Shanghai FP3: Vettel quickest as the rain arrives

Sebastian Vettel topped the timing screens in his Ferrari as rain came down over Shanghai International Circuit, and is set to loom overhead for most of qualifying day for the Chinese Grand Prix.

The 60-minutes session began as rain fell heavily and drenched the track which kept most in their pit garages. Only 15 minutes into the session did anyone venture on track and rendered any running pretty meaningless

Fast forward to the last half hour or so, conditions became less treacherous and allowed drivers to switch from full Pirelli wets to intermediates.

Inevitably there were excursions off-track as drivers were tested by the challenging conditions, but there were no serious casualties as most were keeping their powder (literally) dry.

Vettel's best time on inters was 1:57.351, about three quarters of a second up on next best Valtteri Bottas in the Williams and over a second quicker than third fastest Sergio Perez in the Force India.

Notably none of the Mercedes, Red Bull or McLaren drivers recorded a time during the session, despite the fact that qualifying, later in the afternoon, is likely to be a wet affair...