Bahrain third 2014 test Test day three
Live Text
Sort by
Twitter
It's always fun to see what drivers do on the days their team-mates are in the cars and how immersed in the team they stay.
Top marks to Max Chilton: "As I am not in the car today I had an important task which is regularly forgotten.... Making a brew for the mechanics"
Top marks to Max Chilton: "As I am not in the car today I had an important task which is regularly forgotten.... Making a brew for the mechanics"
Breaking news
And while we're at it, here are the main stories to emerge today:
*Vettel manages half a lap over two attempted runs for Red Bull
*Lotus unlikely to run again today
*Sutil comes to a smokey halt at the end of first lap of the day
*Magnussen goes quickest shortly after lunch break
*Mercedes starts late after performing an engine change
*Vettel manages half a lap over two attempted runs for Red Bull
*Lotus unlikely to run again today
*Sutil comes to a smokey halt at the end of first lap of the day
*Magnussen goes quickest shortly after lunch break
*Mercedes starts late after performing an engine change
@karunchandhok reckons we're due a lap count, so here we go:
Hulkenberg (Force India) 98
Ericsson (Caterham) 90
Massa (Williams) 78
Rosberg (Mercedes) 75
Bianchi (Marussia) 67
Magnussen (McLaren) 59
Raikkonen (Ferrari) 53
Kvyat (Toro Rosso) 50
Grosjean (Lotus) 33
Sutil (Sauber) 1
Vettel (Red Bull) 0.5
Hulkenberg (Force India) 98
Ericsson (Caterham) 90
Massa (Williams) 78
Rosberg (Mercedes) 75
Bianchi (Marussia) 67
Magnussen (McLaren) 59
Raikkonen (Ferrari) 53
Kvyat (Toro Rosso) 50
Grosjean (Lotus) 33
Sutil (Sauber) 1
Vettel (Red Bull) 0.5
Hulkenberg goes second fastest with his 98th lap of the day. Probably focusing on performance work again now after that earlier race run.
The next two laps after that 1m36.2s are 1m38s efforts for the Mercedes.
Raikkonen is a little more consistent so far in this stint, lapping in the mid-1m43s.
Raikkonen is a little more consistent so far in this stint, lapping in the mid-1m43s.
Rosberg comes out of the pits and goes second with his first flying lap of this run.
Twitter
More bad news for Lotus...
@Lotus_F1Team: "We've stopped running. We're investigating. Looks like an early bath for @RGrosjean today. Maybe to join Seb #Vettel in the pool..."
@Lotus_F1Team: "We've stopped running. We're investigating. Looks like an early bath for @RGrosjean today. Maybe to join Seb #Vettel in the pool..."
That first stint from Raikkonen was three laps longer than Alonso's opener yesterday afternoon, and on average it was around 0.3s per lap slower than the Spaniard managed.
Don't read too much into that, as several teams have told us that track evolution has been hard to judge during this test, due to changes in temperature, wind, and dust.
Don't read too much into that, as several teams have told us that track evolution has been hard to judge during this test, due to changes in temperature, wind, and dust.
Hello to @WilliamsF1Team, which has just tweeted a picture of our commentary feed on the screens in its garage!
Raikkonen makes the first stop of this race simulation.
Raikkonen makes the first stop of this race simulation.
Breaking news
Our technical expert CRAIG SCARBOROUGH has been rounding up all the teams' developments seen during this final test, including more signs of problem-management at Red Bull and Ferrari reviving concepts last seen in 2009:
Final F1 test upgrade round-up
Final F1 test upgrade round-up
Raikkonen suffered a sharp decline at the start of this stint. After opening with a 1m41.9s he was quickly slipping down to 1m42s, then 43s, and even 44s. The run is only nine laps old and he's just got himself back into the 43s.
Kevin Magnussen
Sipko Huismans asks: Are we starting to see that Kevin Magnussen might be the faster of the McLaren drivers on raw pace?
EDD STRAW: "There isn't currently enough data to go on, but what is beyond question is that Magnussen has impressed everyone, including the McLaren team, with his testing performances.
"He will certainly be quick, whether he establishes himself as the quicker McLaren driver over the season partly depends on how Button goes. When everything is right, Jenson is a wonderful driver capable of lapping as quick as anyone, but this usually happens only when he is in harmony with the car.
"It wouldn't be a surprise if Magnussen emerges as the stronger qualifier, particularly in the second half of the season. In the races, there will be some rough edges to work off but you can expect the Dane to have an impressive season."
Kvyat's first flying lap is a new personal best for today, getting him into the 1m37s.
Raikkonen's race run could be underway now - he's kicked off with a 1m41.9s. We'll keep an eye on it - providing he stays out this time - and let you know how he's getting on.
