay on top tomorrow? Join us for full live coverage of final practice from Albert Park, starting at 02:45 GMT.
07:08 'More of the same' is a summary of the weather prospects for the weekend. We'll have an updated forecast in the next few hours.
07:05 Vitaly Petrov was fifth, with Buemi sixth, Sutil seventh, Liuzzi eighth, Barrichello ninth and Rosberg rounding out the top ten.
07:04 Mark Webber puts some column inches on tomorrow's Australian newspapers with a good third placed run, with Michael Schumacher fourth.
07:03 A heavily-disrupted session for the teams to digest, but no one will be happy about the limited dry running.
07:03 Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button put McLaren well on top in the second practice session at Albert Park. Hamilton posted 1m25.801s.
07:02 Michael Schumacher was set to move up from fourth place in the Mercedes. His first two sectors were very good, but he was lost grip in the final two corners. He improved to a 1m26.511s and stayed in fourth.
07:01 Another traffic moment for de la Rosa as he is caught rapidly by both of the McLaren pair. There could be some upset drivers at the Spaniard's door a little later this afternoon.
07:00 The flag is out to end day one at Albert Park.
89 min: While one Red Bull driver has been suffering, the other has quietly moved up the order. Mark Webber has slotted neatly into third place with a 1m26.248s lap, behind the two McLarens.
89 min: Alonso sets his best time of the session but is only down in 15th and clearly testing race pace.
88 min: Vetrans Barrichello and de la Rosa demonstrate the potential for a lot of disputes with traffic around this relatively tight circuit.
88 min: It's all going wrong for Vettel as he skates sideways into the gravel at Turn 6 on his next lap. He recovers onto the circuit and pits to end his day's work.
86 min: Vettel is really motoring on his next lap. A 29.4s first sector is backed up with a solid second sector. But the German happens across Fernando Alonso in the final portion and does not improve.
85 min: In the other Virgin car, di Grassi looks almost ready for a short final outing.
85 min: Vettel climbs to 15th in the standings with a lap of 1m29.134s.
84 min: Timo Glock is pressing on to recover from his severely limited running and only just caught a major oversteer moment on his latest lap.
84 min: Sebastian Vettel is poised for a move up the order in the Red Bull. He is 18th at the moment.
83 min: The track is now very busy with 21 cars lapping at the moment.
83 min: Schumacher is using these soft tyres to good effect, even as the light spots of rain continue. He moves up to third place with 1m26.522s.
82 min: Button is over a second off his earlier pace as he tests the softer rubber. Team-mate Hamilton is also back out.
81 min: Light rain is blighting the session for a third time as we move into the last ten minutes of the session. Schumacher does manage to find a marginal improvement and goes 11th with 1m27.298s.
81 min: Jenson Button is out in the McLaren, just as the rain picks up pace again.
80 min: Michael Schumacher is back out on track after a lengthy delay in the pits. He improves to 14th quickest with a time of 1m28.716s.
79 min: Glock has finally made it out of the Virgin garage and is on to his first timed lap of the afternoon.
79 min: As spots of rain hit Rubens Barrichello's on-board camera, he is clearly not convinced about the suitability of dry tyres at the moment.
He queries whether the track is completely dry. His race engineer informs him that Alguersuari is keeping it on the island using the same tyre compound.
78 min: Odd spots of moisture continue to fall but the drivers are pressing on to get in as much running as possible.
78 min: We should see lap times improving soon as more drivers come out to complete runs on slick tyres. Webber improves to 13th with a 1m28.298s.
76 min: Red Bull drivers Sebastien Vettel and Mark Webber are out on the circuit. Webber is running on soft tyres.
75 min: The Ferrari pair are out to for a run on the softer tyres.
75 min: The pace is likely to fall short of that seen early in the session as rubber levels will take time to recover.
74 min: Rubens Barrichello is on track in the Williams, using the soft tyre for this run. Jaime Alguersuari is also out there, but on the more durable hard tyres.
73 min: De la Rosa has swapped to slicks on his Sauber as dry running gets back underway.
73 min: Karun Chandhok's breakdown at the approach to Turn 1 was caused by a gearbox problem. The Indian has changed and is back in civvies, indicating that the problem will take some time to fix.
