Toro Rosso used two drivers on Day 3 of the Barcelona test, with reserve driver Daniel Ricciardo completing 42 laps this morning and Sebastien Buemi taking over with 31 laps this afternoon.
Ricciardo drew the short straw weather-wise, beginning the day on Extreme Pirelli rain tyres, switching to intermediates and then dry tyres as the track dried out. The Australian finished the day only thirteenth fastest as a result.
“It was an interesting morning in changing conditions, especially as I was one of the first to switch to slick tyres as the track dried this morning,” commented Ricciardo. “I was pleased to be able to test a few different compounds so the day was more productive than we expected, especially in terms of learning more about the crossover point from wet to intermediate to dry tyres. Now, I am not due to drive at any further test sessions, so my next time in the car should be during Free Practice 1 at the first Grand Prix.”
Buemi was able to use dry tyres all afternoon and recorded the ninth-fastest lap of the day. The Swiss driver is aiming to get plenty of mileage under his belt tomorrow:
“Even if I did not do so many laps this afternoon, I think the work we did was productive and it means we have plenty of sets to run with tomorrow, to increase our understanding of the different tyre types. We also evaluated some elements aimed at increasing downforce, which was interesting and now I just hope it is dry all day tomorrow, so we can get plenty of laps completed.”
