07:54 Good morning and welcome to AUTOSPORT Live's coverage of the final day of the opening 2012 winter Formula 1 test at Jerez.

07:54 It's another very chilly start here in Spain.

07:55 Pretty much everyone has now had at least one day of running in their 2012 cars.

07:55 The exceptions being Jarno Trulli - who tries the Caterham today after new reserve driver Giedo van der Garde had the Thursday running - and Nico Hulkenberg, whose Force India was crashed by Jules Bianchi before the German could have a go yesterday.

07:56 And of course Wednesday and Thursday pacesetter Mercedes is still running its 2011 car and focusing on tyre testing until the 2012 machine is ready for Barcelona in a fortnight.

08:00 We're green, and Trulli is first out in the Caterham.

08:01 Romain Grosjean follows shortly afterwards in the Lotus - which has been rather rapid this week.

08:01 Kamui Kobayashi, Jean-Eric Vergne and Sebastian Vettel are next to hit the track.

08:02 As Trulli heads round the circuit in the Caterham, his team-mate Heikki Kovalainen will be joining us on AUTOSPORT Live later this morning to answer your questions. Email them to live@autosport.com and he'll get through as many as he can.

08:02 After yesterday, you may want to ask him about his choice of golfing partner...

08:04 Everyone is now back in the pits.

08:05 The track only stays quiet for a moment before Hulkenberg, Fernando Alonso and Bruno Senna set off.

08:06 Ferrari's form has been one of the big talking points of the week, with the team admitting yesterday that there is plenty to do.

Ferrari 'not happy' with early progress

08:07 As Alonso and Senna come back in, Lewis Hamilton heads out in the McLaren.

08:08 There was cautious optimism from the 2008 world champion yesterday after his first taste of the McLaren MP4-27.

Hamilton pleased with 'positive' start

08:08 Want evidence of how cold it is at Jerez? The sector two speed trap isn't working because it is frozen.

08:09 Here's a full weather update from our cloud-watching expert @radarguruf1:

"Air temperature plummeted (in Spanish terms) to -4 Celsius briefly overnight, so it's another chilly start for the teams and drivers. At least there will be plenty of sunshine on offer again today, while a continuing light northerly breeze will veer round to a north-westerly flow after lunch. Air temperature to expected to reach 14 degrees this afternoon."

08:10 The official air temperature right now is actually -0.5 degrees, and exactly 0 degrees on track.

08:10 F1 tyres will not be enjoying that.

08:11 Hamilton comes round for a second time and puts a time on the board already - though it's only a 1m43s.

08:14 Hamilton heads back in, as Kobayashi and Vettel set off. The Red Bull is, unsurprisingly given the temperatures, on soft tyres.

08:15 Some Sauber news from @OfficialSF1Team: "All good, Kamui about to go out again. We try to catch up with programme after having lost track time yesterday. Mainly aero and set-up work."

08:15 Vettel pulls over for a practice start, and Hulkenberg goes around him and onto the track.

08:16 Kobayashi comes slowly down the main straight.

08:18 Kobayashi again drives slowly down the straight, almost stopping as he brakes opposite the Lotus garage.

08:21 Kobayashi now pits.

08:21 Many of the Lotus crew are outside in T-shirts... Madness, it's 0.6 degrees.

08:21 Now one of them is putting a jumper on. Good thinking.

08:21 Speaking of Lotus, here comes Grosjean onto the track.

08:21 A steady trickle of fans head into the circuit to watch today's action.

08:22 If they weren't around yesterday, hopefully they read our report and know what happened. Here it is again if you missed it:

Rosberg fastest on day three

08:23 First time around for Grosjean, as it's obvious how cold it is as the Lotus squirms through Turn 3 and needs a lower gear than usual for Turn 4.

08:25 Grosjean starts with a 1m32.999s, then knocks a second off next time through.

08:25 Kobayashi heads out on medium tyres in the Sauber.

08:25 Alonso comes out in the Ferrari with a periscope measuring device mounted on the rollhoop.

08:26 @JensonButton had a rude awakening... "Someone's parked a race track right next to my Motorhome! Woken up by F1 cars this morning, keep the noise down boys!! ;-)"

08:26 Good of him to hang around and keep an eye on how Hamilton's getting on in the McLaren after his own run ended on Wednesday.

08:26 Senna now comes out for Williams.

08:27 We're going to be joined by Caterham driver Heikki Kovalainen very soon, so if you've got any burning questions you want to ask the Finn, email live@autosport.com before it's too late.

08:29 It's still cold in the media centre too - two jumpers and a coat weather we reckon.

08:29 Impressive pace from Kobayashi - a 1m21.250s already.

08:29 His team-mate Sergio Perez also set his best time in the morning cold yesterday.

08:30 Alonso drifts by in the Ferrari. Plenty of early reconnaissance work on the fourth day.

08:30 Surprising how slow an F1 car can made 197 km/h look - Alonso 'coasts' down the main straight.

08:31 One man not hanging about is Kobayashi, who is now down to a 1m20.981s. He blasts past Senna into Turn 2 with no hesitation.

08:32 Yesterday AUTOSPORT's @eddstrawF1 went out with Lotus reserve driver Jerome D'Ambrosio to get the Belgian's view on how the new cars looked from the trackside. AUTOSPORT Plus subscribers can check it out here:

Trackside view with D'Ambrosio

08:33 More encouraging for Alonso, he gets down to 1m21.126s.

08:33 That includes the fastest sector one time we've seen so far today.

08:33 Now Kobayashi gets down to a 1m20.696s.

08:35 Alonso and Kobayashi pit, then Hamilton does likewise, so just Senna on the circuit now.

08:36 And now silence... as Senna also pulls in.

08:37 Empty track = ideal time to read the testing blog on AUTOSPORT Plus.

Inside F1 testing: Jerez day four

08:37 Or to read this week's AUTOSPORT magazine

08:38 Or to visit the AUTOSPORT Facebook page.

08:39 We'll give you a shout when any more cars come out at Jerez, so for now, read away...

08:39 Trulli heads back out in the Caterham.

08:41 He will have the track to himself for the time being.

08:41 Today is Trulli's first taste of the new Caterham. Our upcoming special guest Kovalainen got the opening two days, then new reserve driver van der Garde was out yesterday.

08:46 Trulli gets down to a 1m25.759s.

08:46 Big dose of oversteer as he comes through Turn 3.

08:47 @MyCaterhamF1 is enjoying it too: "Run 2 underway. Jarno building up speed with green sections as he starts to explore the 2012 car."

08:47 Trulli sets his fastest lap yet, a 1m24.438s.

08:49 Alonso bangs in a 1m19.289s for Ferrari

08:50 Red Bull meanwhile has a man down by the Lotus garage, watching proceedings

08:50 Now a slow 1m27.914s for Alonso

08:51 Trulli heads back into the pits

08:51 @InsideFerrari: Second run of the day, this time on Soft tyres: Fernando's best time was 1.19.289

08:52 Alonso pits too, leaving Vergne alone on track

08:53 Big lock-up from the Frenchman at Turn 1, and he then skates through the next two turns

08:53 @MyCaterhamF1: 1st Jarno report: Track is very very cold but the car in general is well balanced and I'm getting good feedback from the steering.

08:54 You don't need to be an F1 driver to know the track is cold, mind you!

08:54 Vergne goes quicker on his third lap of the day: 1m23.351s

08:55 Pit watch: The Lotus boys have taken hats off. At 2.3 degrees it's clearly too hot for them to wear them

08:56 Vergne lowers his best to a 1m22.187s, still in third nearly three seconds off Alonso's pace

08:57 The Frenchman is still the only driver out on circuit

08:57 1m21.748s this time around, four tenths faster

08:58 Heikki Kovalainen is here with us now. Say hi!

08:58 Vergne still whacking round, a 1m21.353s

09:00 Afiq Azamuddin from Malaysia wants to know what's your opinion on the new Caterham?

Heikki Kovalainen: Initial feeling is positive and definitely a step forward from last year's car, so regarding the loss of the blown exhaust etc. I think it is really positive

09:01 Vergne still driving round, a 1m21.353s now

09:03 Vergne has pitted, as Hulkenberg has joined the track for another run

09:04 @OfficialSF1Team: Scheduled break for us. Fitting different parts for comparisons before @kamui_kobayashi goes out again.

09:06 Hulkenberg post his fastest time of the day to move up to third: a 1m21.198s

09:07 We some having some technical difficulties with Kovalainen's questions, but we are working on it!

09:09 Hulkenberg has been joined by Senna and Trulli

09:10 Greetings from Finland, where it is -29C. Are you feeling very at home at Jerez because it is cold there?

Heikki Kovalainen: Absolutely yeah! I just hoped it would rain overnight, so we could get some ice and try out some studded tyres. I would be happy with that.

09:11 A question about performance from Jan Tengstrom. “After three days of testing, what are your realistic expectations for 2012. It seems that you still are two seconds behind?”

Heikki Kovalainen: If he has a full time and data sheet with the fuel and the times, can you please send it to us as we don't have that!

09:12 This will be the first year that Caterham runs KERS. What’s your impression of the system?

Heikki Kovalainen: I was very impressed with the system because initially you always expect some issues and we didn't get any. I got used to working with it in a similar way to how I got to do it with McLaren in 2009.

09:13 Sam in the UK was clearly glued to AUTOSPORT Live when we were talking about Heikki Kovalainen's golfing exploits yesterday. "Why do you think John Daly decided to switch from the PGA Golf Tour to become a team truckie?"

Heikki Kovalainen: I think he gets paid better here than when he was on the Tour!

09:13 Back on track, it's Trulli and Senna alone

09:14 Trulli has posted his quickest time so far: 1m23.826s that puts him in sixth

09:15 Taner Selvi in Istanbul asks: "How does it feel to be racing for a team that is climbing the grid after being at McLaren?"

Heikki Kovalainen: I am very happy at Caterham and it has been a fantastic time for my career anyway. I feel I have rediscovered my form again and a big thanks to the team who have allowed me to do that, and given me the time to do that. Regarding my future, my years with the team have been very positive for me.

09:16 Trulli has posted a 1m23.581s to jump ahead of Senna before heading back into the pits

09:17 @MikeGascoyne: Jarno completed first couple of runs on old tyres, using KERS for the first time on the last run

09:18 Back to the golf, this time with a question from Marko Holappa: You 're a big golf fan. Do you wear John Daly trousers while playing?

Heikki Kovalainen: No. I wear Ian Poulter design. He is a friend of mine and set me some cool outfits - with tartan!

09:18 It's Senna turn to improve now, the Brazilian moving up to fifth with a 1m23.569s

09:19 Dan, Bristol asks: Seeing as your car is now a Caterham, did you have to build it yourself on evenings and weekends?

Heikki Kovalainen: (Laughs) No. We have a professional team around us so they did it for me. All the teams do the same, and we are in the same boat.

09:19 Senna is still the only man on track at the moment. He has managed 18 laps in the Williams so far

09:20 There 's a new Finn on the block in F1 and Ali wants to hear Heikki's thoughts on the Williams third driver. What do you think of Valtteri Bottas?

Heikki Kovalainen: I think he is a cool guy and a great driver. I am sure he has a great future in F1 and I hope he gets a chance in one of the teams, or Williams one day, and hopefully he can start his career in F1 soon.

09:22 Senna is back in the pits as Hamilton leaves for another run

09:22 How do you feel about Kimi Raikkonen 's F1 return and what is he really like?

Heikki Kovalainen: Kimi first of all is exactly like you see him, that is exactly how he is. It is great to get him back. I have fun with him, he is a great driver. For F1 fans around the world it is great to have him back but it doesn't make a difference to my life as I race again him just as I do anyone else.

09:23 The Briton has gone quicker right away, posting a 1m23.096s that moves him up to fifth

09:24 A question from Nishesh Jain in New Delhi about Heikki 's future: Your contract with Caterham ends this year. What are the chances of you renewing it and would you like to race in other series?

Heikki Kovalainen: My only target is to race in F1. I think I have a great chance of doing that and at the moment 110% effort is to make Caterham stronger, and I haven't thought about the future at the moment hardly at all.

09:25 A significant improvement for Hamilton: 1m21.774s

09:26 Mark from Australia (Is that you, Webber?) asks: What's the latest news on Fernando Alonso's microwave oven?

Heikki Kovalainen: Well I think when I left Oxford, I think the tennants took it over. They don't realise they have the second fastest microwave in the world!

09:27 Ko from Japan asks: You've said that you have been very involved in the design of the 2012 car. How?

Heikki Kovalainen: Well I didn't design the nose of it! I did the rest of it!

09:27 @MyCaterhamF1: Current air temp is 3°, track temp 7°... about the most essential piece of kit in the garage? The mega industrial sized gas heaters....

Agreed

09:27 Trulli exits the pits in the Caterham

09:28 How does the team adapt the cockpits to the drivers characteristics when team-mates are of a different size and the team has only one test car to work with, asks Thierry Boue

Heikki Kovalainen: We prepare the driver installation at the factory well in advance and then overnight the night shift guys change the installation accordingly, so sometimes requires a bit more work, sometimes less, but it is not an issue.

09:29 Hamilton pits after a four-lap run averaging 1m22.867s

09:30 Emma asks: Do you have to do any extra physical training to prepare for testing since you drive the equivalent of two grands prix a day?

