Hamilton considering Red Bull switch

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Britain's Lewis Hamilton on Saturday insisted a move from McLaren to Red Bull ‘can work’ and said he would be happy to operate alongside reigning world champion Sebastien Vettel, even as he topped third and final practice for the Malaysian GP for McLaren.

The 2008 champion has been strongly linked with a move following the recent announcement of his new management deal with the XIX Entertainment agency run by celebrity svengali Simon Fuller.

Fuller also manages Hollywood star Michael Caine, former England football captain David Beckham and tennis player Andy Murray.

Hamilton, who spent a year deciding on a new manager after separating from his father Anthony as his manager, said a deal with constructors' champions Red Bull, to succeed Australian Mark Webber, 34, would work ‘in theory’.

"It can work. You saw me and (former McLaren team-mate) Fernando (Alonso): we were very competitive. You see me and (current team-mate) Jenson (Button), so world champions can definitely race together as long as there is equality in the team.”

"There is definitely not that at a couple of the teams around us. At my team you will probably see the most equality out of all the teams."

The likelihood of such a pairing was played down by Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, but Hamilton said he only did this to defend his current drivers.

"The only reason I would imagine that he (Horner) would suggest that is because certain individuals don't like being beaten. Some individuals can take it. Some people are better losers or better winners. So it is just dependant," he said.

"In this team, when Jenson beats me I take it on the chin and think, 'Next time I am going to beat him.' When I beat him, he doesn't whinge and say: 'Oh, Lewis has a better car than me or Lewis did this and I did that’.”

"There is none of that here, it is very equal. In some places you can imagine it could be different. I never have any complaints. If a guy beats me it is because he has done a better job."

Hamilton clocked a fastest lap of one minute and 36.340 seconds to outpace Red Bull's Mark Webber by two-tenths of a second, ahead of qualifying later on the steamy Sepang circuit.

Webber had been quickest in both of Friday’s sessions as he erased memories of his disappointing weekend at his home Australian Grand Prix two weeks ago.

Hamilton’s McLaren teammate Jenson Button, the 2009 champion, was third fastest ahead of Germans Nick Heidfeld in a Renault and glitch-plagued reigning champion Sebastian Vettel in the other Red Bull.

Vettel concentrated on race preparation, but has a problem with his moveable rear wing and also lost a television camera that was attached to his car.

Two-time champion Fernando Alonso was sixth fastest for Ferrari, after struggling for pace during most of the session.

Russian Vitaly Petrov, who finished a remarkable third for Renault in Melbourne, was seventh ahead of Brazilian Felipe Massa in the second Ferrari and Japan's Kamui Kobayashi of Sauber.

Seven-time champion Michael Schumacher of Germany, now 42, was 10th for Mercedes ahead of his teammate compatriot Nico Rosberg.

The session was run in hot and humid conditions with the air temperature rising to 34 degrees Celsius and the track temperature touching 40 degrees.

Higher temperatures were forecast for the qualifying laps to be held on Saturday afternoon, ahead of Sunday's race.