| 13:50:07
| Welcome to ESPN Racing-Live.com and live coverage of the third practice session of the Australian Grand Prix weekend. |
| 13:52:17
| As expected the Friday running reflected pre-season testing with the major players such as Ferrari, McLaren, BMW Sauber and Renault not really featuring. Instead it was Nico Rosberg who set the pace in both first and second practice in his Williams Toyota. |
| 13:54:28
| Rosberg set the pace with a best lap of 1:26.053s and was a tenth of a second ahead of Rubens Barrichello in the ever impressive Brawn Mercedes package. Jarno Trulli was third fastest for Toyota and all three of these teams were the ones being protested against by some of their rivals with regard to the design of the diffuser. |
| 13:56:35
| Mark Webber was fourth fastest in his Red Bull Renault but it was then back to the ‘diffuser trio’ with Jenson Button fifth ahead if Timo Glock and Kazuki Nakajima. As it stands, it really does seem that these three teams have simply been much smarter than their rivals. |
| 13:58:03
| Other notable Friday performances included Sutil in ninth ahead of Massa, Raikkonen and Alonso while BMW struggled with Heidfeld 14th ahead of Kubica, Bourdais Kovalainen and one Lewis Hamilton! |
| 14:00:04
| The third and final practice session of the weekend is now underway. |
| 14:00:34
| Jarno Trulli and Giancarlo Fisichella head straight out. |
| 14:00:59
| Others now heading out. |
| 14:02:27
| As ever it is just an installation lap as they return to the pits. |
| 14:02:52
| All have been out except Raikkonen, Button and Barrichello. |
| 14:03:48
| The Brawn Mercedes today features Virgin branding on the nose and rear wing sides following an announcement earlier today. |
| 14:04:11
| Barrichello and Raikkonen head out. |
| 14:05:43
| Raikkonen and Button return to the pit lane. |
| 14:06:30
| Now Button heads out for his installation lap. |
| 14:08:11
| Button has returned to the pits. |
| 14:10:08
| Ten minutes of the hour long session are complete. No lap times as yet. |
| 14:12:47
| There's no track activity at the moment. |
| 14:13:41
| Last year's race winner Lewis Hamilton is getting ready to go out. This year the team will be delighted to qualify in the top ten. |
| 14:15:45
| Nelson Piquet heads out in his Renault. He struggled on Friday. |
| 14:16:07
| Timo Glock and Kimi Raikkonen join the action. |
| 14:16:53
| Fernando Alonso heads out in the second R29. |
| 14:17:19
| Piquet starts his first timed lap of the session. |
| 14:17:57
| Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima head out for Williams. |
| 14:18:16
| Other join the action now with 40 minutes remaining. |
| 14:19:07
| Piquet's first lap is a 1:31.0 |
| 14:19:34
| The first lap times are now coming in and it is Raikkonen fastest from Glock and Piquet. |
| 14:20:09
| Alonso moves fastest some 2.5s faster than team-mate Piquet. |
| 14:21:25
| Rosberg moves third for Williams as Button back off late in the lap. |
| 14:22:20
| Raikkonen has slowed. He has a mechanical problem on the Ferrari. |
| 14:23:04
| Raikkonen pulls off with a hydraulic issue as Button moves fastest in the Brawn Mercedes. |
| 14:24:26
| So a disaster for Ferrari and Raikkonen who completed just five laps before the F60 failure. |
| 14:24:54
| Back on track, Button is fastest from Alonso, Rosberg, Hamilton and Fisichella. |
| 14:25:18
| The yellows are out as they recover Raikkonen's Ferrari. |
| 14:26:00
| Nakajima vaults fastest from Rosberg as Button pits. |
| 14:27:02
| Rubens Barrichello moves P1 ahead of Nakajima. |
| 14:27:49
| Kovalainen is starting his first timed lap. Adrian Sutil has only completed an installation lap. |
| 14:28:26
| Now Vettel moves P1 as Raikkonen walks down the pit lane. |
| 14:29:24
| Kovalainen's first lap is not great but it moves him ahead of the struggling Piquet. |
