Jerez first 2015 test Test day three
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It's slick time out there - Raikkonen goes fastest with a 1m31.200s.
More snaking from the rear of Alonso's McLaren as he takes eight tenths out of Rosberg's on-track gap to him during this run.
Raikkonen goes second with a 1m33.454s on mediums.
Alonso - running behind Rosberg at the moment - is lapping mildly quicker than the Mercedes now (1m37.8 vs 1m38.2s). He's just had a very lairy moment coming out of the final corner. The back stepped out, he corrected it, and then it stepped out again as he tried to re-apply the power.
Rosberg comfortably leads the lap count at the moment with 41, but - wait for it - Alonso's McLaren-Honda is second on that chart with 27.
Maldonado takes the Lotus out for its first lap of the day after a delay caused by a telemetry problem. He's on hard Pirelli slicks, while Raikkonen has appeared on a set of mediums.
Felipe Nasr, Sauber
We've only had one red flag so far today, and it was due to Felipe Nasr putting his Sauber into the gravel. Here's a shot from LAT Photographic of it being retrieved in that classic winter testing 'car hidden in big sheet' look.
BEN ANDERSON reports that the first sector of the track looks dry, yet all the cars are still running on intermediates. So it must be wet in other parts of the lap still.
Rosberg is right on Alonso's tail at the completion of the next lap. The McLaren runs wide onto the web kerb on the exit of the final corner, kicking up some spray, and he leaves the door open for Rosberg to cruise up the inside into Turn 1 without drama.
Rosberg is two seconds quicker than Alonso as they come across the line, with roughly 4-5s between them on track at the moment.
Stefan Smit asks: "What are 'unmarked' Pirelli tyres? Are they experimental compounds, or do they just want to keep a secret?"
EDD STRAW: "The unmarked tyre is the so-called 'winter hard'. It's a prototype tyre - on the basis that it won't be used for racing.
"Given the cool conditions in pre-season testing (track temperature is currently around the 13C mark), this tyre has a lower working range. This should allow decent grip even in colder conditions than the regular tyres are optimised for."
EDD STRAW: "The unmarked tyre is the so-called 'winter hard'. It's a prototype tyre - on the basis that it won't be used for racing.
"Given the cool conditions in pre-season testing (track temperature is currently around the 13C mark), this tyre has a lower working range. This should allow decent grip even in colder conditions than the regular tyres are optimised for."
Alonso follows that fastest first sector up by losing 1.5s in the much longer middle sector, and by the end of the lap he crosses the line with a new personal best of 1m35.553s, which is 2.4s down on Rosberg's best and moves him up to fifth.
Rosberg is only a couple of seconds behind Alonso on track at the moment. He was 4km/h up on the Honda-powered car as they crossed the start/finish line this time.
Alonso sets the fastest first sector we've seen today, so it appears that the track is starting to come alive.
Alonso sets the fastest first sector we've seen today, so it appears that the track is starting to come alive.
Regarding the start/finish line speed trap comparison between the McLaren and the Mercedes, BEN ANDERSON reminds us that one of the German powerplant's strengths last year was the fact that it kept on pulling to the end of the straights. So it could be that by the time Rosberg reaches the braking zone for Turn 1 the gap between his speed and Alonso's has increased.
And with that, Alonso heads back out for lap 20 of McLaren's day.
And with that, Alonso heads back out for lap 20 of McLaren's day.
We're seeing some strange lines down the straights here, so maybe some dry patches are appearing now and those still running on intermediates are trying to avoid them.
Raikkonen improves again - he's up to fourth with a 1m36.403s.
We've given BEN ANDERSON the speed trap figures regarding his earlier query over Alonso's speed and braking position into Turn 1. Now that he knows the McLaren isn't that far off the Mercedes (in these conditions) when they cross the start/finish line, in his curiosity he's vowed to wander up to Turn 1 for Alonso's next run.
Bogata Borbely from Hungary asks: "I would like to know whether you have seen any special technical solution on the cars that could give some advantage?"
CRAIG SCARBOROUGH: "So far, all the little details are ones we've seen before, such as clever cooling setups or blown front axles. The real clever stuff will start to emerge in later tests, although I have already seen a very interesting secret that I can soon reveal..."
CRAIG SCARBOROUGH: "So far, all the little details are ones we've seen before, such as clever cooling setups or blown front axles. The real clever stuff will start to emerge in later tests, although I have already seen a very interesting secret that I can soon reveal..."
