The Jerez circuit was bathed in sunshine as the third day of 2014 pre-season testing took place under blue skies.
Overall, it was a much more productive day for many. However, it was far from straightforward with the majority of teams experiencing at least one problem over the course of the session.
Unlike Wednesday, track conditions remained dry for the eight hours of running, with the majority of the 358 laps completed taking place on slick Pirelli tyres - although intermediates were used for installation laps.
It was a tale of two halves once again though, as the Mercedes-powered runners gained substantial mileage (a total of 218 laps) and the Renault-engined teams struggled (a total of 43 laps) to make it out on track. The Ferrari V6 Turbo power-unit gained 97 laps worth of running thanks to Ferrari, Sauber and Marussia.
Day three also saw the debut of the new Marussia MR03, after its journey to Jerez was delayed due to a problem being discovered in the final sign off at the team's factory. It eventually broke cover after arriving on Wednesday afternoon, and completed five laps with Max Chilton at the wheel.
At McLaren, driving duties were shared by Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen. In a change to their schedule, the former was placed in the car for the morning session after he was forced to sit out the opening day.
However, it was the Woking-based outfit's rookie that topped the timesheets on day three. His best lap, a 1m23.276, was four tenths quicker than Felipe Massa's Williams in second, although times are completely useless at this stage.
Mileage and reliability was more important and after the issues with the MP4-29 on Tuesday, the car ran well for the Danish driver during his afternoon stint. He managed 52 laps at the wheel and those watching track-side said he looked extremely comfortable in the car, despite it being his first time driving 2014 machinery.
As mentioned two paragraphs ago, Felipe Massa ended the day in second place as he made his debut for Williams. The Brazilian completed 47 laps driving the new FW36, giving the team vital information regarding the handling and characteristics of the car at this early stage.
His fastest lap was set late in the day, as was third-place man Lewis Hamilton's best attempt. The Mercedes W05 continued to run smoothly, apart from a late transmission issue, after a successful second day with Nico Rosberg behind the wheel. Hamilton lapped the 2.75 mile circuit 62 times on Thursday.
"Proving reliability at this stage is crucial and every lap is precious, as this is going to be a seriously challenging year for every team," he said. "I'm feeling very positive after these tests and every day on track is another step forwards, but there are so many challenges ahead of us in the coming weeks and months that we just have to take those steps one at a time."
The 29-year-old ended the day six tenths shy of Magnussen, or K-Mag, but 1.1 seconds clear of Jenson Button. The Brit had a productive morning and gained 40 laps of experience in his new machinery. It was a largely trouble-free day for McLaren overall, with plenty of positives to take from its running.
Fernando Alonso had the second highest lap tally, with 58, and ended the day in fifth place. His first time driving the Ferrari F14 T didn't get off to the best start after a problem caused him to stop out on track early in the day, bringing out the first red flag. But it was a quick fix and the Spaniard was soon back out on track to complete another decent day of running for the Scuderia.
Nico Hulkenberg set the sixth fastest time but it was a frustrating day for Force India. The team seemed to be the only Mercedes-powered runner to experience problems. It was a slow start for the Silverstone-based outfit, before the VJM07 then broke down early in the afternoon.
The former Williams and Sauber racer did manage to complete 17 laps but in comparison to other teams using the same power-unit, it was another poor day. It was a similar story for Jean-Eric Vergne. He suffered a number of on-track stoppages while driving the STR9, although he did lap the Jerez track 30 times.
Adrian Sutil had an eventful day that started well with a number of runs in the morning. However, his running ended early after a crash at turn seven mid-way through the afternoon, which damaged the front wing of his new C33.
The newly-launched Caterham CT05 only managed 10 laps with reserve driver Robin Frijns at the wheel. His first three installation laps were cut slightly short thanks to software issues, with the car stopping at the pit entry every time.
"Even though we had limited running today it’s still good to be back in an F1 car, especially with a team where I already feel like part of the family," said the Dutchman.
"Since we made the announcement last week everyone’s been really good with me, integrating me into the whole setup at the factory and here in Spain much more than I’ve been with my previous teams, so it’s a good feeling."
He failed to set a time, as did rivals Marussia. Despite the team's new MR03 only arriving at the track on Wednesday, it still managed to complete almost half the total Jerez test lap tally of the Red Bull RB10. Max Chilton gave the new car its on-track debut, emerging from the pit garage mid-way through the afternoon and completing installation laps only.
Propping up the results page, thanks to not setting a time and completing the least laps, was Daniel Ricciardo in the previously-mentioned RB10.
It was another terrible day for Red Bull, which led team principal Christian Horner and chief technical officer Adrian Newey to leave the track early after telling the team to focus on getting the car prepared for the fourth day.
Ricciardo's first lap as an official Red Bull Racing driver lasted just a few corners, before his 2014 car ground to a half in a cloud of smoke. The team fixed the car quickly but he only managed two more laps before his day ended early.
