While on paper defending world champion Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull teammate were almost six tenths of a second faster than the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso, there was enough to suggest that qualifying on Saturday will be eventful.

Four drivers; Felipe Massa, Kimi Raikkonen, Bruno Senna and Lewis Hamilton lost control of their cars at various points of the Buddh International Circuit's most technical section, from turns six to 12.

All the spins occured while the drivers were on low fuel trying to find the right set up for the qualifying session.

A switch to soft tyres saw the times improve from the opening session of the Formula 1 weekend and Vettel's lap of 1:26.211 was 1.398 seconds faster than his best time in first practice.

However, Hamilton's pace on heavy fuel towards the end of the session was the best amongst the 24 drivers suggesting that Red Bull might be challenged come raceday.