| 13:51:11
| Welcome to F1-Live.com and live coverage of qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix. It is hot, humid and overcast. Rain is expected at some point today. |
| 13:51:22
| Nick Heidfeld led the way this morning for BMW Sauber with a best lap of 1:35.019s, the fastest lap of the weekend. However, not every driver attempted a simulated qualifying lap but Ferrari seems strong with Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa second and third this morning. |
| 13:52:05
| Jarno Trulli ha impressed so far this weekend and again this morning as he set the fourth fastest time in his Toyota ahead of the Red Bull duo of Mark Webber and David Coulthard. The FIA are keeping an eye on the Red Bull team following David Coulthard’s dramatic suspension failure in the Friday morning practice session. |
| 13:54:04
| After a poor Formula One debut in Melbourne, Nelson Piquet is running well this weekend at Renault. This morning the Brazilian set the seventh fastest time while team-mate Alonso was 12th. The target for Renault is to qualify in the top ten. |
| 13:56:04
| Jenson Button was eighth this morning in his Honda ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Timo Glock while Lewis Hamilton was just 11th in his McLaren presumably working solely with older tyres and heavy fuel loads in race preparation mode. |
| 13:58:05
| As ever, qualifying is split into three sessions of 20, 15 and ten minutes. The slowest six are eliminated from session one and two leaving the final ten to take on board race fuel and then go for the pole position. |
| 13:58:48
| Sebastien Bourdais has had an engine change. It is his free engine change of the season used up. |
| 14:00:18
| Qualifying one is now underway and rain is predicted in the hour. |
| 14:00:56
| Half of the field head straight out. |
| 14:02:03
| Heidfeld, Kubica, Rosberg and Kovalainen remain in the pit. Everyone else on track. Rain is expected soon. |
| 14:02:54
| Rosberg heads out in his Williams. He lost time this morning with a hydraulic issue. |
| 14:03:17
| They're all on the first timed lap. |
| 14:03:38
| Bourdais records the first timed lap. |
| 14:04:12
| Raikkonen sets the initial pace from Massa, Trulli and Hamilton. |
| 14:04:55
| Heidfeld, Kubicca and Kovalainen remain in the pit. |
| 14:05:16
| Webber moves third in the Red Bull. |
| 14:05:49
| Based on this morning's times, a 1:36.5 is the target to make it inot Q2. |
| 14:06:15
| Raikkonen fastest from Massa, Glock, Webber, Trulli, Hamilton and Alonso. |
| 14:06:35
| Kubica, Heidfeld and Kovalainen head out. |
| 14:07:09
| The slowest six at the moment are Davidson, Sato, Bourdais, Vettel, Sutil and Piquet. |
| 14:07:25
| Massa moves fastest with Hamilton up to second. |
| 14:08:45
| Some are now heading out for a second run of three. |
| 14:09:09
| The front runners have pitted. |
| 14:09:29
| Kovalainen vaults to the top of the timesheets. |
| 14:09:59
| Heidfeld and Kubica move fifth and sixth. |
| 14:10:41
| Piquet, Sutil, Vettel, Bourdais, Sato and Davidson need to improve or they are out. |
| 14:11:27
| Heidfeld runs wide at the final turn and he backs off. |
| 14:11:44
| Piquet moves seventh in the Renault. |
| 14:12:23
| Button gains ten spots and is now seventh. |
| 14:12:59
| Barrichello moves into the top ten in the second Honda. |
| 14:13:39
| Rsoberg, Alonso, Vettel, Coulthard, Davidson, Sutil and Sato are on the bubble. |
| 14:13:50
| Trulli moves fastest in the Toyota. |
| 14:14:48
| Alonso is back out for his second run. |
| 14:15:14
| Five minutes remain. |
| 14:15:43
| Alonso is on the soft tyre. Time to get the lap done. Coulthard is back out. |
| 14:16:29
| Webber is back out looking to improve. |
| 14:17:04
| Alonso moves ninth and should be safe. |
| 14:17:23
| Rosberg moves eighth. |
| 14:17:30
| Webber mobes fifth. |
| 14:18:10
| Coulthard improves from 19th to 12th. |
| 14:18:38
| Sato, Sutil, Davidson, Vettel, Bourdais and Nakajima need to improve to make Q2. |
| 14:19:21
| Bourdais runs wide and onto the grass. That is the end of his hopes. |
| 14:20:12
| The chequered flag is out |
| 14:20:25
| Vettel moves 14th. |
| 14:20:48
| Glock improves and is safe. |
| 14:21:27
| Barrichello improves and pushes Fisichella out of the top 16. |
| 14:22:29
