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Formula 1

Barcelona F1 test day three

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Raikkonen pits his Alfa after taking the top spot in the session on that last run. But he's headed straight back out again.

Bottas is still pummeling around on the C2 tyre, while Hulkenberg has joined the fray.
Finally, Vettel ducks out of the 1m20s on that last tour.
Raikkonen pits. Will he stay in this time? No. He's back out.
Hulkenberg has chosen the C4 tyres as his weapon to ruin Glenn Freeman's hastily written session report for the Autosport website. Here he comes.
Sorry, slight internet issue there. Sainz and Vettel both pitted and came straight back out, while Perez is also on track now.
Session-topper Raikkonen also pitted in that spell sans-internet.
Hulkenberg is clearly trying a long-ish run on the C4 tyre, as his times aren't anywhere near his personal best.
Kvyat heads out. We smell an install lap coming on.
Sainz improves ever so slightly, but remains in sixth in his McLaren.

Hulkenberg is back on track after a quick visit to the pits.
Kvyat's rear wing looks like a contemporary art exhibition. The blue and red car looks like it's been sat on by the Hulk, the whole rear wing is green.
And Toro Rosso, complete with the Grinch rear wing, improves into fourth with Kvyat at the wheel on the C3 tyre. That jumps him back ahead of the Red Bull of Verstappen.
Verstappen will have a chance to respond to Kvyat though, as he's just completed an out lap.
Verstappen's middle and last sector did not match the personal-best first. So he remains in fifth behind Kvyat.
Kvyat's next push lap is nowhere. Verstappen may have a cool down lap and another go at moving up the order.

If anything, Verstappen needs the laps after completing just 29 this morning so far.
There's eight minutes to go in the session. It's not likely anyone will improve this lap, but maybe Verstappen can on the next.
Crash
Sainz spins.
He dropped the McLaren turning into the last chicane, but he's made it back to the pits.
Sainz was lucky to escape the gravel trap with that one. The session is still under green flag conditions.
Vettel is out to ruin Glenn Freeman's morning session report, and annoy every Kimi Raikkonen fan out there. He's on the C3 tyres.
No improvement for Verstappen.
Vettel has spent two laps going pretty slowly. That usually means something amazing is about to happen.
It's a slow first sector for Vettel. Kimi fans, you have a reprieve!
Verstappen pits, as does Vettel. That leaves Kvyat on track only. Just over two minutes to go in the session.
But, hold on. Verstappen and Vettel are back out. Can they ruin Glenn Freeman's report and mix up the order?
Verstappen pits again. Glenn Freeman breathes a sigh of relief...
Vettel pits and that ends any hopes of the order changing with just 20 seconds remaining. Well played, Glenn Freeman.
Checkered flag
And that's the end of the session. Kimi fans, you can rejoice.
Information
Here's the overall order after the morning into the early afternoon session:

1 Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo) 1m17.762s
2 Vettel (Ferrari) 1m18.350s
3 Hulkenberg (Renault) 1m18.800s
4 Verstappen (Red Bull) 1m18.899s
5 Fittipaldi (Haas) 1m19.249s
6 Sainz (McLaren) 1m19.354s
7 Kvyat (Toro Rosso) 1m19.507s
8 Perez (Racing Point) 1m20.102s
9 Bottas (Mercedes) 1m20.693s
Information
And here's a lap count for the early session:

Bottas - 88
Vettel - 80
Raikkonen - 64
Hulkenberg - 63
Kvyat - 48
Fittipaldi - 48
Perez - 43
Verstappen - 33
Sainz - 27
We spoke earlier about the Ferrari mechanics' ability to whip the screens around its car to avoid people finding out its secrets. Here's them even beating our rapid Motorsport Images photographers!

We spoke earlier about the Ferrari mechanics' ability to whip the screens around its car to avoid people finding out its secrets. Here's them even beating our rapid Motorsport Images photographers!

We were right to point out Sainz's lack of lapping in the McLaren. The squad got 27 laps in early on. They had 56 on Monday morning and 53 on Tuesday morning.
Autosport
There's no doubt this news will be very popular! Our full report from the morning session where Kimi Raikkonen set the fastest lap aboard the Alfa Romeo, the first session not topped by Ferrari so far this year.

F1 testing: Raikkonen sets fastest lap so far, tops third morning

Kimi Raikkonen set the fastest time of 2019 Formula 1 pre-season testing so far to lead the way at lunchtime on day three at Barcelona for Alfa Romeo

F1 testing: Raikkonen sets fastest lap so far, tops third morning
Autosport
One of the biggest talking points of testing so far has been the variety of approaches to the new-for-2019 front wing regulations. Our technical editor Jake Boxall-Legge and Gary Anderson have been comparing the different designs

Information
A key correction from this morning: Raikkonen set his fastest time on the softest C5 tyres, not the C4s, which are also red. Funnily enough, once the tyre is turning it's pretty hard to tell the difference between ones that have red writing and red lines on them, and the ones that just have red writing on them. Anyway, here's the photographic proof that he was on the C5s (Motorsport Images)

A key correction from this morning: Raikkonen set his fastest time on the softest C5 tyres, not the C4s, which are also red. Funnily enough, once the tyre is turning it's pretty hard to tell the difference between ones that have red writing and red lines on them, and the ones that just have red writing on them. Anyway, here's the photographic proof that he was on the C5s (Motorsport Images)

Autosport
Until Kimi Raikkonen went fastest this morning, Ferrari had dominated the top times in pre-season testing so far.

But what about the teams in the pack behind?

In this video, Gary Anderson and Jack Benyon join Glenn Freeman to discuss the reality behind the results so far and the teams that may be in trouble.

By: Geoff Creighton

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