Day 4 testing highlights, as Hamilton spins

1. Raikkonen sets pace in the Ferrari
2. Hamilton spins off circuit
3. McLaren & Honda's problems continue
4. Force India 'will be in Melbourne' for F1 season start
5. Marussia hopes of F1 return boosted

And that, folks, is that. What a journey it has been. I can't tell you how much of a pleasure it has been guiding you through this marvellous sport. Thanks so much for your company. That's me done. Until next time, it's good afternoon from me. Over and out.

The second test takes place in Barcelona and kicks off on 19 February. That'll last four days. And there won't be long to wait for the next and final one because that begins on 26 February and will also be hosted by Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya.

The season itself begins on 13 March with Friday practice for the Australian Grand Prix and after 18 more races, it ends in Abu Dhabi for the season final in November. It's going to be awesome.

BreakingHeadlines

Here's a snapshot of the day's headlines:

• Kimi Raikkonen sets the fastest last of the four-day test
• Lewis Hamilton completes 117 laps, but his spin brings out the red flag
• McLaren and Jenson Button set their quickest lap of the week and clock 35 laps but day disrupted by a "trivial issue" with the oil levels and fuel pump problem
• Red Bull miss much of the morning with an ERS issue but recover in the afternoon with Daniil Kvyat managing 64 laps
• Marussia's hopes of competing in 2015 are boosted
• Force India say they will make the season opener despite delays with their new car

EPA

That benchmark lap from Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen is the fastest of the four days. It's been a good week for Ferrari, but it's unwise to read too much into headline times.

Final day results

1) Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 1:20.841 105 laps

2) Marcus Ericsson (Sauber) 1:22.019 +1.178 112 laps

3) Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1:22.172 +1.331 117 laps

4) Max Verstappen (Toro Rosso) 1:22.553 +1.712 97 laps

5) Felipe Massa (Williams) 1:23.116 +2.275 73 laps

6) Romain Grosjean (Lotus) 1:23.802 +2.961 53 laps

7) Daniil Kvyat (Red Bull) 1:23.975 +3.134 64 laps

8) Jenson Button (McLaren) 1:27.660 +6.819 35 laps

Chequered flag

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Kimi Raikkonen finishes fastest on the final day of the first pre-season test in Jerez.

Williams: @MassaFelipe19 has finished his check list and so finishes his day.

Mercedes: RADIO @LewisHamilton: "Before the flag I just want to say well done guys. Great first week back!"

Sauber: #ME9 made a check of the fuel system and ran out of fuel, as a result.

Sauber's Marcus Ericsson has stopped on track. That could bring an abrupt end to the session and indeed this test.

Red flag

Red flag again!

Sauber's Marcus Ericsson is the first one back out...

Go! Go! Go!

Just a short stoppage as a marshal dashes onto the circuit, retrieves a piece of debris and then hops back over the barriers. Good work.

Red flag

We have a red flag!

BBC

F1 journalist Dan Knutson in Jerez: "The teams are starting to pack up. While the cars will go back to the factories, the garage equipment will be trucked to Barcelona for the second test."

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Lewis Hamilton continues to clock up the laps, with Kimi Raikkonen and Daniil Kvyat for company.

BBC

Ferrari will more than likely reflect on this test as a job well done. Last year was poor by their standards as they failed to win a single race. This year, things are looking up. Sebastian Vettel was fastest on both the first two days and Kimi Raikkonen was second quickest yesterday and looks set to top the times today.

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Just 40 minutes of this test remaining with Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen heading out to make the most of it.

Marcus Ericsson pumps in a good lap to go third quickest. Can he improve further to ensure Sauber finish in the top two on all four days of this test in Jerez?

Gossip

Nico Rosberg admits his sadness at the possibility of the German Grand Prix being dropped from the calendar. Read about that and other stories in today's F1 gossip column.

Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen is back out and doing another short run, but he can't beat his leading his own benchmark this time around.

It's an early finish for McLaren, too, the team conceding that they're not going to complete the fuel pump change before the end of the session.

Lewis Hamilton hits his century of laps, but remains second on the timesheets, 1.331 seconds off the pace set by Kimi Raikkonen.

Romain Grosjean: Really good first feeling behind the wheel of the #E23 ! Looking forward to being in #Barcelona

Andrew Benson

Chief F1 writer

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"Lotus's test is over because of an engine problem. 'It's a shame,' said trackside operations director Alan Permane. 'It's been going really well, especially as a week ago we did not even expect to be here.