Heikki Kovalainen: No. I train and prepare the same way regardless of how much I drive. I like to keep myself fit, I like to challenge myself and i enjoy the test days when we push to the limit and I am confident I have no problems with it

09:31 Jaspal asks: What did you learn most from your time at McLaren?

Heikki Kovalainen: I learned a lot of things about how to work with engineers and designers and everyone in the team. And how to manage myself inside the team. I understood what the teams are expecting of you and what you have to do to be successful

09:32 Hulkenberg goes out for another run in the Force India. He and Trulli are sharing the circuit

09:32 Air temp has risen to 3.7 degrees, but we're still without timing in S2 as the beacon is frozen

09:33 Janne from Finland asks: What does it mean to you that your good performances last year were widely noticed?

Heikki Kovalainen: It just proves that the decision to join Caterham two years ago was the right one and things have gone exactly as I planned. I feel that I needed to rebuild my career and I managed to do that. I have always regarded myself as one of the top drivers but clearly earlier in my career the performances were not like they used to be in the junior categories. so I have to find my swing again

09:33 Vergne exits the pits for Toro Rosso

09:34 Grits from Latvia is clearly a big Heikki fan. Have you considered expanding your web store? I'd love to buy some more fan merchandise. I'm still using a mouse pad from your McLaren days and would like some up-to-date official stuff please!

Heikki Kovalainen: With IMG now on board, all that kind of stuff will be taken care of and there will soon be some cool things

09:35 Mika Nieminen asks: What do you like to do more. Test the Caterham or play golf?

Heikki Kovalainen: Very funny question! Testing of course and obviously yesterday I played gold but I spent a lot of time with engineers at night working on night shift and obviously very aware where the priorities are, so golf only when it is appropriate

09:35 Alonso leaves the pits in the Ferrari

09:36 Hulkenberg has gone quicker - 1m20.845s - but stays in third

09:37 Does the new car feel much better than the last one and what do you think of the new tyres? Arttu and Jere, Finland

Heikki Kovalainen: The rear of this year's car feels already better than last year's, which is normally encouraging as it means more downforce. The front we still need to work on but we have updates coming for the next test but I have spoken to aero department and I am confident we can get a fix on that. The new tyres seem less extreme compared to last year, so we should see steadier race weekends.

09:37 What would you do as your job if you weren't Formula 1 driver? Jesse from Finland

Heikki Kovalainen: If we exclude other motorsports like rallying, I probably would be flying aircraft as I normally have a licence to fly helicopters so that is what I would be doing.

09:38 Alonso comes in and then straight out of the pits

09:38 Vergne comes round in a 1m20.707s, which puts him third

09:39 Trulli goes out for Caterham, followed immediately by Hamilton in the McLaren MP4-27

09:40 Not a question, but a message for Heikki from Caterham F1 composites laminator Jack Halford: Just want to say to Heikki and the gang good luck for the new season. We have been glued to AUTOSPORT Live back at the factory since Tuesday and like how it 's been going so far, great reliability with the car. We are all fully confident that you and Jarno can bag us some points this season.!

Heikki Kovalainen: Well thanks everyone for their hard work over the winter, we have mad progress and I am 110% motivated to push like crazy!!!

09:40 Vergne, Hamilton, Hulkenberg, Senna and Trulli are on track

09:41 What are the major differences between the driving styles of you and Jarno Trulli and do those differences have a big influence on the set-up? Matt, Switzerland

Heikki Kovalainen: I have had great team-mates all the way through my career. But perhaps the closest to me is Lewis Hamilton. I spent a lot of time with him off the track, we maintained a good friendship since the McLaren days

09:41 Now Trulli pits and Alonso heads back out again

09:42 Edward Hardy from Australia asks: Have you had a chance to play as yourself in the new 'Formula 1 2011' video game? If so, how close would you say the game compares to driving an F1 car for real?

Heikki Kovalainen: I have played that game and I finished sixth in the championship as myself in the first year and got an offer from Ferrari! So I moved to Ferrari and won the next championship! It is a pretty good game, the physics for the first time since I can remember are fairly realistic so they have done a good job!

09:42 New personal best for Hamilton as he clocks a 1m20.301s

09:43 Are you going to be the best Finn in 2012? asks Mika Nieminen. Presumably meaning the best Finn in F1, rather than best Finn in general

Heikki Kovalainen: It doesn't matter for me whether it is best Finn, or not. The target is to beat all the drivers eventually.

09:44 Now a 1m19.673s for Hamilton, who is a second behind Alonso on the timesheets

09:44 Final two questions coming up now

09:45 Can you see yourself moving to a team further up the pit lane in the near future or do you want to keep leading Caterham in their development? Bruce

Heikki Kovalainen: At the moment all the effort is with Caterham and making the team stronger and the car quicker, and the rest we will see later on what will happen. At the moment it is not a priority

09:45 1m18.877s from Alonso. His best so far. Hamilton improves too

09:46 The Ferrari looks in better shape today after the team said yesterday it was not too happy with its current progress

Ferrari 'not happy' with early progress

09:47 Final questions for Heikki: Is there anybody in the Caterham test team by the name of Donald, McIlroy, Westwood, Day, Schwartzel, McDowell, Mickelson, Watson, Rose, Poulter, or maybe even a Woods? Cajuter Kuile

Heikki Kovalainen: We have got a Watson! Graham Watson, our team manager - who is a golfer himself too!

09:48 Thanks a lot to Heikki Kovalainen for having joined us. We are pretty sure he has answered more questions than anyone who has been on Live with us.

If he goes on to have a great season, you know that's why.

09:48 Hamilton into the pits now

09:49 Thanks also to everyone who has submitted a question.

09:49 Alonso and Senna are the only two men on track

09:50 Vergne heads out, his Toro Rosso shod with soft compounds

09:51 Grosjean heads out now the temperatures are higher. Only six laps so far for the Frenchman

09:52 Grosjean said yesterday he was delighted with the handling of the new Lotus

Grosjean buoyed by Lotus form

09:53 Alonso pits

09:54 The first red flag of the day is out

09:54 The cameras are panning into the Sito Pons corner. It looks like there's a piece of bodywork there

09:55 Salmon-esque leap over the barrier, a marshal recovers the part and is back behind the fence

09:55 And so the green flag is out again

09:55 That was quick

09:57 Lloyd has sent this questions to us: "Can you explain to me why they only test with one car from each team. Surely there are enough mechanics etc to get both out and double

@eddstrawf1: "Only single-car tests are allowed for cost reasons. While a second car would allow double the work to be done, it would be more expensive and they would need additional crew to run the second car."

09:58 Grosjean the first to rejoin the track after the red flag

09:59 @InsideFerrari Another run completed on Soft Pirelli tyres. Fernando improved his best time up to 1.18.877.