Raikkonen's race run could be underway now - he's kicked off with a 1m41.9s. We'll keep an eye on it - providing he stays out this time - and let you know how he's getting on.
Massa and Rosberg are in the 1m38s straight away, while Kvyat and Ericsson join the action.
Raikkonen and Massa are the first cars to head out.
Green flag
The track is open again with 1h56m on the clock to run.
As the recovery truck heads back to the paddock, we have a little over two hours to go here. If we have any more disruptions that could prove costly to Raikkonen's hopes of getting a race simulation in.
If you're wondering why we keep talking about Raikkonen and race running, then click here to read what he said after the first day of this test.
If you're wondering why we keep talking about Raikkonen and race running, then click here to read what he said after the first day of this test.
Thanks for your questions, we're using this break in the action to put EDD STRAW to work answering some more of them.
Quote
As the recovery crews get to work on taking the Lotus back to the pits, here's what BEN ANDERSON noticed from trackside before that stoppage:
"The McLaren was chasing the Mercedes, and Magnussen seemed to have the esses under control now. However, Rosberg was edging away.
"The Toro Rosso sounded different every time it came past, sometimes it was much more high-pitched than the Mercedes cars, but on other laps it came past sounding much gruffer. Maybe it was just in a higher gear.
"It's very windy and dusty out the back of the circuit too. As soon as the cars move slightly off line they are kicking up rooster tails of dust."
"The McLaren was chasing the Mercedes, and Magnussen seemed to have the esses under control now. However, Rosberg was edging away.
"The Toro Rosso sounded different every time it came past, sometimes it was much more high-pitched than the Mercedes cars, but on other laps it came past sounding much gruffer. Maybe it was just in a higher gear.
"It's very windy and dusty out the back of the circuit too. As soon as the cars move slightly off line they are kicking up rooster tails of dust."
Grosjean has stopped the Lotus on the backstraight.
Red flag
We have a red flag.
As a reminder for those wondering why the leaderboard is only showing nine cars - Sauber and Red Bull are yet to set a time today.
Adrian Sutil came to a smokey halt in the pit entry at the end of his installation lap first thing this morning.
Red Bull has had a couple of attempts at getting Sebastian Vettel on track, but the first attempt lasted half a lap and next time around he didn't even make it out of the pitlane.
Adrian Sutil came to a smokey halt in the pit entry at the end of his installation lap first thing this morning.
Red Bull has had a couple of attempts at getting Sebastian Vettel on track, but the first attempt lasted half a lap and next time around he didn't even make it out of the pitlane.
BEN ANDERSON tells us from trackside that Raikkonen ran wide through the esses a few moments ago, kicking up the dust.
He adds that the Mercedes looks good through the same section, although the Force India currently looks even better.
He adds that the Mercedes looks good through the same section, although the Force India currently looks even better.
Quote
Ferrari
AUTOSPORT technical writer CRAIG SCARBOROUGH has spotted a few intriguing new bits on the Ferrari this week so far.
"Ferrari has been introducing more parts of its update package. On Thursday, we saw the new front wing and yesterday came the revised engine cover.
"This creates a larger outlet around the exhaust. There is also a variation in the size of Coke bottle outlets and the inlet duct on the spine of the cover feeding cool air into the turbo.
"One feature not seen on an F1 car perhaps since 2009 is a wing profile on the rollhoop."
As Raikkonen gets ready for a busy end to his day, Ferrari team-mate Fernando Alonso has just cycled out of the paddock. Looks like he's heading trackside to see how the F14 T looks first-hand.
Time for the first of our reader questions for EDD STRAW today:
@Steve_Norwich: Are any teams running their cars in unison to see how the aerodynamics are affected by following another car, ie dirty air?
EDD STRAW: "There have been a few times where cars have been close on track, albeit briefly, but we haven't seen anything that looks like formalised running of that nature. As much as anything, it's probably because most teams still have more pressing things to deal with.
"In terms of the aerodynamic effect, the cars haven't changed enough shape-wise to make a dramatic difference to that, so there's likely not so much to learn from that point of view. As a ballpark figure, downforce loss can range from 20-30 per cent when behind another car in a corner. But, this year in particular, teams will be interested to know what kind of fuel saving is possible when running in another car's slipstream.
"When two car testing was legal (currently, teams can only run one car for cost-saving reasons) this kind of thing did happen. But right now it would depend on co-operation between teams, which is dependent on co-ordinating their schedules, which won't be easy.
"It's the kind of thing that, in an ideal world, teams would like to do though, especially as it could have a significant bearing on fuel use in races."
