Hello and welcome to ESPNF1's live coverage of the final free practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix. Another dry day awaits to see 24 of the finest machines in the world attack one of the greatest circuits. Brilliant.

There's a crucial hour of practice ahead before qualifying at 14:00 local time, and it's looking like a straight fight between Red Bull and McLaren for pole this weekend, with Mark Webber quickest in FP2 yesterday

It was a dry and warm day throughout Friday practice - which can't be said for many Fridays this season - but not everyone made the most of it...

© Sutton Images

Admittedly, that's a tab harsh on Petrov as his car failed him and it was at the very end of FP2, but also going off were Paul di Resta and Michael Schumacher - both at Spoon - having dipped two wheels on to the grass on turn-in

So Schumacher and di Resta will need to catch up on track time in FP3, while Button also had some limited running yesterday afternoon after making some set-up changes that he couldn't go back on in the time-frame available

While the action is 15 minutes away on-track, we want to hear from you throughout the session. If you have a comment, opinion or question then you can get in touch with us in one of two ways: either email us using the link above or tweet us @ESPNF1

What do the drivers get up to on a Saturday morning? Well, if you're Fernando Alonso you get creative with your coffee...

© Fernando Alonso

One section of the track the drivers will be wary of is the two Degner curves, which have caught many out in previous years. Nobody's hit the wall there yet this year, but Mark Webber did so during FP3 in 2009 and missed qualifying as a result

It's a lovely warm morning at Suzuka, with the air temperature up at 25C and track temperature at 35C. Cloud cover is expected to actually lower that slightly for qualifying

Paul emails in from Sydney to say: "Hamilton leaving McLaren is good for F1. Now we see how good he really is. As for the best driver so far this year, I give it to Alonso, even though I don't like Ferrari. Especially as I am a big Mark Webber fan."

Anyone else think we'll get a better idea of Hamilton's quality next year?

The lights go green at the end of the pit lane and Raikkonen is first out on track having been waiting at the end of the pit lane

A number of cars out completing installation laps early, with only Vettel, Button, Schumacher and Perez yet to appear

Ronald asks: "When you say that the drivers must start the race on the same tires that they did the qualifying on, do you mean the same type or the actual tires themselves?"

They must start on the exact set of tyres that they set the time on, Ronald, so some life will already have been taken out of the tyres

Interesting radio message to di Resta, who is told that the grass on the outside of the entrance to turn 12 - Spoon, where he went off yesterday - has been modified. We're yet to see what that means, but hopefully it's not been made easier for the drivers...

Rosberg sets the first time of the day after staying out following his installation lap. He backed right off in the final sector though so his 1:43.486 isn't representative

Rosberg then completes a full flying lap and does a 1:35.169 on hard tyres

The two Mercedes cars have the track to themselves at present, with both having lost some running yesterday; Schumacher with his off at Spoon and Rosberg due to an engine change between FP1 and FP2. It wasn't his race engine though so no penalty

Rosberg complains of "too much oversteer now ... oversteer at high speed" over the radio

Schumacher beats his team-mate with a 1:34.234

Want to know the challenge of Suzuka and why it's such a great test of driver skill? Sam Michael summed it up nicely yesterday, describing the first sector as one long corner rather than a number of corners. Unlike somewhere like Singapore - where a bit of time lost in a 90 degree corner is forgotten by the next corner - if a driver gets any part of the Esses wrong they are then compromised all the way up through to Degner and a 0.1s mistake can be magnified to cost over half a second in the first sector alone

Schumacher improves to a 1:34.008

Karthikeyan the only other man to set a time with a 1:37.572

And then Pic completes a lap in 1:37.924

Grosjean opens the DRS a touch too early exiting Spoon and the car almost snaps away from him. He goes second - 0.090s slower than Schumacher

As usual early in FP3 there's no rush down at Ferrari. Alonso is out of the car, overalls half off and sunglasses on, sat in the back of the garage

Karthikeyan has gone off at Degner One and then rejoined after Degner Two; he may have damaged the floor with that excursion

@hymogue1 asks on Twitter: "@ESPNF1 What happen to the F1 team of Ken Tyrell?"

Tyrrell was sold to BAR and had its last season in 1998, with BAR not using any of the team's heritage but only wanting the 1999 championship entry. Ken Tyrrell himself died in 2001.

Di Resta runs a bit wide exiting Spoon while Kobayashi is also a bit wide at Degner One. Drivers are pushing hard today

Maldonado's gone quickest with a 1:33.999 but here comes Button...

And with a fastest final sector Button goes top with a 1:33.621

Hamilton then beats his team-mate by 0.052s

The fastest time of FP2 yesterday was Webber's 1:32.493 set on soft tyres. We're yet to see the soft tyre used this morning

Trying to be eagle-eyed, and it appeared that Perez took 130R with his DRS open on the last lap... It's something Webber wasn't doing yesterday but could be done in qualifying

John emails in from New York in response to Paul's earlier comment: "Hello: I believe Hamilton will surprise next year at MB. Lewis needed to move on from the task master, Ron Dennis. He is a free spirit, and will mature under the guidance and patience of the brilliant Brawn."