| 14:30:40
| Most have pitted after a first stint on the harder tyre. |
| 14:31:17
| Vettel improves on his own best and is now seven-tenths clear of Barrichello. |
| 14:31:53
| Adrian Sutil and Jenson Button head out. |
| 14:32:20
| Ferrari, McLaren, Renault and the BMW of Heidfeld are running KERS this weekend. |
| 14:33:49
| A good lap from Kovalainen as he vaults second fastest. |
| 14:34:49
| Lots of opposite lock from Sutil through the final turn as he posts the 16th best time. |
| 14:35:25
| Button improves and is now second fastest just a fraction behind Vettel. |
| 14:35:55
| Kovalainen has a quick spin and continues. |
| 14:36:59
| Glock makes gains in the TF109 and moves second fastest. |
| 14:37:35
| Now Button is back on top with Brawn from Glock and Vettel. |
| 14:38:02
| Barrichello takes over at the top by the narrowest of margins. |
| 14:39:23
| Barrichello is on the softer tyre but it is almost impossible to tell as the green stripe is not clear. |
| 14:40:03
| Barrichello improves his own best time and is now two tenths clear of Button as Piquet runs wide. |
| 14:40:37
| Button and Glock have pitted. |
| 14:40:47
| Trulli moves fifth fastest. |
| 14:41:29
| Sutil has worked his way into the top ten again in the Mercedes-powered Force India. |
| 14:41:47
| Massa is on track looking to improve on 16th. |
| 14:42:29
| Massa does make a gain as he moves third for a few seconds before being demoted by the improving Trulli. |
| 14:43:35
| The teams expecting to be eliminated in qualifying 1 or 2 will run with light fuel in the closing minutes of this session to simulate qualifying. Those expecting to make Q3 will run with a little race fuel and therefore may be a bit slower in this session. |
| 14:43:48
| Barrichello and Button have pitted. |
| 14:44:15
| Nakajima takes to the grass at turn one. |
| 14:44:47
| Massa is pushing hard and using all of the circuit and more. |
| 14:45:16
| Vettel cuts across the first turn and continues. |
| 14:46:07
| Vettel is slow on track. |
| 14:46:34
| He is saying he has a problem with the car, perhaps after his trip across the grass and gravel. |
| 14:47:16
| Glock improves and is now second fastest. |
| 14:47:32
| Vettel has made it back to the pits. |
| 14:47:57
| Glock moves fastest using the soft tyre. |
| 14:48:47
| A small gain for Rosberg on the harder tyre. |
| 14:49:47
| Ten minutes remain. Many will opt to simulate a qualifying run shortly. |
| 14:49:55
| Barrichello heads back out. |
| 14:51:34
| Kovalainen and Button head back out as Barrichello starts a hot lap. |
| 14:52:31
| Barrichello runs off track at turn ten. |
| 14:52:55
| It was a nice clean lap until that point for Barrichello. |
| 14:53:10
| Others now heading out. |
| 14:54:21
| Button moves fastest for Brawn as he chases one of the Toyotas across the line. |
| 14:54:49
| Trulli is on a hot lap. They are all on the soft tyre now. |
| 14:55:36
| Trulli breaks into the 1:25s and is now fastest. |
| 14:57:24
| Three minutes remain and a number of drivers are on a hot lap. |
| 14:58:01
| Heidfeld moves fifth for BMW Sauber and Hamilton breaks into the top ten. |
| 14:58:22
| A gain for Massa as he moves P3. |
| 14:58:52
| Rosberg moves fastest by a fraction ahead of Trulli. |
| 14:59:03
| Kovalainen pits. |
| 14:59:33
| Nakajima improves and is now fifth. |
| 14:59:55
| Renault are well down the order with Alonso and Piquet. |
| 15:00:12
| The chequered flag is now out. It remains to be seen if anyone can improve on their final lap. |
| 15:00:43
| Rosberg and Nakajima on hot laps. |
| 15:01:02
| Nakajima remains fifth. |
| 15:01:13
| A small gain from Bourdais. |
| 15:01:45
| Rosberg tops the timesheets again for Williams Toyota. |
| 15:02:35
| Trulli is second fastest from Button, Massa, Nakajima, Barrichello, Webber, Glock, Kubica and Heidfeld. |
