Summary

  • Final day of pre-season testing

  • Sebastian Vettel fastest in the morning

  • Vettel tests 'halo' head protection device

  • Transmission problem for Hamilton before lunch

  • Get involved #worsteverF1mods

  1. Vote time!published at 10:12 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    We've cranked up the vote machine once again so, if you click on the vote tab or look to the right of this screen (desktop users) you will see the question: "Who will win the Australian Grand Prix?"

    The vote will close at 14:00 GMT so get voting! 

    Terms and conditions.

  2. Get involved #worsteverF1modpublished at 10:10 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    You could lay out a fine array of sandwiches and French Fancies on that. Practical.

  3. Testing latestpublished at 10:06 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    1. Sebastian Vettel 1:23.595 22 laps

    2. Lewis Hamilton 1:24.133 33 laps

    3. Carlos Sainz 1:25.701 25 laps

    4. Daniel Ricciardo 1:24.898 32 laps

    5. Romain Grosjean 1:25.255 31 laps

    6. Sergio Perez 1:25.315 21 laps

    7. Felipe Massa 1:25.696 36 laps

    8. Jenson Button 1:25.960 21 laps

    9. Marcus Ericsson 1:26.823 32 laps

    10. Jolyon Palmer 1:27.515 13 laps

    All times on medium tyres except for Vettel, Grosjean and Button

  4. Postpublished at 10:01 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

  5. Postpublished at 09:54 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    Pretty quiet on the circuit at the moment. There's just Sergio Perez testing away in the Force India and he's just improved with 1:25.315.

  6. Get involvedpublished at 09:49 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    #worsteverF1mod

    There are some things I'd forgotten related to F1. In instances like the above, I like to think I blanked it from my mind. Amazing.

  7. Postpublished at 09:47 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

  8. Postpublished at 09:45 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    Nico Rosberg clocked the fastest time on medium tyres in the first test with 1:24.867. Lewis Hamilton has just gone quicker, improving with 1:24.133.

    He's no longer top, though, as Sebastian Vettel pops up with 1:23.595. That's on softs though.

  9. Scratching beneath the surfacepublished at 09:41 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    Andrew Benson
    Chief F1 writer

    This week started promisingly for McLaren-Honda, who are hoping to have made some progress up the grid this year after a dismal 2015; Fernando Alonso set the third fastest time on Tuesday. But as the week has gone by, sadly, that promise has ebbed away. The more you look at McLaren’s times, the more it looks as if they might not actually be that much better off than last year, at least at the start of the season. 

    And Alonso himself came close to admitting it after finishing his running on Thursday. He described progress on reliability as "quite positive”. As for pace, the Spaniard said: “In terms of performance, I am a bit on a standby because it’s difficult to read the time during the winter. It’s always changing. Some days some of the top times they seem reachable, some other days they seem unreachable. A little bit confused with the performance of everybody else and ourselves as well.

    "We wait for Australia, 5 o’clock. Everyone on track, same fuel load, same tyres for everybody and we get the answers. But I think there is still a lot of work to do. Hopefully we are much closer than last year also on the performance side.”

  10. Get involved #bbcf1published at 09:39 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

  11. Postpublished at 09:37 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    Daniel Ricciardo edges closer to Lewis Hamilton's pacesetting time, improving with 1:24.898. That's two tenths off Hamilton's effort with both times coming on the medium tyre.

    Where do you see Red Bull in the pecking order this season?

  12. Get involved #bbcf1published at 09:31 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    #worsteverF1mod

    F1Image source, Getty Images
  13. Postpublished at 09:25 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    F1 journalist Dan Knutson in Barcelona: "It’s another sunny day. Nobody can remember having eight straight days of testing at Barcelona without any rain. 

    "There was a little bit of rain before the start of the session on the first day, but from then on the track has been dry every day. It rained quite a bit last Saturday, but there was no testing that day. 

    "A couple of years ago it snowed here, but fortunately on the day after the test ended."

    Alright Dan, rub it in why don't ya!

  14. Bring me sunshine...published at 09:24 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

  15. Get involvedpublished at 09:18 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    #worsteverF1mod

    Jenson Button's moustache must be up there too?

  16. Postpublished at 09:16 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    After switching to softs, Romain Grosjean nudges Jenson Button out of P3 as he improves with 1:25.255.

    Sebastian Vettel, as expected, ditched the halo after one lap and has been steadily improving with his timed laps, his latest effort a 1:25.648, set on medium tyres, knocks Button further down the order.

  17. Get involvedpublished at 09:12 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    #worsteverF1mod

  18. Testing latestpublished at 09:05 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    Here's some early times from testing. Nine of the drivers have completed timed laps. We are just waiting for Sergio Perez and Rio Haryanto, the latter not getting out until closer to lunch.

  19. Jazz hands!published at 08:59 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

  20. Postpublished at 08:57 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016