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Formula 1

Barcelona F1 test day three

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Ricciardo sets a new personal best sector. We don't always highlight individual sector times, but they stand out more in the afternoons during the long runs!
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Who's going to win the all-important lap competition today? As it stands, it's a close Vettel v Raikkonen battle.

Vettel - 119
Raikkonen - 116
Kvyat - 101
Bottas - 88
Hulkenberg - 63
Perez - 62
Sainz - 62
Verstappen - 57
Hamilton - 52
Fittipaldi - 48
Ricciardo - 37
Grosjean - 8
Russell - 1
Hamilton came into the pits shortly after that lock-up, possibly to get rid of a flat-spotted front-right tyre.
Hamilton has a moment that qualifies as drama on an afternoon of testing - locking up at Turn 10 and running wide onto the painted run-off.
The longer Verstappen stays in the pits while others are on track, the more Red Bull's lap count for today starts to look a bit low. He's stuck on 57 at the moment. We've seen him on track a fair bit, but not for particularly long runs each time.
Keep those suggestions for improving Pirelli tyre testing identification coming!
Do we reckon Williams is of interest today?

Do we reckon Williams is of interest today?

Vettel has already said he doesn't like the new front wings, and right now he'll be getting a good idea of if they've had any effect on the ability of the cars to follow closely, as he's spent a prolonged amount of time behind Sainz's McLaren.
Perez splats some green onto the timing screen with a new personal best first sector, but the lap falls away by three tenths. Not bad, considering he's now on the harder C2 tyre and he set his best time on the softer C3 earlier.
Gary Anderson
It looks like Ricciardo's right-rear C2 tyre is blistering. At the speed we're seeing at Turn 9, it's highly unlikely the darkening of the tyre surface we can see is going to be pick-up from the track surface.
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Two drivers into the 100-plus lap range now. Teams-wise, Ferrari, Alfa and Mercedes have batted past a century.

Vettel - 112
Raikkonen - 104
Bottas - 88
Kvyat - 80
Hulkenberg - 63
Verstappen - 57
Perez - 56
Fittipaldi - 48
Sainz - 41
Ricciardo - 32
Hamilton - 31
Grosjean - 8
Russell - 1
Ah, long runs. A sure fire sign that a team's testing plan is progressing well. We currently have Raikkonen lapping in the 1m25s (C2), Vettel in the 1m24s (C3), Sainz in the 1m25s (C2), Ricciardo in the 1m23s (C2) and Hamilton in the 1m23s (C2).
Today's pacesetter Raikkonen hits 100 laps for the day. He's currently circulating in the mid-1m24s on C2 tyres.
One of the big questions that needs answering from pre-season is if the changes made to the cars this year to improve the racing have actually worked. Ricciardo will have half an idea having just followed Sainz through the high-speed Turn 9

One of the big questions that needs answering from pre-season is if the changes made to the cars this year to improve the racing have actually worked. Ricciardo will have half an idea having just followed Sainz through the high-speed Turn 9

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Thanks to one of our men on the ground, Oleg Karpov, we have a quote from Pietro Fittipaldi on why his Haas ground to a halt this morning.

“It was a small electrical problem, so we just stopped on track, just [as a] precaution," said Fittipaldi. "We came back and there was a quick change and we were back up [on track], so nothing major, so that was good.”

Romain Grosjean also stopped earlier in the afternoon, but no confirmation on whether it was the same issue. Grosjean also stopped on circuit with a fuel pressure-related issue on Monday.
A timely reminder of how the five dry-weather compounds are marked for testing

A timely reminder of how the five dry-weather compounds are marked for testing

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As we might have mentioned a few hundred times this week, it's not easy to tell the tyre compounds apart that share colours this week. It won't be an issue at races with only 3 in use, but how would you fix that problem for testing? Let @autosport know on Twitter
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Here are the tyres that each driver is using:

C2: Kvyat, Hamilton, Ricciardo, Raikkonen
C3: Vettel, Verstappen

Handy tip: The higher the number, the softer the compound.
Edd Straw
A sparky moment for Ricciardo out of Turn 2 on each of the past two laps. The track slightly drops away at the edge and he was fractionally wide at the exit.
Ricciardo is on the C2 tyre and set a 1m20.613s to improve.

Vettel has headed out on C3s.
Vettel has joined the track.
Perez sets a 1m20.809s on his first run on the C2s.
Ricciardo fancies a play. He has a practice start and cannons onto the track in the Renault he's taken over from Hulkenberg.
Perez joins on the C2 tyre, the same as Hamilton and Kvyat who are the only other cars on track.
Finally, a third car joining the track. It's Perez and the Racing 'we're using its full name now' Point.
Another look at the Williams, driven by George Russell, on its solitary installation lap

Another look at the Williams, driven by George Russell, on its solitary installation lap

There's no sign of any Catalan sunshine today, keeping the track temp below 20 degrees centigrade.
Gary Anderson
The Toro Rosso sounded like it was cutting out into Turn 2. I’d be taking that back to the garage. Almost sounded as if it was fuel pick-up but hard to tell. But it came round and there was no repeat so whatever it was has cleared.
Hamilton (C2) and Kvyat (C2) are the only drivers on track now.
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Ferrari is on top in the lapping contest.

Vettel - 99
Raikkonen - 94
Bottas - 88
Kvyat - 66
Hulkenberg - 63
Verstappen - 52
Fittipaldi - 48
Perez - 48
Sainz - 33
Ricciardo - 17
Hamilton - 10
Grosjean - 8
Russell - 1
Gary Anderson
Earlier Vettel spent time running behind Kvyat. It perhaps doesn’t bode well for the new rules [supposedly making it easier for cars to run in dirty air and overtake] that Vettel dropped back rather than passing the Toro Rosso. It’s not a race, but I’m sure he would have done if he could.
Sainz has just pitted after losing a small piece of his bodywork.
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Tyres on track:

C1: Raikkonen
C2: Kvyat, Sainz, Hamilton

By: Geoff Creighton

Published: