Robert Kubica topped the times on Thursday as the final four-day test session of the year moved into its penultimate day.
Kubica, who was getting his first taste of
Bridgestone's 2009 slick tyres, completed 87 laps in total in his
F1.07 - his best a 1 minute 19.157 seconds, which was around two tenths up on the next quickest runner.
Kubica's time though was still slightly slower than the best time of the week so far, set by his
BMW Sauber team-mate,
Nick Heidfeld on day 1.
Nick, who completed his third and final day at this test today, posted a 1m 19.042s lap on Tuesday, but had to settle for a lap around a second slower on day 3, which left him tenth overall on the unofficial leader-board.
"Our drivers continued the development work on the electronics and car set-up for 2008 today," read a statement from BMW following day 3. "Robert also had his first taste of the 2009 Bridgestone slick tyres. While there were a few small issues that caused minor interruptions to the planned test, all in all it was a positive day.
"Tomorrow's work will be on 2008 developments, while the team is hoping to finish its mileage and tyre allocation for the year.
"For Robert it will be day three, while Marko Asmer will have a full day, after the Estonia spent a half day in the car on Tuesday."
Lewis Hamilton meanwhile was second for
McLaren, notching up 64 laps as the team continued to focus on a programme of aerodynamic and suspension work. Unlike Kubica though, he ran on grooved tyres, as opposed to the development rubber for 2009.
Felipe Massa was third for
Ferrari, albeit just two thousandths of a second off Hamilton. The Brazilian was working mainly on new components and electronics for 2008.
Red Bull Racing's
Mark Webber and
Toyota's
Timo Glock came in fourth and fifth respectively, both posting a 1m 19.6s lap.
Webber ran in the RB3 with the traction control and engine braking disabled. He had a 'profitable morning', concentrating on an aero programme as well as trying out the slick tyres. However, an unscheduled engine change cut short his afternoon programme.
