Raikkonen posted the third fastest time of the week of 1min 23.477 on the new ultrasoft tyres, but was over six tenths of a second down on the time set by teammate Sebastian Vettel on the same setup on Tuesday.
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McLaren-Honda’s hopes for a fresh start to the 2016 season came to a crashing halt as Fernando Alonso failed to register a single lap time all day.
McLaren was plagued by reliability problems throughout last season under a renewed partnership with engine supplier Honda, but it had showed significant signs of improvement in the first two days of testing in Barcelona.
Mercedes completed a total of 675 laps over the four days at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, 228 more than next-best Torro Rosso.
The 2007 world champion added: “To get the first feeling of the vehicle and I am sure that there is a lot of potential”. It’s already a better auto than the end of a year ago so we are doing the right things.
Alfonso Celis would again also impress, with the Force India reserve driver the third quickest man on the day, totting up 75 laps for the Mercedes-powered constructor.
“Overall the handling is good, there were many areas we felt we had to improve from a year ago and that was one area, there are many other areas”.
“It’s incredible, I’ve never seen anything like it”, Hamilton said. I’m sure it’s going to be a better auto.
The duo completed many laps in the test, with Hamilton saying: “The vehicle looks good and the hard work by all the team seems to have been well worth it. We have managed to complete lots of running without issue”.
Meanwhile, Hamilton has condemned plans to introduce heavier cars in 2017 and criticised rulemakers for failing to consult drivers.
Indonesian rookie Rio Haryanto went off the track with his Manor for the second straight day, while Mexican driver Esteban Gutierrez endured a mechanical issue with newcomer Haas, which had a positive F1 debut despite reliability issues.
Red Bull endured what it called “technical glitches” in some of the sessions, while Williams struggled with a problem with one of the auto systems on the final day.
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Renault, back in F1 after taking over Lotus, had a good final day with Kevin Magnussen running 153 laps the most by any driver and finishing fourth-fastest.
