Kvyat beats Raikkonen to top third day of F1 test
Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat delivered a phenomenal late lap to top the third day of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Barcelona, while the Williams lapped for the first time.

Alfa Romeo driver Kimi Raikkonen led the morning session on Wednesday, and it looked like that time would hold until the chequered flag.
But Kvyat had the softest Pirelli tyres – the C5 – bolted on his Toro Rosso, and set a 1m17.704s, 0.058s quicker than Raikkonen, with just over 10 minutes left.
Kvyat had tried to beat the benchmark a few minutes earlier and jumped into second, before going one better.
Another late charger, Daniel Ricciardo, secured third for Renault, running the C4 tyre.
The Aussie had focused on long runs on the C2 tyre as he took over the car from morning runner Nico Hulkenberg, but still pumped in a rapid lap to secure third place.
While the late runners battled, the Williams remained in the pits, having completed 23 laps in the hands of George Russell. The car didn't arrive at the circuit until 4am, and wasn’t ready for the morning session.
Russell set a best time of 1m25.625s, and that lap came with a huge slide at the entry to the final chicane, which threw the car into the run-off area.
Sebastian Vettel didn’t improve on his morning time as he focused on longer runs throughout the session. The Ferrari completed 134 laps.
The Red Bull RB15 completed 109 laps in Max Verstappen's hands, the Dutchman setting his best time on the C3 tyre in the morning, the same compound Vettel used to finish one spot ahead.
Hulkenberg claimed sixth by virtue of his morning time, ahead of Romain Grosjean’s Haas, which stopped three times during the day.
Pietro Fittipaldi was the first to stop on track in the VF-19, before Grosjean halted at the start and end of the afternoon session, the latter stoppage bringing out the red flag and costing teams the final four minutes of running.
Fittipaldi took eighth behind Grosjean, while McLaren elected not to fit the C4 tyres to its car for a late lap as it had done the previous two days.
The team appeared later than most in the morning, with Carlos Sainz ultimately completing 90 laps and finishing ninth.
Sergio Perez rounded out the top 10 for Racing Point, on another day where it trailed most of its rivals in mileage.
The Mercedes pair, headed by morning-session driver Valtteri Bottas, set 11th and 12th fastest times but in typical fashion, conducted long runs.
The team has yet to use the softer C4 tyre in anger, having only run on the C1, C2 and C3 so far.
Bottas and teammate Lewis Hamilton did combine for the highest number of laps for any car at 182.
Testing times, Day 3:
Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso | 1m17.704s | 137 | |
2 | Kimi Raikkonen | Alfa Romeo | 1m17.762s | +0.058 | 138 |
3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | 1m18.164s | +0.460 | 80 |
4 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1m18.350s | +0.646 | 134 |
5 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1m18.787s | +1.083 | 109 |
6 | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | 1m18.800s | +1.096 | 63 |
7 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 1m19.189s | +1.485 | 69 |
8 | Pietro Fittipaldi | Haas | 1m19.249s | +1.545 | 48 |
9 | Carlos Sainz | McLaren | 1m19.354s | +1.650 | 90 |
10 | Sergio Perez | Racing Point | 1m20.102s | +2.398 | 67 |
11 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1m20.693s | +2.989 | 88 |
12 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1m20.818s | +3.114 | 94 |
13 | George Russell | Williams | 1m25.625s | +7.921 | 23 |

Previous article
Williams still waiting for parts to begin aero programme
Next article
What the FW42 reveals about Williams's plight

About this article
Series | Formula 1 |
Event | Barcelona February testing |
Sub-event | Wednesday |
Drivers | Daniel Ricciardo , Daniil Kvyat , Kimi Raikkonen |
Teams | AlphaTauri |
Author | Jack Benyon |
Kvyat beats Raikkonen to top third day of F1 test
Why Verstappen isn't interested in the hype game
In a pre-season where Red Bull has been unusually quiet, Max Verstappen has also been guarded about the team's fortunes in 2021. Even after trying the RB16B for the first time at Silverstone, the Dutchman was careful to manage expectations
The pros and cons of F1's 2021 rule changes
In the strategy for grand prix racing's future, 2021 represents a significant step towards the goal of closer racing and a more level playing field. That's the theory behind the latest raft of changes, but will they have the desired effect?
What Red Bull is trying to hide with its RB16B launch
Red Bull made no secret of the fact its 2021 F1 car is an evolution of its predecessor, but in keeping the same foundations while hiding some tightly-guarded updates with its RB16B, the team aims to avoid suffering the same pitfalls of previous years
How Albon plans to fight his way out of Red Bull limbo
Alex Albon has faced the media for the first time since he lost his Red Bull drive at the end of 2020 and dropped out of a Formula 1 race seat altogether. He has a history of bouncing back from setbacks, so here's what he must do to rise again
Ranked! Carlin's greatest F1 graduates
Carlin has helped guide enough drivers to Formula 1 to fill out an entire grid, plus a handful of reserves, to create a remarkable alumni list. With Yuki Tsunoda set to join that group, Motorsport.com has ranked its graduates to grace the grand prix scene...
Why Alfa's 2021 launch says more about its 2022 plans
Alfa Romeo launched its C41 with a revised front nose, but there's little to suggest it will surge up the leaderboard in 2021. As the team frankly admits, it's putting its eggs in the basket labelled 2022 and hoping to hold the eighth place it earned last year
Why Gasly’s AlphaTauri haven is a blessing and a curse
Red Bull opted not to re-sign Pierre Gasly even before it decided to drop Alex Albon and so the Frenchman's Formula 1 journey will continue at AlphaTauri. This has positive and negative connotations for one of last season's star performers.
Eight things Red Bull must do to beat Mercedes in 2021
After seven years of defeat at the hands of Mercedes, Red Bull is as hungry as ever to secure a fifth world championship. But there are key challenges it must overcome in 2021 to switch from challenger to conqueror