Reigning Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel set today the fastest time around the Circuit de Montmelo located near Barcelona in Spain during the third pre-season test session.
This session got underway in the same conditions that brought the previous one to an end: last week, rain arrived for the final minutes at Jerez de la Frontera and a wet track from overnight rain was the main feature up until around eleven this morning at the Catalunya circuit outside Barcelona.
The fastest times were set during a short period of time when the track was finally dry and before the teams switched to the longer runs.
However Vettel, driving the Red Bull Racing RB7, beat Fernando Alonso’s time late in the day.
The Red Bull team tested the intermediate Pirelli tires, before conditions began to dry. Vettel had a couple of minor offs in the morning session, prompting the team to complete some precautionary checks over lunch that took longer than expected.
Fernando Alonso was at the wheel of the Ferrari F150th Italia, still in the same configuration seen at the first test. As has been the case right from the start of the new car’s on track development, the main subjects on the agenda of the Scuderia were increasing understanding of the Pirelli tires and working on the overall reliability of the car.
Another Spaniard, Jaime Alguersuari continued to show the good form of the new Ferrari-powered Toro Rosso STR6, taking the third best time of the day. The team worked hard, putting in a good 20 lap run on Pirelli’s intermediate tire in the morning. Once the track dried, the slicks came out and two runs were completed before the lunch-break. The afternoon’s work included a brake system evaluation.
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| Sebastien Vettel, Red Bull (Photo: WRI2) |
This session got underway in the same conditions that brought the previous one to an end: last week, rain arrived for the final minutes at Jerez de la Frontera and a wet track from overnight rain was the main feature up until around eleven this morning at the Catalunya circuit outside Barcelona.
The fastest times were set during a short period of time when the track was finally dry and before the teams switched to the longer runs.
However Vettel, driving the Red Bull Racing RB7, beat Fernando Alonso’s time late in the day.
The Red Bull team tested the intermediate Pirelli tires, before conditions began to dry. Vettel had a couple of minor offs in the morning session, prompting the team to complete some precautionary checks over lunch that took longer than expected.
![]() |
| Fernando Alonso, Ferrari (Photo: WRI2) |
Fernando Alonso was at the wheel of the Ferrari F150th Italia, still in the same configuration seen at the first test. As has been the case right from the start of the new car’s on track development, the main subjects on the agenda of the Scuderia were increasing understanding of the Pirelli tires and working on the overall reliability of the car.
Another Spaniard, Jaime Alguersuari continued to show the good form of the new Ferrari-powered Toro Rosso STR6, taking the third best time of the day. The team worked hard, putting in a good 20 lap run on Pirelli’s intermediate tire in the morning. Once the track dried, the slicks came out and two runs were completed before the lunch-break. The afternoon’s work included a brake system evaluation.