Chandhok will resume action tomorrow in the final practice session.
71 min: Petrov is around nine seconds off the benchmark dry pace as he continues to push on intermediates.
70 min: Repairs look to be finally completed on Glock's Virgin and he is being readied for a run on intermediates.
69 min: Petrov is tailing Buemi's Toro Rosso, finally getting past on the run down to Turn 11. He's lapping on intermediates.
68 min: Jaime Alguersuari came back into the pits a short while ago, but is now back out on the circuit for another run of laps.
68 min: Work continues on the cars at Virgin Racing, with Timo Glock's car still being worked on after this morning's oil leak while Lucas di Grassi's car is now also up on stands.
68 min: At Williams, Nico Hulkenberg asks over the team radio whether the plan is to stick with the soft option tyres and go as planned, or whether to go for another low fuel run.
He is told that it will likely be a heavy fuel run to gain data for the race, so we can expect the softer tyre then.
66 min: Petrov is heading out for a run in his Renault.
66 min: Mike Gascoyne confirms why most cars are currently in the garage: "Too dry now for the intermediates"
63 min: Jaime Alguersuari and Toro Rosso team-mate Sebastien Buemi are continuing to pound round Albert Park on their intermediate tyres.
63 min: Kubica pits to end his long run on a what are now heavily worn intermediates.
61 min: The track is drying out all the time and slick tyre runs aren't too far away providing we have no more rain.
60 min: Alguersuari is continuing his adventure, as he explores the grass at Turn 15. He completes another lap and posts 1m37.509s.
59 min: Jaime Alguersuari has completed more laps than any other driver. The Spaniard has been out nearly all the time during the damp part of the session. He is on his 25th tour at the moment.
59 min: Kubica has been lapping extensively on his intermediate tyres and tells the team the rubber is gaining. He is told to stay out and wear the tyre through this phase.
58 min: At the top of the order, Lewis Hamilton is quickest so far with a lap of 1m25.801s, with McLaren team-mate Button second, Petrov a great third, Buemi fourth, Liuzzi fifth and Barrichello in sixth.
57 min: Track conditions are slowly improving, with the ever-drying line quickly hurting the intermediates.
55 min: Adrian Sutil endures a hairy moment over the Turn 4 exit kerb that caught out Kazuki Nakajima in last year's race. He keeps the Force India pointing in the right direction and continues.
54 min: The rain appears to have stopped all around the circuit for the moment. Track conditions should slowly improve.
54 min: The failure to get long runs on slicks in this afternoon could be a big factor in adding drama to the weekend. The teams won't know as much as they would like about how the tyres will behave, making strategy for qualifying and the race harder to call.
52 min: Schumacher reports over the team radio that the front tyres on his intermediates are graining up, so he decides to pit.
51 min: Hamilton's benchmark time of 1m25.801s won't be under threat unless the track dries significantly. It will also take some time for rubber levels to recover from this wet running.
51 min: Michael Schumacher does feel the need to check out conditions. He is 20th in the standings and unlikely to improve unless the track begins to dry out.
49 min: Petrov and Kubica continue to circulate and the Renault team is clearly keen to get some mileage in, despite the tricky grip levels.
49 min: At Williams Rubens Barrichello echoes the white line theory. His race engineer was contemplating a run on intermediates. Rubens' response was that with conditions neither fully wet or dry, he won't learn anything. The experienced Brazilian states that he's well aware of the white line problem without needing to go out onto the circuit to risk the car.
46 min: Mercedes pass on news of the conditions: "Nico reporting the white lines on the track are very slippy"
45 min: Nico Rosberg comes into the pits ... and drives through and out onto the track again. Mercedes is likely checking the pitlane driving time in preparation for the stops during the race.
45 min: Petrov is also on intermediate tyres. Team-mate Kubica is also on track, as is Sauber's de la Rosa.
43 min: Alguersuari posts 1m50.524s - 25 seconds slower than a quick dry time.
43 min: Petrov is back out in his Renault to test the greasy conditions.
43 min: Nico Rosberg joins Alguersuari on the circuit for a run in the lightly wet conditions. Alguersuari is on his timed lap now and making the best of it.
40 min: Jaime Alguersuari is back out on the circuit with a set of intermediate tyres fitted.
