simple-custom-post-order domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /var/www/drivingforpleasure.co.uk/public/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114 Posted on 25th February 2016
At the third pre-season F1 test of the 2016 season, Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg was quickest ahead of Haas driver Romain Grosjean and Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen as the McLaren team had their day ended prematurely with a hydraulics issue.
It was a busy day for all the teams, with everyone but McLaren completing a race distance over the nine hours. After two encouraging days for the Woking team, Jenson Button stopped in the pit lane with a smoking car caused by a hydraulics leak and did not emerge again.
But it was Nico Hulkenberg topped the timesheets with a lap time of 1:23.110 on a super-soft run and clocking 99 laps in the process. Hulkenberg finished ahead of Romain Grosjean in second place who was 2.7s slower than Hulkenberg's Force India.
Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen ended the session in third place despite him managing just four laps before lunch, as his Ferrari was stricken in the garage for much of the morning with a fuel sensor issue. But he did manage to complete a race distance after lunch, finishing the day with 78 laps to his name and putting Ferrari ahead of Mercedes for the third day in a row, though that is of minimal significance at this stage of testing.
Renault recorded a more encouraging day in terms of mileage, with Kevin Magnussen completing 103 laps and finishing in fourth place. However, after two days of problems for team-mate Jolyon Palmer, Magnussen stopped at the end of the pit lane in the final hour, though he emerged before the end of the session.
World champions Mercedes decided to split its drivers either side of lunch due to the high amount of laps it hoped to complete in the day and the toll it was taking on the drivers. Nico Rosberg completed 74 laps in the morning to finish in fifth place before Lewis Hamilton added 87 in the afternoon to finish in eighth place, though the team did not test the new nose and front wing many expected them to.
Impressive as Mercedes’ lap count was, it was matched single-handedly by Carlos Sainz in a mammoth day for the Toro Rosso which saw him accumulate 161 laps, even after a stoppage early in the morning to finish in sixth place ahead of Felipe Nasr in seventh.
Daniil Kvyat finished in ninth place with 74 laps ahead of Felipe Massa in tenth place, Jenson Button in eleventh place and rookie driver Rio Haryanto finished 12th for Manor, five seconds off the pace despite a late improvement on the soft tyres.
Here's the official classification from Day Three of the pre-season test as follows:-
Day Three Timesheet:-
1. Nico Hulkenberg – Force India – 1:23.110 – 99 laps
2. Romain Grosjean – Haas – 1:25.874 – 82 laps
3. Kimi Raikkonen – Ferrari – 1:25.977 – 78 laps
4. Kevin Magnussen – Renault – 1:26.014 – 111 laps
5. Nico Rosberg – Mercedes – 1:26.084 – 74 laps
6. Carlos Sainz – Toro Rosso – 1:26.239 – 161 laps
7. Felipe Nasr – Sauber – 1:26.392 – 115 laps
8: Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes – 1:26.421 – 88 laps
9. Daniil Kvyat – Red Bull – 1:26.497 – 74 laps
10. Felipe Massa – Williams – 1:26.712 – 109 laps
11. Jenson Button – McLaren – 1:26.919 – 51 laps
12. Rio Haryanto – Manor – 1:26.249 – 78 laps
Keep your eyes peeled at Driving for Pleasure for our reports for the final day of the first F1 pre-season test at the Circuit de Barcelona
Sarah Jones- @jonesy_laaa
