Felipe Massa has put Ferrari on top for the first time in 2013, topping Day 3 of pre-season testing at the Jerez circuit in Spain.
The Brazilian driver set his fastest time in the morning and was not headed by any of his 11 team rivals.
Only Nico Rosberg, driving the repaired Mercedes W04, could get within a second of Massa’s time.
It was relief for Mercedes, who has endured difficult runs on the first two days of testing (electrical issues and brake failure). Rosberg logged 148 laps on Day 3, easily the most of any outfit.
World champion Sebastian Vettel got his first drive of the team’s 2013 car, setting the third fastest time after showing improvement in the afternoon session.
Like Vettel, Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen was also getting his first taste of his new car, finishing fourth ahead of Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne and Force India’s test driver James Rossiter.
Day 3, pre-season F1 testing, Jerez
| Pos | Driver | Team | Best time | Laps |
| 1 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1m 17.879s | 85 |
| 2 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes AMG | 1m 18.766s | 148 |
| 3 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull Racing | 1m 19.052s | 102 |
| 4 | Kimi Raikkonen | Lotus-Renault | 1m 19.200s | 40 |
| 5 | Jean-Eric Vergne | Scuderia Toro Rossa | 1m 19.247s | 85 |
| 6 | James Rossiter | Force India | 1m 19.303s | 42 |
| 7 | Jenson Button | McLaren Mercedes | 1m 19.603s | 83 |
| 8 | Esteban Gutierrez | Sauber | 1m 19.934s | 110 |
| 9 | Max Chilton | Marussia | 1m 21.269s | 78 |
| 10 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams | 1m 21.575s | 86 |
| 11 | Charles Pic | Caterham | 1m 22.352s | 57 |
| 12 | Paul di Resta | Force India | 1m 23.729s | 7 |