39 min: The enthusiastic fans around Albert Park are braving this shower under whatever shelter they can find.
37 min: Karun Chandhok has made it back to the pitlane, having supervised the recovery of his broken down HRT machine a few minutes ago.
35 min: Replays show that Alguersuari was lucky to keep his Toro Rosso in one piece exiting the final corner of the lap. The rear end snapped sideways and the young Spaniard did well to catch it.
35 min: Robert Kubica is one of the last drivers to trail back to the pits as the rain falls heavily again.
34 min: Jaime Alguersuari chose to complete that last lap. He now faces a adventure in getting back to the pits.
33 min: The rain is getting heavier, forcing all the drivers back into the pits.
32 min: Button clocks a 1m26.684s as rain slows his progress despite a committed lap.
32 min: Button is pressing on to get a lap on the softs, despite the light rainfall.
31 min: Jenson Button is out again and is now trying the softer rubber on his McLaren.
31 min: Light spots of moisture are again falling over the circuit.
30 min: Chandhok parks on the right side of the track, off the racing line shortly before Turn 1. He is helping the marshals recover the HRT entry to a safe place behind the barrier.
29 min: Karun Chandhok leaves the pits but 100 metres later he is leaving the car parked at the side of the track. The Indian has stopped.
29 min: The Ferrari duo are currently 14th and 15th quickest after a handful of laps.
28 min: The McLaren pair are now back in the pits after that fairly short run to top the order so far.
27 min: Nico Hulkenberg is on a set of softer tyres and they help him to tenth place with 1m27.545s.
26 min: Vitaly Petrov is now third quickest in his Renault, almost a second off the McLaren pace.
26 min: HRT drivers Senna and Chandhok have yet to run so far.
25 min: It's a much better final turn for Hamilton this time and he is now quickest in 1m25.801s - the best time of the event so far.
25 min: Hamilton is on for an improvement with the fastest middle sector.
24 min: Adrian Sutil goes third with a lap of 1m26.940s in the Force India. This is the first run for the German, having handed his car over to Paul di Resta for the first session.
24 min: The drivers are scrambling to get a run completed in case another shower hits the circuit.
23 min: Button is much quicker this time around, with a 1m26.076s now the time to beat.
23 min: Nico Rosberg comes back into the pits after a short run of two timed laps in the Mercedes.He is fourth at the moment.
23 min: Michael Schumacher came out for a run of laps, but aborted his timed lap and returned to the pits. He has yet to post a time.
23 min: Hamilton is testing the softer tyres while Button evaluates the harder option.
22 min: Jenson Button takes the top time but he is beaten by Hamilton by a fraction, despite a major moment in the final corner.
21 min: Rosberg moves the target time further away with 1m26.956s. Barrichello is second, with Kubica third and Hamilton fourth so far.
21 min: Jenson Button slots in eighth with his first time while Hamilton clocks a 1m27.937s to take fourth.
20 min: Nico Rosberg soon sends the Williams pair down the order with a lap of 1m27.464s, as we see more spots of moisture beginning to fall.
19 min: Robert Kubica goes second quickest, quickly dropped to third as the early times flood in.
19 min: Hulkenberg and Barrichello are trading the quickest time so far. Barrichello leads the field with 1m27.585s.
18 min: Felipe Massa heads out with the harder rubber on his Ferrari.
18 min: Webber is running a set of the soft tyres as Red Bull looks to complete a tyre comparison programme before any further showers hit the circuit.
17 min: Renault pair Kubica and Petrov join the runners, along with the McLarens of Button and Hamilton.
17 min: Jaime Alguersuari and Nico Rosberg are now out there as the Williams drivers pound round on another hot lap. Schumacher joins them.
17 min: Pedro de la Rosa is back out in his Sauber, with the conditions now far more suited to slick rubber.
16 min: Adrian Sutil comes out for a run, as Hulkenberg flashes over the line in 1m32.971s.
16 min: Barrichello comes through to complete his first timed lap. It's 1m31.006s.
15 min: Mark Webber joins the Williams duo on the circuit in the Red Bull Renault.
15 min: His team-mate Barrichello is also out on track. Both drivers start a timed lap to test out the conditions.
14 min: Nico Hulkenberg is now on track with hard compound slick tyres fitted to the Williams.
