Belgian GP P3: Lewis Hamilton fastest from Nico Rosberg

Lewis Hamilton set the pace in final practice ahead of the qualifying for the Belgian GP ahead of Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.

Hamilton lapped the 7.004km track in a time of 1:48.984s to go 0.498s faster than Rosberg, who was fastest in both of Friday's sessions, despite the scare he suffered when a tyre failed at 190mph.

During the session, Pirelli said their investigation had concluded that an "external source" - either a piece of debris or kerbing - was to blame and there was no repeat on Saturday morning, by which time a section of kerbing at Raidillon corner had been removed after complaints from drivers.

Ferrari pair Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen were next up, confirming Daniel Ricciardo's suspicion on Friday that there was more to come both from them and Mercedes.

Ricciardo, who was third fastest on Friday, dropped to P6, behind Sergio Perez's Force India. Red Bull team-mate Daniil Kvyat was again right behind the Australian with Nico Hulkenberg's Force India eighth.

The top 10 was completed by Williams pair Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa, who have been expected to figure more prominently this weekend and could yet do so, of course.

Further back, Sauber pair Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson, whose cars have a big Ferrari engine upgrade this weekend and who both made the top 10 on Friday, dropped back to 14th and 15th fastest respectively.

Right in front of them came Pastor Maldonado and Max Verstappen, who has incurred a 10-place grid penalty this weekend.

Speaking of which, McLaren-Honda have now racked up a mind-boggling total of 105 penalty grid places for the weekend after their latest raft of engine changes.  

Thankfully for them, rule changes mean the sanctions are effectively meaningless - Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso will merely start at the back of the grid on Sunday - but both took brand new engines, plus assorted components, for the session. 

Button was 17th fastest, although Alonso was only able to complete an installation lap after yet more engine problems intervened, leaving the Spaniard a frustrated onlooker again as Honda's engineers pored over his spluttering MP4-30. 

Times:

1. L Hamilton Mercedes 1:48.984

2. N Rosberg Mercedes 1:49.482

3. S Vettel Ferrari 1:49:629

4. K Raikkonen Ferrari 1:49.864

5. S Perez Force India 1:49.866

6. D Ricciardo Red Bull 1:49.930

7. D Kvyat Red Bull 1:49.980

8. N Hulkenberg Force India 1:50.000

9. V Bottas Williams 1:50.179

10. F Massa Williams 1:50.847

11. C Sainz Toro Rosso 1:50.552

12. P Maldonado Lotus 1:50.585

13. M Verstappen Toro Rosso 1:50.599

14. F Nasr Sauber 1:50.690

15. M Ericsson Sauber 1:51.054

16. R Grosjean Lotus 1:51.187

17. J Button McLaren 1:51.981

18. W Stevens Manor 1:54.981

19. R Merhi Manor 1:54.281

20. F Alonso McLaren No time.