Home Featured Anthoine Hubert ends GP3 pre-season testing on top for ART

Anthoine Hubert ends GP3 pre-season testing on top for ART

by Peter Allen
Hubert

Photo: Joe Portlock / GP3 Series Media Service

ART Grand Prix driver Anthoine Hubert ended the final GP3 pre-season test at Barcelona with the best time.

Hubert, returning for a second season with ART after finishing fourth in the 2017 standings, posted the fastest time of the test in the morning session on Wednesday.

His 1m31.751s made him 0.029 seconds quicker than his team-mate Callum Ilott, with Jake Hughes 0.232s off the pace as he completed an ART 1-2-3.

Dorian Boccolacci was best of the rest in fourth for MP Motorsport, narrowly in front of Campos driver Leonardo Pulcini, whose benchmark time from Tuesday was bettered by more than one second by Hubert’s effort.

Nikita Mazepin came sixth in the fourth and final ART entry, leading Tatiana Calderon, Giuliano Alesi, Julien Falchero and Niko Kari.

In his first test outing of the year, Formula Renault Eurocup runner-up Will Palmer repeated his Tuesday result of 13th for MP Motorsport.

Alesi went on to lead the afternoon session, when race runs were the priority ahead of next month’s season opener at the Spanish circuit.

Trident driver Alesi was 1.15s off Hubert’s earlier time, but was more than a quarter of a second clear of the next quickest driver in the afternoon, Jenzer’s Calderon.

Pedro Piquet, who is still to have a race deal with Trident confirmed for the coming season, came third.

Mazepin was the quickest of the ART drivers in 11th, one place ahead of Hughes, with Ilott 17th and Hughes 18th.

Alessio Lorandi suffered an early end to his pre-season when he was hit with engine failure just three laps into the morning session.

 

Combined day two times
Pos Driver Team Morning Afternoon
1 Anthoine Hubert ART Grand Prix 1:31.751 1:35.499
2 Callum Ilott ART Grand Prix 1:31.780 1:35.433
3 Jake Hughes ART Grand Prix 1:31.983 1:34.724
4 Dorian Boccolacci MP Motorsport 1:32.049 1:34.960
5 Leonardo Pulcini Campos Racing 1:32.073 1:35.078
6 Nikita Mazepin ART Grand Prix 1:32.290 1:34.404
7 Tatiana Calderon Jenzer Motorsport 1:32.378 1:33.154
8 Giuliano Alesi Trident 1:32.383 1:32.901
9 Julien Falchero Arden International 1:32.418 1:35.629
10 Niko Kari MP Motorsport 1:32.479 1:35.303
11 Pedro Piquet Trident 1:32.484 1:33.256
12 Simo Laaksonen Campos Racing 1:32.520 1:33.802
13 Will Palmer MP Motorsport 1:32.579 1:35.355
14 David Beckmann Jenzer Motorsport 1:32.633 1:33.611
15 Juan Manuel Correa Jenzer Motorsport 1:32.803 1:33.396
16 Joey Mawson Arden International 1:32.839 1:33.606
17 Diego Menchaca Campos Racing 1:32.914 1:33.635
18 Ryan Tveter Trident 1:32.937 1:33.719
19 Gabriel Aubry Arden International 1:33.392 1:34.189
20 Alessio Lorandi Trident 1:43.109 No time