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| March 17, 2011 |
| Renault 3.5: Vergne Heads Wet Testing in Barcelona |
 | Jean-Eric Vergne made the most of less than ideal conditions to lead the final day of testing in Spain
(Photo: Renault) |
Like the day before, the testing in Formula Renault 3.5 Series at Barcelona was disrupted by rain on Wednesday (March 16). The track dried out in the middle of the day, and the drivers who were fastest during that spell ended up at the top of the timesheets. Jean-Eric Vergne (Carlin) showed the quickest turn of pace, ahead of Daniel Zampieri (BVM Target) and Daniel Ricciardo (ISR).
After a first day disrupted by rain, drivers and teams present at the Catalunya Circuit waited for the track to dry out before continuing their preparation program. The first two hours of driving was under wet track conditions and several drivers were caught out, including Cesar Ramos (Fortec Motorsport), the victim of a detached left rear wheel, and Arthur Pic (Tech 1 Racing), who suffered a twisted right front suspension stay.
With the track drying out, the drivers were able to don slick tires and set about bringing down the lap times. Fairuz Fauzy, reserve driver with Lotus Renault GP and back in FR 3.5 Series with Mofaz Racing, lapped in 1:52.996, kicking off the race for the best time. Robert Wickens (Carlin) went below 1:50, before Daniel Ricciardo stepped up to take the lead. With times of 1:46.687 then 1:42.853, Toro Rosso F1 team’s third driver took full advantage of the improved grip conditions. As we approached the end of the session, he banged in a 1:38.825, setting the fastest time of the morning. Alexander Rossi (Fortec Motorsport) was quickest of the North American racer, going P7, ahead of Wickens P17 and Jake Rosenzweig (Mofaz Racing) P18.
In the early part of the afternoon, the track continued to dry out. Nathanaël Berthon (ISR) took the opportunity to bring the reference time down a notch or two (to 1:36.643 then 1:36.406). Daniel Zampieri took a turn (1:35.991) before handing over to Oliver Webb (Pons Racing) in 1:35.721. In the end, it was Jean-Eric Vergne who went fastest in 1:34.409, before the rain returned to dissuade the drivers from coming back out on track. Unable to get out in the drier conditions, Wickens was 13th quickest, while Rossi 15th fastest. Rosenzweig did not go out.
The combined standings for the day showed Vergne finish first, ahead of Zampieri, Ricciardo, Berthon, Brendon Hartley (Gravity - Charouz Racing) and Kevin Korjus (Tech 1 Racing).
"I have very good feelings at the wheel of this car," stated Vergne. "Yesterday, we were unable to get everything together to do a fast time but today we had new tyres at the right time and it worked. We are already competitive and that makes me want to fight for the title even more."
The drivers from Formula Renault 3.5 Series will be back on track next week at the Circuit Paul Ricard Le Castellet in France, for two more days of testing.
The top-three, along with how the North American racers did, will be posted following every session on the EFCN Facebook page, EFCN Twitter page, and EFCN Insider Twitter page. |
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