Sergio Perez is powering through some long runs at the moment. The Force India is up to 80 laps for the day. 

Force India have shown good reliability this week, with Esteban Ocon  reaching 137 laps yesterday. Perez is on course to surpass that.

Dan Irvine: Any update on the cat please?

An important question swimming alone in a sea of Alonso Karaoke song suggestions.

Last I saw the cat was fine and had retired to the paddock for a nap.

Lewis Hamilton posts another slight improvement as he does 1:20.198 on ultra-softs. 

Still no urgency at Mercedes to put in a show of strength on the track.

No sign of McLaren yet this afternoon. Fernando Alonso managed 19 laps this morning - a tally Pascal Wehrlein has just equalled.

Alonso is not alone in failing to appear since lunch. Max Verstappen has also not been out for Red Bull yet.

F1 journalist Dan Knutson in Barcelona: Nico Hulkenberg pre-season test has come to an end, and Renault team-mate Jolyon Palmer has taken over the car for the final afternoon.

“It has been a quality morning,” Hulkenberg told reporters. “Not the most laps, but we did some good work and got some good discoveries on the car, some good steps in our understanding of the performance. So I am fairly happy to end the testing now and head to Melbourne.”

Hulkenberg was fifth fastest in the morning session. 

“That pace is real,” he said. “Of course, this was the last time [for me in the car] before Melbourne, so we took some fuel out to see where the performance is. I am sure that the others are doing the same, or have something in the pocket still. So it will be interesting to see what will pan out.”

Warren Bremmer:  Cant believe you haven't included my suggestion - Breakdown by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers #desperateforamention, external

Carlos Sainz produces his best time of the day as a 1:19.837 puts him P3. A pleasing sight for the Spanish fans in the grandstands.

Sainz did that with ultra-softs on his Toro Rosso.

Kimi Raikkonen re-appears for the first time this afternoon. 

I've actually just been on a fascinating journey of discovery because of all this Alonso Karaoke chat. 

Apparently, Kimi loves a bit of Karaoke and apparently, external is opening a Karaoke bar in Helsinki. 

The scenes.

Jolyon Palmer, on mediums, goes P12 with his first time of the day, a 1:24.293. Pascal Wehrlein props up the timesheet following the 1:24.940 he did earlier.

Image source, Google

Stewart: Has D:Ream - Things Can Only Get Better been suggested for Alonso's karaoke yet? Its not like they can get much worse.   

Stewart Hutcheson: Alonso Karaoke has to be 21st Century Breakdown by Green Day  

Richard Cook: Alonso Song - I like driving in my car by Madness  

Lewis Hamilton heads in but is replaced by another Brit as Jolyon Palmer heads onto the track for the first time today.

Palmer got 53 laps under his belt yesterday after a difficult start to the week for Renault. Hopefully he can surpass that figure today.

Speaking of Carlos Sainz, he's on the track now in the Toro Rosso as Lewis Hamilton posts a marginal improvement with 1:21.020.

With a suggestion as good as that, the school work can wait!

Here's Carlos Sainz on the Karaoke machine, choosing Fernando Alonso's next song...

... maybe.

Image source, get

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer

My daughter has texted me with another rather good #BBCF1, external Alonso karaoke suggestion - R.E.M.'s Everybody Hurts.

Junior Benson should be concentrating on her school work, but still..  

It's a slow first lap for Lewis Hamilton but he significantly quicker on the next one as he crosses the line in 1:21.319s. That was with ultra-softs on his Mercedes.

And out comes Lewis Hamilton to get his afternoon programme under way.

Pascal Wehrlein, in the Sauber for Marcus Ericsson this afternoon, is one of three driver changes this afternoon.

Lewis Hamilton takes over from Valtteri Bottas for Mercedes while Jolyon Palmer is due in the Renault after Nico Hulkenberg's stint this morning.