Lee McKenzie
BBC F1 pit-lane reporter

"McLaren chairman Ron Dennis has said at a news conference that Fernando Alonso was unconscious for 'just a few seconds' after his crash on Sunday.

"Dennis says Alonso has got no injury. He should be fine to race in Australia and in normal circumstances he'll be racing. This is recovery time.

"I asked Dennis what Alonso remembers of the accident, and he said they had not had that conversation yet. He says every input by Alonso in car was normal up until the crash. The radio stayed on and they heard breathing but no contact."

McLaren chairman Ron Dennis has, as expected, been talking about Fernando Alonso's crash last week.

Dennis has told assembled journalists in the Barcelona paddock that Alonso was briefly knocked out in the accident but expects the Spaniard to race in Australia, pending clearance from doctors.

We'll have the full quotes for you very soon.

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer

"McLaren chairman Ron Dennis and racing director Eric Boullier are holding a news conference, due to start imminently.

"This has been called this morning and the pair will undoubtedly be asked about Fernando Alonso's condition. There are many unanswered questions surrounding Alonso's accident and his medical wellbeing.

"High among them is one arising from a report in Italy's Gazzetta Dello Sport this morning, which stated that Alonso was suffering in hospital from 'retrograde amnesia', which not only affected his recollection of the accident, but also 'other aspects of his life'.

"There is no confirmation whether this is true or not, but Dennis will inevitably be asked to confirm whether that is the case."

And with that, Red Bull's Daniil Kvyat fires up his Renault engine and heads out.

We're back on track.

Still no action on track at present. The rain shower is keeping all cars and drivers indoors for now.

Want to see Lewis Hamilton look suitably impressed to be within a nose cone's distance of Taylor Swift? Of course you do.

That and other chat can be found on our world-famous F1 Gossip page.

Image source, Reuters

"With its new car on the way to Spain, Force India has abandoned the 2014 VJM07 that ran during the four days of testing here last week."

Image source, Knutson

Chris, Earl Ballard: "Expecting Mercedes to not just beat, but to absolutely demolish all comers come Australia qualifying."

Strodey123: "Not looking good for McLaren, but they're in the same position as Red Bull were a year ago, and they still won 3 races."

Stephen: "I know it's testing but I was worried about Williams' pace. Nice to see them speed up!"

"There were patches of blue sky this morning but now it is overcast. Some rain sprinkles started to fall at 11:45 a.m. local time."

All the cars are now in the pits as they wait for the shower to pass.

Felipe Massa's stint on the medium tyre is going swimmingly.

The affable Brazilian has hauled his Williams up to second place with a 1:25.763, albeit still nearly a second off Hamilton's benchmark.

Image source, Getty Images

Carlos Sainz's stint in the car today has left Toro Rosso team-mate Max Verstappen to cool his heels in the pit lane.

It's given the 17-year-old a little father-son time with dad Jos, as this picture shows.

And it looks ripe for a bit of caption speculation if you ask me. Send your suggestions on Twitter using #bbcf1.

Image source, Getty Images

Carlos Sainz has certainly done the development miles in the Toro Rosso today.

The rookie racked up more than 20 laps before he set a time - the legacy of a series of practice pit stops.

The Spaniard's went and done a 1:27.866, dropping Jenson Button's McLaren to the foot of the standings.

In a rare display of unity, all the drivers are currently on medium tyres, which makes interpreting their lap times a tad easier - although the tickly issue of fuel levels of course still fogs the issue.

Still, it's something.

Now on the mediums, Williams' Felipe Massa picks up three-tenths on his previous best as he posts a 1:26.083 - a whisper behind Red Bull's Daniil Kvyat, who himself has improved to 1:25.947. Kimi Rakkonen's Ferrari is also donning medium boots and he's up to 1:27.813.

Don't forget that throughout pre-season testing you can get in touch with us here at BBC Sport to have your say on the action.

Tag your messages #bbcf1 and we'll publish as many as we can.

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer

"It's not always easy to construct a picture of comparative form from pre-season testing, but an image is starting to emerge. It seems clear from last week's Barcelona test particularly that Mercedes still have a significant advantage over their rivals at the front of the field.

"The team themselves are playing this down, pointing out that fuel loads are unknown, different tyres have been used by different teams and most of all that everyone has upgrades for this final test and some yet more for the first race.

"But most insiders seem to agree that Mercedes are a step ahead - how much is not clear, but some believe it is as much as a second a lap - and that the next bunch of Red Bull, Ferrari and Williams are closely matched.

"Will the next four days consolidate or change those impressions?"

Well, it's fair to say no one's mind has been blow by the action on the track thus far. But this is F1 and there's always a good tale around the corner...

For now, here's a look at the times as things stand two and a quarter hours into this ninth day of pre-season testing.

1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1:24.881 (29 laps)

2. Daniil Kvyat (Red Bull) 1:25.987 (26)

3. Felipe Massa (Williams) 1:26.399 (19)

4. Romain Grosjean (Lotus) 1:27.525 (24)

5. Marcus Ericsson (Sauber) 1:27.802 (27)

6. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 1:29.590 (18)

7. Jenson Button (McLaren) 1:31.479 (7)

8. Carlos Sainz (Toro Rosso) no time (24)

Image source, Getty Images

Here's an interesting tale from our website last night that you may have missed.

The recuperating Fernando Alonso has been warned not to rush back to racing following the crash that left him concussed and forced him to miss this test.

Gil De Ferran, a winner of the Indianapolis 500, two-time IndyCar champion and a man who has suffered more than his fair share of concussions, told BBC Sport that returning too soon is "the worst thing a driver can do".

You can read Andrew Benson's full story here.

Image source, @MercedesAMGF1

Mercedes tweet:, external Two hours into the first day of the final test! 26 laps on the board for @LewisHamilton, external, 1:24.881 his best so far!

"The paddock is pretty deserted this morning - almost no sponsor guests are around."

Image source, Knudson

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer

"While the thoughts and best wishes of everyone are with Fernando Alonso as he recuperates at his home in Oviedo, 560 miles away, following his crash last Sunday, his McLaren team will inevitably remain a major focus of attention at the Circuit De Barcelona-Catalunya these next four days.

"Quite apart from missing their star driver, McLaren are so far in no sort of shape for the new season, after eight severely troubled days of testing.

"Last week's test was ruined by continuing faults with a relatively minor part - a seal on the motor generator unit recovering energy from the rear axle. A fourth version of this part is to be tried this week in an attempt to give the team some proper running at last."