On the penultimate day of Formula One testing before the new season begins in Melbourne, teams started mixing up their strategies and wish lists as the clock ticked down.
Of most interest early in the day was the appearance on Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari of one version of the new "halo" head protection design. The device was fitted to the car for only two laps, but it gave an indication of the weight and visibility issues drivers can expect from 2017. 
In his usual style, with the motor sport world hanging off his every word, the Finn was asked what he thought of the halo design. The iceman's response: "OK". His sparse comment on one of the most talked about issues in the sport prompted much mirth online where the hashtag #ThingsKimiFindsOK amused fans throughout the day.
Formula One chiefs have committed to greater driver head protection in the wake of last year's accidents that killed Formula One driver Jules Bianchi and IndyCar's Justin Wilson. While Raikkonen is nearing the end of his career, the youngest man in the field, Toro Rosso driver Max Verstappen, is likely to spend a lot of time under the halo and believes it's a necessity, although the design may change.
"I saw some quick pictures [of the Ferrari]. I haven't tested it myself so I don't know how the view is, so we will have to wait and see," he said after putting in 159 laps for the day. "It is for safety and in the end you want to be safe in the car. We have to wait and see what the FIA comes up with at the end."
Verstappen said he was looking forward to taking a strong car to Melbourne, having performed well there in his debut race last year before retiring with mechanical problems. He said he was not feeling too much pain after his long stint in testing, proving he was physically ready for the challenge.
"Good actually, it's getting better and better all the time especially if you are back for the first time in the car after a three-month break. You are a bit stiff and it hurts a bit, but afterwards it just gets better and better and that's positive."
Raikkonen topped the times for the day, with a one minute 22.765 second power lap using the new purple ultrasoft tyre among his 136 laps on track.
Daniel Ricciardo's teammate Daniil Kvyat had a solid day in the Red Bull, clocking mid-range times and notching 121 laps, although he lost an hour on track in the afternoon session while engineers worked on his car.
The new American team Haas had another bad day after fuel and turbocharger problems restricted its appearance on days one and two. On day three it seemed to be the brakes' turn to fail, with Romain Grosjean locking up at turn one before losing his car in the gravel soon after. The team took some time to get the car back on track, but Grosjean was able to record 78 laps for the day.