Q3: Hamilton on pole by just 0.074 seconds with Vettel 2nd. Rosberg, Ricciardo, Kvyat, Verstappen, Massa, Grosjean, Bottas and Ericsson completing the top ten. Q2: Raikkonen, Maldonado, Hulkenberg, Perez, Sainz, rainfall catches out drivers. Q1: Nasr, Button, Alonso, Merhi, Stevens. Merhi outside 107% rule, McLarens both out.
10:45. Well the delay was worth it, what a session! Hamilton takes pole from a stunning Sebastian Vettel. Thank you for joining me as rain came, we saw and Hamilton conquered. I've been Aaron Irwin, and be sure to join us tomorrow morning for the live race! A report of Qualifying is to follow so stay tuned.
10:35. Vettel was only 0.074 off Hamilton's time, impressive from Ferrari and the German.
Q3: Hamilton, Vettel, Rosberg, Ricciardo, Kvyat, Verstappen, Massa, Grosjean, Bottas, Ericsson. A repeat top three of last season's grid, another top drive from Max Verstappen!
Q3: Chequered flag! Hamilton on pole! with Vettel separating the two Mercedes', Rosberg third.
Q3: Kvyat goes fourth, as the two Mercedes' battle on track together.
Q3: As we enter the final three minutes, it's currently Hamilton, Rosberg, Vettel, Verstappen, Ricciardo, Kvyat, Ericsson with Bottas, Massa and Grosjean yet to set a time.
Q3: Looks like there'll be no real shocks here with Mercedes 1st and 2nd with Vettel 3rd.
Q3: Hamilton posts a 1:49:834 and goes fastest as Verstappen goes third! great lap by the rookie.
Q3: Drivers treading carefully as intermediates seem to be the best tyre to be on. Pit stops being prepared for those on wets.
Q3: It's like the dinner queue at school as the cars line up at the pit exit.
Q3. We're back racing! Who will grab pole for tomorrow's Malaysian Grand Prix?
10:12: Looks like we're getting back underway here.
10:05. Manor have confirmed they're applying to the stewards about whether they can race tomorrow.
Q3: Further delays here, we will keep you updated on the situation.
9:57. Safety car on track assessing the conditions and whether it's safe to resume racing here.
9:55. Toto looks rather happy here...
9:50. Still delays here as rain has slowed down, could be back to action soon.
9:45.It's not enough that Carlos Sainz looks like his dad, he even sounds exactly like him! Is Sainz Sr ageing backwards?
9:40. Chequered flag, and it is Raikkonen, Maldonado, Hulkenberg, Perez and Sainz that go out. Qualifying has been suspended by 15 minutes.
Q2: Torrential conditions here.
Q2: With rain falling rapidly now, all times set seem to be fastest anyone will go, and as it stands it's Raikkonen, Maldonado, Hulkenberg, Perez and Sainz out here with it being impossible to improve times.
Q2: Rain starting to fall, drops at turns seven and eight. Drivers posting times left right and centre. Looks more like the race than Qualifying! Hamilton down the order due to traffic.
Q2: Back underway here, cars flood out of pits as weather conditions looking darker here.
9:20. Merhi currently out of 107% rule by four tenths of a second, Manor will have to apply to stewards if he is to race.
Q1: Chequered flag! McLarens are out, Button 17th Alonso 18th. Manors both out also Felipe Nasr in 16th, meaning he's out too, first time ever both McLarens have gone out in consecutive Q1 sessions.
Q1: Perez, Alonso, Button, Merhi and Stevens currently occupy the drop zone, with Manor and McLaren likely to drop out.
Q1: Track is quiet here, many cars sat in the garage. rain definitely incoming here, could shake things up a little. Lighning striking throughout the background.
Q1: Clouds growing darker here, we going to see some rain?
Q1: Merhi goes wide at turn four, Hamilton currently fastest on a 1:39:269.
Q1: Max Verstappen has a moment at the final hairpin, locking up the left front on his STR10. Will Stevens has a fuel pressure issue on his Manor car, team mate Roberto Merhi is out now however.
Q1: Cars starting to spill out on track as drivers will want to get good times in before the rain comes.
Q1: We're underway here! showers are to the east here with a real possibility of rain.
8:55. Will either of the McLarens make it out of Q1? it's between them, Sauber, Toro Rosso, Force India and Manor as to who will drop out first.
8:50. Ten minutes until Q1! remember our discussion this weekend is 'Can Ferrari mount a serious challenge to Mercedes?' get involved using the hashtag #VAVELF1 or tweet me at @AaronIrwin7.
8:45. It's difficult seeing McLaren struggle, a giant of Formula One on its knees. Especially with two immensely successful drivers in Button and Alonso.
8:40. Former F1 driver Franck Montagny given two year ban from racing after a positive drugs test. The former Super Aguri driver was competing in Formula E before testing positive for banned substances.
8:35. The Scuderia look good here, and definitely most suited to take the fight to the Mercedes drivers. Williams and Red Bull don't look as strong as the Maranello team.
8:30. Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene claims the team are 'keeping their feet on the ground.' They're not giving too much away at the moment.
8:25. I can't be the only one who finds Sebastian Vettel in Ferrari colours weird...
8:20. The fight between Red Bull and Renault could have some real repercussions, both have threatened to quit the sport at the end of the season and should either leave, Formula One will really struggle.
8:15. Toro Rosso should have another good weekend here, with Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz both enjoying strong starts in Melbourne.
8:10. Can Manor qualify within the 107% rule here? it's a tall order for the newly reformed team.