13 min: The rain has stopped for the time being and Sutil comes straight back into the pits. It's not wet enough out there to run the intermediate tyres.
12 min: The tight pit lane here means the speed limit will be maintained at 60 km/h all weekend.
Clearly Vitaly Petrov was slightly over that when clocked at 94.6 km/h this morning, costing the Russian a 7,000 Euro fine.
Melbourne pitlane speed limit reduced
11 min: Tyres are fitted to Sutil's car, however. He heads out on intermediate tyres for a run of laps.
10 min: Force India is waiting to see what the weather does before sending Tonio Liuzzi out for a run. The Italian is in the car and ready to go, but with no tyres fitted.
9 min: Jarno Trulli is concerned about the power delivery from his Cosworth engine. He is finding the throttle is not coming on cleanly at the moment.
8 min: Rubens Barrichello is staying in his car while the spots of rain continue.
7 min: The radar shows the thin line affecting the circuit at the moment. Further west more showers are heading n the general direction of the circuit.
5 min: Williams plan to wait out this shower: "Forecast says rain for about 10 mins so our drivers will be staying in the garage"
4 min: The Sauber pair continue to tip-toe around, with de la Rosa advising his team that there is too much rain to continue on slicks. He pits.
3 min: The remaining drivers immediately came back into the pits to wait and see what the weather does next.
3 min: Team-mate Kobayashi is also touring slowly on slicks.
2 min: Pedro de la Rosa continues in to a timed lap but these are very slippery conditions for his soft, dry tyres.
1 min: The rain is falling heavier still as Buemi, Hulkenberg and Webber circulate Albert Park on slick tyres.
0 min: Rain is falling sufficiently to affect grip levels.
0 min: While cars head out on dry rubber, at McLaren they are changing to wet rubber for Lewis Hamilton.
0 min: Out they come and it's Sebastien Buemi who leads the charge onto the circuit.
0 min: The practice session is underway.
McLaren has started the weekend well, but Michael Schumacher is clearly on form and ready to fight again at the front. Mark Webber ensures local interest for the event but no sign of the Ferrari drivers or Sebastian Vettel - yet.
HRT is struggling once again and the team will have to get on top of its reliability issues soon. Neither driver completed a lap this afternoon.
Can the McLaren pair stay on top tomorrow? Join us for full live coverage of final practice from Albert Park, starting at 02:45 GMT.
07:08 'More of the same' is a summary of the weather prospects for the weekend. We'll have an updated forecast in the next few hours.
07:05 Vitaly Petrov was fifth, with Buemi sixth, Sutil seventh, Liuzzi eighth, Barrichello ninth and Rosberg rounding out the top ten.
07:04 Mark Webber puts some column inches on tomorrow's Australian newspapers with a good third placed run, with Michael Schumacher fourth.
07:03 A heavily-disrupted session for the teams to digest, but no one will be happy about the limited dry running.
07:03 Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button put McLaren well on top in the second practice session at Albert Park. Hamilton posted 1m25.801s.
07:02 Michael Schumacher was set to move up from fourth place in the Mercedes. His first two sectors were very good, but he was lost grip in the final two corners. He improved to a 1m26.511s and stayed in fourth.
07:01 Another traffic moment for de la Rosa as he is caught rapidly by both of the McLaren pair. There could be some upset drivers at the Spaniard's door a little later this afternoon.
07:00 The flag is out to end day one at Albert Park.
89 min: While one Red Bull driver has been suffering, the other has quietly moved up the order. Mark Webber has slotted neatly into third place with a 1m26.248s lap, behind the two McLarens.
89 min: Alonso sets his best time of the session but is only down in 15th and clearly testing race pace.
88 min: Vetrans Barrichello and de la Rosa demonstrate the potential for a lot of disputes with traffic around this relatively tight circuit.
88 min: It's all going wrong for Vettel as he skates sideways into the gravel at Turn 6 on his next lap. He recovers onto the circuit and pits to end his day's work.
86 min: Vettel is really motoring on his next lap. A 29.4s first sector is backed up with a solid second sector. But the German happens across Fernando Alonso in the final portion and does not improve.
85 min: In the other Virgin car, di Grassi looks almost ready for a short final outing.
