Sebastian Vettel, on a fresh set of super-softs, improves with a 1:16.767, but that's 1.2s slower than Nico Rosberg's best effort on the same compound. 

There's a problem for Esteban Ocon. He's reports an issue with the power steering and takes his Renault back to pits. 

Meanwhile, Romain Grosjean has just done a good lap in the Haas. He's clocked a 1:18.589 on a set of softs to leap up to P10.

Here's a shot of that daring pilot and his low-flying helicopter. 

I like to think he was belting out a bit of Kenny Loggins' Danger Zone - tune of Top Gun fame - as he did this.

Lewis Hamilton has seen Nico Rosberg's lap and wants a bit of that. Out he goes, also with a set of super-softs on and does a quick lap. It's quicker than his previous best, but not quick enough to nip ahead of Rosberg. It's a 1:15.843, three tenths of a second slower than his Mercedes team-mate.

So far, so good for Rosberg.

Ask and you shall receive Mr Random Assortment of Numbers and Letters. 

Ian Fergusson has the weekend's weather below.

Hcehche419: FP3/QUALI/RACE Weather Forecast plz?  

Nico Rosberg is out on his tod. He's whacked on some super softs and is looking very quick. In fact, he's not just looking very quick, he is very quick as he rattles off a 1:15.517 to go almost two seconds quicker than Sebastian Vettel. Early days, but Rosser looks like a man on a mission.

Image source, Reuters

While we wait for some on-track action, here's a picture of Sebastian Vettel's specially customised lid for his home race.

It's all quiet on the track once again with 45 minutes to go and a helicopter pilot takes advantage of the silence to do some low-level flying over the circuit and get some neat-looking camera shots.

Jennie Gow
BBC Radio 5 live pit-lane reporter

Mercedes are working on the front end of Hamilton's car. The big boss man in charge of engines has come to have a good look. Could it be a balance and setup change? I'm not sure. Are they blocking my view from seeing what's happening? That is definitely happening.

Image source, AP

Jennie Gow has an update from the pit-lane. Initially it is to tell us of an immense smell of bacon down there, but she does have something more important to relay than an engineer's possible breakfast. It's Lewis Hamilton related...

Fernando Alonso currently has the sixth quickest time, while Jenson Button is ninth. Alonso's time is 1.1s slower than Nico Rosberg's benchmark effort but, to answer Chris' question below, it was set on super-softs.

Chris Marsh: Is this genuine pace from the McLarens or are they on super-softs?

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Hockenheim

As for the discussion about waved yellow flags, several drivers were very vocal about the need for clarification on double waved yellow flags. 

Nico Rosberg doesn’t feel he did anything wrong, because he slowed the amount required under previous unwritten rules agreed between the drivers and the FIA. But others are struggling to comprehend how he could have set a fastest sector time while doing so (the answer is, the track was drying and getting faster). There will clearly be an animated discussion in the drivers’ briefing. 

Nico Hulkenberg joked: “I will take some food and drink into that one, I think. It’s going to be long.” But then he summed up the problem nicely: “Every double yellow means there is some danger and we know we have to prepare to stop. But every case is different. Obviously in that incident, if you come around Turn Eight in Hungary you look into Turn Nine. Some cars saw Fernando (Alonso) sitting on the kerb there, so you know you have to lift. You’re forced to because he was right there on the ideal line. But I think when Nico (Rosberg) came he was clear and it was different, so it’s difficult. But we all definitely have to have great respect for yellow flags."

Flags caused plenty of controversy last weekend as Nico Rosberg snatched pole position from Lewis Hamilton's hands after a spin for Fernando Alonso had scuppered Hamilton's lap. Hamilton brushed it off at the time, but had a dig at Rosberg in the post-race conference after suggesting the German did not lift enough for the double yellows brought out because of Alonso's spin.

Nope, the yellow flags were because of Valtteri Bottas, whose Williams' spun at Turn 6. It's one of those lazy, apologetic spins that seem to take an age and it gives him enough time to right himself, and a few snappers nearby the chance to get some decent photos.

"I really have no rear tyres," says Max Verstappen.

As Jack Nicholls points out, he does have rear tyres on, he wouldn't be doing much without them on that's for sure, but he's got no rear grip.

We've just had a brief flutter of the yellow flags. Not sure if that was Verstappen-related.

Thirty minutes into the session and this is how the top 10 looks:

1) Rosberg 2) Vettel 3) Hamilton 4) Raikkonen 5) Ricciardo 6) Alonso 7) Verstappen 8) Button 9) Sainz 10) Bottas

Image source, Getty Images