Raikkonen keeps Ferrari on top in FP3

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Kimi Raikkonen preserved Ferrari's advantage in the final free practice session before this afternoon's qualifying run for the Malaysian GP.

The Scuderia continued to dominate proceedings in the ultimate dress rehearsal, with the Finn clocking in just ahead of team mate Sebastian Vettel by just over a tenth.

Malaysian Grand Prix - Free Practice 3 results

Pos	Driver	Team	Time	Gap	Laps
1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:31.880s		19
2	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:32.042s	+ 0.162s	14
3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	1:32.091s	+ 0.211s	16
4	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:32.329s	+ 0.449s	24
5	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:32.539s	+ 0.659s	20
6	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	1:32.579s	+ 0.699s	17
7	Sergio Pérez	Force India	1:33.209s	+ 1.329s	20
8	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:33.240s	+ 1.360s	20
9	Esteban Ocon	Force India	1:33.290s	+ 1.410s	21
10	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	1:33.321s	+ 1.441s	16
11	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:33.530s	+ 1.650s	17
12	Lance Stroll	Williams	1:33.538s	+ 1.658s	21
13	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:33.787s	+ 1.907s	10
14	Nico Hülkenberg	Renault	1:33.871s	+ 1.991s	14
15	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	1:33.924s	+ 2.044s	22
16	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	1:34.206s	+ 2.326s	24
17	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	1:34.475s	+ 2.595s	12
18	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:34.914s	+ 3.034s	19
19	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:34.936s	+ 3.056s	19
20	Pascal Wehrlein	Sauber	1:35.045s	+ 3.165s	19

Vettel concluded his run with engine trouble however, an issue which will warrant further investigations before this afternoon's crucial grid-defining.

Daniel Ricciardo was hot on the heels of the red squad however, proving that Red Bull will be a force to be reckoned with later on.

In a bid to boost its performance, Hamilton and Bottas ran on different set-ups in FP3 with the former reverting to slightly older settings while the latter stuck with Mercedes' latest updates.

The split choice appeared to favor Hamilton who moved to the top of the timesheet half way through the 60-minute session before Ferrari upped the pace.

Max Verstappen ended the session P6 but it was an untidy end for the Dutch driver who tangled with Jolyon Palmer's Renault in the closing stages of FP3.

The Brit was on a flying lap and tried to brake down the inside of the Red Bull only to hit Verstappen and damage the Renault's front wing in the process.

Having passed the pit entry, Verstappen spun around to enter the pitlane, driving the wrong way on the track!

The incident landed both drivers in hot water as they were summoned to the Stewards.

Both Force India and Williams' Felipe Massa rounded off the top ten.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.