F1: Hamilton Remains Stout In Final China Practice

Formula 1

F1: Hamilton Remains Stout In Final China Practice

Lewis Hamilton paces the final session ahead of knockout qualifying in Shanghai...

Jared Turner | Posted April 13, 2012 Shanghai (CHN)

McLaren needs to find some speed. (Photo: Getty Images)

Can Lewis Hamilton make it a perfect three-for-three on Saturdays in 2012?

The possibility is looking more and more likely.

After clocking in first and second, respectively, in Friday's two practices at Shanghai International Circuit, Hamilton was atop the leaderboard once again in final practice ahead of Saturday's qualifying session.

Hamilton, whose McLaren claimed pole for both the season opener in Australia and the following weekend in Malaysia, showed the way in Free Practice Three with a quick lap of 1:35:940.

The best that the 2008 World Champion will line up on Sunday's Chinese GP grid is sixth, however, as the team faces a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change.

Teammate Jenson Button was not far behind Hamilton in FP3 with lap of 1:36:063 in the sister McLaren. The Mercedes duo of Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher held down positions three and four, respectively, as the Red Bull of Mark Webber completed the top five.

Positions six through 10 on the time sheet belonged to Pastor Maldonado, Sergio Perez, Kamui Kobayashi, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen.

World Championship leader and Malaysia winner Fernando Alonso was 15th out of 24 cars in his Ferrari, more than a second-and-a-half behind the leading McLaren.

There were no incidents of note in FP3 as drivers enjoyed a dry track after dealing with occasional rain on Friday.

Up next are the three rounds of knockout qualifying to set the grid for Sunday's Chinese GP.

Live coverage gets under way at 2 a.m. ET on SPEED.

Jared Turner is an Associate Editor for SPEED.com, covering NASCAR and Formula One, and is an Editor for TruckSeries.com. His professional motorsports writing career began in 2005.