Ferrari’s Felipe Massa was finally given the chance to show what he can do behind the wheel of the F138, posting the fastest lap on day three.
The Brazilian has spent the past few days completing aero runs, rather than pushing the car to its limit – something he was allowed to do on Thursday.
He posted a 1:17.879, just a few tenths off the quickest lap posted by Nico Rosberg at the same time last year during pre-season testing at Jerez.
Nico Rosberg went second quickest, but Mercedes were more focussed on their mileage following two days of reliability woes. The German completed the most laps at 148.
Reigning champion Sebastian Vettel was third fastest on his first day behind the wheel of the Red Bull RB9.
The morning saw one major incident as James Rossiter ran into one of his mechanics as he pitted his Force India. The mechanic escaped serious injury despite being flung into the air.
McLaren’s Jenson Button brought out a late red flag to end the session four-minutes prematurely. Max Chilton couldn’t avoid trouble either, and was sidelines for much of the day with electrical problems.
Times from the Jerez pre-season test (Thursday):
| # | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01. | F. Massa | Ferrari | 1:17.879 | 85 | |
| 02. | N. Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:18.766 | +0.887 | 148 |
| 03. | S. Vettel | Red Bull | 1:19.052 | +1.173 | 102 |
| 04. | K. Raikkonen | Lotus | 1:19.200 | +1.321 | 40 |
| 05. | J. Vergne | Toro Rosso | 1:19.247 | +1.368 | 85 |
| 06. | J. Rossiter | Force India | 1:19.303 | +1.424 | 42 |
| 07. | J. Button | McLaren | 1:19.603 | +1.724 | 83 |
| 08. | E. Guiterrez | Sauber | 1:19.934 | +2.055 | 110 |
| 09. | M. Chilton | Marussia | 1:21.269 | +3.390 | 78 |
| 10. | V. Bottas | Williams | 1:21.575 | +3.696 | 86 |
| 11. | C. Pic | Caterham | 1:22.352 | +4.473 | 57 |
| 12. | P. di Resta | Force India | 1:23.729 | +5.850 | 7 |
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