Dillmann puts Hilmer on top of their first ever GP2 test

Photo: Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service

Tom Dillmann posted the fastest time on the opening day of GP2 Series pre-season testing at Jerez, putting series newcomers Hilmer Motorsport in top spot on their first ever day of running.

The Frenchman, who won a race in his rookie GP2 season last year before being forced out mid-campaign by budget constraints and is still searching for a 2013 ride, took top spot with 20 minutes of the afternoon session remaining.

During the morning session it was Jolyon Palmer who was quickest for Carlin ahead of DAMS man Marcus Ericsson and Rene Binder of Lazarus. Johnny Cecotto was fourth for Arden with the same time as second DAMS driver Stephane Richelmi, while Jake Rosenzweig was sixth for Addax.

Pre-season favourite James Calado claimed seventh spot for ART ahead of Dillmann, Simon Trummer (Rapax) and Carlin?s Felipe Nasr.

Dillmann?s afternoon time of 1m25.029s eclipsed Palmer?s morning benchmark by nearly three tenths of a second. Racing Engineering returnee Fabio Leimer posted the second fastest time of the day ahead of Nasr.

Calado was fourth in the afternoon, narrowly ahead of the impressive Binder. Ericsson was sixth ahead of Daniel De Jong for the other new team MP Motorsport and Richelmi.

Formula Renault 3.5 champion Robin Frijns finished his first day in a GP2 car in ninth place for Trident, just over half a second off the pace, with Cecotto in tenth.

Morning results

Afternoon results