8:05. Malaysia don't have a rich history of Formula One drivers, with there being only one. Alex Yoong raced for Minardi in 2001 and 2002 and after 18 races Yoong left Formula One and entered the wilderness that is former F1 drivers.
8:00. Another of Malaysia's biggest issues is the heat. Drivers are really pushed to the limit here with high temperatures meaning keeping hydrated is vital.
7:55. Here's Lewis Hamilton's pole lap of last season, in wet conditions the Mercedes driver secured a great pole lap.
7:50. It could be a long weekend for Manor, the minnows haven't been anywhere near moving up the grid. Running a 2014 spec car, Manor will have their work cut out to even finish the race.
7:45. P3 timesheet:
1) Rosberg, 2) Hamilton, 3) Raikkonen, 4) Vettel, 5) Massa, 6) Bottas, 7) Ricciardo, 8) Sainz, 9) Verstappen, 10) Ericsson, 11) Grosjean, 12) Maldonado, 13) Kvyat, 14) Hulkenberg, 15) Alonso, 16) Perez, 17) Nasr, 18) Button, 19) Merhi, 20) Stevens
7:40. The weather report is claiming there will be a 90% chance of thunderstorms for the start of Qualifying, uh oh...
7:35. Many questions could be answered here, can Ferrari halt Mercedes’ dominance? Will McLaren improve from Australia? How will the new drivers get on after an encouraging race last time out? Stick with us as we find out who will grab pole for the Malaysian Grand Prix! I’m Aaron Irwin and I’m guiding you through.
7:30. One element which makes Malaysia exciting, is the rain. Many classic races here have fell victim to one of Malaysia’s famous monsoons. Such examples include 2009, where the race was abandoned and only half points were awarded, the first time this had happened since the 1991 Australian Grand Prix.
7:25. A new appointment this week as Williams announced former Sauber driver Adrian Sutil is their new reserve driver. He’s been signed as a contingency plan as Valterri Bottas injured his back in Qualifying in Melbourne.
7:20. The lap record here is held by Juan-Pablo Montoya, set in 2004, JPM (below) in his Williams lapped the circuit in 1:34:223. Cars were faster then, as the fastest time from Friday was 1:39:790 set by Lewis Hamilton in P2.
7:15. In terms of records, Alonso, Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel are the most successful drivers round Sepang, with three wins apiece, while Ferrari’s six wins means they’re the most successful team here.
7:10. Fernando Alonso enjoyed being back in the car following his spell out of it with concussion. The former world champion said: “It felt great, I enjoyed it so much.” Team mate Jenson Button saw a little improvement in the MP4-30: “We seem a little bit more competitive than in the last race compared to the other cars.”
7:05. Hopefully Sunday’s race will replicate some of the exciting battles we saw in Australia. The battle between the Ferrari’s and the Williams’ as well as the fantastic P5 finish from debutant Felipe Nasr in his Sauber.
7:00. Of course you can get involved in the discussion, if you’re up and ready to go you can tweet me at @AaronIrwin7, with the discussion being, ‘Can Ferrari mount a serious challenge to Mercedes?’ get involved by tweeting me or using the hashtag #VAVELF1.
6:55. The World Champion said: “The Ferrari’s look great, they really do. It’s surprising to see how good their times are, we’ll see if that continues through the weekend.”
6:50. Hamilton recovered from his P1 woes by topping the timesheets with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen separating the two Mercedes’. With Lewis Hamilton praising the Scuderia.
6:45. P2 timesheet:
1) Hamilton, 2) Raikkonen, 3) Rosberg, 4) Kvyat, 5) Bottas, 6) Massa, 7) Vettel, 8) Verstappen, 9) Ericsson, 10) Ricciardo, 11) Maldonado, 12) Nasr, 13) Perez, 14) Saenz, 15) Hulkenberg, 16) Alonso, 17) Button, 18) Grosjean, 19) Stevens, 20) Merhi
6:40. Of course if you want to re-live some of the exciting moments from Sepang then feel free to read our Classic Races article here.
6:35. If you’re unaccustomed to the Malaysian circuit, read our Track Guide here. First holding an F1 event in 1999, Malaysia has become an exciting place for drivers, with some surprises being sprung…
6:30. The ongoing drama here in Malaysia is the arguments between Red Bull and Renault. A war of words has been exchanged between the two and there’s even been talks of a split between the two, big problems for the former world champions.
6:25. Also Fernando Alonso returned to the McLaren cockpit for the first time following his crash in pre-season testing. The Spaniard managed to outpace team mate Jenson Button as he went 14th fastest.
6:20. The story of P1 was that Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes lasted just four laps before an engine problem brought an end to his first session in Kuala Lumpur.
6:15. P1 positions:
1) Rosberg, 2) Raikkonen, 3) Vettel, 4) Grosjean, 5) Saenz, 6) Ricciardo, 7) Verstappen, 8) Bottas, 9) Kvyat, 10) Ericsson, 11) Massa, 12) Maldonado, 13) Marcello, 14) Alonso, 15) Hulkenberg, 16) Perez, 17) Button, 18) Stevens, 19) Merhi, 20) Hamilton
6:10. However all 20 cars are set to be on the field, as Manor managed to finally get out of the garage! Albeit the minnows struggled in both Practice sessions.
6:05. Will anyone be able to stop Mercedes? Hamilton and Rosberg appear to still be miles ahead of the rest of the field. Ferrari seem to be the closest but can they do anything here?
6:00. Good morning! And welcome to the live Qualifying feed for the Malaysian Grand Prix, I’m Aaron Irwin and I’ll be taking you through and providing live updates of all the goings on in Qualifying for the second race of the season.