Slicks o'clock.

Nico Hulkenburg is onto the softs while Valtteri Bottas has gone for mediums.

Well I started out typing up the latest times but it's all change again. Pierre Gasly is quickest with 1:28.468 but only for a moment as Max Verstappen does a 1:27.362.

Valtteri Bottas is still in the pits, tyre switch incoming? The conditions certainly suggest this is a good a time as any.

And sure enough, Max Verstappen is into P1 with a 1:29.061, three tenths quicker than Valtteri Bottas.

... although Max Verstappen is on a quicker lap. Might hold the rundown for another minute or two.

Five drivers on the track now as Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen dip into the 1:20s. Bottas does a 1:29.328 to retain first place while Verstappen returns to second with a 1:29.673.

I think it's time to do another run down on the latest times...

Hard to believe this was covered in snow less than 24 hours ago.

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Dan Knutson
F1 journalist in Barcelona

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“Definitely development is the name of the game,” Williams driver Lance Stroll told the media in the Barcelona paddock today. “So everyone is trying to be quicker, do better and we have to do the same. Last year we saw that towards the end of the year the competition was getting stronger. It became more difficult throughout the year.

“We definitely have tried to make a step over the winter coming into this year in order to be more competitive and try and hold that fifth place, or maybe even get fourth in the constructors’ - that would be great. We’re doing everything we can to build a quicker race car.”

I can hardly keep up with these tumbling times now as the track conditions improve. Valtteri Bottas improves at the top of the order with 1:31.204 but Pierre Gasly is up into second with 1:32.794.

Everyone is still on inters but can't be long until someone switches to slicks.

Valtteri Bottas is almost a second quicker on his next run as a 1:32.081 strengthens his place at the top.

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And Valtteri Bottas promptly moves into first place with a 1:32.916. Max Verstappen improves with 1:32.982 but stays second.

Max Verstappen gets straight down to business as his first flying lap sends him top of the timesheet with 1:33.016.

Valtteri Bottas is also back out in the Mercedes.

K-Mag's time on top is short lived as Nico Hulkenberg fancies a nibble. He's around the track in 1:33.059 to go P1.

Meanwhile, we have a rare sight! It's a Red Bull on the circuit...

Stuart Mitchell: liking the look of the McLaren although it is early days and we have had false dawns before. Vandoorne looks a talent and (prediction time) will outscore Alonso this year.

Carl Slocombe: Genuinely pleased to see that McLaren have the confidence and more importantly the ability to put the miles on the car this year in testing. Expecting some strong points finishes for them all year through

Kevin Magnussen moves top of the pile! He does a 1:33.514, two tenths quicker than Valtteri Bottas.

Meanwhile, Nico Hulkenberg is up to fourth after a 1:34.242.

Stoffel Vandoorne heads back in but Nico Hulkenberg, Kevin Magnussen and Marcus Ericsson are out on track.

Dan Knutson
F1 journalist in Barcelona

Toro Rosso’s technical director James Key met with the media earlier today.

“How can you tell?” he said when asked how things were going with the new car. “Under the circumstances with the weather, we have only had one clean day of some sort of running so far. The second day, the first day was a little bit cold, and it was the first time out in the car. On that day everything went well. Yesterday was a washout and today is just beginning. Overall, we can be satisfied with the time we have had, but we are not satisfied with the test overall given the limited running.

“One of the first things you want to do is tyres, which is very difficult in these conditions. So we have had to adapt the programme a little bit. We have been able to do some useful, very basic set-up work. So we have made a good step on the second day when we began to get into the car and were able to optimize the way the platform was and so on.

“With the length of time it takes to get the tyres in, we have done some durability because some of the runs have been quite long. We can’t really make an assessment of things like cooling systems in these conditions. So there is still a lot of work to do, but some of the basics have been covered.”

Martyn West: It may be unlikely, but I really want Ricciardo to be at the pointy end of the championship battle. A phenomenal talent that surely deserves some rewards!

Lex: Big things to come from Vandoorne this year - good car, talented driver. Good things to come

A personal best for Stoffel Vandoorne as a 1:34.226 pulls him to within half a second of Valtteri Bottas' timesheet-leading time.

Daniel Ricciardo is done for the week so he's off back home before returning to Barcleona next week.

"If it snows again, I may pull me teeth out," he says.

Has he accidentally packed Max Verstappen in his suitcase? We haven't seen anything from him for hours.

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