Skip to main content

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe
Live text
Formula 1

Barcelona F1 test day three

Live Text

Sort by
Oldest first
Information
Time for another lap count update:

Vettel 28
Fittipaldi 27
Raikkonen 22
Bottas 20
Verstappen 17
Kvyat 17
Perez 14
Hulkenberg 14
Sainz 0
Vettel has also tried again, losing another four tenths. So on his three push laps so far on this C2-tyre run, he's losing four tenths per lap.
Vettel goes four tenths quicker next time around, just to disprove our theory. His 1m19.9s is a tenth quicker than Raikkonen's next push lap, although the Alfa got caught up behind Hulkenberg's Renault in the final sector.
Raikkonen gets a clear shot at it next time around and manages a 1m19.5s on the C3 tyre, which is quicker than the consistent Vettel's latest 1m20.0s on the C2.
Vettel's last five laps on this C2-tyre run have all been between 1m20.0s and 1m20.4s. Ferrari has shown pace, Ferrari has shown reliability, and it's clearly showing consistency as well. That hasn't always been the case this week, as we've seen some quite aggressive runs that have resulted in big tyre drop off, but there's every chance those have been intentional attempts to overwork the tyres to find their limits, and then a run like we are seeing today is the follow-up work.
Vettel now pits, leaving Hulkenberg pounding round on his own on a set of C2 tyres.
Perez and Kvyat have given Hulkenberg some company out there.
Perez is out on the yellow, C3 tyre. He's set a personal best in the first sector. He's third overall as it stands.
Verstappen joins the track, and gets a practice start in just before he leaves the pits.
Perez improves on the C3 tyre to a 1m20.102s.
Just to confirm, that Perez time doesn't move him from the third spot.

Raikkonen is also out on track now.
There's flow-vis paint on the left-half of the rear wing only. It's wearing a pair of C3 boots.
Kvyat repeats his morning habit of a couple of laps and then returns to the pits.
Raikkonen has spent most of the morning on C3s but has switched to the C2s. He's just eaten a load of smoke at Turn 1, most likely from Perez's Racing Point.
Hulk pits after a lengthy long run. More on that shortly.
We're almost two hours into the morning session on day three of the Barcelona test.

Raikkonen (C2), Perez (C3) and Fittipaldi (C2) are on track.
Information
Here’s the lap count after two hours of day three:

Vettel 35
Fittipaldi 33
Raikkonen 31
Hulkenberg 31
Kvyat 23
Perez 22
Bottas 21
Verstappen 18
Sainz 0
Fittipaldi has pitted after a short run on the C2 tyres. Just Raikkonen and Perez on track at the moment halfway through the Wednesday morning session.
Perez is into the pits, as is Raikkonen. That's an empty track now. Someone come and fill it please?
NOISE! Kvyat is heading out. Bad news, though. He's spent most of the morning going out, doing a couple of laps and then pitting. Maybe he's been waiting for a clear track to do some more running?
MORE NOISE! Vettel is back out. Will we see him dip into the 1m17s today?
Kvyat is out on the C4 tyres.

Bottas has joined Vettel on track.
Bottas is on the C2 tyres and gets a practice start in the bag.
Stopwatch
Great news! Vettel is on the C3 tyre, which he used to set the best time of the test so far on Monday. That was a 1m18.161s.

Can he beat that? Not yet, it's a 1m18.355s but that's fastest so far today and the third fastest time of the test.
As predicted, Kvyat's morning of doing a few laps and then pitting continues.

All eyes on Vettel's Ferrari, which is pushing on C3 tyres.
Vettel has had a slower lap, likely cooling off the tyres for another run. All eyes on the first sector time...
Vettel is close, but no cigar. The first sector time let him down and he sets a 1m18.489s.
Nothing exciting from the stopwatch pointed at Bottas, but that's not surprising. No hero times from the Brackley squad in the test so far, and that's consistent with other years, too.
Bottas is also on the C2 tyre, so likely won't be setting an optimum time, or trying to do that.
Hulkenberg is out to join the action, as Vettel completes a cool-down lap.
It's a 1m19.608s from Vettel, over a second off his best. Sadly, that possible 1m17s looks unlikely for now.
Autosport
Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo have been using the new-spec Arai helmet in testing, despite the manufacturer's product having not yet passed the FIA checks.

But now Arai's 2019 helmet is legal for the upcoming season

Arai 2019 helmet approved in time for Formula 1 season

Arai's latest helmet has now passed FIA tests and will be legal for the start of the Formula 1 season at the Australian Grand Prix

Arai 2019 helmet approved in time for Formula 1 season
Hulkenberg is on the same tyres Vettel used to top the session, the C3. Can he set a comparative lap time or will Ferrari's dominance continue?

Handy tip for tyres: the higher the number, the softer the compound.
Hulkenberg jumps from eighth to third in the times, setting a 1m19.544s on the yellow-lined C3 tyre.
It looks like Hulkenberg has taken a cool-down lap, ready to push again next time around.
Personal best in the first sector from Hulkenberg, who's on the C3 tyre.

By: Geoff Creighton

Published: