Felipe Nasr remained at the wheel of the 2015 Sauber-Ferrari C34 for day three of the pre-season test at the Circuito de Jerez, and on a set of Pirelli’s Soft compound tyre, set the fastest time of the day, beating Kimi Raikkonen and Nico Rosberg in the process.
The Brazilian, stepping up into Formula 1 having raced in the GP2 Series for three seasons, completed 109 laps of the Spanish circuit, and recovered from an early spin into the gravel that caused the first of three red flag periods during the day.
Nasr was happy to have done significant mileage during the day, and felt that he was beginning to understand his new car better, including how the Ferrari-powered C34 felt with a heavy fuel load.
“It was another positive day,” reflected 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.
“In the end I had the chance to do some long-runs to get a feeling for the car with high fuel loads like they would be in race conditions. It was important for me to get used to all these different things.
“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. I’m already looking forward to Barcelona.”
Despite seeing the Sauber at the top of the times on day three, Head of Track Engineering Giampaolo Dall’Ara said the day’s running was far more complicated than days one and two, but ultimately was satisfied with their efforts.
“The day was a bit more complicated than the previous two,” revealed Dall’Ara. “In the morning it was mainly down to the weather conditions. When the track was still damp we decided to test different wet tyres, and make some comparisons.
“In the afternoon we continued with the set-up work and some additional scans. We lost a little bit of time with a minor technical issue, but, nevertheless, we were able to complete more than 100 laps. In the end we can be satisfied with the day.”