Charles Leclerc put a tricky two days for Ferrari firmly behind him as he set a new blistering benchmark on the third morning of the second Formula 1 test.
Carlos Sainz believes both McLaren and engine supplier Renault have made solid progress over the winter after setting the fastest time on Wednesday.
Mercedes claim their new aero package has led to a considerable improvement in race pace after a simulation on Wednesday.
Robert Kubica admits he is still playing catch up with the FW42, as Williams enjoyed another successful day of testing on Wednesday.
Fernando Alonso says he would certainly seek a return to Formula 1 if the possibility of adding to his career achievements was possible.
Representatives from both Renault and Mercedes believe Formula 1's midfield could threaten the dominance of the top three teams based on testing so far.
Max Verstappen was still satisfied with what Red Bull accomplished despite failing to complete a first race simulation on Wednesday.
A minor trip through the gravel in the final sector around two-thirds into the 66-lap effort saw the Dutchman return to the pits for an inspection which lasted around two hours.
Verstappen insisted everything was routine, however, as the RB15 continues to run reliably.
“Not a perfect day, but still a good one,” he declared. “There are always things you want to check, instead of driving until something breaks.
“We did a routine check this afternoon and then got back out again at the end of the session. But even with the delay we had, we still managed to do over 120 laps, so I think it was still a very positive day.
"The more laps, the better and today we did a lot, so overall I’m happy.”
In fact, Verstappen's total of 128 laps was still enough to see him third in the total distance covered by a single driver behind Carlos Sainz and Robert Kubica who both managed 130 laps.
It is also noteworthy that so far Red Bull has continued not to use any tyre compounds softer than the C3 so it will be interesting to see if that changes over the final two days of running before Melbourne.
McLaren topped the timesheet for the second straight day in Barcelona, as Carlos Sainz's morning benchmark was unbeaten in the afternoon.
Sebastian Vettel still believes his Ferrari team head into 2019 with a strong platform despite the raft of upgrades Mercedes brought to the second pre-season test.
The US Grand Prix venue at Circuit of the Americas has been denied its annual funding from the State of Texas.