85 min: Vettel climbs to 15th in the standings with a lap of 1m29.134s.
84 min: Timo Glock is pressing on to recover from his severely limited running and only just caught a major oversteer moment on his latest lap.
84 min: Sebastian Vettel is poised for a move up the order in the Red Bull. He is 18th at the moment.
83 min: The track is now very busy with 21 cars lapping at the moment.
83 min: Schumacher is using these soft tyres to good effect, even as the light spots of rain continue. He moves up to third place with 1m26.522s.
82 min: Button is over a second off his earlier pace as he tests the softer rubber. Team-mate Hamilton is also back out.
81 min: Light rain is blighting the session for a third time as we move into the last ten minutes of the session. Schumacher does manage to find a marginal improvement and goes 11th with 1m27.298s.
81 min: Jenson Button is out in the McLaren, just as the rain picks up pace again.
80 min: Michael Schumacher is back out on track after a lengthy delay in the pits. He improves to 14th quickest with a time of 1m28.716s.
79 min: Glock has finally made it out of the Virgin garage and is on to his first timed lap of the afternoon.
79 min: As spots of rain hit Rubens Barrichello's on-board camera, he is clearly not convinced about the suitability of dry tyres at the moment.
He queries whether the track is completely dry. His race engineer informs him that Alguersuari is keeping it on the island using the same tyre compound.
78 min: Odd spots of moisture continue to fall but the drivers are pressing on to get in as much running as possible.
78 min: We should see lap times improving soon as more drivers come out to complete runs on slick tyres. Webber improves to 13th with a 1m28.298s.
76 min: Red Bull drivers Sebastien Vettel and Mark Webber are out on the circuit. Webber is running on soft tyres.
75 min: The Ferrari pair are out to for a run on the softer tyres.
75 min: The pace is likely to fall short of that seen early in the session as rubber levels will take time to recover.
74 min: Rubens Barrichello is on track in the Williams, using the soft tyre for this run. Jaime Alguersuari is also out there, but on the more durable hard tyres.
73 min: De la Rosa has swapped to slicks on his Sauber as dry running gets back underway.
73 min: Karun Chandhok's breakdown at the approach to Turn 1 was caused by a gearbox problem. The Indian has changed and is back in civvies, indicating that the problem will take some time to fix.
Chandhok will resume action tomorrow in the final practice session.
71 min: Petrov is around nine seconds off the benchmark dry pace as he continues to push on intermediates.
70 min: Repairs look to be finally completed on Glock's Virgin and he is being readied for a run on intermediates.
69 min: Petrov is tailing Buemi's Toro Rosso, finally getting past on the run down to Turn 11. He's lapping on intermediates.
68 min: Jaime Alguersuari came back into the pits a short while ago, but is now back out on the circuit for another run of laps.
68 min: Work continues on the cars at Virgin Racing, with Timo Glock's car still being worked on after this morning's oil leak while Lucas di Grassi's car is now also up on stands.
68 min: At Williams, Nico Hulkenberg asks over the team radio whether the plan is to stick with the soft option tyres and go as planned, or whether to go for another low fuel run.
He is told that it will likely be a heavy fuel run to gain data for the race, so we can expect the softer tyre then.
66 min: Petrov is heading out for a run in his Renault.
66 min: Mike Gascoyne confirms why most cars are currently in the garage: "Too dry now for the intermediates"
63 min: Jaime Alguersuari and Toro Rosso team-mate Sebastien Buemi are continuing to pound round Albert Park on their intermediate tyres.
63 min: Kubica pits to end his long run on a what are now heavily worn intermediates.
61 min: The track is drying out all the time and slick tyre runs aren't too far away providing we have no more rain.
60 min: Alguersuari is continuing his adventure, as he explores the grass at Turn 15. He completes another lap and posts 1m37.509s.
59 min: Jaime Alguersuari has completed more laps than any other driver. The Spaniard has been out nearly all the time during the damp part of the session. He is on his 25th tour at the moment.
59 min: Kubica has been lapping extensively on his intermediate tyres and tells the team the rubber is gaining. He is told to stay out and wear the tyre through this phase.
58 min: At the top of the order, Lewis Hamilton is quickest so far with a lap of 1m25.801s, with McLaren team-mate Button second, Petrov a great third, Buemi fourth, Liuzzi fifth and Barrichello in sixth.
