Lewis Hamilton cemented his place as the favourite for pole position in China by once again ending practice quickest – though the McLaren driver does have to take a grid penalty.
Hamilton’s fastest time put him a tenth quicker than team-mate Jenson Button in second, with the pair well clear of the remainder of the pack.
Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher held P3 and P4 respectively, both around half a second slower than the quickest lap.
The first timed run didn’t come until 15 minutes into the session as the teams evaluated the higher track temperature and the effects it would have on tyre wear.
Mark Webber, who finished fifth quickest, had led the times on the initial runs on the prime tyre, but fell away later in the session, as did his team-mate.
Sauber once again showed their strong form with both Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi in the top eight, whilst Kimi Raikkonen completed the top ten.
Ferrari’s woes continue with the 15th and 18th quickest times courtesy of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa respectively, the latter propping up the time-sheets with just Caterham, Marussia and HRT behind.
2012 Chinese GP FP3 Results:
| # | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01. | L. Hamilton | McLaren | 1:35.940 | 13 | |
| 02. | J. Button | McLaren | 1:36.063 | +0.123 | 12 |
| 03. | N. Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:36.389 | +0.449 | 16 |
| 04. | M. Schumacher | Mercedes | 1:36.512 | +0.572 | 17 |
| 05. | M. Webber | Red Bull | 1:36.635 | +0.695 | 16 |
| 06. | P. Maldonado | Williams | 1:36.765 | +0.825 | 17 |
| 07. | S. Perez | Sauber | 1:36.781 | +0.841 | 19 |
| 08. | K. Kobayashi | Sauber | 1:36.880 | +0.940 | 17 |
| 09. | S. Vettel | Red Bull | 1:37.039 | +1.099 | 15 |
| 10. | K. Räikkönen | Lotus | 1:37.061 | +1.121 | 17 |
| 11. | N. Hulkenberg | Force India | 1:37.237 | +1.297 | 16 |
| 12. | R. Grosjean | Lotus | 1:37.274 | +1.334 | 19 |
| 13. | P. di Resta | Force India | 1:37.288 | +1.348 | 16 |
| 14. | B. Senna | Williams | 1:37.425 | +1.485 | 14 |
| 15. | F. Alonso | Ferrari | 1:37.465 | +1.525 | 12 |
| 16. | J. Vergne | Toro Rosso | 1:37.493 | +1.553 | 13 |
| 17. | D. Ricciardo | Toro Rosso | 1:37.628 | +1.688 | 14 |
| 18. | F. Massa | Ferrari | 1:37.831 | +1.891 | 14 |
| 19. | V. Petrov | Caterham | 1:38.701 | +2.761 | 19 |
| 20. | H. Kovalainen | Caterham | 1:39.198 | +3.258 | 19 |
| 21. | T. Glock | Marussia | 1:39.796 | +3.856 | 18 |
| 22. | C. Pic | Marussia | 1:40.048 | +4.108 | 17 |
| 23. | N. Karthikeyan | HRT | 1:41.263 | +5.323 | 14 |
| 24. | P. de la Rosa | HRT | 1:41.499 | +5.559 | 18 |
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