07:58 Good morning from a sunny Jerez, for day three of 2013's opening Formula 1 test of the season.

07:59 Sunny, but chilly, we should add. With the track about to open, both air and track temperature are at just over 3 degrees celsius.

08:01 Felipe Massa is first out of the pits for his third consecutive day in the Ferrari. He's followed out of the pits by Jean-Eric Vergne, Kimi Raikkonen and Max Chilton. Both Vergne and Raikkonen are making their first test appearances of 2013.

08:02 GP2 graduate Esteban Gutierrez also takes to the track to get his first taste of the Sauber C32.

08:03 And there's our AUTOSPORT Live guest from yesterday, Valtteri Bottas. It's probably a bit early for 'MAXIMUM ATTACK' (which he insists must be written in capitals).

08:07 After two days to forget so far at Jerez, Mercedes has its car back on track with Nico Rosberg back at the wheel. Team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who crashed yesterday, said in the paddock last night that he was keen to see the car take to the track as soon as possible when today's action kicked off:

"We have lots of tyres. We just need to make sure that we go out when it goes 9am tomorrow morning. Nico needs to be the first out and we need to try and get as many laps as possible. 110/120 laps a day, that will be good."

08:09 The track falls quiet with nobody having set a time just yet. Everybody has at least been out for an installation lap (or two) except for world champion Sebastian Vettel, and new Caterham signing Charles Pic.

08:10 Speaking of Vettel, his team-mate Mark Webber was pretty positive regarding the performance of the Red Bull RB9 after his two days at the wheel this week.

08:12 There was also a lot of positivity from pacesetter Romain Grosjean, ahead of the Frenchman handing the Lotus E21 over to Kimi Raikkonen.

08:15 Edd Straw appears to have some competition for the bird seed he's been eating this week - there's a lot of chirping from just above the windows of the media centre.

08:15 However, two massive sneezes (if you'd heard them, you know what we mean by massive) should have scared them off. It's certainly amused the Brazilian corner of the media centre, too.

08:20 And on that note, Bottas and Gutierrez - both former GP3 champions, take to the track. Force India simulator driver James Rossiter joins them.

08:21 Rossiter drove a Formula 1 car for the first time since 2008 yesterday, taking over from Paul di Resta for the final hour. He'll give the car back to the team's only signed race driver later today.

08:25 Remember, we don't just take questions for special guests on AUTOSPORT Live. If you want to ask something to our team on the ground at Jerez, send it to live@autosport.com and we'll pick some of the best.

08:26 In case you missed any of the reaction and news from the second evening of pre-season testing, here's a handy summary of some of the key stories from last night.

• Hamilton bullish amid early setbacks
• 2013 F1 cars: The trackside verdict
• McLaren lives up to Perez expectations
• Grosjean: E21 an all-round improvement
• Red Bull ‘in better shape than last year’
• Razia defends Marussia rookie line-up
• Maldonado: Old car test no drawback

08:26 Marussia are getting back to work after losing time yesterday with an engine problem. Max Chilton is already up to six laps for today.

08:29 If you're still playing catch-up this morning, why not check out how our daily testing blog is getting on? Glenn Freeman looks into why Romain Grosjean's two days in the Lotus E21 were interesting, and it's got little to do with the fact that he was fastest on Wednesday.

08:31 Charles Pic takes to the track in the Caterham, so it's only 2010, 2011 and 2012 world champion Sebastian Vettel we're yet to see today.

08:34 While the track was quiet just now, a debate was sparked in the media centre on who is the worst driver to have raced a Formula 1 car in the last 20 years. There were some interesting answers, many from the mid-1990s to get us started. Let us know yours on Twitter using #autosportlive

08:36 Nico Rosberg and Esteban Gutierrez are sharing the track at the moment. Rosberg appears to be on a slow speed aero run, as Mercedes tries to make up for lost time.

08:37 Update from Caterham: "Short delay to proceedings while we make a couple of final tweaks to @charles_pic1's seat, then it'll be go time."

08:38 Sebastian Vettel heads out of the pits for his first lap of 2013.

08:42 We've had a few early suggestions on the worst drivers to have raced in Formula 1 in the last 20 years:

Istvan Simon
"Anyone seeking the "Worst F1 racer in the past 20 years" must consider @Takiinoue and Giovanni Lavaggi. Sure as hell."

Andy Young
"Ricardo Rosset, Jean-Denis Deletraz, Vincenzo Sospiri…."

Tweet your suggestions using #autosportlive

08:45 Oh good - this 'worst driver' discussion has caught the attention of our F1 Editor Edd Straw. He's going to join the debate, and by the sounds of it, jump to defend of some of your suggestions.

08:45 Just Gutierrez and Bottas on track at the moment. Vettel did an out lap and an in lap on his first run in the Red Bull RB9.

08:48 @eddstrawf1: "We've had plenty of suggestions about the worst F1 driver of the past two decades. Some good, some I wouldn't agree with.

"Jean-Denis Deletraz, Taki Inoue and Giovanni Lavaggi are all decent suggestions, although I'm officially ruling out Ricardo Rosset and Vincenzo Sospiri.

