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Formula 1

Barcelona F1 test day three

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Bottas' first flying lap featured a couple of twitchy moments en route to a high-1m21s on C2 tyres. Presumably he's about to go considerably quicker.
Autosport
It's occurred to some of us that you may not be totally au fait with Autosport's new technical expert TIM WRIGHT. So, if you missed our sit-down chat ahead of launch season about on his four decades in motorsport - from winning Formula 1 world titles with McLaren and Le Mans with Peugeot, to crashing Mini Se7ens and going testing with Michael Schumacher, then you're in luck. Get yourself a brew and enjoy.

Tim Wright: Introducing Autosport's new technical expert - F1 - Autosport Plus

From Ron Dennis to Jean Todt and Ross Brawn, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher, Tim Wright has worked with the best in the business. Autosport's new technical expert reflects on a career littered with success in F1 and sportscars over four decades

Tim Wright: Introducing Autosport's new technical expert - F1 - Autosport Plus
We're at the 40-minute mark, and the likes of Verstappen, Sainz, Vettel, Ocon, Stroll and Kvyat are already sporting double-digit lapcounts.
Vettel is up to third place on C2s. He's a second off Verstappen, but seems to be on a run of consecutive push laps - whereas the Dutchman was still doing cooldown laps at that point.
Nope, it's not a shot from February's page of the Racing Point calendar. Lance Stroll, sporting non FIA-approved headwear, gets ready for day three.

Nope, it's not a shot from February's page of the Racing Point calendar. Lance Stroll, sporting non FIA-approved headwear, gets ready for day three.

We've got four cars within a second and a half in Verstappen (C2), Sainz (C3), Ocon (C2) and Stroll (C3). No representative times from the rest yet.
Stopwatch
Verstappen's next attempt is a 1m18.032s, which leaves him six tenths clear of Sainz for now.
Autosport
Want to find out more about Mercedes' DAS system? Jake Boxall-Legge sat down with technical consultant TIM WRIGHT in our glamorous Barcelona dorms, where Tim explains why he thinks the system could be banned.
And now Verstappen usurps his former Toro Rosso teammate with a 1m18.309s on C2s.
Stopwatch
Sainz takes the top spot with a 1m19.095s on his first flying lap with the C3s.
Stroll moves up to second place on C3s, while Ocon improves to a 1m19.538s and then a 1m19.287s. He's starting to string together a sensible long run there.
Stopwatch
And the next time by Ocon does a 1m19.650s, recording our first sub-1m20s lap of the day.
Stopwatch
A C2-shod Esteban Ocon fires in a 1m23.354s. We're getting there.
Vettel improves to 1m26.216s.
Kvyat, also running a big aero sensor set-up, becomes the second driver to log a lap time today, but is some nine seconds off what is already a slow time from Vettel.
Jake Boxall-Legge
Yesterday, we had a media centre chat about whether F1 cars could run a full race with the aero rakes. To my colleagues' dismay, I suggested Silverstone - we could call it The Great British Rake Off.
Vettel improves to 1m29s the second time by but is still obviously running at nowhere near full speed. He now has the track all to himself, as everyone else has opted for just one or two installation laps.
Vettel, running some kiel probe arrays in front of the bargeboards, sets the initial benchmark of 1m32.450s.
It's very busy on track right away, with nine cars heading out within the first couple of minutes. And Stroll then makes it all 10.
Sainz is first out on track, followed by Latifi, Grosjean and Verstappen.
Green flag
The morning session is now live.
However, for all the stir DAS has already caused, there are some who aren't convinced of its impact - including Sebastian Vettel of the rival Ferrari team:

Using Mercedes DAS like “running in flip-flops” – Vettel

Ferrari Formula 1 star Sebastian Vettel believes that the new Mercedes DAS steering system must be difficult for the team’s drivers to operate – comparing the unnatural effort of moving the wheel back and forth with “running in flip-flops”.

Using Mercedes DAS like “running in flip-flops” – Vettel
Autosport
Mercedes' new 'DAS' system ruffled feathers and raised eyebrows in the paddock yesterday, but currently looks safe from a legality point of view. Here's why:

Insight: Why the FIA believes Mercedes' steering device is legal

Mercedes' dual-axis steering turned heads at Barcelona on day two of Formula 1 testing. JONATHAN NOBLE explains why, so far, the team has the FIA's consent to use the system

Insight: Why the FIA believes Mercedes' steering device is legal
Information
Driver line-up for day three:
Mercedes - Bottas (AM), Hamilton (PM)
Ferrari - Vettel
Red Bull - Verstappen (AM), Albon (PM)
McLaren - Norris (AM), Sainz (PM)
Renault - Ocon (AM), Ricciardo (PM)
Racing Point - Stroll
Alfa Romeo - Giovinazzi
Haas - Grosjean (AM), Magnussen (PM)
Williams - Latifi
Every team completed over 100 laps on the opening day, and every team but Renault completed over 100 laps on the second day. If the pattern of superb reliability holds today, it will make for a pretty emphatically superb first week, despite the reduction in test days.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the third and final day of the opening Barcelona F1 pre-season test. We're around 26 minutes away from cars beginning to trickle out of the pitlane, in theory.

By: Geoff Creighton

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