For those of you following us on our mobile site, we appreciate that you don't get our leaderboard. So here's the order so far:
1 Rosberg
2 Ricciardo +1.717s
3 Nasr +2.068s
4 Sainz +3.809s
5 Raikkonen +4.033s
6 Alonso +4.049s
7 Massa +12.869s
8 Maldonado (no time)
1 Rosberg
2 Ricciardo +1.717s
3 Nasr +2.068s
4 Sainz +3.809s
5 Raikkonen +4.033s
6 Alonso +4.049s
7 Massa +12.869s
8 Maldonado (no time)
Raikkonen improves again, this time moving clear of Alonso with a 1m37.092s.
Sauber reports "no real damage" following Nasr's spin into the gravel earlier, so the team is now preparing the car to return to action.
Alonso is back in the pits after another run for McLaren, leaving Raikkonen and Rosberg out on track. Raikkonen is lapping in the 1m37s, Rosberg the 1m39s.
Twitter
@Lotus_F1Team: "Still chasing a pesky telemetry issue this morning, Cliff Richard playing, hopefully out soon."
Raikkonen posts his first time of the day - a 1m37.342s puts him sixth quickest.
BEN ANDERSON reports that the drivers are still preferring to stick with intermediates at the moment as the cool temperatures prevent the track from drying.
BEN ANDERSON reports that the drivers are still preferring to stick with intermediates at the moment as the cool temperatures prevent the track from drying.
From what we're seeing of Alonso on the circuit's CCTV cameras he's taking the good old-fashioned wet lines that so many drivers learn in karting. That means going deep and wide into the corners, so maybe that's why he's able to brake a bit later.
BEN ANDERSON: "Alonso is braking quite a bit later for Turn 1 than Rosberg - maybe he's travelling slower when he hits the brakes?"
If we consult the numbers, Alonso crossed the start/finish line at 258km/h on that lap, while Rosberg follows at 262km/h. The top speed we've seen at the same point today is 273km/h from Massa in the Williams.
If we consult the numbers, Alonso crossed the start/finish line at 258km/h on that lap, while Rosberg follows at 262km/h. The top speed we've seen at the same point today is 273km/h from Massa in the Williams.
Fernando Alonso
Lots of 1m38s for Alonso on this run. He did post another 1m37s, but it was slightly slower than his best in these damp conditions that don't seem to be improving much at the moment.
Alonso completes his 16th lap, turning into the first corner just as Sainz emerges from the pits after another practice start for the rookie.
Alonso is lapping 1-2s shy of his personal best 1m37s on this run. Before the red flag, BEN ANDERSON told us that McLaren were starting a five-lap run.
Rosberg and Sainz have joined Alonso on track. McLaren sits third on laps completed so far today, with only Rosberg and recent spinner Nasr ahead.
BEN ANDERSON reports that Sauber's secrecy was justified - some Toro Rosso mechanics went along to take a look at the C34 and were taking a keen interest in its rear end.
We're getting the most laps of the week from the McLaren, and the Honda engine sounds better than it did at any point during its sporadic running on days one and two.
Despite being the team that finished 10th in the constructors' championship last year, Sauber brought the screens out when its car was returned to the pits. Secrecy runs rampant in F1 - not just at the front of the grid.
Green flag
As the Sauber mechanics take care of getting their car off the truck, the pits are open.
First car out is the McLaren - there's something we haven't said yet this week.
First car out is the McLaren - there's something we haven't said yet this week.
The Sauber is back in the pits.
Twitter
@McLarenF1: "Some laps already under our belt this morning - feels like progress."
Good news for the impatient Rosberg - the Sauber is on its way back to the pits on the flatbed.
Twitter
@MercedesAMGF1: "RADIO: "What are we waiting for?!" Someone's keen..."
The Sauber is making its way onto the flatbed truck now. Judging by how long it took the recovery vehicle to lift it out of the gravel, it must have been pretty buried.
Red Bull, Jerez
Lots of you are asking us at live@autosport.com or using #askautosport on Twitter about what Red Bull is hiding under its camouflage testing livery. Well, our technical expert CRAIG SCARBOROUGH has the answers in his in-depth analysis of the RB11:
Under the skin of the new Red Bull
By: Glenn Freeman, Ben Anderson, Jonathan Noble, Edd Straw, AUTOSPORT staff
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