Summary

  • Day seven of eight Formula 1 testing days (final day is Friday)

  • Pierre Gasly crashes in Red Bull to bring out red flags

  • Lewis Hamilton with an early spin in his Mercedes

  • McLaren have been the fastest on Tuesday (Lando Norris) and Wednesday (Carlos Sainz)

  • Get involved: What are the best and worst-looking F1 cars of all time? #bbcf1

Live Reporting

Michael Emons

  1. Racing Point hunting for the perfect tweet

    Lance Stroll's 19 laps has ended with him in seventh spot.

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  2. 'Shining in the sun'

    No real problems from anyone so far today. We've now got times from all 10 drivers out there, and they've all done at least 15 laps. Lewis Hamilton is one of the most prolific so far.

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  3. Gasly to the top

    Many more good and bad looking cars later on, but I've got some news to tell you about.

    It is a change at the top of the times with Pierre Gasly of Red Bull moving to the top with a 1:17.911. That came on the medium compound C3 tyres, while previous leader Lewis Hamilton's 1:18.097 was on the harder C2s.

  4. This is the BAR from 1999 that has just been mentioned. That's the first time I've ever seen it... and I've just burst out laughing. Look at the state of that!

    BARGetty Images

  5. Get Involved #bbcf1

    Which are the best and worst-looking F1 cars of all time?

    Time for some ugly ones...

    Craig: Worst looking car? Got to be the Caterham CT05 from 2014 (pictured) with that nose. Yes, even worse than the Earth car.

    In Oxford: Worst #F1 livery? It's got to be the 1999(?) BAR with the different livery on each side of the car! *shudder*. Actually the 90s were a ripe decade for absolutely awful liveries!

    Caterham 2014Getty Images

  6. 'Impact with a foreign object'

    Andrew Benson
    BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

    Ferrari find the cause for Vettel's crash on Wednesday: "After thorough checks we found that Seb’s off yesterday was due to a (wheel) rim issue. The rim had been damaged a few seconds before by an impact with a foreign object."

  7. Ferrari update

    We have an update from Ferrari on what caused Sebastian Vettel's crash yesterday. Here's Andrew...

    Sebastian VettelReuters

  8. Thursday's times so far

    1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes, 1:18.097, 23 laps)
    2. Alexander Albon (Toro Rosso, 1:18.345, 24 laps)
    3. Pierre Gasly (Red Bull, 1:18.453, 18 laps)
    4. Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo, 1:18.923, 18 laps)
    5. Lance Stroll (Racing Point, 1:18.958, 13 laps)
    6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari, 1:19.032, 11 laps)
    7. Kevin Magnussen (Haas, 1:19.130, 24 laps)
    8. Nico Hulkenberg (Renault, 1:19.689, 25 laps)

    No times from Lando Norris (McLaren, 8 laps) and George Russell (Williams, 11 laps)

    Tyres

    C2 (second hardest) - Hamilton, Stroll, Magnussen, Hulkenberg

    C3 (medium) - Albon, Giovinazzi, Leclerc

    Developmental - Gasly

  9. Meanwhile, back in Barcelona, Pierre Gasly is up to third in the Red Bull and he is soon to be joined on track by our leader Lewis Hamilton.

  10. Get Involved #bbcf1

    Which are the best and worst looking F1 cars of all time

    Lots of reaction to our call for best (and worst) looking F1 cars of all time. Here are some of your early comments..

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    Daniel Quick: I might be biased but the BMW Sauber F1.08 was utterly gorgeous! Really hope it features on the next F1 game as a Classic Car, it is a GP winner after all!

    The Tom: Best looking for me are the MP 4/6 from 1991, the Jordan from the same year, the 85 and 86 Lotus and the 1999 McLaren.

    Good stuff, keep them coming in.

  11. Andrew Benson
    BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

    Hamilton does a 1:18.097 on C2 tyres. That could well be Mercedes' fastest lap time of the test, fuel-corrected. Bottas' 18.356 last week on C2s was it until now.

  12. By the way, that Hamilton fastest lap came on the C2s, the second hardest. Those writing off the Mercedes pace may have gone a bit too early.

  13. Testing tyres

    These are the tyres available to the teams at testing.

    C1 - hardest (white no brackets)

    C2 - second hardest (white with brackets)

    C3 - medium (yellow)

    C4 - second softest (red with brackets)

    C5 - softest (red no brackets)

    TyresPirelli

  14. Now it's Hamilton

    It was just a matter of time, to be honest. Lewis Hamilton has gone nearly six tenths quicker from his previous best and now leads the way with a 1:18.097.

  15. Albon in the lead

    We are nowhere near yesterday's times yet, but Alexander Albon is the best of the lot with a 1:18.535. He might not stay there for long as Lewis Hamilton, who spun earlier on, is in second with a 1:18.635.

    1. Albon (Toro Rosso)
    2. Hamilton (Mercedes)
    3. Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo)
    4. Leclerc (Ferrari)
    5. Stroll (Racing Point)
    6. Magnussen (Haas)
    7. Hulkenberg (Renault)

    No times yet from Norris (McLaren), Russell (Williams) or Gasly (Red Bull)

  16. Get Involved #bbcf1

    Which are the best and worst looking F1 cars of all time

    Our vote result, which has McLaren as having the best-looking car in 2019, is the inspiration for our talking point today.

    We want you to tell us which are the best (and worst) looking Formula 1 cars of all time?

    Tweet us using the hashtag #bbcf1 and I'll try to dig out some relevant pictures.

  17. A thing of beauty

    This, according to you, is the best-looking car we will see on the grid in 2019.

    McLarenGetty Images

  18. The results are in...

    Last week we asked you to vote on the best-looking 2019 F1 car. And the results are in, and McLaren, top of the times on Tuesday, top of the times on Wednesday are now top of the vote as well.

    Not much love at all for Racing Point, who persist with the pink livery that was introduced when they were known as Force India.

    Here are the results...

    Vote results.

  19. A strong aero rake game

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  20. Hamilton slowest so far and has had a spin

    Not been the best of starts for Lewis Hamilton. He's done nine laps but is back in the pits, with his best time so far being 2:01.389. On one of those laps, he spun at Turn 10 so maybe some early changes needed for Mercedes.