10:00 Another man optimistic during winter testing:

Vergne: STR7 instantly impressive

10:01 Grosjean still the only one out on track

10:02 Lotus looking very relaxed on the pit wall. The French driver posts a 1m22.595s to move to sixth

10:03 Hamilton out in the MP4-27, which is shod with medium tyres

10:05 Grosjean has improved to a 1m21.741s that keeps him in sixth position

10:05 No sign yet of Sebastian Vettel, who is yet to complete a timed lap

10:06 Personal bests in S2 and S3 for Hamilton, but he doesn't improve overall

10:06 Trulli out in the Caterham

10:07 @Lotus_F1Team: Box Romain, box. That's 15 laps on the board now. Engine off.

10:09 Internet connections at Jerez seem to be affected by the cold today, but we are still here so far.

10:10 Jarno Trulli apparently is very positive with this year's power steering

10:11 And as we say that, the Italian posts his best time of the day: 1m23.545s

10:13 @ToroRossoSpy: While Jean Eric drives, Dan has gone training this morning.

10:13 Dan is Daniel Ricciardo, in case you are confused

10:14 Trulli in, as Vergne heads the other way - two practice starts for the Toro Rosso driver

10:16 Hulkenberg is out on track now too

10:17 Over two hours in, we've seen precious little running from Vettel this morning - just two laps from the reigning world champion thus far

10:18 Vergne sets the best time we've seen so far in S2, but doesn't improve overall

10:19 The busiest man so far this morning has been Trulli with 31 laps on his first day of running with the new Caterham

10:19 Vergne drops down to a 1m19.795, including an overall best in S3 now

10:19 And now Hulkenberg sets the fastest S2 time as he posts a 1m20.056s

10:20 Another personal best for Vergne with the best overall time in S2: 1m19.667s his new benchmark

10:21 Grosjean heads out in the Lotus E20

10:22 Senna joins the action in the Williams FW34

10:23 Hamilton heads down the pitlane and, after a practice start, joins the track

10:25 New personal best for Grosjean, a 1m19.955s. The French driver is fourth

10:25 A question from Bangladesh from Rush Mir in Dhaka: "What do you think about Ferrari after being behind in this test?"

@eddstrawf1: "Well, Ferrari has struggled to get a handle on its car over the last few days. It's too early to say conclusively that the car is flawed. Given the radical approach taken, it's perhaps to be expected that the team is struggling to understand such a different package. But it is a concern. Their tech boss, Pat Fry, admitted yesterday that he wasn't happy and the Barcelona test, which kicks off on February 21st, will be very telling. There's a lot of work left to be done."

10:26 Trulli takes the Caterham back out

10:28 Senna, Hamilton, Trulli and Grosjean are sharing the circuit

10:29 Two and a half hours after the start of the test, we are happy to inform that the coat is off at last

10:29 It's nearly eight degrees now, and the crowds are still shuffling in, with the main grandstand filling up

10:30 @Lotus_F1Team: Back in the garage for @RGrosjean, feedback for engineers, fettlement for car

10:31 @StrangAutosport reports that Red Bull is warming the car up now, and Vettel is heading across from the hospitality

10:33 Only Trulli and Senna are driving around at the moment. Both men are on 35 laps

10:35 The duo not only have completed the same amount of laps, but are also running in very similar laptimes right now

10:37 Trulli has had enough and heads back into the pits

10:37 No, he didn't have enough. He is heading back out

10:38 Grosjean jumps on the track

10:38 Kobayashi also heads out for Sauber after a good while in the garage

10:39 Now Trulli is in the pits again

10:40 A VIP pit walk tour, as five guests head down to the Lotus garage. How much fun is this?

10:41 We hear Williams is doing some 'filming' here tomorrow apparently. Teams can do up to 100km of running on demo tyres for filming purposes

10:43 McLaren is also doing some promo work at Jerez on Sunday or Monday

10:45 Red Bull has informed @StrangAutosport about the problems with Vettel's car:

"Normal testing niggles, some of which are not easy to get. It was not in the plan to lose three hours but we are quite unconcerned. Expect to do long runs later."

10:46 We hear the problem is electrical

10:46 In the meantime, Kobayashi has set a personal best at S1, but no overall improvement

10:46 Meanwhile a wandering CCTV camera shows us some portaloos, and a lot of people in yellow T-shirts

10:46 Grosjean pits, Hulkenberg heads out - three cars out on track

10:48 Now just two cars: Hulkenberg and Senna

10:49 Like we said: @redbullracing: We have an electrical issue with Seb's car at the moment. We're working on it and aim to have him back out on track and running asap!

10:50 Vettel managed two installation laps early in the morning before he had to stop running. Good thing he did 96 yesterday

10:51 The media centre is thinning out today. About a third of the people left compared to the first day

10:52 There seems to be an excited crowd at Turn 1 for reasons we do not know of

10:53 Vergne has joined Senna on track

10:53 No, he hasn't. He has stopped now. Senna on his own

10:55 Senna reaches 50 laps in the Williams at the session is about to hit the three-hour mark

10:55 Alonso pulled out of his pits and then ground to a halt

10:56 Meanwhile, a massive Union Jack is being attached to the fence

10:57 The crowd going mental is in the main grandstand, and can be heard from T1. Looks like they have spotted Alonso

10:58 The media centre is going slightly mental too after three 15-hour work days in a row

10:58 Or maybe it's just us

10:59 Trulli heads back out, joining Senna

11:00 Jean-Eric Vergne is out too with the Toro Rosso, fitted with soft tyres. Qualifying run?

11:02 It's a quiet day. Why don't you mail live@autosport.com to tell us where you are following us from? We want exotic answers

11:02 @InsideFerrari: We're working on the car to make some changes and fix some issues. It will take some more time before Fernando will be back on track.

11:02 New personal best for Trulli, a 1m22.214s

11:05 One theory about what is going on at Ferrari is that because they have changed so much on the car, it's taking a while to figure out which bits are working and which bits aren't.

It's also the reason why they are struggled to find a baseline set-up. You can here more about here.

11:05 A 1m19.597s for Verne to move closer to Alonso's time

11:06 Senna has also improved, to a 1m22.394s on his 58th lap

11:07 Lotus report that they are trying different things on the car this morning with sensors - which take longer to get on and off the car - hence the reason for the prolonged periods of time in the pits

11:08 Plenty of exotic locations mailed...

11:08 Josh says: I'm currently in a Model United Nations Conference in Denmark, waiting for my resolution to be approved!

11:09 Anthony says: Currently on a beach in Egypt looking at your coverage have had the coat off for about 3 hours now!! Great coverage as always.

Why thanks!

11:10 @MyCaterhamF1: Lap 41 & Jarno moves to 1.22.214. 44 laps so far today. Feedback: let's look at dialling out a bit of the understeer in high speed corners

11:10 Senna, Hulkenberg, Kobayashi and Vergne out on track

11:10 Senna has completed the longest run of the day at 25 laps

11:11 Raikkonen fan Gokulakrishna reports that he is "following from my university class room - mobile hidden under table/book."

