Silverstone FP3: Hamilton back on top

Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton found the speed he wanted and wrapped up British Grand Prix practice with the fastest lap in another Mercedes one-two at the top of the timesheets on Saturday.

Hamilton's best time around Silverstone of one minute 32.917 seconds was 0.552 quicker than his German team mate Nico Rosberg and 0.775 faster than Ferrari's under-pressure Finn Kimi Raikkonen. Rosberg lost some time to a late gearbox oil leak, however.

Nevertheless the stage is set for an intriguing qualifying shootout between the Silver Arrows duo, who are simply in another league at the moment.

Hamilton, who had said 24 hours earlier he needed to find some more performance after setting only the fourth best time, came good as he prepared for qualifying and a potential eighth pole position in nine races.

Winner of four of the eight races so far this season, he leads Rosberg by 10 points going into a home race that he won last year.

Ferrari again looked the strongest rivals to Mercedes, with four times world champion Sebastian Vettel fourth fastest ahead of young Toro Rosso rookies Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz.

Williams pairing Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas were seventh and eighth fastest with Red Bull's Daniil Kvyat ninth and Lotus's Pastor Maldonado 10th.

Honda-powered McLaren had another tough session, with Spaniard Fernando Alonso 18th and largely sidelined by an hydraulics problem, and Jenson Button 16th.

[highlight ]British Grand Prix, Free Practice 3 - 4 July 2015[/highlight]