Maldonado with the fastest first sector, but after running slightly wide at Spoon he loses a bit of time and is 0.355s off the pace

Vettel goes quickest with a 1:33.215 after setting the fastest two final sectors

The Ferraris are out on track now, with Alonso's first timed lap a 1:34.143

No rear wing 'device' being run by Lotus this morning; the team has given up on it for this weekend

Massa with the fastest final sector on his first timed lap of the day and he does a 1:33.951 for sixth quickest

Gary emails in to ask: "Speaking of the brilliant Brawn, any info about him following Schumi into retirement?"

None whatsoever, Gary. Brawn actually said in a recent interview that he was staying put with the team and since then Mercedes has signed a new commercial agreement to remain in Formula One and signed Hamilton, so all positive stuff going on

The only driver yet to set a time in this session is Raikkonen, who has done sector times but not a flying lap in his five so far

@Lotus_F1Team on Twitter: "Understeer reports for @RGrosjean are being termed as 'shed' loads or 'bag' loads or other more colourful terms."

Raikkonen has asked Lotus to investigate the front roll bar as he's been struggling with understeer. More work down there as the team says it will investigate

Rosberg out on soft tyres but 0.7s down through sector two. He goes fifth

Ronald asks: "Hi, do you know where the DRS zone will be for the race and will there be only the one area?"

And the answer is yes to both! There's only one DRS zone this weekend and it's on the pit straight down towards turn one. The detection point is 50m before the chicane and the activation point is the start/finish line

Hulkenberg has hit the wall at Degner Two. It was always coming...

It's a bit of a strange one as Hulkenberg has lost the rear in to Degner Two and after catching it he's slid wide in to the wall. The left hand side of the car is damaged, and he'll have to hope it isn't too difficult to rebuild ahead of qualifying

It looks like Hulkenberg may have carried a touch too much speed in to the corner, causing the rear to step out

The track is clear again with just over 16 minutes to go

Hamilton has asked for McLaren to revert the car to its set-up from yesterday, not happy despite being second

Schumacher on soft tyres now, and he's up in sector one

Schumacher with the fastest final two sectors and he goes quickest with a 1:32.918

John emails in with regards to the Tyrrell question earlier: "Ken Tyrrell......the last of the great gentlemen sportsmen owners. One of my early hero's. In the old days, being in the lumber business would pay for a two car F1 Team !! Things have changed !!"

Grosjean runs wide at turn two, while Raikkonen struggling in to the hairpin with the rear end trying to step out on him

Raikkonen has set a time but is comfortably off the pace - he's 18th with a 1:35.314

Di Resta on soft tyres and he's on the pace in sector one

Di Resta goes third with a 1:33.299 - a gain of around 1.5s on his previous best

Vettel improves on hard tyres; he's looking strong right now. The fastest final sector sees him set a time of 1:33.026

Maldonado's currently in the pits, and about five minutes ago we saw some really technical changes going on at the rear of the car - the mallet was out

Rocky emails in from South Africa (thanks for getting up so early Rocky!) to say: "I was particularly distressed by the Ferrari crew blowing a whistle on McLaren and RBR teams' ingenious piece of art that is in their cars' front wings! Is the Scuderia finally admitting coming second best to the likes of Phil Prew and Adrian Newey? Have they fitted anything better than their own interpretation of aerodynamics' rules? Has it improved performance of their donkey? I seriously doubt it!"

That refers to the complaint that some teams have found a way round the front wing load tests and the FIA is set to change where it places a load on the front wing in order to test flexibility

Raikkonen complains that the "front is heavy and the rear is poor". Not good for Lotus.

Di Resta has stayed out on his soft tyres and sets the quickest final sector as he improves to a 1:33.094. He stays third but is just 0.176s slower than Schumacher now

Hamilton and Button head out on soft tyres

Button sets the fastest middle sector but was still a touch off the best time. He's then baulked by a slow moving Schumacher in 130R and he is forced to back off, raising his hand as he passes the Mercedes

Hamilton was improving but he comes across a slow Marussia on the racing line approaching the chicane and in the end misses it completely

Webber goes fastest with a 1:32.371 while Vettel does a lap 0.128s slower in second place

Every car on track - most on soft tyres - and traffic is a big problem. Rosberg just blocked off Maldonado

Button improves on his second flying lap but is still 0.654s off the pace having used the best of those soft tyres

Massa gets a clear lap in and goes third - 0.453s off the pace

Kobayashi goes fifth with a 1:32.924

Pic was so slow right in the middle of the track in front of Hamilton approaching the chicane, and Hamilton says Charlie Whiting needs to be told how dangerous the final corner was

Pic was so slow right in the middle of the track in front of Hamilton approaching the chicane, and Hamilton says Charlie Whiting needs to be told how dangerous the final corner was

The chequered flag is out and Vettel improved right at the end to go quickest with a 1:32.136

It's a Red Bull one-two then in FP3, with the two McLarens down in 8th and 13th having been hampered on their flying laps. The picture has been clouded somewhat, but what is clear is that traffic is going to be a problem in qualifying...

...the issue is that cars come through 130R flat out on the right hand side of the track, but then cross to the left at full speed in a short space of time and it's hard for drivers to pick where to place their cars out of the way. Traffic was a problem here throughout in 2011, with Hamilton, Webber and Schumacher scrapping for position at the end of Q3 and Hamilton not crossing the line in time before the chequered flag.

What does all that means? It means we're still not sure who will be on pole, but we are sure we're in for a busy and potentially contentious qualifying session. Unpredictability and drama, what more could you want?! Make sure you join us again for qualifying in just under two hours. Bye for now.