Sebastian Vettel posted the fastest lap ever seen at Melbourne's Albert Park to heap the pressure on Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes team ahead of qualifying for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
Triple world champion Hamilton hailed a perfect return to Formula One action on Friday as he completed an ominous double in the opening two practice sessions of the new Formula One campaign.
But Vettel bounced back with the quickest time ever recorded here to give Ferrari hope that they may yet take the challenge to Mercedes - Formula One's all-conquering team who have won 51 of the last 59 races - this season.
Vettel's quickest effort of one minute and 23.380 seconds was nearly half-a-second faster than Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas with Hamilton marginally slower in third.
Kimi Raikkonen, who suffered a rear puncture during the one-hour session, was six tenths off team-mate Vettel's pace.
Lance Stroll, the 18-year-old Canadian whose motor racing career has been bankrolled by his fashion billionaire father Lawrence, spun out of pre-season testing three times in two days last month.
And he was in the wars again on Saturday morning after he thudded the wall at turn 10, sustained significant damage to the right-hand side of his Williams, before he stopped on track.
Stroll was unhurt in the incident but his Williams team will now face a tough test to get his car ready for qualifying later on Saturday.
Nico Hulkenberg was fifth for Renault ahead of home favourite Daniel Ricciardo in his Red Bull.
Antonio Giovinazzi, the Ferrari reserve driver who has been drafted in to replace the unfit Pascal Wehrlein, was last in the order for Sauber while Briton's Jolyon Palmer was 19th of the 20 runners.
Source: PA