Hopefully his teacher is not reading this.

11:12 As Red Bull sort out an electrical issue at Jerez, reserve driver Sebastien Buemi is hard at work preparing for Barcelona

@Sebastien_buemi 2nd day in the simulator. Driving Barcelona this time!

11:12 Trulli heads back out in the Caterham, joining four drivers

11:14 Are you sure, John?

"Following the Jerez test from my office with Habitat for Humanity International, in Bratislava, Slovakia. Far warmer in Jerez than it is here!"

11:14 Hulkenberg and Vergne peel off into the pits

11:15 Super busy morning for Senna, who is on 64 laps and counting. Trulli follows with 45

11:16 Pasi from Finland wins: I'm following from work in Tampere, Finland, where we had a crispy -25C this morning. Now it's up to a comfortable -16C.

Comfortable?

11:17 "Following from Turkey, during a post surgery recovery period"

Get well soon, Sinad!

11:18 Kobayashi pits, leaving Senna and Trulli on track

11:18 No, Malcolm, it doesn't...

"Does Farringdon in Central London count as 'exotic'?!"

11:19 In F1 news, FOTA has announced a Fan Forum for February 29. Ferrari will be there despite having left the body

11:20 Hamilton leaves the pits

11:21 We don't believe you, Jack...

"I am on a beautiful white sandy beach - the temperature is say 34'C, the water aqua blue, say 27'C and I am enjoying a couple frosty Heinekens watching the text on my iPhone - glad I am not there."

11:22 @clubforce: Almost time for lunch in Jerez. A solid morning so far for @NicoHulkenberg as he gets comfortable in the car. 37 laps completed so far.

11:24 If this was text match special we'd be getting sent cakes. Any of the teams fancy sending us up some packed lunch?

11:25 A 1m19.640s lap for Hamilton. His personal best. He is still third

11:26 We can, Gabriel.

"Hey guys, mailing you from Albert Park (well, 5 minutes away in Saint Kilda) and scruteenering your every update, even through the night, can you believe it?"

11:27 A slow 1m38.029s for Hamilton as he looks to prepare for another flyer

11:28 Good luck with that, Dmitriy!

"if office in Moscow counts than there i am - hard to concentrate on work itself during the whole week. also -15C here with up to -30C expecting next week"

11:29 No flyer for Hamilton. He pits instead

11:29 Vergne and Senna are out on track. Senna keeps going and going. He has done 74 laps already and it's not even 1pm

11:31 And now it's only Senna as Vergne pits

11:32 That sounds like fun, Gael.

"Tiny french island in the Indian Ocean next to Mauritius island and
Madagascar 35 ° C, too hot, going to the beach later on to cool down ;-)
But a mighty cyclone is expected in two days time so not everything is
great."

11:32 Kobayashi decides Senna can't have the track for himself and drives out of the pits in the Sauber

11:33 A message for the Caterham troops back at the factory we know are watching us: Jarno likes the car apparently!

11:35 Hello, Yann!

"Tech1 Racing’s engineering office in cold Toulouse -5°C is following every update since the first day. Particularly interested in former Tech1 racers!"

11:36 Hello, Jami's boss.

"Jami writing from salo finland looking out of the office at a crispy -17c and following your every note. Hopefully the boss doesnt have too much trouble as he is looking over my shoulder at your posts"

11:36 Vergne heads back out once more in the Toro Rosso

11:37 Having finished a 25-lap run before, Senna is on the 22nd round of the current stint. Race simulation?

11:40 A 1m20.612s for Kobayashi on the first lap his run

11:40 Senna is lapping in the 1m24s as he reaches the 82nd lap of the day

Another 25 laps for Senna in this run. Pits and heads back out again

11:42 Your boss is mean, Grant.

"Sitting in my office here in Grahamstown, South Africa. Needing to write
a report on what I did this week, not sure my bosses will be happy with
"Followed the F1 testing on Autosport live all week"."

11:43 @MyCaterhamF1: Right - time for some lunch while a couple of electrical changes are made to Jarno's car. Should be back on track in about 40 minutes.

11:43 Kobayashi has pitted and it's Senna on his own once more

11:44 Not quite, but we'll take it, Chris.

"Does a jam packed electronics lab where the next great Android phone is being developed in Bangalore count as an exotic location? It's where I've been following your updates for the past 4 days"

11:44 We've noticed there is a dandruff war going on in 2012

11:45 Williams is now sporting Head & Shoulders on its team kit, while Lotus has CLEAR in its sidepods

11:46 Senna meanwhile has just set his fastest time of the day - 1m20.132s - which proves that washing your hair reduces drag.

You are welcome, Williams!

11:48 Senna keeps pounding around. 87 laps

11:51 No other cars on track at the moment as Senna reaches 90 laps

11:55 Videos of your rock band or pictures or women won't make it in here, we are afraid!

11:57 Hulkenberg has joined Senna on track

12:02 Nico Hulkenberg pumps in a quick one. 1m19.977s puts him in sixth spot. That was on his 43rd lap of the day too. Not exactly a restful day for the German, is it?

12:02 Red Flag!

12:03 It's Senna. He's stopped at the exit of the chicane named after his uncle.

12:04 The flatbed truck is on its way down. Wonder what's happened there....

12:05 The Brazilian gets out of the car and waves to the crowd braving the cold in the grandstand adjacent. They love it, going predictably mental.

12:05 @StrangAutosport reckons Senna might be out of fuel, given that he's done 97 laps so far.

12:07 The car is being craned onto the back of the truck now.

12:09 ...and after Senna had been so complimentary about the new FW34 yesterday...

Senna confident FW34 is a better car

12:11 Danger cleared and the green flags are out again.

12:11 Kobayashi is the first to head out in his Sauber.

12:12 The Japanese is currently fifth on the timesheets, a tenth behind Grosjean's Lotus and even less ahead of Hulkenberg's Force India.

12:17 Kobayashi's not dipped below the 1m21s on this run yet. On his third flying lap now.

12:21 It's looking pretty quiet as most of the teams have broken for lunch.

12:22 In the media centre, it's a cold chorizo sandwich from a petrol station - you know the kind. Same as breakfast. And they say the world of F1 is dead glamourous...

12:25 If you want to see a bit more of what 2012's new F1 cars look like, why not visit our Jerez test gallery, expertly put together by AUTOSPORT's very own @manicman89.

12:26 Kobayashi is the fastest driver of the day through the speed trap in sector 1 - 286km/h. He doesn't improve his time on that lap though. Possibly too little wing...

12:26 Grosjean had snuck out onto the track behind the Sauber driver, but both are now back in.

