Magnussen settling inpublished at 12:58 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2015
Honda tweet:, external "With each session, @KevinMagnussen is getting faster, and more comfortable with the #MP430."
Image source, HondaSummary
Penultimate day of the final pre-season test
Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes posts fastest time
Hamilton's team-mate Nico Rosberg set fastest overall time of Barcelona tests yesterday
First race is the Australian Grand Prix on 15 March
Magnussen settling inpublished at 12:58 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2015
Image source, HondaWho, what, where, when? Bonus roundpublished at 12:51 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2015
Right, this one is slightly different as it's away from the track and there's no cars.
However, there are two F1 world champions in the picture here. Can you tell me who they are? The year's not needed, but I'm open to being impressed.
#bbcf1 please.
Image source, Getty ImagesWho, what, where, when? The answerpublished at 12:48 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2015
Thanks for playing along. I think that caught quite a few out but I'd say around 70% of you still got it right. Impressive.
The answer was Williams' Thierry Boutsen winning the Australian Grand Prix in the rain, 1989. Craig Wilson was quickest with the right answer.
As it's Saturday I'll do one more.
Two mins...
Image source, Getty ImagesForce India continue to make up for lost timepublished at 12:34 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2015
Force India tweet:, external "End of the morning session. Nico was the busiest driver so far, with 76 laps, just one short of yesterday's total."
Image source, Force IndiaWho, what, where, when?published at 12:15 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2015
Ok, here we go. I was soundly put in my place yesterday for underestimating the depth of the F1 knowledge out there, so I'm going for a bit of a random one today (cue another 99% success rate).
So, tell me who this driver is, who he's driving for, what is going on, and at which track and in which year.
Answer using #bbcf1 please.
Go.
Image source, Getty ImagesMorning test times, day threepublished at 12:07 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2015
1. Felipe Massa (Williams) 1:23.262 (45 laps)
2. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 1:23.276 (51)
3. Marcus Ericsson (Sauber) 1:24.477 (50)
4. Nico Hulkenberg (Force India) 1:24.939 (76)
5. Kevin Magnussen (McLaren) 1:25.225 (38)
6. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1:25.471 (36)
7. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) 1:25.742 (60)
8. Carlos Sainz (Toro Rosso) 1:26.330 (53)
9. Romain Grosjean (Lotus) 1:27.950 (44)
Morning round-uppublished at 12:03 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2015
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer"Well, that was a properly fascinating morning of testing. Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen have grabbed the headlines, but there is no mistaking the overall message that Mercedes appear to have a sizeable advantage.
"Meanwhile, in the context of their winter struggles, it was another encouraging morning for McLaren, with Kevin Magnussen doing 34 laps to add to the 101 Jenson Button managed on Friday, and with no apparent problems. Have Honda finally nailed the reliability of that engine?
"Pace-wise, though, it's not looking great for McLaren at the moment. A 1:25.225 on the softs is pretty slow - 2.5secs off a Mercedes and 1.3secs off a Williams - unless Magnussen did that time on a lot of fuel. But Magnussen would have to had 60kg of fuel in the car - unlikely on a short run - to make that competitive with a Mercedes.
"For McLaren's sake, let's hope the engine is still turned down at this stage."
Chequered flagpublished at 12:01 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2015
Lunchtime. We're done for the morning here in Barcelona.
Times coming up.
Ericsson and Hulkenberg improve on super-softspublished at 11:56 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2015
The Sauber of Marcus Ericsson displaces goes third with a lap of 1:24.477 on the super-soft.
Force India's Nico Hulkenberg also has the red-walled tyre on and goes fourth with a 1:24.939.
Quiz time approachingpublished at 11:50 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2015
Just to mark your cards for some upcoming lunchtime buffoonery. I'll do my usual thing of blurring famous moments in F1 history and you have to tell me who is in said picture, as well as when and where it was taken.
Top three as lunch loomspublished at 11:44 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2015
1. Felipe Massa (Williams) 1:23.262 (set on super-soft tyre)
2. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 1:23.276 (super-soft)
3. Kevin Magnussen (McLaren) 1:25.225 (soft)
Super-soft times hint at scale of Merc advantagepublished at 11:41 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2015
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer"These recent fast times set by Felipe Massa in the Williams and Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari fit exactly the pattern that has emerged over the last few days. Both setting a 1:22.3 on super-softs, they are still 0.5secs short of the time set on soft tyres by Nico Rosberg's Mercedes on Friday - and the softs are at least that margin slower than the super-softs.
"There is more and more evidence that the Mercedes has an advantage of about a second over the other teams and that Williams, Ferrari and Red Bull are exceptionally closely matched behind, even if we are yet to see a qualifying-type lap from the Red Bull this week."
McLaren bares its teethpublished at 11:39 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2015
Kevin Magnussen has hauled the McLaren up to third place in among this pre-lunchtime frenzy. A 1:25.225 on the soft tyre is the team's best effort of the week, eclipsing Jenson Button's 1:25.590 yesterday.
Raikkonen breathing down Massa's neckpublished at 11:35 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2015
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen has joined Felipe Massa in the hooning joys of a set of super-softs and lobs in a 1:23.276, just 0.014secs off the Williams man.
Image source, Getty ImagesF1 journalist Dan Knutson in Barcelonapublished at 11:28 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2015
"The Ferrari mechanics run hither and thither with the screens trying to hide the car when Kimi Raikkonen brings the car into the pits. There must be some new parts on it today."
Image source, KnutsonMassa raises the bar once morepublished at 11:17 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2015
Felipe Massa's Williams is now sporting a set of super-soft tyres and his lap times are duly falling - he's just done a 1m23.262s. That's still half a second off Nico Rosberg's time on the softs for Mercedes yesterday.
Image source, Getty ImagesGet involvedpublished at 11:05 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2015
As always we need your observations on today's testing action. Send us your comments using #bbcf1.
Change at the toppublished at 11:03 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2015
Felipe Massa, who has the second fastest time of the Barcelona tests so far, jumps to the top of the order today with a 1:24.950 in the Williams FW37. That's a medium-tyre run, and is some 1.5secs down on his best time of the test, which came on the faster soft tyre.
Quarter of a century for Magnussenpublished at 10:54 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2015
McLaren on Twitter:, external "The track's warming up and there's blue skies overhead. 25 laps on the board for Kev."
Image source, McLarenThe Hulk goes thirdpublished at 10:42 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2015
Still the Force India powers on. I don't think it's had a single glitch since it came out the wrappers yesterday.
Nico Hulkenberg is now up to third place after a 1:26.137 on the soft tyre.