Welcome to qualifying commentary for the Malaysian Grand Prix.

We should be set for a thriller session with McLaren looking closer to Red Bull than most people expected and tight battle between Ferrari, Renault and Mercedes behind. Plus, there's the big question of whether it will rain or not and, if it doesn't, which compound tyres the top ten drivers should use in Q3 and carry through to the Sunday's grid.

According to forecasts there is a band of rain to the north of the circuit that could arrive at some point during the session. Last year we saw rain from the outset and the Ferraris and Lewis Hamilton failed to make it out of Q1.

Peter asks: "During Qualifying I assume the 107% time is overall during all three sessions. If Q1 is dry then the rain comes in during Q2 and Q3 this would virtually assure that HRT would make the race but if Q1 is wet then the track dries for Q3 this would affectively rule out all the Q1 cars."

The 107% rule only applies to Q1 and exceptions can be made in wet conditions - usually if a time set earlier in the weekend is within 107%. The HRTs were right on the limit during practice but in Q1 we expect the top drivers to run hard tyres, so that should give Liuzzi and Karthikeyan an extra second to play with on softs.

Renault's temperature update: "Track temperature is 46 degrees and air temperature is 30 degrees. 10 mins till the green light."

And a quick weather update: "Looking like we will get a dry start to qualy, but we are all keeping an eye on the sky."

The high temperatures mean the Pirelli tyres are degrading quickly this weekend which means if someone in the top ten qualifies on the hard they will be able to go longer into the race on Sunday before pitting. Typically the softs were good for 10 laps yesterday and the hards 20. The track conditions are improving all the time and we are expecting three-stop strategies with the possibility of stretching it to a two-stop if you start on hard tyres and do just one stint on softs.

Of course it would be very brave not to use the soft tyre in Q3 as you're giving away roughly a second in pace.

The pit lane is open and Liuzzi is the first out in the HRT.

Virgin's pit to car radio says no rain is expected over the next hour. So we should get a proper idea of the cars' ultimate pace on this very testing circuit.

Liuzzi is out on soft tyres and is about to set the first time of this session. He sets a 1:43.128 but will be aiming to up the pace over the next 15 minutes.

Di Resta is next across the line with a 1:40.334. He had a terrible time in the final practice session, spinning on several occasions while braking for slow corners. He could be a contender to drop out at the end of this session alongside the bottom three teams.

Hamilton clocks a 1:37.466 on hard tyres - a solid lap just over a second off his soft tyre lap this morning.

All the drivers are using their DRSs to maximise their pace on the straights by cutting out the drag from the rear wing.

The session has been stopped due to a Toro Rosso sidepod flying off on one of the straights. It came off Buemi's car and he is now back in the pits with the side of his car completely exposed. A very strange incident.

An interesting tweet from Bruno Senna and worth keeping in mind for tomorrow's race: "Positions 7, 5 and 4 are very dirty on the grid, following a big crash on the start of a support race. Not so good for starting there."

The session is back underway, just 12 minutes remaining now. The two Lotuses are out on track first.

Kovalainen sets a competitive time with a 1:38.645 on the soft tyres. That puts him eighth and will have turned the heads of Force India, Sauber, Williams and Toro Rosso.

Ferrari sending its cars out on softs: "Both drivers left the garage on soft tyres. It is a safer approach in order to get to Q2"

Renault are doing the same.

Massa goes fastest on a 1:36.744.

Both HRTs are currently inside 107% of Massa's time but will want another run to make sure. Liuzzi us just 0.4 seconds inside.

Heidfeld goes up to fourth, 0.2 seconds off Massa.

Webber is out on hard tyres again.

With just two minutes left both Mercedes need a quick lap to make Q2. They should do it and are out on soft tyres setting very quick sector times.

The Williams look close to the drop zone at the moment. Mark Webber is also a little close for comfort and is out on hard tyres.

Webber is safe as di Resta is now heading back to the pits.

Maldonado fails to make the cut after running wide in the final corner. He was just a tenth off Barrichello's time but clearly the Williams is not working at this circuit.

HRT have qualified and Liuzzi got within 0.6 of the slowest Virgin of d'Ambrosio. Karthikeyan was a second within 107% so it was quite comfortable in the end.

Kovalainen in the Lotus was just 0.4 seconds off Maldonado, impressive pace from Lotus.

