Perfectly clear sunny weather for today on the second day of the Offical FIA F3 testing where we would once again have a morning and an afternoon session.
In the morning session we started really well and I am beginning to feel much more comfortable the car and some of the areas that we were working on the previous day. On the used tyres to begin with my lap times were good, and then on the first set of new for the day I managed to take 1.4 seconds off my best time yesterday for a 1:21.5. This was enough for P16 of the 30 drivers which was a really pleasing result given that nine of the drivers ahead have already raced the 2019 Championship at this level. I was also pleased to be only 7 tenths of a second off the top, which given this is only my second day in this car (and second dry session) is good progress.
Image: fiaformula3.com
The afternoon session started in the warmest part of the day where the track is not as quick, so most of the time was spent on preparation runs bedding in brake pads etc.
Then when the new tyre runs started in the last 45 mins, the session turned into a bit of a mess. On my first run on new tyres I went quicker, however had that time deleted due to exceeding track limits. My next few laps were impeeded by traffic and then there was a red flag.
With 10 minutes to go on another new set the whole field went out at once and were immediately on different tyre preparation programs. With all 30 cars on track at different speeds it was impossible to get a clear lap at all. Crossing the line with seconds to go I had one more chance, but arrived at turn 2 with a pack of three cars crawling on the apex.
Frustrating not to get a single lap in for the afternoon session, however really happy with my performance in the morning and feeling very confident in the car.
Thank you to the team again for today and looking forward to Day 3 tomorrow. Looks like this will be more wet weather practice!