12:27 In some ways it's been quite a low-key final day here - even with plenty of running and a headline time for Ferrari.

12:30 Vettel's still not set a time today, thanks to his earlier teething troubles. It's not unusual, don't forget, for teams not to use all the time available to them at these tests.

12:31 If you've just logged on and want to know what's happened so far, read our report of what went on this morning at Jerez.

12:33 A sleepy lull had descended over Jerez. Not any more as Grosjean's engine is fired up.

12:34 Bit of interesting news has just broken, especially if you want to know what former F1 drivers Anthony Davidson and Sebastien Buemi will be racing this year.

12:35 Trulli is out on track now as well in his Caterham.

12:36 In 2010 Trulli and his Lotus team-mate Kovalainen both put in an appearance at the Classic Lotus festival at Snetterton. Wonder if the team's rebranding means they'll each have a guest outing in an R300 at Rockingham this season...

12:38 @glenn_autosport might give them a run for their money after his exploits in the Caterham Academy last year - even managed a pole position and a podium did our Glenn.

12:38 Grosjean comes by in 1m22.041s.

12:39 He's being told to pit next time round.

12:40 @OfficialSF1Team autosport.com notes - Kobayashi is the fastest driver of the day through the speed trap in sector 1 - 286km/h

12:40 Nice to see Sauber paying attention.

12:40 Trulli trickles past the pits well off the throttle.

12:44 'Box' says the Caterham man with the pit board. This will end a six-lap run for Trulli.

12:44 It's only a short information download, and he's off again.

12:54 Caterham CEO Riad Asmat heads out towards the pitwall, and he's looking relaxed as he chats to Lotus reserve driver - and AUTOSPORT trackside analyst - Jerome d'Ambrosio

12:55 Poor form though, he covers his ears as Trulli pits and then goes out again. Lacking fever? Lacking earplugs, more like...

12:57 @StrangAutosport reports that Senna was on a dry fuel run when he stopped. Spot-on from AUTOSPORT.com's editor there. He wins a second petrol station sandwich for that. Erm, yum?

12:57 Trulli's in again, but this time the engine is cut and the Italian is pushed back into the garage.

12:58 And things fall silent again.

13:02
A cool shot of Lewis Hamilton's McLaren leaving the garage and heading onto the track for the first time this morning. It may look nice and sunny, but trust us, it was freezing when we arrived at the track today. At least we can feel our fingers now...

13:03 Ferrari is still working on Alonso's electrical problem and as yet there's still no sign of world champion Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull.

13:04 Lewis Hamilton heads out onto the track... as about the 86th tour of the media centre by VIPs takes place. Seriously, we're far less interesting than the cars.

13:05 Hamilton's on the move. He dives past Grosjean before Michelin, the Lotus driver having left the pits a few corners earlier. Will he go on a low-fuel run in a bid to improve on his third spot...

13:05 Doesn't look like it. His first two flying laps are in the 1m21s.

13:06 Remember, while the start of the F1 season is still over a month away, there is a world championship already underway...

13:07 And the World Rally Championship is already onto its second round - Rally Sweden. Find out what's been going on during the first full morning of competition.

13:08 Grosjean is matching Hamilton's times; the pair separated by around 10s on the track.

13:08 It doesn't last. The Frenchman pits, leaving Lewis alone on-track.

13:09 Vergne heads out. He's done 41 laps so far today in the Toro Rosso.

13:11 Bit of trivia for you here regarding the Toro Rosso drivers. Both Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo are former British Formula 3 champions. The last time F1 team-mates could both list that title on their CVs was the 1999 Japanese GP. Johnny Herbert and Rubens Barrichello were the partners in crime that day.

13:11 Four laps in a row for Hamilton in the 21s.

13:12 Hulkenberg is now on-track, as Hamilton comes into the pits.

13:15 Well that's one less car to look at.

13:17 Alonso's morning time is still the best of the day, although you have to wonder just where that pace came from after Ferrari admitted it wasn't happy with its progress earlier in the week. Could it be (whisper it), a glory run?

13:18 Mercedes did something similar here last year, Michael Schumacher looking mega on one of the days before the real pace of the car became evident.

13:19 @OfficialSF1Team #Kamui is getting ready to rock again. Will leave the garage shortly #C31 pic.twitter.com/K59xSpeb

13:20 Grosjean heads back onto the track.

13:20 Hulkenberg pits and Kobayashi, as promised, goes out again.

13:22 Ah, ha (there's one for Partridge fans - Alan Partridge that is, not David Cassidy and the Partridge Family. Or, indeed, the partridge in a pear tree). Finally we have sight of the lesser-spotted Red Bull as Vettel leaves the pits for only the third time today.

13:23 A case of blink and you missed it, as Vettel returns to the pits.

13:23 Lewis Hamilton is back on-track.

13:24 Good news for Jarno Trulli as he does a 1m22.198, his fastest lap of the day. Still slowest and 1.8s off Senna's Williams.

13:25 1m19.866s for Hamilton, and that's more like it. Very close to his best lap of the day.

13:25 Five cars on the track now... no, six as Vettel rejoins the fray. The busiest we've seen all day.

13:26 Make that seven as Alonso heads out. Good chance for the snappers dotted around the circuit to get a shot with McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull together on-track before they get too strung out.

13:27 Vergne sets the best time of anybody today in sector two, but doesn't improve on his best lap time.

13:27 The second sector features largely third and fourth gear corners, so that Toro Rosso is clearly dialled in well and has a good aero package.

13:28 Vettel begins what looks likely to be his first flying lap of the day.

13:28 @MyCaterhamF1 A few setup changes for this outing - rear camber, ride height and brake balance.

13:29 Senna and Hulkenberg are the only two drivers in the pits.

13:29 1m20.072s is Vettel's first flying lap time. Nothing spectacular, but it's better than Senna or Trulli have managed today and puts him seventh.

13:30 Second to eighth are separated by just half a second. That's the smallest spread we've had all week here.

13:30 Alonso and Trulli duck into the pits.

13:31 1m20.328 for Vettel second time around. No improvement, but he's just working his way in, surely.

13:32 Vettel is tucked up behind Grosjean's Lotus... and the Red Bull looks planted in the turbulent air.

13:35 Vettel picks his way past Grosjean, and the slipstream effect allows him to chalk up the fastest speed of the day through the trap in sector 1. That'll be 290km/h, just the 4km/h up on Kobayashi's Sauber (set without a slipstream).

13:35 Vettel's into the high 1m20s now while Hamilton is about a second off his pace and Hulkenberg joins the action.

13:38 Very consistent times from the 2008 world champion. His last five laps have been: 21.9; 21.8; 21.8; 22.0; 21.9.

13:39 Vettel's now dropped into the low 1m21s as Kobayashi heads out onto the track.

13:40 Vettel heads back to the pits, his eight-lap run over.

