Shakedown: Antonelli fastest on Day Three

Barcelona is not the ideal venue for January testing, but its proximity to European bases, familiar layout, and convenient schedule have played their part.

It was the weather that dictated the teams’ running plans on the third day of testing. Similar to the previous day, when only Red Bull and Ferrari were on track, many teams chose to stay in their garages. Out of the five days from Monday to Friday, teams are allowed to run on only three, and everyone tried to align those days as efficiently as possible with the weather conditions.

Williams did not attend the initial tests; Aston Martin registered only for the final two days, while the remaining teams selected the hours when the track was dry.

The frustrating “secrecy mode” was once again in force on Day Three — security staff chased fans away from surrounding hills, journalists cited bloggers, and bloggers cited journalists. People repeatedly asserted that Bernie’s era was different, yet this did not bring about any significant change. Formula 1 effectively cut off the flow of information for everyone, even those who previously had access, with no clear answer to the obvious question of “why.”

Testing was halted three times by red flags on the third day — first when Nico Hülkenberg stopped at Turn 10, then when Oliver Bearman came to a halt at Turn 2, and later in the evening when the season’s only debutant, Arvid Lindblad, was forced to stop.

McLaren had a relatively quiet day, concentrating on managing its own schedule. Mercedes, Alpine, Audi, Haas, Red Bull, and Racing Bulls have now used two of their three permitted test days.

Mercedes drivers topped the timesheets, with the best lap set by Kimi Antonelli, who completed the circuit in 1:17.362.

McLaren, Ferrari, Cadillac, and Aston Martin will be free to participate in the tests on Thursday and Friday. It remains to be seen how they will approach their remaining running.