Valencia February Test Test day three
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Welcome to AUTOSPORT Live for our continuing coverage of the first pre-season test of 2010.
Excitement is building and the session is just getting underway on a crisp morning in Valencia.
Excitement is building and the session is just getting underway on a crisp morning in Valencia.
Valencia sunshine
The air temperature is a chilly three celsius with the track only a couple of degrees warmer. However, the sun is out and things should warm up during the day.
Nico Hulkenberg is the first man out on track today in his Williams FW32.
Fans are pouring into the circuit already to see local hero Fernando Alonso.
The Spaniard has just completed an installation lap in the Ferrari F10.
The Spaniard has just completed an installation lap in the Ferrari F10.
Two other former world champions also continue their new challenges today with Michael Schumacher back on track in the Mercedes and Jenson Button getting his first taste of the McLaren MP4-25.
Button was presented to the media in a photocall outside the McLaren garage a few minutes ago.
Also on track today will be Pedro de la Rosa (Sauber), Vitaly Petrov (Renault), Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso) and Nico Hulkenberg (Williams).
The track has fallen silent after first installation laps. Button and Schumacher are the only men not to have left the garage yet.
World champion Jenson Button takes to the track for the first time in his McLaren.
It is a three lap run for Button as he gets his first taste of the MP4-25.
Button is back in the pits to wrap up his first experience of the new McLaren.
Michael Schumacher is wearing a black carbon prototype Schuberth helmet and is working on a run of laps. A 1m14.889s is the German's best effort so far.
Pedro de la Rosa is now on top of the early order with a lap of 1m12.293s in the Sauber.
The session has been stopped.
De la Rosa has stopped on track in his Sauber on the run to Turn 4.
The Spaniard still heads the early times while his car is being recovered back to the pits.
Jaime Alguersuari is currently third fastest before the first red flag of the day. This will be his first chance to complete a test day in the Toro Rosso as the young Spaniard was prevented from testing last year by the in-season ban.
The session has restarted.
Things are warming up nicely now with the winter sunshine overhead. The track temperature is now up to 18.3 celsius.
Fernando Alonso is quickly back on circuit in the Ferrari F10.
De la Rosa's Sauber has been recovered back to the pitlane on a truck and the mechanics are now looking in to why the car stopped earlier.
An early effort from Alonso in the Ferrari moves him up to third quickest in 1m14.554s.
Alguersuari has gone faster than Buemi managed in the Toro Rosso. He's done a 1m13.527s compared to the Swiss driver's 1m13.823 of yesterday.
Alonso improves again with a 1m13.006 to go second quickest.
It is a march up the order for the Spaniard as he is now under four tenths off De la Rosa's early benchmark.
Fernando Alonso delights the crowd by topping the timesheet with a 1m12.160s in the Ferrari.
Alonso continues his promising early run with a new benchmark of 1m11.905s.
Sauber technical director Willy Rampf tells our man Edd Straw there was a clash between Pedro de la Rosa and Nico Hulkenberg, which caused the red flag earlier.
The Sauber team are tending to some bodywork damage on the car.
The Sauber team are tending to some bodywork damage on the car.
Times after one hour: Alonso 1m11.905; de la Rosa 12.293; Alguersuari 1m12.576; Schumacher 1m13.686s; Petrov 1m17.425s; Hulkenberg 1m17.723s; Button 1m32.980s.
Meanwhile, Virgin Racing are unveiling their 2010 contender in a virtual launch. Stick with AUTOSPORT for all the details.
Jenson Button
Jenson Button remains in the McLaren garage and hasn't been out since that early installation run.
Michael Schumacher continues to lap in the Mercedes and has improved to a 1m12.874s, just under a second off Alonso's benchmark.
From @eddstrawF1 - Williams confirm that Hulkenberg and De la Rosa did make contact. They say "we bumped wheels and suffered no damage"
Official figures from yesterday's test: 15,500 fans in the stands. More than 25,000 expected today. That may me more than in some races
Repairs still carried out to the BMW Sauber of de la Rosa
Meanwhile, the world waits for the first image of the Virgin car
De la Rosa is now back in action following repairs after his clash with Hulkenberg
McLaren on Button, via eddstrawF1: "It's his first run, so we're getting him comfortable and running a slightly longer checklist than we had with Gary and Lewis"
And now Button leaves the pits for some more laps
12pm update: Alonso 1m11.709; de la Rosa 1m12.094; Schumacher 1m12.450; Alguersuari 1m12.576; Button 1m13.783; Hulkenberg 14.410; Petrov 1m14.707
By: Geoff Creighton, Pablo Elizalde
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