Alonso tops the times on day three of Barcelona test - Ferrari leap to the top as it's long run programmes all round
Published by Christine
Fernando Alonso proved that his delayed start to pre-season testing in 2013 has had little effect on his performance, as the Ferrari driver posted the fastest time of the third day in Barcelona. The flying laps were set in the morning, despite cooler temperatures, as the afternoon was reserved for longer race simulation runs.
Hülkenberg put in almost 100 laps and managed to set the second fastest time in his Sauber, with Romain Grosjean taking over duties from Kimi Räikkönen and completing the third fastest time.
Last year I was jumping in the car in testing and trying to go as fast as I could. This year I am trying to get as much knowledge as I can. It's a bit different. I know where we can work and what we can do. And yeah, hopefully the risk management will be different.
There was just the one red flag during the day, brought out by Giedo van der Garde who stopped out on track. The Caterham car was suffering some KERS gremlins, and they finished the day last... again.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1:21.875 | 97 |
| 2 | Nico Hülkenberg | Sauber | 1:22.160 | 91 |
| 3 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus | 1:22.188 | 119 |
| 4 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:22.611 | 107 |
| 5 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams | 1:22.675 | 79 |
| 6 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams | 1:22.826 | 67 |
| 7 | Jenson Button | McLaren | 1:22.840 | 71 |
| 8 | Adrian Sutil | Force India | 1:22.877 | 78 |
| 9 | Mark Webber | Red Bull | 1:23.024 | 108 |
| 10 | Jean-Éric Vergne | Toro Rosso | 1:23.366 | 106 |
| 11 | Max Chilton | Marussia | 1:25.690 | 57 |
| 12 | Giedo van der Garde | Caterham | 1:26.117 | 93 |
Adrian Sutil made his big comeback, getting behind the wheel of the Force India in the hopes of having a chance of the 2013 race seat. The German said afterwards he didn't know who would get the seat but that, "I spent six years with that team and they know my performance. I think it was obvious today that I could show I am still quick and that was very important."
Williams ran two drivers today, splitting the work between Maldonado and Bottas, the pair finishing 5th and 6th respectively.
Working on set-up during our runs today as well as a few final aero checks for additional data #Barcelona
WilliamsF1Team
283 laps in the three days of test. Keep the preparations for the season ahead trying things in the car. Now rest and analyze data.
119 laps today with @Lotus_F1Team in #Barcelona ! Falling asleep won't take me long tonight. See you tomorrow with rain?
Good day.. Covered more or less all the test items! Only some problem with Kers in the afternoon! Tomorrow another day only itlooks like rain
The final day of testing for this middle week is tomorrow, with Alonso handing over to Massa, Rosberg back to Hamilton and Hülkenberg to Gutiérrez. As the tweets above suggest, we may be in for some rain, so expect limited running and/or wet tyres!