"Rosset had a tough time in F1 with Arrows, Tyrrell and (briefly) Lola from 1996-1998, but he was a driver good enough to win two races and finish second in the International F3000 championship in his rookie season. Also, Rosset gets bonus points for being enthusiastic enough to have bought a 1996 Arrows, which he keeps in his garage!

"As for Sospiri, he was an F3000 champion and his one crack at starting a grand prix in Australia in 1997 came in a car that Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Juan Manuel Fangio couldn't have got near qualifying! Neither were future world champions, but neither were awful."

08:52 While Straw heads off to interview Giedo van der Garde about his first two days as a Formula 1 race driver, he promises to rejoin this debate when he gets back.

08:53 And some more for the 'worst driver' poll:

@MaritoallaParm
"#autosportlive The worst driver ever was Yoong! Always spinning with the car during the whole championship..."

@spud_31
"Worst Formula 1 driver I have seen? Zsolt Baumgartner."

Adeano_vjm06
"How about Luca Badoer for worst driver? He's done the most races without scoring a point. #autosportlive #f1"

@crackers250
"worst F1 driver in last 20 years? surely has to be @yuji_ide !"

08:55 Mercedes is wasting no time today. Rosberg has already set a 1m19.687s - almost as quick as Hamilton managed in his handful of laps yesterday.

08:55 After a minor delay to have his seat altered, Charles Pic is back out for Caterham.

08:56 It's been a quiet first hour on track, but we've got six cars out there at the moment.

08:59 We'll pick up the 'worst driver to have raced F1 in the last 20 years' debate when Edd Straw is back from his Giedo van der Garde interview.

Straw will compile a shortlist of five from your suggestions (use #autosportlive), and he's already confirmed that Taki Inoue, who gave this fantastic (and very honest) interview to Jonathan Noble last year, will be on that list.

09:00 Seven cars on track now - only Bottas, Massa, Rossiter and Button are in the pits.

09:03 More laps for Mercedes already today than it managed on day one or day two. Rosberg is currently on his 17th tour.

09:08 Vettel, Gutierrez, Chilton and Pic all on track. The world champion is the only one not to have raced in GP2 before F1.

09:09 Apologies for the madness on the timing box. We can assure you Vettel has not gone 13 seconds quicker than anyone else. The RB9 isn't THAT good!

09:10 The Brazilians who found Edd Straw's sneezing so amusing earlier have just had their first attempt at impersonating it. They have some way to go.

09:13 We're missing a few team bosses at the track today, as they're off to meet with Bernie Ecclestone. Jonathan Noble has more here.

09:13 Peace and quiet at Jerez right now. No cars on track.

09:14 We're still checking your suggestions for the worst driver to race in F1 in the last 20 years (use #autosportlive). Keep them coming!

09:15 No lap time yet from Massa, Rossiter, Raikkonen or Button.

09:17 Edd Straw is back from speaking to Giedo van der Garde. He'll be looking through your 'worst driver' suggestions again shortly.

09:19 You have to love the man. Taki Inoue has weighed in on the #autosportlive worst driver's debate.

@takiinoue:
"Hey, mister!! You don't need to consider who is the worst F1 driver forever!! It's definitely me Taki Inoue."

If you're not already following him, do so now!

09:19 Valtteri Bottas breaks the silence on track. Today is his first day as a Williams race driver, but he's familiar with the car as Williams is running its 2012 FW34 this week. Bottas drove the car on 15 GP Fridays last year.

09:23 Massa takes the Ferrari back out. This is the Brazilian's final day at the wheel of the F138 this week, as tomorrow he hands over to the team's new development driver (and former McLaren man) Pedro de la Rosa.

09:26 With two absolute best sectors, and a personal best third sector, Massa goes quickest.

09:26 As has so often been the case with most drivers this week, a personal best lap is followed by a slow lap. Massa backs off by five seconds.

09:27 @eddstrawf1: "There have been a few shouts for Luca Badoer. Yes, he struggled desperately in the Ferrari when he was thrown in at the deep end in 2009 after 10 years out but poor machinery was largely to blame for his F1 record of 50 starts without a point. He isn't a shortlist contender."

09:28 Remember, your interaction with our team here at Jerez isn't limited to suggestions for bad F1 drivers to #autosportlive. If you have any questions you want us to answer, send them to live@autosport.com

09:29 On track, there are improvements for Rosberg and Vettel.

09:30 Rosberg - on medium compound tyres - then backs off to the tune of 20 seconds on the following lap.

09:31 Vettel didn't slow down by quite as much (only 4 seconds), but Charles Pic appears to have played a part in that.

09:34 Keep your worst driver suggestions coming, and Edd Straw will keep running the rule over them.

@empeda
"Worst driver of last 20 years? Got to be Giovanni Lavaggi- his mobile chicane was dangerously close to being a champ. factor!"

@Peteuplink
"Alex Yoong surely has to be in contention for worst driver in F1"

@AlMacF1
"Worst driver in F1 in 20 years? Jos "the boss" Verstappen"

09:38 @eddstrawf1: "Alex Yoong is a good shout. He was desperately out of his depth in F1, although circumstances were very much against him. He is an intelligent guy who worked hard at his driving and turned in some excellent performances in A1GP, including a double victory at Brno in an event I covered for AUTOSPORT. With more experience and a more sensible career path, it wouldn't have been such a struggle."

