Image source, Getty Images

While it's quiet, how about a mid-morning teaser? Can you name this former F1 world champion:

I won 27 races in my career.

My first Formula 1 win was in 1965 and my last was in 1973.

I once narrowly missed out on competing at the Olympics and became a team owner in 1997. 

Who am I?

Answers to #bbcf1

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F1 journalist Dan Knutson in Barcelona: Red Bull’s Aston Martin company cars are parked next to its hospitality unit in the paddock. But when Red Bull magnate Dietrich Mateschitz, team racing chief Helmut Marko and several others recently arrived at the circuit, they all came in this van.

Another improvement for Daniel Ricciardo as he does a 1:20.824 on softs to move to within two tenths of Lewis Hamilton's benchmark time.

He then pits, leaving the track empty.

Jaysiri:#whatshouldAlonsodo, external leave mclaren. mclaren fans dont want a cry baby from ferrari. i dont think mercedes want you either. Retire.

An Invisible Man: He should be the professional he is paid to be and use his wealth of expertise to help the team achieve better.  

Lewis Hamilton has been racking up the laps this morning. He's up to 24 after setting the pace within the first 15 minutes of the session.

Sebastian Vettel, meanwhile, has just been chilling out in the Ferrari garage for the last half an hour or so but is back out on the track now.

Ray: GP2! GP2! I say, #whatshouldAlonsodo, external they are so much faster.  

Paul Watson: Buy Marussia, do a Bruce McLaren. Race it himself then use it as a platform for his talented @CircuitoMuseoFA, external kart-ers  

Speaking of parties, Daniel Ricciardo has joined the party on the track as he gets in his first flying lap - a 1:22.294 that puts him third.

The Australian then improves with 1:21.550 on softs to go second. 

Image source, Getty Images

Happy Birthday, Pastor Maldonado!

The former Williams and Lotus driver is 32 years young today.

Is it possible to crash your own party? 

Pastor Maldonado will make it possible.

Conor checking in to give me my daily dose of jealously. Perhaps this is what Fernando Alonso should do - head on up to join you lot!

Image source, .

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer

Red Bull had to change an engine on Wednesday after an MGU-K failure and a race simulation for Max Verstappen in the afternoon was brought to a halt four laps early for what the Dutchman said was “a similar issue”. But Verstappen said the Renault reliability issues were not overly concerning him. 

“In one way I was quite confident because the Renault boys already have some plans in place to change that for Melbourne anyway,” he said. “It should be all right. They are on top of it now. We have solutions in place for the future.”

I tell you who we haven't seen much of, Daniel Ricciardo. 

The Red Bull driver has managed just the two laps so far this morning. Is there a hangover from yesterday's problems? Max Verstappen came to a stop during his race runs yesterday afternoon following an engine change.

Stoffel Vandoorne, going through some aero work at the moment, is up to nine laps for the morning. 

Will McLaren manage to sneak in some race runs before the end of testing? That's a big unknown for them at the moment.

Michael Simmons: Lewis hamilton to do some "performance runs" later this morning Onimus, see ya wouldn't want to be ya.

1) Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) - 1:20.626 - supersoft

2) Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) - 1:21-846 - soft

3) Esteban Ocon (Force India) - 1:22.967 - medium

4) Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren) - 1:23.298 - soft

5) Jolyon Palmer (Renault) - 1:24.857 - unmarked

6) Marcos Ericsson (Sauber) - 1:25.793 - medium

7) Lance Stroll (Williams) - 1:25.887 - soft

8) Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso) - 1:26.546 (supersoft)

No times: Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull); Kevin Magnussen (Haas)

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer

Image source, Getty Images

Jolyon Palmer has had a frustrating pre-season so far, his time in the car repeatedly hit by awkward reliability problems. He has two half-days left and it hoping they’ll be good. But he says he has already seen enough to convince him Renault will have a much better season than in 2016. 

“I think we’re in a tight battle,” he said. “We’re behind the top three. Everyone else is in the tight battle. it’s all to play for. The performance is a massive step from last year in terms of the competitive order. Williams have done some good times but I think we’re in the mix.”

Marcus Ericsson is up and away. The Sauber driver starts with a 1:26.990 before improving to 1:25.793 on mediums to move off the bottom of the timesheet to fourth. 

Still waiting for the first times of the day from Daniel Ricciardo, Stoffel Vandoorne, Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer.

Reece Young: Keep doing what he's doing. Results will come and it's refreshing to see an F1 driver speak so freely and openly  

Ryan Barron: Keep working hard and hope it all works out.  

FK: Become a stand-up comedian. When asked about going flat out at turn 3; "For us nearly all the corners are flat"  

F1 journalist Dan Knutson in Barcelona: How did it go for the Haas team yesterday?

“Medium,” was the was Haas team principal Guenther Steiner described it.

Things started off well in the morning, but then some handling issues cropped up and the car began to understeer.

“Romain [Grosjean] did not really like it,” Steiner said. “We tried to find solutions but didn’t. There was a small problem with the insulation on the exhaust and we lost about one hour fixing it. But you always want to have a better day, a fantastic day, that is what we are here for but it doesn’t always work like this.”

Kevin Magnussen is in the VF-17 today.

“It is the same program,” Steiner said. “The morning doing set-up work, trying to do a few fast laps. Then the afternoon try and do a race simulation.”

In the first 50 minutes Magnussen has done just one lap.