Coletti tops wet Catalunya testing, Evans 12th

GP2 Series

Stefano Coletti started his three-day test session in the best possible way, topping the timesheets in the afternoon session and on a drying track. James Calado was quickest in a wet morning session.

A short few days following the end of the first GP2 Series pre-season test session in Jerez, the paddock remained in Spain, but relocated to Barcelona for the second and final testing days before the eighth season starts in Malaysia later this month.

The conditions could not have been more miserable as the session opened this morning at Circuit de Catalunya with heavy rain and strong winds sweeping over the track. Simon Trummer was the first driver to test the track conditions, but after thirty minutes of running, only four drivers had set a laptime, Daniel De Jong topping the timesheets.

The proceedings were halted twice in the first hour, first when Rio Haryanto clipped the barrier at turn 2 and then when Kevin Giovesi stopped at turn 8. Halfway through the session, Tom Dillmann went top for newcomers RUSSIAN TIME, but Calado also improved and edged the Frenchman out with a laptime of 1:50.928. De Jong moved up to P2 but remained 1.4s slower than the Brit. With six minutes left on the clock, a final red flag stopped the session when Rodolfo Gonzalez and Ma Qing Hua simultaneously went off track at turns 7 and 12 respectively. Calado, De Jong, Trummer, Fabio Leimer, Julia Leal, Dillmann, Daniel Abt, Felipe Nasr, Robin Frijns, and Rene Binder rounded up the top ten.

The rain eventually bowed out and the afternoon session opened under grey skies. In drying conditions, the laptimes dropped significantly and it was finally time for everyone to tap into their stock of hard compounds. Dillmann and teammate Luciano Bacheta were the first ones to venture out on track on slicks and were rewarded with P1 and P2, the Frenchman ahead of the Brit. Frijns also improved and took control of the timesheets, but his best laptime was first bettered by Coletti who was then  nudged out by De Jong with a laptime of 1:30.558.

The final hour of the day saw the drivers constantly improving their personal best and in the dying minutes, Frijns was the first man to dip under 1m30s, but Nasr went quickest until Coletti set a laptime of 1:29.868 and claimed the top spot until the chequered flag. Nasr finished a hair’s breadth of the Monegasque driver, closely followed by Frijns – today’s best rookie. Calado, Johnny Cecotto, Leimer, Stéphane Richelmi, De Jong, Jolyon Palmer and Abt rounded up the top ten.

Tomorrow’s session will start at 9am local time where more rain is expected.

Morning results

 DriverTeamLaptimeLaps
1.James CaladoART Grand Prix1:50.92820
2.Daniel De JongMP Motorsport1:51.85834
3.Simon TrummerRapax1:52.24027
4.Fabio LeimerRacing Engineering1:52.31621
5.Julian LealRacing Engineering1:52.33424
6.Tom DillmannRUSSIAN TIME1:52.35515
7.Daniel AbtART Grand Prix1:52.41619
8.Felipe NasrCarlin1:52.63019
9.Robin FrijnsTrident Racing1:52.71615
10.Rene BinderVenezuela GP Lazarus1:53.09728
11.Stéphane RichelmiDAMS1:53.25225
12.Ma Qing HuaCaterham Racing1:53.30737
13.Johnny CecottoArden International1:53.38317
14.Rodolfo GonzalezTrident Racing1:53.54920
15.Sergio CanamasasCaterham Racing1:53.61330
16.Jake RosenzweigBarwa Addax Team1:53.62133
17.Mitch EvansArden International1:53.69028
18.Marcus EricssonDAMS1:53.82225
19.Adrian Quaife-HobbsMP Motorsport1:53.95717
20.Conor DalyHilmer Motorsport1:54.09928
21.Jolyon PalmerCarlin1:54.64114
22.Luciano BachetaRUSSIA TIME1:54.94817
23.Pal VarhaugHilmer Motorsport1:55.91020
24.Rio HaryantoBarwa Addax Team1:57.6049
25.Stefano ColettiRapax2
26.Kevin GiovesiVenezuela GP Lazarus1


Afternoon results

 DriverTeamLaptimeLaps
1.Stefano ColettiRapax1:29.86824
2.Felipe NasrCarlin1:29.92618
3.Robin FrijnsTrident Racing1:29.95119
4.James CaladoART Grand1:30.23924
5.Johnny CecottoArden International1:30.32325
6.Fabio LeimerRacing Engineering1:30.33516
7.Stéphane RichelmiDAMS1:30.35022
8.Daniel De JongMP Motorsport1:30.48723
9.Jolyon PalmerCarlin1:30.50523
10.Daniel AbtART Grand Prix1:30.52221
11.Kevin GiovesiVenezuela GP Lazarus1:30.55116
12.Mitch EvansArden International1:30.78124
13.Simon TrummerRapax1:30.83129
14.Jake RosenzweigBarwa Addax Team1:31.02725
15.Sergio CanamasasCaterham Racing1:31.03221
16.Tom DillmannRUSSIAN TIME1:31.03525
17.Adrian Quaife-HobbsMP Motorsport1:31.07524
18.Marcus EricssonDAMS1:31.43322
19.Julian LealRacing Engineering1:31.52028
20.Rio HaryantoBarwa Addax Team1:31.62623
21.Conor DalyHilmer Motorsport1:32.14129
22.Rodolfo GonzalezTrident Racing1:32.17823
23.Rene BinderVenezuela GP Lazarus1:32.58624
24.Luciano BachetaRUSSIAN TIME1:32.71232
25.Ma Qing HuaCaterham Racing1:33.36026
26.Pal VarhaugHilmer Motorsport1:34.35717

Coletti tops wet Catalunya testing, Evans 12th

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