Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel has recorded the quickest time in the third practice session ahead of the British Grand Prix.

The defending champion, who has endured a frustrating 2014, finished ahead of teammate Daniel Ricciardo as Mercedes duo Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were kept in the garage ahead of qualifying later today.

Lotus Renault pair Pastor Maldonado and Romain Grosjean ended the session in third and fourth respectively, while Adrian Sutil finished in fifth for Sauber.

Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat was sixth, while Kevin Magnussen and Jenson Button placed in seventh and eighth ahead of Williams's Valtteri Bottas.

Full practice standings:

1. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
3. Pastor Maldonado (Lotus Renault)
4. Romain Grosjean (Lotus Renault)
5. Adrian Sutil (Sauber)
6. Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso)
7. Kevin Magnussen (McLaren)
8. Jenson Button (McLaren)
9. Valtteri Bottas (Williams)
10. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
11. Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso)
12. Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber)
13. Felipe Massa (Williams)
14. Nico Hulkenberg (Force India)
15. Sergio Perez (Force India)
16. Marcus Ericsson (Caterham)
17. Jules Bianchi (Marussia)
18. Kamui Kobayashi (Caterham)