So it was another day of mixed fortunes at Jerez, as the new F1 era continues to splutter into life. Here are the results:
Day 3 Times:
1. Kevin Magnussen (McLaren-Mercedes) 1m23.276 - 52 laps
2. Felipe Massa (Williams-Mercedes) 1m23.700 - 47 laps
3. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1m23.952 - 62 laps
4. Jenson Button (McLaren-Mercedes) 1m25.030 - 40 laps
5. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 1m25.495 - 58 laps
6. Nico Hulkenberg (Force India-Mercedes) 1m26.096 - 17 laps
7. Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso-Renault) 1m29.915 - 30 laps
8. Adrian Sutil (Sauber-Ferrari) 1m30.161 - 34 laps
9. Robin Frijns (Caterham-Renault) No time - 10 laps
10. Max Chilton (Marussia-Ferrari) No time - 5 laps
11. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull-Renault) No time - 3 laps
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| © Octane Photographic |
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| © Octane Photographic |
It was a tale of two halves once again though, as the Mercedes-powered runners gained substantial mileage (a total of 218 laps) and the Renault-engined teams struggled (a total of 43 laps) to make it out on track. The Ferrari V6 Turbo power-unit gained 97 laps worth of running thanks to Ferrari, Sauber and Marussia.
Day three also saw the debut of the new Marussia MR03, after its journey to Jerez was delayed due to a problem being discovered in the final sign off at the team's factory. It eventually broke cover after arriving on Wednesday afternoon, and completed five laps with Max Chilton at the wheel.
At McLaren, driving duties were shared by Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen. In a change to their schedule, the former was placed in the car for the morning session after he was forced to sit out the opening day.
However, it was the Woking-based outfit's rookie that topped the timesheets on day three. His best lap, a 1m23.276, was four tenths quicker than Felipe Massa's Williams in second, although times are completely useless at this stage.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
As mentioned two paragraphs ago, Felipe Massa ended the day in second place as he made his debut for Williams. The Brazilian completed 47 laps driving the new FW36, giving the team vital information regarding the handling and characteristics of the car at this early stage.
His fastest lap was set late in the day, as was third-place man Lewis Hamilton's best attempt. The Mercedes W05 continued to run smoothly, apart from a late transmission issue, after a successful second day with Nico Rosberg behind the wheel. Hamilton lapped the 2.75 mile circuit 62 times on Thursday.
"Proving reliability at this stage is crucial and every lap is precious, as this is going to be a seriously challenging year for every team," he said. "I'm feeling very positive after these tests and every day on track is another step forwards, but there are so many challenges ahead of us in the coming weeks and months that we just have to take those steps one at a time."
The 29-year-old ended the day six tenths shy of Magnussen, or K-Mag, but 1.1 seconds clear of Jenson Button. The Brit had a productive morning and gained 40 laps of experience in his new machinery. It was a largely trouble-free day for McLaren overall, with plenty of positives to take from its running.
Fernando Alonso had the second highest lap tally, with 58, and ended the day in fifth place. His first time driving the Ferrari F14 T didn't get off to the best start after a problem caused him to stop out on track early in the day, bringing out the first red flag. But it was a quick fix and the Spaniard was soon back out on track to complete another decent day of running for the Scuderia.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
The former Williams and Sauber racer did manage to complete 17 laps but in comparison to other teams using the same power-unit, it was another poor day. It was a similar story for Jean-Eric Vergne. He suffered a number of on-track stoppages while driving the STR9, although he did lap the Jerez track 30 times.
Adrian Sutil had an eventful day that started well with a number of runs in the morning. However, his running ended early after a crash at turn seven mid-way through the afternoon, which damaged the front wing of his new C33.
The newly-launched Caterham CT05 only managed 10 laps with reserve driver Robin Frijns at the wheel. His first three installation laps were cut slightly short thanks to software issues, with the car stopping at the pit entry every time.
"Even though we had limited running today it’s still good to be back in an F1 car, especially with a team where I already feel like part of the family," said the Dutchman.
"Since we made the announcement last week everyone’s been really good with me, integrating me into the whole setup at the factory and here in Spain much more than I’ve been with my previous teams, so it’s a good feeling."
He failed to set a time, as did rivals Marussia. Despite the team's new MR03 only arriving at the track on Wednesday, it still managed to complete almost half the total Jerez test lap tally of the Red Bull RB10. Max Chilton gave the new car its on-track debut, emerging from the pit garage mid-way through the afternoon and completing installation laps only.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Propping up the results page, thanks to not setting a time and completing the least laps, was Daniel Ricciardo in the previously-mentioned RB10.
It was another terrible day for Red Bull, which led team principal Christian Horner and chief technical officer Adrian Newey to leave the track early after telling the team to focus on getting the car prepared for the fourth day.
Ricciardo's first lap as an official Red Bull Racing driver lasted just a few corners, before his 2014 car ground to a half in a cloud of smoke. The team fixed the car quickly but he only managed two more laps before his day ended early.
So it was another day of mixed fortunes at Jerez, as the new F1 era continues to splutter into life. Here are the results:
Day 3 Times:
1. Kevin Magnussen (McLaren-Mercedes) 1m23.276 - 52 laps
2. Felipe Massa (Williams-Mercedes) 1m23.700 - 47 laps
3. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1m23.952 - 62 laps
4. Jenson Button (McLaren-Mercedes) 1m25.030 - 40 laps
5. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 1m25.495 - 58 laps
6. Nico Hulkenberg (Force India-Mercedes) 1m26.096 - 17 laps
7. Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso-Renault) 1m29.915 - 30 laps
8. Adrian Sutil (Sauber-Ferrari) 1m30.161 - 34 laps
9. Robin Frijns (Caterham-Renault) No time - 10 laps
10. Max Chilton (Marussia-Ferrari) No time - 5 laps
11. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull-Renault) No time - 3 laps
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