| So Trulli is fastest. Davidson, Sutil, Sato, Bourdais, Nakajima and Fisichella eliminated ahead of Q2. |
| 14:23:16
| A short pause now ahead of Q2. No sign of rain as yet. |
| 14:26:56
| Kovalainen and Hamilton are at the end of the pit lane ready to go on the soft tyre. |
| 14:27:12
| The second round of qualifying is underway. 15 minutes remain. |
| 14:27:47
| Raikkonen joins the McLaren duo on track. |
| 14:28:00
| Others now heading out. |
| 14:28:57
| The threat of rain is making the front runners head out early. |
| 14:29:58
| Most on hot laps now. |
| 14:30:19
| BMW, Renault, STR and Red Bull not on track. |
| 14:31:09
| Raikkonen sets the initial pace on 1:34.1 from Kovalainen, Massa, Hamilton and Rosberg. |
| 14:31:28
| Vettel, Coulthard and the Renault duo head out. |
| 14:32:09
| Webber moves sixth in the Red Bull ahead of Button. |
| 14:32:26
| Trulli moves third in the Toyota. |
| 14:33:01
| The target time is a low 1:35 to make Q3. |
| 14:35:28
| Kubica is now third in the BMW Sauber. Alonso is up to seventh. |
| 14:35:43
| Heidfeld moves second in his BMW. |
| 14:36:49
| Coulthard, Glock, Rosberg, Piquet, Barrichello, Vettel need to find time. |
| 14:37:17
| Rosberg heads back out. A tough session so far for Williams Toyota. |
| 14:38:02
| The top seven should be fast enough, but it will be close. Hamilton will probably opt to run again. |
| 14:39:04
| Rosberg is on his fast lap and looking to move up from 13th. |
| 14:39:31
| Glock and Vettel head out. |
| 14:39:56
| Massa and Hamilton feel they need to run again to be safe as they head out as does Trulli. |
| 14:40:23
| Rosberg remains 13th. |
| 14:41:13
| All but the fastest four on track. |
| 14:41:50
| Vettel is 16th at the moment but on a fast lap. |
| 14:42:29
| Vettel moves 12th but not into the top ten. |
| 14:42:37
| The chequered flag is out. |
| 14:42:48
| Glock moves seventh |
| 14:43:06
| Massa moves second ahead of Hamilton who also improves. |
| 14:43:50
| Plenty of change at the end of the session. |
| 14:44:25
| Rosberg is a disappointing 16th behind Vettel, Barrichello, Piquet, Coulthard and Button. |
| 14:45:25
| Alonso just makes it into Q3 in tenth position behind Glock, Webber, Trulli, Kubica, Kovalainen, Heidfeld, Hamilton, Massa and Raikkonen. |
| 14:45:41
| The remaining ten now take race fuel ahead of Q3. |
| 14:48:18
| Ferrari are looking very strong. Raikkonen's lap of 1:34.2 is impressive. |
| 14:48:59
| Kovalainen is waiting at the end of the pit lane with a set of harder tyres on. |
| 14:50:15
| Q3 is underway, ten minutes remain. |
| 14:50:33
| Kovalainen heads out followed by a train of other cars. |
| 14:50:57
| Hamilton is on the hard tyre as well, the Ferrari duo on soft. |
| 14:51:34
| Alonso and Glock remain in the pit. |
| 14:52:41
| The first laps of Q3 are now underway |
| 14:54:01
| Massa sets the initial pace from Raikkonen, Kovalainen, Kubica and Hamilton. |
| 14:54:22
| Alonso and Glock on track. |
| 14:54:48
| Heidfeld ran wide and is eighth at the moment. |
| 14:55:13
| Alonso is using all of the kerbing on his hot lap. |
| 14:56:12
| Alonso's first lap puts him ninth. |
| 14:56:30
| Glock is tenth after running wide in his Toyota. |
| 14:57:17
| Hamilton and Kovalainen are back out, this time of the softer tyre. |
| 14:57:56
| Raikkonen is starting another hot lap looking to pip team-mate Massa to the pole. |
| 14:58:16
| Hamilton passes a Toyota on the main straight. |
| 14:58:34
| Kubica is on a fast lap in the BMW Sauber. |
| 14:59:04
| Massa on his hot lap of the session. |
| 14:59:18
| Raikkonen moves P1 |
| 14:59:28
| Massa retakes the position. |
| 14:59:54
| Kubica and Hamilton trade times for fourth. |
| 15:00:04
| The chequered flag is out. |
| 15:00:33
| Heidfeld is still pushing as he weaves through the slowing cars. |
| 15:00:47
| Alonso is still on a fast lap too. |
| 15:01:13
| Heidfeld is looking to move up from eighth. |
| 15:01:46
| Heidfeld moves seventh demoting Webber to eighth. Alonso does not improve. |
| 15:02:34
| That was very unfair for Heidfeld and Alonso as the others were going so slowly saving fuel. That rule has to be changed in the name of safety if nothing else. |
| 15:03:09
| So pole for Massa with ease from Raikkonen, Kovalainen, Hamilton, Trulli, Kubica, Heidfeld, Webber, Alonso and Glock. |