"'The car is most definitely a big step forward over last year, even though we are still short of a lot of parts so it's not very representative. It's surprising we were running as quickly as we were given that. It's very encouraging - in fact, Romain was just saying that the car feels a lot like the 2013 car. He's a lot happier.'"

Short run for Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, who pitted after that flying lap.

Why haven't we seen Jenson Button for a while? Well McLaren say they've got a fuel pump issue which they're working on fixing now.

Raikkonen sets quickest time of the week

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Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen clocks a 1:20.841, which is the fastest time we've seen all week.

Red Bull send Daniil Kvyat out for another run, joining Lewis Hamilton, Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Massa. We've not seen Jenson Button and the McLaren for a while...

Williams

Williams: A quick stop for @MassaFelipe19 with a few front wing adjustments before heading back out

Quickest times

Here's how they stand:

1) Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 1:21.516

2) Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1:22.497 +0.981

3) Max Verstappen (Toro Rosso) 1:22.553 +1.037

4) Felipe Massa (Williams) 1:23.116 +1,600

5) Marcus Ericsson (Sauber) 1:23.551 +2.035

6) Romain Grosjean (Lotus) 1:24.300 +2.286

7) Daniil Kvyat (Red Bull) 1:24.300 +2.784

8) Jenson Button (McLaren) 1:27.660 +6.144

Reuters

With two hours to go, Lewis Hamilton heads back out. Will he hit a century of laps today after falling short on Monday?

Get involved

Amin: Wondering what Alonso is thinking now seeing the Ferrari at top of the time sheets.

Lewis Hamilton pits, leaving Max Verstappen, Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Massa out on track.

Sauber: After finishing some set-up work, Marcus Ericsson is now doing aero scans. Good weather conditions!

BreakingHeadlines

Here's a snapshot of the day's headlines:

• Lewis Hamilton completes 78 laps, but his spin brings out the red flag
• McLaren and Jenson Button set their quickest lap of the week and clock 31 laps after a lengthy delay because of a "trivial issue" with the oil levels
• Red Bull miss much of the morning with an ERS issue but recover in the afternoon with Daniil Kvyat managing 35 laps
• Max Verstappen, Kimi Raikkonen, Marcus Ericsson and Romain Grosjean all complete more than 50 laps
• Marussia's hopes of competing in 2015 are boosted
• Force India say they will make the season opener despite delays with their new car

Today is the final day of the first pre-season test, but there are still two more to look forward to before the season kicks off in Melbourne with the Australian Grand Prix on 15 March. The second test begins on 19 February and then third follows on the 26 February. Both are in Barcelona and last four days.

Lewis Hamilton is still out on track, but he now has Daniil Kvyat and Marcus Ericsson for company.

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It's been a tricky few days for McLaren, who are embarking on a new era with engine partner Honda.

"We have had a number of problems," said McLaren's director of engineering Matt Morris who met with the media earlier today. "We have had some operational issues - all of us working together as a team for the first time - things you take for granted when you have been with an engine supplier for many years.

"You drop the ball sometimes, like saying getting oil levels wrong and all these sorts of things. We have had a few issues like that. We have also had some minor electrical issues, which resulted in a lot of downtime but have actually been relatively easy to fix.

"The main thing is that we have not been burning bodywork or blowing up engines. I am pretty happy that we are going to come out of this test with no sorts of major issues to resolve."

Tom Clarkson

BBC F1 pit lane reporter

"On Tuesday, the visiting VIP was Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz. For the final day of the test, McLaren have welcomed shareholders the Crown Prince of Bahrain and Mansour Ojjeh.

"The Bahraini royal family owns 50% of McLaren through its Mumtalakat investment fund, while Ojjeh, a long-time business partner of chairman Ron Dennis, owns 25%. Dennis owns the remainder. And, auspiciously, the car is working this afternoon so far."

Lewis Hamilton has the track to himself as Kimi Raikkonen and Daniil Kvyat head back to the pits.

Lewis Hamilton is out and about and approaching the 70-lap mark in the Mercedes. The world champion makes a slight improvement, but stays fourth, two seconds off the pace.

Andrew Benson

Chief F1 writer

PA

"Anyone hoping for a chink in Mercedes' armour has been pretty much disappointed over the last three days. Yes, small issues have stopped both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg once each over the last three days, but between them they have still racked up nearly 500 laps.

