Massa quickest in Barcelona

Felipe Massa set the standard on day three of winter testing at Barcelona yesterday as Vitantonio Liuzzi staked his claim for a Red Bull race seat next year.

Sauber driver Massa was the fastest of the 15 drivers on show, narrowly pipping Toyota’s Jarno Trulli to top spot.

Liuzzi was in impressive form in just his second Formula One test for Red Bull, with team owner Dietrich Mateschitz dropping in to watch.

The Italian, who won the International Formula 3000 Championship in dominant fashion last season, was fifth fastest after 89 laps in Spain, just three-quarters of a second down on Massa’s time.

Liuzzi was almost a second quicker than Christian Klien, who is more familiar with Formula One and the Red Bull set-up, having driven for the team during their time at Jaguar last season.