Rosberg heads Ricciardo in final practice at Suzuka

Nico Rosberg set the pace during final practice for the Japanese Grand Prix as a number of drivers struggled to set representative times.

Overnight rain ensured the track was wet at the start of the session and it was 20 minutes before laps on slick tyres were seen, resulting in a backlog of action in the session. As a result, the final qualifying simulations on low fuel took place on a busy track and getting a clear lap proved tricky.

• AS IT HAPPENED: Japanese Grand Prix - FP3

Rosberg was one of the first to attempt his soft tyre run and duly set the pace with a 1:32.092 to go a second clear at the top of the times. Kimi Raikkonen was next to attempt a lap and was actually quicker than Rosberg through the opening sector before encountering a Renault at Degner, aborting his lap. Sebastian Vettel was similarly hampered by a Renault at the end of his flying lap, while he was held up by a Williams at the start of his lap and ended up third, 0.6s off the pace.

Daniel Ricciardo enjoyed a largely clean lap to finish the session in second place, with the Red Bull driver 0.3s off Rosberg's best. Ricciardo's team-mate Max Verstappen went even quicker than Raikkonen in the first sector but complained about the handling of his car, locking up heavily at the final chicane to set the fourth fastest time.

Raikkonen's aborted lap left him fifth after a second attempt on used soft tyres, but Lewis Hamilton failed to get a clear lap in and opted to return to the pits after a slow middle sector on his second attempt, meaning he ended the session in seventh place - one spot below Felipe Massa - 1.2s slower than Rosberg.

The two Renault drivers impressed with eighth and ninth respectively, increasing hopes of a first Q3 appearance for the team this season. Remarkably, both drivers set exactly the same time, with Jolyon Palmer listed ahead on the timing screens as a result of posting a 1:33.639 first.

The tricky conditions early in the session caught out Esteban Gutierrez, who ran wide at Spoon on his first timed lap and then spun in the Esses. Gutierrez ran wide at Turn 4 and slid across the grass before spinning in the middle of Turn 5, but recovered to set the 12th fastest time behind Nico Hulkenberg and Fernando Alonso.

Pascal Wehrlein was two seconds slower than team-mate Esteban Ocon at Manor as he focused on race pace due to an impending gearbox penalty, while Carlos Sainz was slowest having completed just three laps before his session was ended.

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Chris Medland's 2016 Japanese Grand Prix preview

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