"Not only that, but the car looks quick and consistent. Rosberg did admit on Tuesday that the pace of the Ferraris had been 'eye-opening', but there was no real sense of concern: 'Still we are confident that we can start the season well and in terms of development be strong,' he said."

PA

Kimi Raikkonen breaks into the 1m21s to extend his advantage at the top of the timesheets to one second.

McLaren's Jenson Button is making tiny improvements in terms of lap time, although he remains bottom of the timesheets, five seconds off the pace.

Hurrah! We have cars on track. Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button heads out to break the silence.

Recap

EPA

Here's a shot of Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes being guided onto the back of a truck by four team mechanics after the world champion spun on track earlier in the session, bringing out the red flag.

BreakingHeadlines

PA

Here's a snapshot of the day's headlines:

• Lewis Hamilton (pictured) completes 52 laps, but his spin brings out the red flag
• McLaren and Jenson Button set their quickest lap of the week after a lengthy delay because of a "trivial issue" with the oil levels
• Red Bull miss much of the morning with an ERS issue
• Marussia's hopes of competing in 2015 are boosted
• Force India say they will make the season opener despite delays with their new car

Get involved

Nikki McFarlane: I'm finding it hard not to get my hopes up for the Ferrari this year. It's got to be better than last year surely!

Matthew Cheshire: No strange coincidence that the two teams that most need to be seen to improve have been running at the front. Apart from McLaren.

Luke Tizzard: I'd rate Mercedes top, Ferrari look quick, Williams, Sauber & lotus next. If McLaren & Red Bull sort tech issues they'll be up there.

Russian Danill Kvyat pits and the track falls silent.

Red Bull's Daniil Kvyat breaks into double figures as he continues to make up for lost ground, having missed most of the morning session.

Andrew Benson

Chief F1 writer

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"It would be wise not to get too carried away about the pace of the Ferrari or, especially, the Sauber. These are early days. But perhaps more important than the headline times is the word coming out about the updated Ferrari engine. Lagging at least 40bhp behind the Mercedes last season, it also had poor power delivery and an under-effective energy recovery system.

"But insiders say the Ferrari engineers have found 80bhp over the winter. That sounds a lot, but then Sauber's Felipe Nasr seemed to suggest it might be about right when he said after setting the pace on Tuesday that the 2014 Mercedes he drove in last year's Williams and the 2015 Ferrari engine in his Sauber 'feel very similar'. The problem for them - as well as Renault and Honda - is that Mercedes are believed to have upped their engines power by at least 50bhp, so are very likely still to have an engine advantage. As Nasr said: 'I think the Mercedes cars are hiding a little bit what they can do.'"

Jenson Button is out for a third run, the McLaren driver is down into the 1m27s, 5.335 seconds off the pace.

F1 journalist Dan Knutson in Jerez: "Doing a headcount - literally because you can only see heads above the screens in front of the McLaren garage - I counted 18 mechanics and engineers around Jenson Button's car just before he went back out on the track."

It looks like Red Bull have found a fix as Daniil Kvyat is climbing into the car ready for a second run.

Sauber's Marcus Ericsson has the track to himself for now. Perhaps some of the others chosen to stop for a spot of lunch.

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What are Red Bull trying to hide with their camouflage livery? BBC Sport's chief F1 writer Andrew Benson studies the car's new design features in detail.

McLaren's Jenson Button is seventh fastest, 5.772 seconds off the pace but the team are making progress - albeit very, very slowly.

F1 journalist Dan Knutson in Jerez: "Whatever problem stopped Button exiting the garage a little while ago, it was quickly solved. He returned to the track shortly afterwards and has just set the team's fastest time of the test."

EPA

Romain Grosjean goes third fastest with a 1:23.802, 1.265 seconds off the pace. Kimi Raikkonen is still the pace-setter.

F1 journalist Dan Knutson in Jerez: "More bad news for McLaren. Jenson Button pulled out of the garage and got just a few feet past pit exit when his car stuttered to a stop. The McLaren mechanics have gone out to push the car back in. That was to have been the car's eighth lap of the day, but it was not to be.

"On Tuesday, McLaren talked of making a 'massive progress'. But presciently racing director Eric Boullier, referencing the problems of the first two days of the test, also added: 'Sometimes you just open the Pandora's box and you pick up one [problem], and then another one is coming.' Looks like that box might have just been flung open again."

Lewis Hamilton is getting down to business on track, clocking a 1:23.633 which moves him up to second, one second shy of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.

