Andrea Kimi Antonelli has reportedly topped the timesheets in the morning’s running of the third day of the Formula 1 pre-season test at Barcelona.
The Mercedes driver was purported to have clocked 90 laps of the Circuit de-Barcelona Catalunya, following on from the 91 he completed on Wednesday.
It appears, therefore, to be another successful stint from the German marque, which has so far reported to be “ahead” of where it expected to be at this stage of the test.
The Brit remains under the watchful eye of Bryan Bozzi, the race engineer of team-mate Charles Leclerc, as the Scuderia prepares to decide on who will replace Riccardo Adami.
Oscar Piastri made his first appearance in the McLaren MCL40, following on from team-mate and reigning World Champion Lando Norris’ stint on Wednesday.
Lewis Hamilton appeared to give Ferrari a positive morning by clocking 87 laps, his fastest time around six tenths off of Antonelli’s, and two tenths short of Piastri’s.
See the unofficial times and laps below
| Position | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:17.081 | 90 |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:18.419 | 48 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:18.654 | 87 |
| 4 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:18.840 | 64 |
| 5 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 1:21.349 | 38 |
Aston Martin has arrived in Barcelona for its participation in the test, having opted to withhold its activity until later in the week.
The Adrian Newey-designed AMR26, backed by a Honda power unit, caused intrigued on Wednesday with what appeared to be untrue reports that the car had been flown to Spain.
Motorsport Week understands that the car’s freight had been making its way to Barcelona via road, and arrived in the morning, with frantic construction of Newey’s latest F1 creation being completed.
Lance Stroll will receive the honour of being the first man in the car, with Fernando Alonso set to sit out Thursday’s running, ready to begin on Friday.
READ MORE – Mercedes delivers major F1 test update – ‘we’re ahead of where we hoped’
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