13:41 Hamilton is now on his 13th lap of this run, but an analysis of the lap times shows a very consistent slide from the 1m21.5s down to the 1m22.4 bracket. McLaren will be generating some useful tyre data from this run.

13:41 Grosjean is back to the pits.

13:41 Red Flag!

13:42 It's Kobayashi's Sauber.

13:42 Not the first time the new Sauber has caused a stoppage this week either...

13:44 @StrangAutosport reports that Kobayashi is looking long and hard at the right-rear of his Sauber C31

13:45 Plenty of twirly tyre marks where he's parked his car at the exit of the chicane. It's unclear, however, whether he spun or whether the car simply came to a halt.

13:47 We're sure @OfficialSF1Team will update us on what happened soon enough.

13:48 Kobayashi's car now being flat-bedded (either our grammar is rubbish or we've just invented a new verb), as its driver watches on impassively from behind his visor.

13:49 @StrangAutosport wonders whether that will be the last we see of a Sauber on-track at Jerez.

13:51 Earlier on, we speculated that Ferrari may have gone for a glory run with Alonso earlier. What to you reckon? Make your voice heard on AUTOSPORT's facebook page and vote in our poll.

13:51 @OfficialSF1Team: #Kamui had to stop on track - drop of hydraulic pressure

13:52 Thanks guys. Knew we could count on you.

13:53 A typically fast response from @OfficialSF1Team there. The Swiss press releases usually battled with Toro Rosso's for being the first to arrive post-race on GP weekends last year. We won't name and shame the slowest...

13:54 Danger cleared. Green flag.

13:54 Alonso straight away heads out with flow-vis paint all over the rear wing. Vergne and Trulli follow him out.

13:57 Two laps in the mid-1m23s for Trulli, while Alonso pits.

13:58 Immediately the Ferrari engineers dive over the rear of the car, examining the effect that lap has had on the flow-vis and interpreting what that means the car's aero package is doing.

13:58 Impressive time in the first sector for Jean-Eric Vergne. His best of the day so far. He already has the best time of all in sector two from earlier on...

13:59 Another purple sector this time... Could this knock Alonso off the top spot?

14:00 Nope. 1m21.946 as he comes over the line.

14:02 Hulkenberg is running in the mid-1m20s, while Senna comes blasting out of the pitlane.

14:03 Williams claims a small technical fault that the engineers knew about was the cause of Bruno's earlier stoppage.

14:03 We think they could see the fuel needle going down too then...

14:04 Trulli's back in the pits.

14:05 And out comes Vettel in his Red Bull RB8.

14:06 @InsideFerrari: One of the most common things done during this session is aero test: two more runs for Fernando after the long break.

14:08 Just Vettel and Senna are out on the track right now.

14:08 Grosjean's been out for a lap, but is already back in the pits.

14:08 Vettel records a 1m21.548s lap. Super consistency from the world champion.

14:12 1m21.498 this time for Vettel.

14:12 @OfficialSF1Team: A leak causes an awful lot of work now. Mechanics try hard. If we are very lucky #Kamui can go out again later #Jerez

14:13 Vergne comes out as Vettel comes in.

14:13 ...and Hamilton joins the Frenchman on-track.

14:14 Vergne's first lap is in the 1m25s.

14:16 McLaren hangs out a pitboard for Hamilton with 'L14' on it. This will be a long run then.

14:17 Strange things going on with Vergne. he's alternating between 1m25s and 1m20s. All part of the plan, we're sure.

14:18 @EddStrawF1 returns from the paddock and reports that Williams has done a race simulation today and also got through general set-up work.

14:19 Oliver Turvey is out on the McLaren pitwall, headphones on. The former McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award winner last drove an F1 car last week as he shook down the MP4-27.

14:20 Caterham holds out a board for Trulli saying 'KERS 9'. We gather he'll be trying something with his KERS then. Or should that be ERS now, as the energy in the units doesn't have to specifically be of the kinetic kind.

14:21 Trulli, don't forget, has never raced with KERS as Lotus didn't use it last year.

14:23 And Toyota gave it a miss in 2009 too. Caterham, of course, is using Red Bull KERS this year.

14:24 Such a variety of times from all the drivers out on track today. Clearly a lot of different programmes being worked through at Jerez.

14:25 As evidenced by Vettel's 1m29.064s lap. Hamilton crosses the line a few seconds later in 1m22s flat.

14:25 That's more like it from Vettel. 1m19.690s is his best time of the day and moves him up to fourth place.

14:29 Five cars on track now.

14:31 Hamilton's nine laps into his long run, and has an average lap time for the run of 1m21.996s.

14:32 @insideFerrari: Here you can find some pictures of the day yfrog.com/h496fwqj yfrog.com/mod48dj

14:33 To put Hamilton's average time into perspective, Vettel managed an average of 1m21.025 on an 11-lap run earlier.

14:35 Hamilton pits.

14:41 Trulli pits again.

14:46 Hulkenberg has been on a bit of a mission in the last 20 minutes.

14:47 Fourteen laps into his current run, he clocks a 1m25.607s.

14:50 Senna's just completed his 14th in a row as well. He did 37 consecutively this morning too during his race simulation run.

14:52 Alonso pits, but then heads straight back out.

14:52 And Trulli joins him.

14:53 Remember, you can check out our Jerez testing gallery to see exactly who's been doing what this week.

14:56 Vergne's first lap on his latest run is a very underwhelming 1m26.311s.

14:56 It's looking better for Trulli though. His best speed trap figures of the day in sector three.

14:56 Vettel heads back onto the track as well.

14:58 Vergne's run continues. Worth noting that along with Grosjean and Charles Pic, there will be three Frenchmen on the grid at the Australian GP. Time for our resident statto (he has a beard, you know) to try and remember when's the last time that happened.

14:58 Vettel starts his flying lap. He's been around only 29 times today.

15:02 That, however, is more than Alonso's managed, the 2005 and '06 world champion having completed just four laps since 11am.

15:03 Romain Grosjean comes over to the pitwall and looks deep in discussion with Alan Permane, the Lotus head of trackside operations. Technical director James Allison watches on.

15:05 Incidentally, Allison gave @nobleF1 a fascinating exclusive interview earlier this week about how he intends to make Kimi Raikkonen fast again.

15:06 Vettel gets down to a 1m19.606s while Trulli pits.

15:08 Three laps on the bounce now in a 1m21s dead for Vettel. That's five laps on this run so far.

15:11 @Lotus_F1Team: Tyres back on car for another run, we've been chasing a pesky water leak. We know where it is and we have a solution for Barcelona.

15:11 Just Vettel and Senna on track now

15:11 Red flag.

15:12 Senna's Williams has stopped at Turn 2. He sounded like he'd backed off as he passed the pits last time.

