Austrian GP: Vettel quickest in FP3, more problems for Alonso

Vettel, quickest in Friday practice, led the way with a lap of 1:09.994, set on soft tyres before the rain hit the circuit at the halfway point and rendered the remaining part useless.

No leading driver managed to complete a timed lap with the supersofts ahead of qualifying.

Lewis Hamilton finished second behind Vettel and ahead of the German's Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen.

Sergio Perez was fourth fastest for Force India, with Nico Rosberg completing the top five.

The Mercedes driver were quick to jump to the top of the times, with Rosberg first and then Hamilton going fastest, the Briton starting the day with a lap of 1:11.131.

Hamilton upped the pace as his first run progressed, the Briton posting a 1:10:255 before Vettel dipped into the 1:09s to grab first place after the 10-minute mark.

Hamilton improved seconds later, but fell 0.017s short on Vettel's benchmark.

Despite the threat of rain, all the early runs where done with the soft tyres.

Alonso trouble

Alonso, facing a 20-place grid penalty plus a drive-through in the race, was the first driver to go out with the supersofts some 22 minutes into the session.

But McLaren's dismal weekend continued, and the Spaniard's car broke down after the halfway point, stopping on the main straight and causing a red flag.

McLaren reported the car suffered a gearbox problem, and it is believed it will need replacing, meaning more penalties for the Spaniard.

The rain hit the track while the session was stopped, and most drivers lined up at the end of the pitlane trying to find the time to test the supersofts.

However, the rain intensified quickly and drenched the track, making all the drivers crawl back to the pits.

Only Nico Hulkenberg braved the conditions initially, going for a run on intermediate tyres before pitting after just an untimed lap.

Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen went out with full wets with eight minutes left, but the Spaniard went off the track and then spun his Toro Rosso.

Other drivers also ventured out later on, but struggled to keep their cars under control.

Other incidents included Force India's Perez suffering a puncture early on, while Romain Grosjean was forced to return to the pits halfway through the session after reporting he could not get his Lotus in gear. 

Pos.	Driver	Team	Time	Gap	Laps
1	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:09.994		16
2	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:10.011	0.017	16
3	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	1:10.177	0.183	12
4	Sergio Perez	Force India	1:10.221	0.227	14
5	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:10.332	0.338	23
6	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:10.408	0.414	18
7	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	1:10.417	0.423	14
8	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	1:10.436	0.442	23
9	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus	1:10.576	0.582	12
10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	1:10.863	0.869	8
11	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	1:11.009	1.015	14
12	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:11.058	1.064	22
13	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	1:11.139	1.145	18
14	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull	1:11.139	1.145	14
15	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:11.168	1.174	13
16	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	1:11.819	1.825	10
17	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	1:11.906	1.912	9
18	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:12.616	2.622	16
19	Will Stevens	Marussia	1:13.328	3.334	14
20	Roberto Merhi	Marussia	1:13.960	3.966	8