57 min: Track conditions are slowly improving, with the ever-drying line quickly hurting the intermediates.
55 min: Adrian Sutil endures a hairy moment over the Turn 4 exit kerb that caught out Kazuki Nakajima in last year's race. He keeps the Force India pointing in the right direction and continues.
54 min: The rain appears to have stopped all around the circuit for the moment. Track conditions should slowly improve.
54 min: The failure to get long runs on slicks in this afternoon could be a big factor in adding drama to the weekend. The teams won't know as much as they would like about how the tyres will behave, making strategy for qualifying and the race harder to call.
52 min: Schumacher reports over the team radio that the front tyres on his intermediates are graining up, so he decides to pit.
51 min: Hamilton's benchmark time of 1m25.801s won't be under threat unless the track dries significantly. It will also take some time for rubber levels to recover from this wet running.
51 min: Michael Schumacher does feel the need to check out conditions. He is 20th in the standings and unlikely to improve unless the track begins to dry out.
49 min: Petrov and Kubica continue to circulate and the Renault team is clearly keen to get some mileage in, despite the tricky grip levels.
49 min: At Williams Rubens Barrichello echoes the white line theory. His race engineer was contemplating a run on intermediates. Rubens' response was that with conditions neither fully wet or dry, he won't learn anything. The experienced Brazilian states that he's well aware of the white line problem without needing to go out onto the circuit to risk the car.
46 min: Mercedes pass on news of the conditions: "Nico reporting the white lines on the track are very slippy"
45 min: Nico Rosberg comes into the pits ... and drives through and out onto the track again. Mercedes is likely checking the pitlane driving time in preparation for the stops during the race.
45 min: Petrov is also on intermediate tyres. Team-mate Kubica is also on track, as is Sauber's de la Rosa.
43 min: Alguersuari posts 1m50.524s - 25 seconds slower than a quick dry time.
43 min: Petrov is back out in his Renault to test the greasy conditions.
43 min: Nico Rosberg joins Alguersuari on the circuit for a run in the lightly wet conditions. Alguersuari is on his timed lap now and making the best of it.
40 min: Jaime Alguersuari is back out on the circuit with a set of intermediate tyres fitted.
39 min: The enthusiastic fans around Albert Park are braving this shower under whatever shelter they can find.
37 min: Karun Chandhok has made it back to the pitlane, having supervised the recovery of his broken down HRT machine a few minutes ago.
35 min: Replays show that Alguersuari was lucky to keep his Toro Rosso in one piece exiting the final corner of the lap. The rear end snapped sideways and the young Spaniard did well to catch it.
35 min: Robert Kubica is one of the last drivers to trail back to the pits as the rain falls heavily again.
34 min: Jaime Alguersuari chose to complete that last lap. He now faces a adventure in getting back to the pits.
33 min: The rain is getting heavier, forcing all the drivers back into the pits.
32 min: Button clocks a 1m26.684s as rain slows his progress despite a committed lap.
32 min: Button is pressing on to get a lap on the softs, despite the light rainfall.
31 min: Jenson Button is out again and is now trying the softer rubber on his McLaren.
31 min: Light spots of moisture are again falling over the circuit.
30 min: Chandhok parks on the right side of the track, off the racing line shortly before Turn 1. He is helping the marshals recover the HRT entry to a safe place behind the barrier.
29 min: Karun Chandhok leaves the pits but 100 metres later he is leaving the car parked at the side of the track. The Indian has stopped.
29 min: The Ferrari duo are currently 14th and 15th quickest after a handful of laps.
28 min: The McLaren pair are now back in the pits after that fairly short run to top the order so far.
27 min: Nico Hulkenberg is on a set of softer tyres and they help him to tenth place with 1m27.545s.
26 min: Vitaly Petrov is now third quickest in his Renault, almost a second off the McLaren pace.
26 min: HRT drivers Senna and Chandhok have yet to run so far.
25 min: It's a much better final turn for Hamilton this time and he is now quickest in 1m25.801s - the best time of the event so far.
25 min: Hamilton is on for an improvement with the fastest middle sector.