Q2 gets the green flag and its Buemi on track first on soft tyres. Let's hope his bodywork holds together in this session.

Ferrari says: "P1 for Felipe and P3 for Fernando but none of the Red Bulls and the McLarens used the soft tyres so the classification is not realistic"

Track temperature has dropped a bit as hazy cloud gathers over the circuit.

Buemi clocks a 1:37.693 but it is immediately eclipsed by Hamilton with a 1:36.861.

Webber goes fastest with a 1:36.080 on soft tyres - a good lap and closer to what we were expecting from Red Bull.

Vettel pips his team-mate with a 1:35.934 but Button is faster than both in the first sector... and he goes fastest of all with a 1:35.569 so it looks close at the top.

Schumacher is sliding his way around the lap and it's not proving very fast, he's 1.5 seconds off Button on the same tyres.

Hamilton is back in the pits we think he set his first lap on hards in order to save a set of softs for later on.

Schumacher told he will have to run again. so it seems nobody except possibly the top three is safe.

The Renaults are going for just one lap in this session. Will it be enough? They've got plenty of empty track to play with as the other cars prepare for their second run.

So the Saubers and Toro Rossos will be fighting with the Renaults and Mercedes for a top ten place.

But Heidfled looks good with a 1:36.811 and Petrov also looks fast with a 1:36.542. That should secure two place in Q3.

Hamilton needs a good lap as he heads out on soft tyres.

The Force Indias and Barrichello are in a private battle for the bottom places.

Hamilton goes 0.3 seconds off team-mate Button after a huge lock-up into turn one and two.

Rosberg is on a qucik lap should get him in the top ten. The Renaults are now looking a bit close to the edge as Kobayshi goes faster than Heidfeld.

Schumacher is out in Q2 for the second race in a row as he fails to beat team-mate Rosberg with his final lap.

So Schumacher will start from his familiar 11th place. He was 0.7 off team-mate Rosberg.

Perez struggles with 16th fastest, splitting the two Force Indias. But the other rookie in that session, di Resta, outqualified team-mate Sutil.

So we should have a very exciting final ten minutes ahead of us as McLaren goes head-to-head with Red Bull.

Vettel has completed just 6 laps so far in qualifying. One run a piece in the two sessions so he is looking pretty calm and collected at the moment.

Renault says: "No sign of any rain for the final part of qualy either according to the radar."

Ferrari says: "P5 with Fernando, P7 with Felipe but only one set of new softs available"

Igor says: "First time I've been here. This is cool!"

Glad you like the site, Igor.

Hamilton heads out first on soft tyres - he has two sets of softs remaining as do Button and the two Red Bulls.

Its only McLaren and Red Bull on track as the others look to save tyres with just one run.

Steven says: "Wish you posted lap times but GREAT site"

Unfortunately Formula One Management do not allow us to supply times.

Hamilton is looking quick and sets a very fast lap with a 1:35.000. Button is 0.3 seconds off.

Webber splits the McLarens but is 0.268 off Hamilton.

Vettel pips his team-mate but it's only good enough for second, 0.122 off Hamilton.

The top four will run again but will be joined by the other six cars as they all try and set their ultimate lap.

Everybody is opting for soft tyres by the looks of it. They will have to start the race on those, but are obviously happy with the degradation levels.

So, Hamilton has set a very competitive benchmark. Can anyone beat it, it certainly feels like all of the top four cars are very evenly matched on pace.

Alonso is on his fast lap but the car doesn't look anywhere near as planted as the McLaren and Red Bulls in the high-speed stuff and is 0.5 seconds down through the first two sectors.

Vettel sets the fastest first sector of the top four.

Hamilton is on a slightly better lap than Webber but only just.

Hamilton goes fractionally faster, Vettel is on a quicker lap.

And Vettel pips Hamilton by just 0.104 seconds faster than the McLaren. It was so close.

Alonso takes fifth ahead of Heidfeld, Massa, Petrov, Rosberg and Kobayashi.

Tomorrow's race promises to be just as close but it's going to be all about tyre preservation rather than outright pace. It's going to be exciting.

Red Bull says it was using KERS on both cars in qualifying but Webber had a minor 'alarm' at one stage.

Button is happy with P4 and looking forward to tomorrow. He says his balance was better in Q2 than Q3.

Thanks for joining us. Make sure you come back for tomorrow's race and don't forget to check all the reaction on the site later today.