Tom Clarkson
BBC Radio 5 live commentator

His race preparation was very good but he certainly has something to think about. I think six tenths of a second in a way is better than if it was something like three tenths because it looks like he made some sort of error. Still, it gives him some food for though and will give Lewis Hamilton some confidence.

Mark Gallagher
BBC Radio 5 live Formula 1 analyst

Lewis Hamilton really put a marker down in that session. It looks like Nico Rosberg has work to do. He certainly didn't hook it up and he will be disappointed with that.

Martin J Scott: F1 pub name: The Mechanical Circus  

Giani Darshan Singh: F1 themed pub would have to be The Clutch in Cider   

Jospeh D Pearce: F1 Pub Names: The Flying Finn   

Three minutes to go and at the top of the order looks like this:

1) Hamilton 2) Verstappen 3) Rosberg 4) Raikkonen 5) Vettel

Mark Gallagher
BBC Radio 5 live Formula 1 analyst

Max Verstappen has done a stunning job with that time. He is giving the team a lot of confidence about his potential for the race on Sunday. You have to say he has been helped by Nico Rosberg not getting the most out of his tyres earlier in the session.

Image source, Getty Images

Max Verstappen splits the Mercedes as he does a 1:34.879, a touch under half a second down on Lewis Hamilton's benchmark. 

Meanwhile, Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel are fourth and fifth respectively. Ferrari are seventh tenths of a second down on Mercedes, so looking unlikely to challenge them for pole later today.

Meanwhile, Jenson Button's McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso is propping up the timesheet but his focus is solely on race prep, given qualifying is rendered meaningless as penalties will put him at the back of the grid. 

Image source, Getty Images

Jenson Button warms up for his 300th race start with an impressive first lap on the softs. He is sixth after doing a 1:36.363.

Image source, Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton was bang on it yesterday and he's looking very good right now as he comes round for his first lap on the softs. Purple, purple, purple and he storms into P1 with 1:34.434, six tenths of a second quicker than Rosberg.

For a moment, it looks like he does a mini fist pump in celebration, but it looks like he is just trying to cool off.

A hot lap in more ways than one.

Image source, AP

"High speed very unstable," says Jolyon Palmer. "No rear end in high speed." 

The Briton, who is currently 12th quickest, heads back to base for Renault to take a look.

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer

Image source, Getty Images

There have been murmurings for a little while now about the financial sustainability of the British Grand Prix, with concern heightened by Silverstone’s search for an investor to take the development of the track on to the next level. Well, those murmurs have been given a public voice by Derek Warwick, former F1 driver and now president of Silverstone’s owners the British Racing Drivers’ Club. 

Warwick has told Autosport that the BRDC is questioning whether it could afford the race and was considering whether to activate the break clause it has in its contract that would see the race be dropped after 2019, rather than run its full term to 2026. Warwick said the effect of the 5% annual ‘escalator’ in the contract meant the deal had become “too expensive for us”. 

The BRDC has until next year's race if it wants to exercise the get-out clause. This is undoubtedly the first shot in a series of negotiations to bring the cost of the race down - or find new ways to afford Bernie Ecclestone’s fee.

Mark Gallagher
BBC Radio 5 live Formula 1 analyst

"That looked like a lap that he built up as he went through it." 

Nico Rosberg absolutely nails it in the final sector and clocks 1:35.293 to go a tenth of a second quicker than Daniel Ricciardo.

Nico Rosberg is out for a qualifying sim run. He's got softs on his Mercedes but he is a couple of tenths down on Daniel Ricciardo in the first sector.

Mark Gallagher
BBC Radio 5 live Formula 1 analyst

"I'd have thought the Bernie Inn would be one? Although that's already been taken."