Sergio Pérez has finally staked his claim at the top of the times for Sauber, by leading the way on the third day of testing. Earlier in the week, Pérez posted a P1 time but it was later taken away from him for cutting a chicane. Today, there was no question as his time was the fastest so far this week.

Felipe Massa moved up to second for Ferrari, whilst Red Bull fell to third, having led the previous two days at Catalunya. Rubens Barrichello was fourth, despite another troubled day for Williams. Their pre-season testing has been littered with mechanical gremlins so far, and today Rubens caused two red flags when he pulled off track. He did manage to complete over 100 laps, though.

At the back, Jarno Trulli was 12 seconds off the pace, having shared the drive with Heikki Kovalainen. Trulli was only able to complete six laps due to a gearbox change and subsequent problems.