Morning all, and welcome to live text coverage of free practice two ahead of the Malaysian GP in Sepang.

Button's improvements continue, and he's just six-hundredths of a second behind Hamilton as McLaren move into a one-two.

Di Resta up to 11th - that's probably a more accurate reflection of his place in the pecking order at the moment. Before he had been down in 18th.

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The repair job on Di Resta's Force India is done - he's back out on the circuit.

Hamilton trims two-tenths off his leading mark, while Button leaps up to third with a solid lap.

McLaren send Button out on the hard tyres. It looks like the threat of rain has subsided if they can give him more time with the more durable option.

De la Rosa has just posted a lap 5.878 shy of the mark set by Hamilton - that's an improvement - though there's still plenty for HRT to do.

The latest top 10: Hamilton, Ricciardo, Alonso, Webber, Vergne, Grosjean, Vettel, Maldonado, Button, Raikkonen

Raikkonen has a curious lap - quickest in sector one, eventually only 10th by the finishing line.

Vettel: 'The car's all over the place... poor balance' - not good news for the German as Hamilton shines on the harder tyres.

Hamilton quickest once more! Not by much, but his 1:38.816 is the new benchmark halfway through the session.

Hamilton still on hard compound tyres, and while others take on the track in mediums, the McLaren man sets the first sector's fastest lap so far.

Vettel round in a 1:39.402 - there should still be plenty of room for improvement there.

On early evidence (and it is very early) - the medium tyres are not providing a huge time advantage compared to the hard compounds.

Vettel the latest to begin a flying lap, and things are starting to warm up once again in Malaysia. Mediums for the German.

Alonso out on the medium tyres, and he's into second place, just four-hundredths behind Ricciardo. But he'll not be especially happy to be behind a Toro Rosso on the same tyres.

Worrying for the Saubers that the gearbox has gone on Kobayashi's car - remember, it was the gearbox that needed fixing for Perez in Australia and cost him a five-place penalty.

Romain Grosjean on a quick lap, but having looked like he might set the top time so far, he loses his advantage in sector three and ends up in P5.

Cameras show the Sauber engineers hard at work on Kobayashi's car. Looks like a fairly big job, with the gearbox out of the car and the rear wing parked to the side.

Hamilton in the pits now, Button still out, but not improving on his best time of the session. The Mercedes duo of Schumacher and Rosberg join him on track.

An unusual quiet pocket of time in FP2 - the action has started earlier than usual, but the majority of racers are drawing breath now.