SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium -- Kimi Raikkonen set a new lap record at Spa-Francorchamps to secure the fastest time in final practice for this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, while title rivals Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton were split by just 0.001s.
After Hamilton held the edge in Friday practice, Ferrari hit back on Saturday morning and finished the hour-long session first and second. The key to Raikkonen's lap was the second sector, where he held a 0.216s advantage over teammate Vettel and 0.331s margin over Hamilton.
Mercedes' qualifying engine mode may well extend its advantage on the long straights in the first and final sector come Q3, but Raikkonen -- who is something of a Spa specialist with four career wins at the circuit -- will fancy his chances of securing pole position on Saturday afternoon.
Valtteri Bottas was fifth fastest behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen after a mistake on his quick lap saw him run wide on the exit of the Fagnes chicane. A clean lap in qualifying should put him on the front two rows of the grid, but he has struggled to match teammate Hamilton all weekend.
Verstappen will also be looking to improve in qualifying after his qualifying simulation on ultra-soft tyres was interrupted by Daniil Kvyat's Toro Rosso breaking down at the top of Raidillon. He managed to clock a time 1.118s off Raikkonen but complained of his tyres going past their best towards the end of the lap. The second Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo also had his first flying lap on ultra-soft tyres scuppered by the Toro Rosso and finished the session sixth, just 0.205s ahead of an impressive lap by Renault's Jolyon Palmer.
In what could be a timely return to form, Palmer was 0.573s quicker than Renault teammate Nico Hulkenberg and four places further up the order. Force India's Sergio Perez, who set the fastest first sector of all, was eighth ahead of Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz and the McLaren-Honda of Fernando Alonso.
Esteban Ocon was 12th fastest in the second Force India ahead of Romain Grosjean in the fastest Haas and Stoffel Vandoorne in the second McLaren. Vandoorne is due a 65-place penalty from wherever he qualifies after two power unit changes and a gearbox swap this weekend.
The two Williams drivers of Lance Stroll and Felipe Massa were 15th and 16th ahead of Kevin Magnussen, Kvyat's Toro Rosso and the two Saubers of Pascal Wehrlein and Marcus Ericsson.