Postpublished at 13:24 British Summer Time 3 September 2016
Alonso was so, so close to slipping out in Q1 there. About a tenth of a second in it.
Jenson Button will not drive in F1 next year
2009 champion signs two-year deal with McLaren for ambassadorial role, but could race in 2018
Stoffel Vandoorne will partner Fernando Alonso in 2017
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Chris Osborne
Alonso was so, so close to slipping out in Q1 there. About a tenth of a second in it.
Pascal Wehrlein up in P15 in that session. We didn't get to compare him with Manor team-mate Esteban Ocon, because the Frenchman came off the track.
Mark Gallagher
BBC Radio 5 live Formula 1 analyst
That’s a magnificent performance from Wehrlein when you consider that he is splitting the McLaren drivers, phenomenal.
So eliminated are both the Renaults of Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer.
Daniil Kvyat's misery continues as he goes out.
Marcus Ericsson, Esteban Ocon and Felipe Nasr join them.
Alonso goes up to P16. Only Kvyat and Nasr can catch him... neither of them can.
Alonso sneaks through.
Magnussen can't improve and is out.
Wehrlein is on the bubble - Nasr, Alonso, Palmer, Magnussen and Ericsson in the drop zone.
The flag drops. Plenty of laps to be finished to decide who goes out.
Button is less than a tenth of a second above the elimination bracket. He needs a safety lap.
Grosjean has hauled himself out of the bottom six, plonking Nasr in the drop zone.
Gutierrez hits a decent lap and goes to P8. He should be safe.
Jolyon Palmer gets on the radio to get a bit sweary about his straight-line speed.
This is why Ocon won't be in Q2.
Just seven tenths separate Perez in eighth and Alonso in 17th as the cars come in to prep for a final whirl at getting through to Q2.
Mark Gallagher
BBC Radio 5 live Formula 1 analyst
Fernando Alonso didn’t get a lap together at all in final practice, I think it’s going to be a tall order for McLaren to make the kind of progress that they were expecting after their great result last week.
Ocon is out after coming off the track.
That leaves five elimination places.
Gutierrez is on the bubble, one tenth quicker than Alonso.
Four minutes left.
Alonso, Grosjean, Palmer, Magnussen, Ericsson and Ocon are the bottom six at it stands.
Lewis Hamilton is on the radio complaining he is stuck behind a Williams - he has a disagreement with his team about whether it's Bottas or Massa.
Sebastian Vettel sets his first competitive time and is straight up to third. And team-mate Kimi Raikkonen slots in behind him in fourth.
Seven minutes left.
Everything is pointing to Lewis Hamilton being too good on this track. There's plenty of time for me to be proven wrong.
Jack Nicholls
Radio 5 live Formula 1 commentator
That’s a really fast lap time from Lewis Hamilton, he draws first blood!