Valencia- Day 3 – Kovalainen takes the lead

Heikki Kovalainen set the fastest time in private testing in Valencia. For this second Spanish session of testing with the entire 2008 lineup except for Super Aguri, the McLaren-Mercedes driver outpaced the two Ferrari drivers.

The new teammate of Lewis Hamilton set a time, with conditions still favorable, in one minute and eleven seconds to the thousandth, which is more than one second faster than Massa’s best time yesterday.

The Ferrari driver also achieved the second-best performance, but more than six-tenths behind the Finnish driver, in race configuration. Massa, with the F2008, outpaced his teammate Kimi Räikkönen with more than 100 laps completed, just like yesterday.

Lewis Hamilton, in the second McLaren, is 4th. The 2007 vice world champion also ran a lot with the MP4/23. The quartet is therefore made up of the same teams as in 2007.

Kazuki Nakajima confirms Williams’ good form by making it into the top 5 but with a hybrid car from last year. His teammate, Nico Rosberg with the FW30, is 7th and shows no significant improvements since yesterday.

Between the two Williams, Fernando Alonso’s Renault R28 is in between. The Spaniard, almost at home, was applauded by many visitors present in the stands. He completed his last day of testing, with nearly 300 laps covered in 3 days, or 1200 km. Tomorrow, he will make way for his young teammate Nelson Piquet Junior.

Mark Webber sets the eighth fastest time with the Red Bull RB4. The lap time improves, but reliability is still lacking with two red flags caused during the day.

Nick Heidfeld with the new BMW F1.08 is ninth ‘only’. He focused on aerodynamic testing, notably with a very special front wing worthy of the devil.

Vettel in the first Toro Rosso is 10th, while Sébastien Bourdais sets the 13th fastest time with a car lacking innovation. The Toyotas, although new, remain distant from the leaders. Glock is 11th while Trulli is only 15th behind Liuzzi’s Force India.

Kubica, who tested new elements, was the most active on track with 121 laps of the 4 km Ricardo Tormo circuit.

Rubens Barrichello, who inaugurated the new Honda RA108, completed only a few laps. Just 36 and was unable to compete with the other teams. He finished second to last, fortunately ahead of a rookie, Kogure, in last year’s Honda.

Private Testing Valencia – Day 3

Unofficial times.