Kimi Raikkonen ensured Ferrari remained atop the timesheets after setting the pace during the final morning of pre-season testing in Spain.
Following on from team-mate Sebastian Vettel’s unofficial track record at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Thursday, Raikkonen led the way in the SF71-H, as he came close to the German’s time.
Raikkonen’s time, set on the new-for-2018 Hypersoft tyres, was a 1:17.221, less than a tenth of a second down on Vettel’s effort from yesterday.
Raikkonen’s benchmark was 1.369s faster than Haas’ Romain Grosjean, as the Frenchman used the Supersoft tyres to place second.
Toro Rosso once more clocked encouraging mileage, as Brendon Hartley finished third with 91 laps to his name, fewer than only Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, who placed fifth, completing 97 laps.
Force India’s Esteban Ocon sandwiched the pair, while Sergey Sirotkin and Daniel Ricciardo placed sixth and seventh respectively for Williams and Red Bull.
Sauber, McLaren and Renault all encountered setbacks in the warm and sunny conditions.
Charles Leclerc spun through the gravel at Turn 11 on his 18th lap and swiped the barriers, after which he took to social media to apologise for the off.
“I pushed too much, spun and touched the wall a little bit,” he said. “Stupid to do that at this time of the day, I will learn from it.”
McLaren, meanwhile, managed just six laps before Fernando Alonso came to a halt at Turn 7, ostensibly due to an oil leak, bringing out the red flags.
McLaren confirmed that the MCL33 is undergoing an engine change, and Alonso has not been out since the problem, which occurred towards the end of the opening hour.
Renault, meanwhile, encountered its first major setback, due to a suspected gearbox issue, leaving Carlos Sainz Jr. with just four untimed laps to his name.
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