Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsMcLaren

Hydraulic leak curtails McLaren's running on day three

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McLaren was forced to end its running after 51 laps on day three of pre-season testing due to a hydraulic leak.

Jenson Button was at the wheel of the MP4-31 on Wednesday and had enjoyed a largely productive morning following Fernando Alonso's 119 laps on Tuesday. However, the 2009 world champion then stopped at the end of the pit lane early in the afternoon, causing the pit lane to be closed while running continued on track.

Live timing and coverage from Barcelona

Racing director Eric Boullier confirmed a hydraulic leak was the cause, and while he downplayed the severity of the stoppage at the time, McLaren was unable to run again and ended its day early.

Alonso will be back in the car on Thursday for the final day of the first test in Barcelona, though there is a threat of rain for the morning session.

Follow live coverage and timing from pre-season testing here

Who is driving when during the first pre-season test

GALLERY: Pre-season testing day three

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.