09:38 Gutierrez sets a new personal best. At 1m21.527s, it's fair to suggest Sauber isn't chasing pure pace this morning.

09:40 Rosberg continues to log the laps for Mercedes. This run is 10 laps old now.

09:42 The timing screens at the circuit briefly credited Valtteri Bottas with a 1m18s lap there. It's now been revised to 18 minutes - it was his first lap out of the pits after a spell in the garage.

09:42 Bottas improves on his first 'flying' lap of that run, with a 1m22.108s.

09:44 The Finn shaves some more time off. 1m21.698s now his best.

09:45 @eddstrawf1: "Zsolt Baumgartner is a contender. I know that a few people who ran him in F1 would agree with that suggestion!”

09:46 Minor drama in the Force India pit: Rossiter ran into one of his mechanics this morning. No injuries - more to come shortly.

09:47 Here's the full story on that Force India pit incident.

09:51 Rossiter is back on track now, joining Bottas. Rosberg has come in after a 15-lap run.

09:53 You will get the chance to put questions to a grand prix winner later today: Pastor Maldonado has agreed to join us on AUTOSPORT Live. Send your questions for him to live@autosport.com.

09:56 A few notes on that Rosberg run from earlier: he started with a 1m19s lap (his best so far today). After backing off for a lap he then launched into a couple of 1m20s efforts, and two 1m21s. His next six were 1m22s, followed by a 1m23s and two 1m25s before he pitted.

09:57 On track at the moment, we've just had an improvement from Jean-Eric Vergne. Vettel and Massa are out there too.

09:58 Massa narrowly misses out on beating his current best, posting a 1m19.058s.

09:59 The quickest time we've had so far this week is the 1m18.218s Romain Grosjean managed for Lotus yesterday. He's handed the car to 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen today, but the Finn hasn't set a time yet - with just six laps to his name.

10:01 Another sub-1m20s lap from Massa. He crosses the line in 1m19.822s.

10:05 Edd Straw is still checking your suggestions for worst driver to race in F1 in the last 20 years (use #autosportlive). Yuji Ide and Jos Verstappen are among those he will be sharing his views on shortly.

10:05 While Straw turns back the clock, Massa, Gutierrez, Bottas and Pic are on track.

10:06 @eddstrawf1: "Yuji Ide troubles me. He had his Super Licence pulled after four outings for Super Aguri in 2006, but was the second driver in a very hastily thrown-together team built up for Takuma Sato. Ide was also good enough to win races and finish second in Formula Nippon against some very serious drivers. Can’t consider him a shortlist contender as he was in the ultimate no-win situation."

10:08 Interesting spell for Massa there, putting in six laps between 1m19.0s and 1m20.2s. He slowed on his final lap (1m35s) then pitted.

10:10 @eddstrawf1: "Jos Verstappen is perhaps a harsh suggestion from @AlMacF1, although I understand where you are coming from! Verstappen didn't come close to living up to expectations in an F1 career that spanned over 100 races and included a stint as Michael Schumacher's Benetton team-mate. He did have his moments though, with a couple of podiums. Most remarkably, he spent 6 laps in a points position in Argentina 1995 driving a Simtek!"

10:10 Nico Rosberg heads back out. Mercedes tops the lap count for today (just ahead of Sauber). We know Lewis Hamilton would like to see it at the top of that list by the end of the day, too.

10:14 We've had a suggestion for Chanoch Nissany in our 'worst drivers' debate. While his brief Hungarian GP free practice run for Minardi is infamous, drivers have to have raced in a grand prix to make the cut.

10:16 Jenson Button and McLaren have been quiet so far today, but the 2009 world champion has now set his first flying lap. He goes fourth with a 1m19.834s.

10:16 It's only Raikkonen and Rossiter who have not posted a time today.

10:17 A few new names for consideration:

@richierandle
"Surely Paul Belmondo is worth a shout. 27 entries, 20 DNQs! Or any one of about 10 drivers in '94 that were purely for cash!"

@StallionTom
"To recent times couldn't we bring karthikeyan to this worst f1 drivers party??"

10:18 Rosberg has pipped Massa at the top by the smallest of margins - 0.001s. That sets us up for our second mention this week of the last GP to be held at Jerez: who remembers Jacques Villeneuve, Michael Schumacher and Heinz-Harald Frentzen all setting the same time in qualifying for the 1997 race?!

10:20 Mercedes is getting just what it wants so far today: Rosberg has already managed more laps (41) than the F1 W04 managed on Tuesday and Wednesday combined.

10:22 @eddstrawf1: "Paul Belmondo, the son of French acting legend Jean-Paul Belmondo, has been suggested by @richierandle. He was very much out of his depth in F1. Don’t read too much into his 20 DNQs, as many of those were in a Pacific in 1994 that even Bertand Gachot struggled to get in the field. But he made the 1992 March look far worse than it was when you look at what Karl Wendlinger was able to achieve. A good contender, even if some of his career falls outside of the 20 year cutoff!"

10:24 Red flag. Pic has stopped on track.

10:25 It looks like the Caterham has stopped on the inside of the track just before Turn 2.

10:26 Pic is out of the car, which had only just left the pit exit before coming to a halt.

10:28 The recovery vehicles and Caterham mechanics are on the scene, so hopefully this will be a swift recovery.

10:30 @eddstrawf1: "@StallionTom’s suggestion of Narain Karthikeyan is understandable, but if you look at his performances in other categories, it proves he has a good turn of pace in him. A capable driver but lumbered with third-rate machinery.”

10:30 AUTOSPORT deputy news editor Sam Tremayne has struggled with the fact that the super soft and hard compound Pirelli tyres have red and orange markings respectively. In fairness, it can be tricky to identify when a car flashes by, but that won't be a problem once the season gets started. Those two compounds are never used on the same weekend.

10:32 @MyCaterhamF1: Technical issue brings @Charles_Pic1 to a halt on track. No damage to Charles or the car so we'll get him back and take a proper look.

10:32 The car is on its way back to the pits, and marshals have reported the track is clean. We'll be underway again very soon.

10:34 Late decision from the flatbed truck driver to reverse into the pits, but he is out of the way now and the track is open. Kimi Raikkonen heads straight out.

10:36 We've had a few questions regarding Force India's decision to give James Rossiter some track time. He is the team's simulator driver this year, so he is getting a taste of the VJM06 so he knows how it compares to the virtual version he will spend most of his time driving.

10:38 Raikkonen does one very slow run past the pits, and is then back in. Teams do all sorts of strange things at testing, all in the name of data gathering.

10:39 Edd Straw is still working on his shortlist for worst driver to race in F1 in the last 20 years. More from him soon, time running out to get your suggestions in via #autosportlive

10:41 Wow - our first sub 1m18s lap of the week comes from Felipe Massa in the Ferrari. He's fastest on 1m17.879s.

10:42 Button has also improved: he goes third with a 1m19.788, and is quickly knocked back by Jean-Eric Vergne's 1m19.707s.

10:42 Massa - on soft tyres - then puts in a slow lap (1m31s).

10:43 Track temperature has climbed quite a bit in the last few minutes, which could be playing a part in these quicker times. It's now up to 22 degrees.

10:44 Massa gets back on it with a 1m18.374s, just short of Grosjean's day two-topping time.

10:45 Those soft tyres are clearly going away for the Brazilian now. His third flying lap of this spell is a 1m19.598s.

10:46 The Ferrari continues to fall away from the pace - this time it's a 1m20.880s for Massa.

10:47 @eddstrawf1: “There have been several calls for Gaston Mazzacane, who raced for Minardi in 2000 and, briefly, Prost in 2001. But there was nothing on his CV or in his performances that justified his presence in F1. Another good contender for the shortlist of the worst driver to race in F1 in the last 20 years. Not well-remembered by those who ran him in a grand prix car!”

10:47 Jerez is famous for being hard on tyres, mainly because of the condition of its track surface. Pirelli told the teams earlier this week that the track had deteriorated quite a bit since we were here last February.

10:48 After that flurry of activity, everyone is now back in the pits. And Sam Tremayne has taken a break from whatever work he was claiming to do to watch Taki Inoue videos on YouTube.

10:51 Esteban Gutierrez heads out, while Jonathan Noble distracts the AUTOSPORT Live team with talk of the 1989 Portuguese GP. No, we don't have any idea where that came from either.

10:53 While things are quiet (aside from the Sauber that has just blasted past the pits), remember you can send questions for Pastor Maldonado to answer to live@autosport.com

10:53 @eddstrawf1: "A few suggestions that aren't shortlist contenders. Norberto Fontana (German F3 champion in at the deep end at Sauber), Tarso Marques (good enough to win in F3000), Fabrizio Barbazza (did fine in the Minardi in 1993), Tora Takagi (great Japanese hope well-regarded by some despite pointless campaigns with Arrows and Tyrrell) and Stephane Sarrazin (seriously quick driver who only got one start)."

10:55 Gutierrez sets a new personal best, as Rossiter joins him on track.

10:58 Rossiter posts his first flying lap of the day and goes seventh, with a 1m20.553s. His best yesterday was a 1m21.273s.

10:59 @eddstrawf1: “Nomination for Phillipe Adams from @StrangAutosport. A good suggestion, as he did struggle in his two in-at-the-deep-end outings for Lotus in 1994, but good enough to win in British F3 and finish a (distant) second in the championship."

10:59 Lots of burnouts from Bottas (on the hard tyres) before he stops at the pit exit for a practice start.

11:00 Rossiter improves again. This run from the Brit means Kimi Raikkonen is the only driver not to have set a time so far today.

11:03 That's an improvement from Bottas. His best is now a 1m21.610s.

11:03 @eddstrawf1: “@Baggies20 suggests Pedro Diniz. The Brazilian paid his way to six full seasons in F1 with Forti Corse, Prost, Ligier, Arrows and Sauber from 1995-2000 and turned himself into an occasional points scorer in midfield machinery. One of the defining pay drivers of his era, but did enough to save himself from the shortlist!"

11:06 Word from Lotus is that there's nothing to be alarmed about by Raikkonen's lack of action - the team is just making small tweaks to get the Finn settled in the E21.

11:07 Vettel posts his best lap of the day: 1m19.676s for the world champion.

11:08 Raikkonen has made the occasional appearance on track this morning. He has nine laps to his name, but he's yet to stay out for a flying lap.

11:09 Two personal best sectors there from Vettel, but he finishes the lap just 0.009s slower than his current best.

11:11 While Vettel, Rosberg, Button, Bottas and Gutierrez are on track, Edd Straw's 'worst driver' shortlist appears to be taking shape. Let's hope we get to see it soon.

11:15 If technical insight is your thing, then you'll be pleased to know Craig Scarborough's blog is bursting with information he's been picking up this week.

11:18 Massa has gone back out and put in another 1m17s lap. It's a 1m17.886 this time, so a fraction slower than his best.

11:19 @eddstrawf1: "Thanks for the many suggestions - been some great ones. The final shortlist for the worst F1 race driver of the last 20 years is as follows:

Jean-Denis Deletraz
Taki Inoue
Gaston Mazzacane
Giovanni Lavaggi
Alex Yoong.

It's going to come down to public vote now. Use #autosportlive on Twitter to make your selection. Votes open only for the next half-hour!"

11:21 Raikkonen heads back out. Let's see if he feels 'settled' enough in the new car to stay out there.

11:22 Massa backed off for a lap to cool his soft tyres, then put in a 1m18.3s.

11:22 This time it's a 1m19.6s for the Ferrari as the tyres go away.

11:23 Raikkonen sets his first time of testing. His 1m22.514s puts him ninth.

11:24 This time it's a 1m22.014 for Raikkonen, who is now up to 12 laps for the day.

11:26 Massa cruises past the pits - more aero work for the Brazilian in Fernando Alonso's absence.

11:27 As Massa flies at Jerez, Fernando Alonso isn't exactly slacking.

We can't tell whether he's winning in this shot, but we can understand his "88 km bike this morning. Run in the afternoon" tweet. Sounds painful.

11:29 Raikkonen dips into the 1m21s, then backs off. He's now off the racing line, going slowly.

11:31 Edd Straw is counting your votes for the worst driver of the last 20 years debate. There's 20 minutes left to pick your man from his shortlist of five. Get your vote in on Twitter with #autosportlive

Remember, you can also ask questions for Pastor Maldonado to answer later, or quiz our team at the track. Send them to live@autosport.com

11:36 Straw's tally chart skills are being put to the test by your voting. On track, Rosberg, Gutierrez and Bottas are in action.

11:38 We're about to have a change at the wheel of AUTOSPORT Live. Sam Tremayne is going to step in for Glenn Freeman, as Edd Straw confirms that Taki Inoue has lodged a vote for himself in our worst drivers poll.

11:39 Inoue has also launched a campaign to get more votes!

11:41 Inoue's vote-rigging antics have hit a snag: Straw is being flooded with votes for the Japanese driver, but none of them include #autosportlive - so technically they don't count!

11:45 Nice to see Williams supporting BOTTAS mania on their Twitter. Oh, and the team has stopped for lunch. "58 laps completed by #BOTTAS this morning as we break for lunch."

11:46 Massa, Rosberg and Gutierrez all out on track at the moment.

11:49 And as Rosberg pits, there's just two minutes until Edd Straw reveals who you've voted for as the worst F1 driver in the last 20 years.

11:51 Voting is closed. And it looks like we have a clear winner...

11:52 Which is just as well. It's safe to say if Edd Straw did voting polls, we'd be waiting for a result for a few years at least...

11:53 @eddstrawf1: “And now, the votes are in for the worst F1 race driver of the last 20 years..."

11:54 Some people clearly aren't hanging on the results - Button and Rossiter have just set their fastest times.

11:54 @eddstrawf1: "Opinion is split between AUTOSPORT's team at Jerez. Glenn Freeman has gone for Deletraz, Jon Noble for Inoue, Sam Tremayne for Yoong and I have gone for Lavaggi. But here is how the public vote turned out:

11:54 @eddstrawf1: "In fifth place - Giovanni Lavaggi."

11:54 Rossiter is the faster of the duo, going third with a 1m19.362s. Button is just 0.073s slower in fourth.

11:56 @eddstrawf1: "Taking fourth place is Gaston Mazzacane."

11:56 @eddstrawf1: "The battle for second and third was extremely close..."

11:57 Another personal best for Rossiter, a 1m19.303s. He's due to hand over the Paul di Resta for the afternoon, so he's clearly enjoying a final flurry.

11:57 @eddstrawf1: "In third place, we have Alex Yoong."

11:57 @eddstrawf1: "And taking second is sometime Larrousse and Pacific driver Jean-Denis Deletraz."

11:58 @eddstrawf1: "All of which means that, partly thanks to his own Twitter voting campaign..."

11:58 @eddstrawf1: "And partly thanks to voting for himself..."

11:58 @eddstrawf1: "Taki Inoue has been voted the worst F1 driver of the last 20 years by AUTOSPORT Live readers!"

12:00 Kimi Raikkonen is the latest driver to improve just before lunch, as he moves into fourth with a 1m19.539s.

12:06 Inoue won with 37 per cent of the votes, but it was pretty close between everyone else.

Our new winner gave this excellent (and honest) interview to Jonathan Noble last year.

12:07 Rossiter is still circulating in the 1m19s. He has Vettel, Vergne and Chilton for company out on track.

12:12 Missed this morning's action? Want to recap the key moments? Glenn Freeman's morning report is now live.

12:17 And in case you haven't seen it, AUTOSPORT's Tech Blog has been running the rule over what the teams are hoping to achieve early on in testing and what the multitude of sensors, gauges and contraptions actually do. Read it here.

12:19 Good consistency from Rosberg at the moment, who comes round for his third consecutive lap in the 1m20s.

12:21 A final word on our worst drivers debate, because...well, because we couldn't resist.

Fittingly it comes from our winner, Taki Inoue.

"Dear all my followers and people who voted me as a worst F1 of last 20 years, Thank you very much for your support to make me Worst No.1."

12:30 While it's relatively quiet out on track, a reminder that we have a Live chat with one of the more controversial figures in 2012, Pastor Maldonado, coming up this afternoon.

From the highs of Barcelona to the lows of Monaco madness, or from life outside F1 to his hopes at Williams, nothing is off limits. Send your questions to live@autosport.com, or Tweet us using #autosportlive

12:35 Lewis Hamilton said Mercedes needed to get in more than 100 laps today to get back on track, and Nico Rosberg is going the right way about it - he's on 86 for the morning, 14 more than any other driver.

12:41 All quiet at Jerez now as Raikkonen heads in.

12:42 Marussia on Twitter: "38 laps under @maxchilton's belt. He's 10th on the timesheet, but everyone running to different programmes"

12:47 Aside from discussing lunch plans, the AUTOSPORT Live team has been trawling through this morning's timesheets. The longest two runs have come from Nico Rosberg (both 15 laps, both with a mid-1m23s average).

Although four laps shorter, the fastest long run has come from Sebastian Vettel in the RB9. The reigning world champion averaged 1m21.715s over an 11-lap stint.

12:50 Lunch, incidentally, isn't exactly glamorous. Edd Straw has bird seed, Sam Tremayne a mouldy apple, Glenn Freeman a soggy croissant and Jonathan Noble...well, all we can see is some chewing gum.

13:00 So much for Jerez's (contentious according to some of the AUTOSPORT Live team) no lunch break rule. It's quiet all along the pitlane.

13:01 And just to rub in it in, here's Mercedes: "Time for @nico_rosberg to grab a bite to eat. 86 laps this morning, putting good miles on #F1W04"

13:06 Not that we would begrudge Rosberg a break though, given that he's been the day's busiest man and put in the day's two longest stints.

13:08 Aha. We have a car! Paul di Resta heads out in the VJM06, having taken over from James Rossiter for the afternoon.

13:09 This will be di Resta's final run in the car at Jerez, with 2012 third driver and aspiring 2013 race driver Jules Bianchi set to take over tomorrow.

13:13 Di Resta wasted no time getting into his stride - his second lap is a 1m23.729s, enough to lift him above Pic and Chilton and into 10th.

13:16 The Scot was the busiest man over the first day and a half, racking up an impressive 184 laps in total. Glenn Freeman was there to catch his reaction at the end of the first day.

13:17 Williams: "Not long and we'll be back out - further aero work and tyre runs planned for this afternoon #Jerez #BOTTAS"

13:20 Felipe Massa has put Ferrari at the top of the timesheets on the third morning at Jerez, but that's not all he's been doing. Posing for photographs is after all an important part of the job.

@Felipe1Massa: "3nd day in #Jerez #f138 http://instagr.am/p/VbkK4rnLbj/ "

13:23 Nico Rosberg heads out for Mercedes, just as Edd Straw heads out to the paddock to meet up with today's Live guest Pastor Maldonado.

There's the small matter of a magazine interview (look out for it in the next few weeks) before Maldonado heads up for the Live chat, so remember to send your questions to live@autosport.com.

13:24 Nico Rosberg's break is short-lived: he's back out and he's fast: a 1m18.766s is the second-fastest time we've seen today.

13:28 Talking of magazines (see 13:23), this week's AUTOSPORT is available in print and digital today.

We've devoted 50 pages to the recent F1 launches, giving you the definitive guide to this year's cars.

13:31 Rosberg follows up his personal best with a slow 1m48s, but is then straight back into the 1m19s. One slow lap to punctuate two quicker efforts is a common theme in testing.

13:32 Except he's not backed off after that second flyer. Four more laps, all under 1m22s, follow. Another long(ish) run for the German.

13:35 Max Chilton's programme has been slightly fragmented today due to an electrical hitch.

On Twitter, Marussia says: "We've had a slightly broken programme due to some difficulties we have experienced with on-board electronics, but some good mileage anyway.

"This afternoon @maxchilton will be completing the race distance programme before switching focus to more regular performance work."

13:39 Jonathan Noble has just been speaking to Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery about how informative Jerez has been.

Watch out for the full story on AUTOSPORT.com shortly.

13:41 Rosberg moves into triple figures for the day, just as Mercedes reveals one of his secrets to single-lap pace...

@MercedesAMGF1: "@nico_rosberg is back out for the afternoon programme. The times suggest lunch was worth three tenths ;)”

13:52 #BOTTAS is out on track for his first run of the afternoon. He has Jean-Eric Vergne for company.

13:53 Kimi Raikkonen meanwhile serenades the media centre as he pulls into his garage directly underneath us. A quick turnaround and he's back out.

13:57 And by serenade, we mean with the noise of his engine idling. He didn't stand below us in the pitlane singing. That would be weird.

13:59 Moving away from the mental image of Raikkonen belting out a ballad, we now have seven cars out on track, the busiest it's been this afternoon. Today's fastest man, Felipe Massa, is one of them. He brings the F138 round in a 1m19.062s.

14:01 Sebastian Vettel shaves one tenth of a second from his best, but that's enough to carry him above Jenson Button and into fifth.

14:02 Red flag. There's a Toro Rosso stopped at the exit of the pitlane.

14:04 There'll be no Recovery Watch for the AUTOSPORT Live team given where the Toro Rosso has stopped. It's already on rollers and being wheeled back to the garage.

14:05 And as simple as that, we're back under green flags.

14:11 Charles Pic leads the field out again. He comes by with five laps on his pit board. Vettel, Rosberg and Gutierrez are also out.

14:13 Pic finds almost three second on that last lap, jumping to a 1m22.801s which puts him 10th.

14:16 And now a glitch on the Jerez timing sheets - Pic sets personal bests in sectors one, two and three, but somehow doesn't improve his overall best. We're pretty sure that doesn't make sense, but then we haven't been sleeping all that well lately.

14:16 Two Britons join in quick succession, as Max Chilton follows Jenson Button onto the track.

14:27 A new personal best from Sebastian Vettel, a 1m19.052s which sends him up into third.

14:30 We have a visitor! Pastor Maldonado has joined the AUTOSPORT Live crew, so we'll get the Live chat underway.

14:32 The first question comes from Attila Dezso, who asks:

You won three times at Monte Carlo in GP2 and in WSR, and ran well in F1. What's your secret on these narrow streets?

Pastor Maldonado: "The secret to driving in Monaco is to drive with the heart. If you drive with your brain, you are scared with the walls! There is no space to do any mistakes and it's very narrow. You drive with your heart and try to get the maximum."

14:34 Charles Pic lowers his benchmark further, dropping down to a 1m22.760s.

14:34 The Frenchman has Chilton and Massa for company out on track.

14:37 Dear Mr Maldonado, I'm curious to know did McLaren approach you when Lewis left last year?
CG

Maldonado: "McLaren is a great team because they have always been in the top but I have got a responsibility in this team at Williams to put them to the top and before I leave the team I really want to win."

14:38 We have lost big names like Schumacher, Glock, Kovalainen and your ex-teammate Senna, but there are now a lot of talented young drivers like Bottas and Gutierrez. How do you see it and what do you think about the F1 grid in 2013?
Bogata, Hungary

Maldonado: "It's difficult to say. There is a new generation here, a very strong one and I support that. But at the same time I feel a bit disappointed to see some very good drivers leaving Formula 1."

14:41 After your Catalunya victory you have proved that you deserve to be in F1 but you had some incidents again last season. How do you plan to reduce the number of incidents on-track this year?
Liam Johnson

Maldonado: "Yes, for sure. I really don't want to get involved in any incidents this year and I will do my best. But this is racing and when you are racing and fighting for victories or places, you must do your best just as the others are. Sometimes there is some contact during the racing and it will be like that in all motor-racing, forever. If it's not, there is no more racing. I agree that we need to avoid the incidents, but we are racing!"

14:44 As we speak to Maldonado, his team-mate Bottas (or BOTTAS if you prefer) has just gone a new personal best, a 1m21.575s. The Finn stays ninth.

14:46 You clearly have natural lightning pace and have immediately shaken off the 'pay driver' stories with your unbelievable speed in the car. What technical developments are you looking for to better suit the car to your style this year?
David Surgenor

Maldonado: "I really like the aero side because I am very sensitive to the feel of aero changes in the car. When I have from the factory one-tenth of a second, maybe I can find two on the track so I really like it and enjoy working to improve the aero."

14:49 Hi Pastor, in your oppinion which track is physically most difficult to drive and why?
Adam Novak

Maldonado: "Singapore is the most difficult one because of the heat. The temperature is so high on the car. The race is so long and very bumpy and you can't make any mistakes because the track is so narrow."

14:49 Bottas and Chilton head into the pitlane and we quiet.

14:50 ...which is quickly interrupted as Vettel heads back out in the RB9.

14:51 Has Alex Wurz's mentoring helped you address the ups and downs of last year, so you can get to the track in the right frame of mind and get the best out of the car?
Stratos


Maldonado: "He was doing a good job and not jsut directly with the drivers: he also provided information because he was around the track looking at the other cars. He got a lot of information on what the other drivers have been doing in different corners, what the cars were doing. It was useful."

14:52 When Williams kept you at the end of 2011 and dropped Rubens Barrichello, how did you cope with the pressure that surrounded you and also being sucked into the "pay driver" debate?
Tom, Tonbridge, UK

Maldonado: "To be honest, I was disappointed for Rubens. At the same time, I was a bit nervous about the team's situation because a lot of things were happening in the team, there were a lot of changes and I was worried. But when I saw the car at the first test here I was immediately very happy."

14:54 Button heads out to join Vettel on track. Button's outlap is marginally faster than Vettel's. That's possibly the least meaningful statistic we'll provide you with today.

14:55 Thanks for all your questions for Pastor Maldonado. We have to wrap it up now, so we've only got time for two more.

The first comes from Barry McManus, who asks:
Have you done much work or training with Bottas over the off season to build a partnership with him?

Maldonado: "Valtteri and me, the relationship is quite good. We will maintain that. We are working for the team and need to work together to develop the car. I really expect him to be a very strong team-mate, he's a great driver. He needs some experience, but I am 100 per cent sure he will get there. He's a young driver, but very strong and a very good guy. There's a good atmosphere."

14:58 Jean-Eric Vergne jumps from seventh to fifth in the STR8. Personal bests in sectors one, two and three result in a 1m19.247s.

15:00
And our final question:

From two years of watching you race, I'd say you're one of the more aggressive drivers in the pack. Would you agree with that?
Dan Lesser

Maldonado: "Sometimes, yes! And sometimes not. In the past, I have been so sweet with the other drivers but with years of experience, I learned to be aggressive when I need to be!"

15:02 Thanks for all your questions for Maldonado, and of course thanks to Williams and the man himself.

15:04 While the AUTOSPORT Live crew was talking to Maldonado, Jon Noble heard from Paul Hembery why Jerez's future as a Formula 1 test venue could be under threat.

15:09 We're into the final hour of the third day, and Massa's 1.17.879s is still comfortably faster than anyone else has managed. Rosberg, 132 laps to the good, is the only man within one second of Massa's F138.

15:13 Feisty start to this run for Charles Pic. He registered a new fastest speed through the first sector on his outlap, and improves his time with a 1m22.352s on his first flyer.

15:16 Pic's next flying lap (after a cool-down) is just 0.001s slower than his new best.

15:18 Very generous of Nico Rosberg to drive through the asphalt run-off at Turn 1 to keep out of Felipe Massa's way as the Mercedes exits the pits.

15:22 Just the 140 laps for Rosberg today. That's more than anyone achieved during 2012's pre-season test here at Jerez (the most was Michael Schumacher on 139, although he was in the 2011-spec Mercedes). Exactly what the doctor ordered after the setbacks of the first two days.

15:32 Incidentally, Rosberg has now travelled a greater distance than London to Paris or even crossing from Valencia in the East of Spain to Portugal. All in a day's work.

15:35 The Sauber has looked good through the high-speed stuff, and Gutierrez sets a new benchmark in the sector one speed trap - 274.6 km/h.

15:40 Max Chilton finds a good chunk of time and moves into 10th overall. Paul di Resta, whose day was cut short by exhaust problems just seven laps in (to the afternoon session) is now propping up the timesheets.

15:41 Chilton improves again. This time he comes round in a 1m21.454s, putting his Marussia MR02 ahead of Valterri Bottas's Williams.

15:47 Inside the final 15 minutes, and we have Vettel, Button and Pic on track. Chilton heads back out to join them.

15:48 Massa leaves the pits in a very strange-sounding Ferrari, as if it's running on a reduced number of cylinders.

15:49 After that strange lap, Massa is back in.

15:50 Another late improvement for Max Chilton. He finds another couple of tenths in the Marussia.

15:52 Rosberg is back out. If he stays out, he has enough time to pass the 150-lap mark today.

15:53 Gutierrez improves, but it makes no difference to his position for the day.

15:54 Sebastien Vettel has just hit 100 laps for the day. He, Rosberg and Gutierrez (currently 108) are the only drivers in three figures.

15:55 For the second day running we have a red flag just before the scheduled end of the session. Jenson Button has come to a halt.

15:56 The car looks OK from the outside, but Button is having a long look at the left rear wheel. His attention then switches to the fact that his car is starting to roll away.

15:57 Button's interest in the rear of the car suggests this may not be a repeat of the 'fuel runs' that brought out the red flags around this time yesterday, when we had a Lotus and a Sauber stopped on track.

15:59 Time for the McLaren to be placed on the flatbed truck. The car has stopped between Turns 7 and 8, the two fast left-handers after the Dry Sack hairpin.

16:00 Naturally, that late stoppage has brought today's running to an end, so Felipe Massa's 1m17.879s lap stands as the fastest of the day, and the fastest so far this week.

16:01 Our team is already heading into the paddock to get reaction to the day from the drivers and teams, so be sure to keep an eye on autosport.com this evening to get up to speed with what's happening now the track action has ended.

16:04 We'll see you back here bright and early (9am local time at Jerez) for the fourth and final day of this opening test.

Joining us on Live tomorrow will be Marussia's new man Max Chilton. You know the drill - send your questions, no matter how eclectic or random, to live@autosport.com or tweet us using #autosportlive.