15:13 So he was more than likely already aware of the problem and had attempted to nurse the car back to the pits. Not this time Bruno.

15:13 It's the second time his Williams has caused a stoppage today.

15:16 While the red flag is out, we've found the answer to our question about the last time three Frenchmen started a world championship grand prix. Brazil 1999. The drivers; Jean Alesi, Olivier Panis and Stephane Sarrazin (making his only GP start).

15:17 The Williams is flat-bedded (copyright AUTOSPORT Live) and we should be back underway very soon.

15:18 And speaking of Frenchmen, as we just were, big news for Sebastien Loeb on Rally Sweden.

15:20 @MyCaterhamF1: 1 off the magic ton - 99 laps done & while the red flag's out Jarno's out of the car before we send him back out for whatever's left today

15:22 Flatbed truck now completing a four-point turn on the track and driving back to the pits the wrong way.

15:22 Hope Charlie Whiting's not watching this.

15:22 Green flag.

15:22 Alonso's first out of the pits.

15:23 Time to add to the 28 laps he's completed today. Grosjean and Kobayashi follow him out - good to see the Sauber man back on-track after his hydraulic pressure problems earlier.

15:24 Oh lovely, Ferrari has fitted that ghastly-looking periscope to the Spaniard's car.

15:24 Grosjean is looking might quick through turns four and five. Vergne heads back onto the track, as does Hamilton.

15:25 Alonso does a 1m25.659s on his first flying lap. Nearly 7s off his pace-setting time of the morning.

15:26 Kobyashi goes round in 1m21.538s.

15:26 Heading towards the final half-hour now, and I wonder if we're going to get a qualifying-style flurry of activity as six cars are now out on track.

15:27 Trulli is that sixth man, while Vergne comes into the pits and goes straight back out again.

15:27
Grosjean is out on the hard Pirellis, and his lap board says L22, so it looks like he's going to be out there until the chequered flag drops. Hamilton is out on mediums and is set for a 10-lap run, so don't expect heroics from this pair.

15:29 Vettel, Alonso and Hulkenberg all pit together. So make that just the three cars on the circuit then.

15:30 Grosjean's opening gambit is in the 1m23s, which suggests a heavy fuel load. Hamilton is in the 1m21s.

15:31 The red light on the back of Hamilton's car is flashing through turns four and five.

15:32 Once again a 1m23.6 for Grosjean and a 21.8 for Hamilton.

15:32 Vettel's nearing the end of the lap. What can the Red Bull driver manage?

15:33 A 1m21.6 for Vettel.

15:34 Time to answer some of the questions that have been coming on by email to live@autosport.com this afternoon.

15:35 Laukasz Sipa asks what the current official track record for an F1 car at Jerez is and how the current times compare.

15:36 @eddstrawF1: The last time that F1 was officially here was for the 1997 European Grand Prix so the qualifying lap record is a 1m21.072s in official terms. The fastest lap we've seen on this track in testing was Michael Schumacher's 1m15.629s on 30 September 2004.

15:37 @eddstrawf1: Last year, the best lap was a 1m19.832s from Williams driver Rubens Barrichello. The quickest time of this test so far is Nico Rosberg's 1m17.613s in the 2011 Mercedes, with Romain Grosjean's 1m18.419s, set yesterday, the fastest for a new-spec car.

15:37 Hulkenberg's last lap was a 1m20.914s.

15:38 Grosjean pits. Erm, that wasn't 22 laps Romain. More like eight.

15:39 Vettel dips below the 1m20s barrier again. 1m19.869 is a good time, but not as fast as he managed earlier. While he's doing that, Hamilton comes into the pits.

15:40 Just Vettel and Trulli on-track now, as they come past the pits side-by-side. Come on boys, no need to squabble over the inches when you've got 2.751 miles to play with.

15:40 Alonso exits the pits to join them.

15:41 Could this be another spectacular effort to please the Spanish crowd... which certainly doesn't look as big as earlier. The cold must be starting to bite in the grandstands.

15:45 Martin from West Yorkshire asks:"Do the engines used for testing come from the season-long allocation that the teams have issued by the FIA?"

@eddstrawf1: Each car entered has an allocation of eight engines to last the race season, with a 10-place grid penalty applied for each powerplant used beyond that number.

However, testing is not restricted in terms of either engines or gearboxes. There was previously a rule allocating four engines per team for testing, but that's no longer in the regulations.

But although it's unrestricted, such is the reliability of both gearboxes and engines that they won't be getting through many here.

Each team also has 25 sets of tyres to use per test.

15:47 A 1m21.632s is Vettel's latest lap, while Alonso heads back to the pits.

15:47 Just 13 minutes of today's running - and indeed of the Jerez test - to go.

15:49 Grosjean and Kobayashi are on-track together. Kamui san is running in the high 1m19s at the moment - good pace.

15:49 The Sauber man pits as Hamilton and Hulkenberg head out for the final 10 minutes.

15:52 McLaren men are wheeling out the big black partition walls. The Lotus boys seem highly-amused by it. More black shirted staff are watching this than the on-track goings-on in fact.

15:52 Hulkenberg does a 1m20s dead as Vettel goes out for a final fling.

15:53 Still not sure what McLaren's playing at. @noblef1 has been dispatched to the window to check it out.

15:53 Alonso goes out... as Hamilton comes in.

15:54 Ah. Now it's all become clear. There's a bucket load of flow-vis on the right hand side of the car and the boards are there to shield it from view.

15:54 The Lotus chaps had a good look though and one even appeared to take a photo.

15:55 Alonso pumps in a quick 1m19.738s as Vettel rejoins the circuit.

15:55 ...and a 1m20.451s for Kobayashi.

15:56 Alonso pits next time round, but continues to the end of the pitlane. Lights up his rear tyres as the Spaniard practices a start.

15:56 Vettel's back in too.

15:57 Just Alonso, Grosjean and Hulkenberg out there now. Doubt anybody else will bother with only three minutes to go.

15:58 Another practice start for Alonso, and Kobayashi does the same. Both Ferrari-engined cars, remember.

16:01 A third practice start in as many laps for Alonso now. He's followed by Hulkenberg... and Kobayashi.

16:01 Chequered flag.

16:02 And that's the end of the on-track running here at Jerez. Almost symbolically, the Union Flag opposite is being taken down. Thanks for the support lads.

16:04 Well it's been a long week for the AUTOSPORT team here at the track, and we're not done yet, so stay logged on to get all the latest reaction from the teams and drivers to today's running.

16:06 In the meantime, we'd like to say a huge thank you to everybody that's stayed with us online for the last four days, retweeted us, emailed in with questions, and taken part in our live driver chats.

16:07 It's been great fun - well, apart from the cold - and we're already looking forward to bringing you four more days of live coverage from Barcelona in less than two weeks' time. See you all then.