Marcus Ericsson in the Sauber pops into third with a 1:25.081, 1.881 seconds off the pace set by Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen. Felipe Massa improves, too, moving into fourth a further tenth adrift.

Red Bull report that they have an ERS issue on Daniil Kvyat's car, which is why we've seen so little of him so far today.

BreakingHeadlines

Here's a snapshot of the day's headlines:

• Lewis Hamilton completes 44 laps, but a spin brings out the red flag
• McLaren and Jenson Button manage just seven laps after a lengthy delay because of a "trivial issue" with the oil levels
• Red Bull also struggle with Daniil Kvyat completing just four laps
• Marussia's hopes of competing in 2015 are boosted
• Force India say they will make the season opener despite delays with their new car

Romain Grosjean in the Lotus clocks a 1:25.146 to go third quickest, 1.946 seconds off the pace set by Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.

Kimi Raikkonen is out and about in the Ferrari, along with Lotus' Romain Grosjean, Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen and McLaren's Jenson Button.

Button & McLaren latest

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There was a big gap between Jenson Button completing an installation lap early in the day and the 2009 world champion coming back out.

McLaren say they performed checks around the car to see if everything was working smoothly after yesterday's problems. They found a "trivial issue" with the oil levels but "it is performing well now".

Andrew Benson

Chief F1 writer

"Can McLaren-Honda build on their reliability breakthrough on Tuesday and put in a full day's running on Wednesday? That is the hope, after what racing director Eric Boullier admitted was the 'huge relief' of the 32 laps Fernando Alonso managed on Tuesday before being stopped by a water leak.

"The electrical problems that had plagued them for the first two days - and two days in Abu Dhabi last November - seem to be over. And the leak was caused by a 'third-party component' that was easy to fix, if difficult to get to because of the tight packaging of what is a lovely-looking car.

"Boullier reported that there were no issues with cooling, and that Alonso, who only ran on wet-weather tyres, had been very pleased with the car. 'The driver comments were very, very positive,' Boullier said. 'Fernando said the car is really reacting well, the car is really stable, and you could see a couple of times on the pit wall checking in Turn One, with Mercedes driving at the same time, that the car was really stable on the entry.' Jenson Button will be hoping he can at least equal Alonso's mileage on his final day in the car in Jerez."

Lap count

With three hours gone, here's the lap count:

Lewis Hamilton: 44

Max Verstappen: 41

Kimi Raikkonen: 33

Romain Grosjean: 30

Marcus Ericsson: 25

Felipe Massa: 15

Daniil Kvyat: 8

Jenson Button: 4

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Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen has the track to himself at the moment as we approach the three-hour mark.

Hamilton back on track

Good work from Mercedes who are preparing to get Lewis Hamilton back out around 35 minutes after he stopped out on track.

F1 journalist Dan Knutson in Jerez: "If the Marussia team does indeed make a comeback it will have to hire some new staff. Pat Symonds says that quite a few former Marussia and Caterham people are now working for Williams."

Tom Clarkson

BBC F1 pit-lane reporter

"We don't have absolute confirmation yet, but Lewis Hamilton appears to have had a spin at the chicane. The car was facing the wrong way with mud on the left rear tyre."

Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen improves to a 1:23.812, 0.893 seconds quicker than Max Verstappen in the Toro Rosso. Felipe Massa is third fastest, eight tenths further back with Lewis Hamilton fourth, 2.299 seconds off the pace.

Williams

Williams: Felipe currently basking in the Spanish sun.

And Jenson Button puts a time on the board! It's a 1:30.706, which is 6.8 seconds off the pace set by Kimi Raikkonen.

Lewis Hamilton managed 43 laps before his session came to an abrupt halt. Meanwhile, Jenson Button has headed out in the McLaren.

Go! Go! Go!

The Mercedes is back in the pits which means we're back under way in Jerez.

Mercedes: Bit of an intermission as the car is fetched from an unusual parking spot between T11/12. Just awaiting her return now...

This is not ideal for Lewis Hamilton, who lost three hours of running on his first day because of a water leak. In contrast, his team-mate Nico Rosberg has had a much smoother time, clocking up 308 laps.

Hamilton stops on track

It's Lewis Hamilton! The world champion has stopped out on track in the Mercedes.

Red flag

We have our second red flag of the day!

