Kimi Räikkönen returned Ferrari to the top of the timesheets as he set the pace during the final practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix.
Overnight rain left the circuit damp in some places but slick tyres were used throughout, as Räikkönen clocked a new track record at Spa-Francorchamps, setting a time of 1:43.916 to wind up 0.197s clear of team-mate Sebastian Vettel, with his gains coming in the middle sector.
Friday pacesetter Lewis Hamilton finished just 0.001s behind title rival Vettel, with the trio almost a second clear of fourth-placed Max Verstappen.
Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas continued his subdued showing with fifth spot, with Daniel Ricciardo completing the leading sextuplet.
Renault’s Jolyon Palmer built on his encouraging Friday performance by taking seventh position, four-tenths clear of nearest rival Sergio Pérez.
Both Force India drivers set rapid pace in the first sector – comprising the full-throttle run from La Source to Les Combes – but slipped back in the second sector.
Pérez took eighth position, with team-mate Esteban Ocon back in 12th spot.
Spaniards Carlos Sainz Jr. (Toro Rosso) and Fernando Alonso (McLaren) rounded out the top 10.
Nico Hülkenberg was unable to match Palmer’s pace and took 11th, ahead of Ocon, Haas’ Romain Grosjean and McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne.
Vandoorne, preparing for his first home Grand Prix, is now up to a 65-place grid penalty, after more new power unit components were fitted to his MCL32.
Williams took a lowly 15th and 16th, Lance Stroll ahead of Felipe Massa, with the Brazilian under investigation for allegedly failing to slow for yellow flags.
The double yellows were shown when Daniil Kvyat’s Toro Rosso lost power through Raidillon, forcing him to park his STR12 on the Kemmel Straight.
A small fire ignited as his car was moved to safety by marshals, though it was quickly extinguished.
Kevin Magnussen took 17th, ahead of the benched Kvyat, while Pascal Wehrlein and Marcus Ericsson again finished substantially adrift of the pack amid Sauber’s ongoing malaise.
Ericsson was able to complete only six laps during the closing stages after technical problems stranded his C36-Ferrari early in the session.