@Steve_Norwich: Are any teams running their cars in unison to see how the aerodynamics are affected by following another car, ie dirty air?
EDD STRAW: "There have been a few times where cars have been close on track, albeit briefly, but we haven't seen anything that looks like formalised running of that nature. As much as anything, it's probably because most teams still have more pressing things to deal with.
"In terms of the aerodynamic effect, the cars haven't changed enough shape-wise to make a dramatic difference to that, so there's likely not so much to learn from that point of view. As a ballpark figure, downforce loss can range from 20-30 per cent when behind another car in a corner. But, this year in particular, teams will be interested to know what kind of fuel saving is possible when running in another car's slipstream.
"When two car testing was legal (currently, teams can only run one car for cost-saving reasons) this kind of thing did happen. But right now it would depend on co-operation between teams, which is dependent on co-ordinating their schedules, which won't be easy.
"It's the kind of thing that, in an ideal world, teams would like to do though, especially as it could have a significant bearing on fuel use in races."
A pass through the pitlane for Raikkonen suggests Ferrari is going through the pre-race motions at the moment. It may seem trivial, but even the processes that teams go through to get to the grid on a Sunday afternoon have to be taken into consideration.
Raikkonen has left the pits after a stay of nearly half an hour. Ferrari has a little under 2h30m to get its race simulation complete.
Rosberg is back out on track after some setup changes from the Mercedes team. He starts the run off with a 1m38.7s, and follows it up with a 1m40.3s.
BEN ANDERSON - now trackside in the downhill esses section after Turn 4 - reports that the Force India looks neat and tidy on its fresh rubber.
Magnussen's McLaren looks 'lazier' at this stage, but he is lapping around 3s slower at the moment.
Magnussen's McLaren looks 'lazier' at this stage, but he is lapping around 3s slower at the moment.
Hulkenberg has started a new stint after a pitstop, starting off with a couple of laps in the 1m40s before dropping back to 1m41s.
EDD STRAW is back from conducting some interviews in the paddock for AUTOSPORT's pre-season coverage. We're sending some of your questions from earlier on his way, and if you want to get in on the act now email live@autosport.com or tweet using #autosport
Magnussen also appears to be working on a heavy fuel load at the moment, lapping around 1m44s.
The latest from BEN ANDERSON in the pits is that the Force India pitwall is well-staffed at the moment as they keep an eye on Hulkenberg's race simulation.
The German has been lapping in the 1m43s for the last few laps, which is comparable with the race run Fernando Alonso carried out for Ferrari yesterday.
Alonso upped his pace significantly in the final stint though, finding the sort of pace we have seen from Mercedes in race-spec once he was on a lower fuel load.
The German has been lapping in the 1m43s for the last few laps, which is comparable with the race run Fernando Alonso carried out for Ferrari yesterday.
Alonso upped his pace significantly in the final stint though, finding the sort of pace we have seen from Mercedes in race-spec once he was on a lower fuel load.
Ericsson finds an improvement of 0.2s in the Caterham.
Quote
Bahrain at night
This year's Bahrain Grand Prix will be the first F1 race at the Sakhir circuit to take place at night. The lights have been put to use at various stages during the evenings of this test, and here's what it looks like from above.
AUTOSPORT spoke to Sheikh Salman bin Isa Al-Khalifa, chief executive of Bahrain International Circuit about the lighting system yesterday, and he explained just how big the job of lighting the whole circuit is:
"We have 495 light poles. They vary between 10 metres and 45 metres in height, and I think the smallest one has about 16 fixtures, spotlights. We do up to 120 on one pole which is coming down Turn 4. The total is over 5000."
Twitter
@InsideFerrari reports that Raikkonen is "ready for a race simulation".
The team has even found a picture of him smiling to go with it.
The team has even found a picture of him smiling to go with it.
Our man in the pits says that Magnussen's practice start "went well", while Rosberg has just pitted and been wheeled into the garage.
BEN ANDERSON is in the pits for us at the moment, and he's started off with garage door-watch.
Hardly a surprise to hear from him that things are all closed up at Red Bull right now, while the Lotus garage is half closed as well.
Magnussen has just passed him in the pits, seemingly preparing for a practice start based on his engine revs.
Hardly a surprise to hear from him that things are all closed up at Red Bull right now, while the Lotus garage is half closed as well.
Magnussen has just passed him in the pits, seemingly preparing for a practice start based on his engine revs.
While Magnussen gets the McLaren warmed up, Massa, Hulkenberg and Rosberg are all buried in race-spec work. They're lapping around the 1m41s-42s at the moment.
By: Matt Beer, Glenn Freeman, Ben Anderson, Dan Cross
Published:
Lap:
