• First Barcelona Test, Day Three

Alonso happy with how F138 reacts

Fernando Alonso was pleased with how the F138 reacts to set-up changes © Sutton Images

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• Report:
• Alonso tops third day at Barcelona
  

• Drivers:
• Fernando Alonso

• Teams:
• Ferrari

Fernando Alonso said the F138 reacted as he expected after setting the fastest time of day three of the second test at Barcelona.

Ferrari's running was delayed by an exhaust problem on Wednesday, but Alonso managed to complete 97 laps on his final day in the car this week. Having focused on trying to understand the new Pirelli tyres, Alonso said it was difficult to analyse the results in such cold conditions but he was pleased with the way set-up changes made a difference to the car.

"Today we concentrated on a comparison of the compounds, starting with the Soft and moving on to the Hard in the afternoon," Alonso said. "The track was colder than yesterday, especially in the morning, which made it harder to adapt the car and find the right grip level.

"We tried various aerodynamic configurations and for the first time, we made some set-up changes to get a good understanding of tyre behaviour and degradation. With every change we made, the car reacted as I expected and it was useful to try out the different settings, especially to understand which direction we need to go in next week, when there will be a greater emphasis on performance."

Alonso also said he expected the tyres to still be tough to manage at the first race in Australia next month.

"Once again this year, the tyres will be one of the crucial aspects to manage: they are softer and quicker, but also less consistent and they degrade rapidly with every lap. We will have a lot of work to do to understand how best to balance the car, but that applies to all the teams."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.