With a batch of fresh results just in and the 3rd day of testing officially over, it was none other than Sauber who pulled out the quickest lap, with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen finishing a close second.

So if by any chance you were uncertain of Ferrari’s dominance so far at Jerez, let us remind you that Sauber actually utilize Ferrari engines. Basically it’s Ferrari all over again. Ferrari on day 1, Ferrari yesterday and Ferrari earlier today!

Of course there’s more to setting the fastest time other than a fast engine. You need a fast car period, you need great aerodynamics with huge amounts of downforce through the corners. You need a skilled racing driver and last but not least you need to be competing against other drivers trying to actually set their own fastest time – which is hardly ever the case when you’re just testing out systems and running reliability checks on the components.

This is what pre-season is all about, but we certainly can appreciate the fact that the same engine manufacturer supplied the two fastest cars in Jerez. It’s not a coincidence, there’s no such thing in Formula 1.

Today it was rookie driver Felipe Nasr (yesterday’s 2nd quickest) who finished first, with a time of 1:21.535s, riding on Pirelli super-softs. “It was another positive day,” said Nasr. “We did a lot of mileage, and we were able to get a better understanding of the car. On top of that, we used different tyres in different conditions, and we played with the set-up. Overall they were two very positive days. I’m glad that I already feel comfortable in the new environment, and I’m really happy with everything I’ve seen so far with the team.”


As he should be as Sauber managed to do no fewer than 109 laps, which speaks volumes about the car’s reliability.

A close second was Scuderia Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, who lapped the Spanish circuit in 1:21.750, while Mercedes‘ Nico Rosberg ended up being 3rd quickest with a time of 1:21.982s.

We have to say that neither of these times, not even Nasr’s were good enough to top Vettel’s 1:20.984s from yesterday.

Still, if there was ever a voice to stand out and speak against the dominance of Mercedes, as of right now that voice seems to have an Italian accent.

Unofficial Day 3 times from Jerez:

1. Felipe Nasr, Sauber, 1:21.545s, 109 laps
2. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:21.750s, 94 laps
3. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:21.982s, 151 laps
4. Felipe Massa, Williams, 1:22.276s, 71 laps
5. Pastor Maldonado, Lotus, 1:22.713s, 96 laps
6. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso, 1:23.187s, 137 laps
7. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, 1:23.901s, 49 laps
8. Fernando Alonso, McLaren, 1:35.553s, 32 laps

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