24 min: Adrian Sutil goes third with a lap of 1m26.940s in the Force India. This is the first run for the German, having handed his car over to Paul di Resta for the first session.
24 min: The drivers are scrambling to get a run completed in case another shower hits the circuit.
23 min: Button is much quicker this time around, with a 1m26.076s now the time to beat.
23 min: Nico Rosberg comes back into the pits after a short run of two timed laps in the Mercedes.He is fourth at the moment.
23 min: Michael Schumacher came out for a run of laps, but aborted his timed lap and returned to the pits. He has yet to post a time.
23 min: Hamilton is testing the softer tyres while Button evaluates the harder option.
22 min: Jenson Button takes the top time but he is beaten by Hamilton by a fraction, despite a major moment in the final corner.
21 min: Rosberg moves the target time further away with 1m26.956s. Barrichello is second, with Kubica third and Hamilton fourth so far.
21 min: Jenson Button slots in eighth with his first time while Hamilton clocks a 1m27.937s to take fourth.
20 min: Nico Rosberg soon sends the Williams pair down the order with a lap of 1m27.464s, as we see more spots of moisture beginning to fall.
19 min: Robert Kubica goes second quickest, quickly dropped to third as the early times flood in.
19 min: Hulkenberg and Barrichello are trading the quickest time so far. Barrichello leads the field with 1m27.585s.
18 min: Felipe Massa heads out with the harder rubber on his Ferrari.
18 min: Webber is running a set of the soft tyres as Red Bull looks to complete a tyre comparison programme before any further showers hit the circuit.
17 min: Renault pair Kubica and Petrov join the runners, along with the McLarens of Button and Hamilton.
17 min: Jaime Alguersuari and Nico Rosberg are now out there as the Williams drivers pound round on another hot lap. Schumacher joins them.
17 min: Pedro de la Rosa is back out in his Sauber, with the conditions now far more suited to slick rubber.
16 min: Adrian Sutil comes out for a run, as Hulkenberg flashes over the line in 1m32.971s.
16 min: Barrichello comes through to complete his first timed lap. It's 1m31.006s.
15 min: Mark Webber joins the Williams duo on the circuit in the Red Bull Renault.
15 min: His team-mate Barrichello is also out on track. Both drivers start a timed lap to test out the conditions.
14 min: Nico Hulkenberg is now on track with hard compound slick tyres fitted to the Williams.
13 min: The rain has stopped for the time being and Sutil comes straight back into the pits. It's not wet enough out there to run the intermediate tyres.
12 min: The tight pit lane here means the speed limit will be maintained at 60 km/h all weekend.
Clearly Vitaly Petrov was slightly over that when clocked at 94.6 km/h this morning, costing the Russian a 7,000 Euro fine.
Melbourne pitlane speed limit reduced
11 min: Tyres are fitted to Sutil's car, however. He heads out on intermediate tyres for a run of laps.
10 min: Force India is waiting to see what the weather does before sending Tonio Liuzzi out for a run. The Italian is in the car and ready to go, but with no tyres fitted.
9 min: Jarno Trulli is concerned about the power delivery from his Cosworth engine. He is finding the throttle is not coming on cleanly at the moment.
8 min: Rubens Barrichello is staying in his car while the spots of rain continue.
7 min: The radar shows the thin line affecting the circuit at the moment. Further west more showers are heading n the general direction of the circuit.
5 min: Williams plan to wait out this shower: "Forecast says rain for about 10 mins so our drivers will be staying in the garage"
4 min: The Sauber pair continue to tip-toe around, with de la Rosa advising his team that there is too much rain to continue on slicks. He pits.
3 min: The remaining drivers immediately came back into the pits to wait and see what the weather does next.
3 min: Team-mate Kobayashi is also touring slowly on slicks.
2 min: Pedro de la Rosa continues in to a timed lap but these are very slippery conditions for his soft, dry tyres.
1 min: The rain is falling heavier still as Buemi, Hulkenberg and Webber circulate Albert Park on slick tyres.
0 min: Rain is falling sufficiently to affect grip levels.
0 min: While cars head out on dry rubber, at McLaren they are changing to wet rubber for Lewis Hamilton.
0 min: Out they come and it's Sebastien Buemi who leads the charge onto the circuit.
0 min: The practice session is underway.
