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Formula 1

Barcelona F1 test day three

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Checkered flag
Driver, Team, Time, Tyre
Alonso,McLaren,2m18.545s,W
Ricciardo,Red Bull,
Hartley,Toro Rosso,
Ericsson,Sauber,
Kubica,Williams,
--,Mercedes,
--,Ferrari,
--,Force India,
--,Renault,
--,Haas,
Thanks for joining us through that nine-hour marathon of mostly tedium. Hopefully things will pick up tomorrow and the teams will be a little more adventurous. Time is running out to get some decent running in before the first test of 2018 concludes. Join us tomorrow for coverage of all the action on the final day.
Here's our full report of, well, not exactly an action-packed day at Barcelona, but for what it's worth, it contains everything you need to know about a weather-beaten day in Spain.

F1 testing: Fernando Alonso sets sole lap time of snow-wrecked day

McLaren's Fernando Alonso was the only driver to post a time during the third day of Formula 1 testing at Barcelona, which was affected by snow and heavy rain

F1 testing: Fernando Alonso sets sole lap time of snow-wrecked day
That's the first time McLaren has topped an official F1 test since Stoffel Vandoorne set the pace at the 2015 Abu Dhabi tyre test. It's the first time McLaren has led the way in pre-season since Kevin Magnussen was fastest on day three of the first 2014 test at Jerez.
Stopwatch
He does! Alonso finishes the day with a 2m18.545s.
Checkered flag
Chequered flag. Will Alonso stay out to complete his lap?
Heading into the final minute and Alonso stays out - is he going to beat his previous best? We can't watch...
Alonso can't get enough of this, he's back on track for lap nine of the day.
Alonso pits, bringing to an end a session-topping three-lap run to take him to eight laps for the day. Only 11 minutes for anyone to respond to the marker he has laid down for the rest of the field.
Alonso sets a time! He leads the way on day three with a 2m21.268s.
Well this really is big news, Alonso has stayed out! A car crosses the start/finish line for the first time today. Will he set a time? He's lit up the timing screen with a fastest first sector. What a moment.
Hold onto your hats - we have two cars on track at once. Alonso is joined by Hartley.
Alonso heads out again, as we enter the final 30 minutes of a day that will inevitably be the answer to a quiz question in years to come.
Alonso pits again. If he doesn't set a time, we're not crediting him with 'topping' today's test even if his number of laps completed means he leads the order timing screen.
Alonso heads out again for lap four of the day. Perhaps he heard we were thinking of nipping out to the toilet. We'll wait.
Alonso goes out again in an attempt to stand alone at the top of the lap count - a rarity for McLaren in recent years during testing. Providing he makes it back to the pits he'll have completed a grand total of three today.
Information
As the third day of pre-season testing enters its final hour, here's a quick recap of the day's events so far:

* The start of testing was delayed by three hours as snow blanketed the Barcelona circuit.
* When the green flags finally flew, nothing happened for another hour...
* Alonso was the first to brave the conditions and took great delight in McLaren topping the lap count charts.
* Ricciardo's Red Bull ensured Alonso's joy was short-lived by doing two laps, albeit one that included a trip through the gravel.
* Ericsson, Kubica and Hartley all eventually had a stab at an installation lap in the wet.
* Alonso eventually matched Ricciardo by completing a second lap for McLaren in the final hour.
* Gary Anderson got furious that no one made the most of the conditions to actually test anything.
* We all pray this day ends soon and tomorrow the Beast from the East will relent.
Alonso returns to the pits, now tied on two laps for the day with Ricciardo. The track falls silent, although Autosport's Edd Straw tries to make up for the lack of engine noise with a couple of his terrifyingly loud sneezes.
McLaren sends Alonso out for his second lap of the day. The competition to top the lap count on day three of this test hots up.
Autosport
This has been a terrible day for F1 testing, and the weather over the last two days has thrown a real curveball at teams as they attempt to understand their new cars. But, as this feature from our technical expert Gary Anderson explains, there is still plenty you can achieve, even when it's wet and cold. What are you waiting for guys? Get out there!

Why F1 testing threw a major curveball on day two - F1 - Autosport Plus

Formula 1 pre-season testing is packed with challenges for the teams, but some are less welcome than others - especially when there's very little they can do about it

Why F1 testing threw a major curveball on day two - F1 - Autosport Plus
Rain
It is still absolutely chucking it down here at the track. We preferred the snow.
Want to see another angle of Hartley's Toro Rosso from its brief appearance earlier? Of course you do! So here goes... (Sutton Images)

Want to see another angle of Hartley's Toro Rosso from its brief appearance earlier? Of course you do! So here goes... (Sutton Images)

Nothing else going on at the moment, so let's take another moment to remember how rubbish the attempts to hold a wet-track test were last year.

Nothing else going on at the moment, so let's take another moment to remember how rubbish the attempts to hold a wet-track test were last year.

You've got to think Pirelli will remember this day the next time the teams say they need some wet-weather testing. The attempt last year to artificially water the track was a shambles, and clearly when it's naturally soaked the teams would rather keep their cars dry (and in the case of today, warm).

By: Geoff Creighton

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