Andrew Benson

Chief F1 writer

"Force India insist that there is no chance they could miss the start of the season despite serious delays in the preparation of their new car. The team have missed this week's first pre-season test in Jerez and now say it is unlikely their 2015 car will be ready for the next in Barcelona from 19-22 February. "But a spokesman said that the team would take part in the second test, even if it was with their 2014 car. And he said there was "no truth" in claims they would miss the first race in Australia."

Following on from the latest on Marussia, I can bring you news on Force India - who have skipped this test.

F1 journalist Dan Knutson in Jerez: "Yet another day of the Red Bull being in the garage instead of the track. Christian Horner and Adrian Newey aren't here to see their car not running - they flew back to the UK last night."

Andrew Benson

Chief F1 writer

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"Ferrari had a nightmare season in 2014 on pretty much every level, with a poor car leading to turmoil in the top management and the departure of Fernando Alonso. But things have been looking up in Jerez this week. Alonso's replacement Sebastian Vettel was fastest on both the first two days, and Kimi Raikkonen seconds quickest on Tuesday - behind the Ferrari-engined Sauber of Felipe Nasr.

"'Raikkonen made encouraging noises, saying: It's a new car and you usually know if the car is going to be good or not good [immediately]. This year is a completely different story to last year. It's a positive start and I had a good feeling straightaway when I went out.' Raikkonen continues in the car for this final day."

Why are the 2015 cars faster?

Want to know why the 2015 Formula 1 cars are roughly one-and-a-half seconds quicker around Jerez than they were last year? BBC F1 pit-lane reporter Tom Clarkson explains in this video.

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Good work from Lewis Hamilton so far today, the Briton clocking up 30 laps already as we approach the two-hour mark.

Raikkonen moves into top spot

Lewis Hamilton improves again, this time clocking a 1:26.701 but he is knocked off his perch by Kimi Raikkonen, who goes fourth tenths quicker in the Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton lowers the benchmark once more, the world champion clocking a 1:26.998, six seconds quicker than Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari who is second.

Hamilton goes quickest

And Lewis Hamilton immediately goes fastest, clocking a 1:28.943. Next time around, he improves again with a 1:27.943. That puts him five second clear of the field and evidence that the track is ready for dry weather tyres.

It looks like the track has dried sufficiently for intermediates to be swapped for dry weather tyres as Lewis Hamilton has bolted on a set of the latter and headed out.

BreakingBREAKING NEWS

The Marussia team's chances of returning to Formula 1 this season have increased.

The team ceased trading last November but there is now a plan for them to come out of administration on 19 February and receive new investment.

Administrators FRP Advisory said the company was making "progress towards a longer-term viable solution".

Marussia's president Graeme Lowdon has sourced new investors, the identity of which is not yet known.

Kimi Raikkonen moves into top spot now, the Ferrari driver clocking a 1:33.022 with his first effort. That's 2.199 seconds faster than anyone else.

Lewis Hamilton gets on the board with a 1:38.818, three seconds slower than the pace-setting Toro Rosso of Max Verstappen.

Lotus: It's a little moist on track so we're biding our time, and resting our minds, till it's appropriately dry out there. Time for a cuppa.

Intermediates are still the order of the day as the track remains slippery following rain earlier this morning. Lewis Hamilton heads out for an exploration.

Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen goes quickest with a 1:37.170, 0.025 seconds quicker than Daniil Kvyat in the Red Bull.

Andrew Benson

Chief F1 writer

"This has not been a great test for Red Bull, to say the least. Daniel Ricciardo managed only 30-odd laps on both his days in the car and Daniil Kvyat, who takes over again today, stuffed the car on an out-lap on Monday, breaking the front wing pillars and forcing him to the rest of the day without a wing at all. And a problem with a part in the Renault engine was limiting mileage.

"Ricciardo said the lack of running, and the problems that had hit the team, were not a huge surprise given how late the car was coming together. 'We came into this test knowing it was a pretty big evolution from last year, and we knew it would be tight,' he said. 'Obviously we'd love to do 150 laps here, but we knew it would be compromised one way or another.' He added, though, that "'I think we're where we thought we would be.'"

Tom Clarkson

BBC F1 pit lane reporter

BBC

"Notice the sheet under Kvyat's car, to keep away prying eyes. Red Bull think of everything, don't they?"

The marshals do a great job recovering the Red Bull quickly and now we're back under way.

It's Daniil Kvyat who has stopped out on track. More problems for Red Bull.

Red flag

The red flag is out for the first time today!

McLaren: Jenson's completed his installation. Now waiting for the track to dry a little...

Marcus Ericsson improves to a 1:37.533, 0.338 seconds off the pace set by Daniil Kvyat. Romain Grosjean and Felipe Massa have set lap times, but they're nothing to write home about.

Andrew Benson

Chief F1 writer

AP

"A Sauber at the top of the timesheet? You don't see that everyday, but that is where new recruit Felipe Nasr found himself on Tuesday - and that followed second-fastest times from team-mate Marcus Ericsson on the first two days of the test.

"As Nasr himself pointed out, though, he was out on soft tyres, when everything else was using mediums, and this is not likely to be the start of a major Sauber assault on the front of the grid. 'To be honest, I don't feel we're going to be leading sessions in this car in all the situations, but nevertheless it feels good to finish first,' the Brazilian said.'"

Get involved

If the season started tomorrow, how would you rank the teams? Answers on a tweet, using the #bbcf1 hashtag or text 81111 (UK only), remembering to put your name on those texts.

McLaren's Jenson Button makes his first appearance of the forming, completing a single lap before heading back to the pits.

Honda Racing F1: It's time. The engineers are finishing up. Now it's down to @JensonButton and the power unit. #McLarenHonda

Daniil Kvyat gets a time on the board early doors with a 1:37.195, 21 seconds fastest than Marcus Ericsson's opener in the Sauber but considerably slower than the quickest times we've had over the last few days.

So far, the Russian has managed to keep hold of his front wing, which he broke on Monday limiting his running as Red Bull had no spares at the circuit, so he'll be hoping it stays that way.

Lotus

Lotus: @RGrosjean heads out for a cheeky look-see to start the day at @circuitodejerez

Nico Rosberg

With Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes, Nico Rosberg has some time on his hands. So the German, who completed a massive 308 laps over two days, has arrived at the circuit and is currently doing a Q&A via his Twitter account in Spanish, one of five languages he speaks - German, English, Italian and French are the others if you were wondering.

Andrew Benson

Chief F1 writer

"What does the day have in store? Can a car powered by something other than a Ferrari engine top the times, after two Ferrari bests and, on Tuesday, a Sauber, of all things? Can Mercedes break 500 laps for the week? Will the McLaren-Honda run all day? There is plenty to watch out for as the teams hit the one-third distance mark of their preparation for the start of the season."

We're already under way in Jerez, with Lewis Hamilton out nice and early to get an installation lap out of the way. He's soon followed by Marcus Ericsson, Daniil Kvyat, Max Verstappen and Felipe Massa.

As mentioned, Lewis Hamilton will drive the Mercedes, while Jenson Button takes the wheel of the McLaren. Elsewhere, Red Bull run Daniil Kvyat and Felipe Massa will be in the Williams.

Kimi Raikkonen keeps hold of the Ferrari, Max Verstappen reclaims the Toro Rosso, Romain Grosjean gets his first taste of the new Lotus and Marcus Ericsson is back in the Sauber.

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F1 journalist Dan Knutson in Jerez: "The track is wet after 0.4mm of rain fell just after 07:00 local time.

"It took a long time for the track to dry after yesterday morning's brief rain shower, and Kimi Raikkonen said some patches of track never properly dried out all day.

"The air temperature is 7.8C and the track temperature is 6.7C."

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On the face of it, Sauber have had a stormer so far in Jerez, with the car finishing second quickest on the first two days and fastest of all yesterday.

But it's unwise to read too much into the times at this stage of the season. The teams' focus is not on performance but rather set-up and getting an understanding of how their 2015 challengers work.

It won't be until the final test in Barcelona, which starts at the end of the month, where we will get a truer picture of the pecking order.

But what we can find out in Jerez is who is reliable and who is not - so watch this space.

Morning all and welcome to our live text coverage of the final day of the first pre-season test at Jerez, southern Spain.

Mercedes have looked supreme over the first few days and Ferrari and Williams look pretty handy, too. Red Bull have had it tough, but not as tough as McLaren, who only got their first meaningful laps on the board yesterday.

Over the next EIGHT HOURS, the drivers will circulate the track before the teams pack up and head back to their factories. Two more tests follow, both in Barcelona, before the season starts on 15 March in Melbourne, Australia. It's almost upon us.

The Brits are back. Back again.

PA

Yep, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button will get behind the wheel of their respective 2015 challengers today for a second day of running.

PA

But will they end the day with a reason to raise a smile?