Home News Matthieu Vaxiviere stays ahead in afternoon of first Aragon test day

Matthieu Vaxiviere stays ahead in afternoon of first Aragon test day

by Peter Allen
Matthieu Vaxiviere

Photo: Renault Sport

Matthieu Vaxiviere remained at the head of the Formula Renault 3.5 field as the first day of the Formula Renault 3.5 test at Aragon came to an end.

After setting the pace in the morning, the Lotus team’s driver went back to the top of the times in the closing stages of the day and, as the majority of the field set their best times at the chequered flag, lowered his benchmark to a 1m40.635s.

Second-placed Dean Stoneman was one of those to improve at the end, but the new Red Bull Junior was over half a second down on Vaxiviere.

Egor Orudzhev got up to third at the close of the session for Arden ahead of Fortec’s Jazeman Jaafar and Strakka’s Jerez test pace-setter Tio Ellinas.

As in the morning, Tom Dillmann led the times for a while before ending up sixth for Carlin. Vaxiviere’s new team-mate Meindert van Buuren was seventh in front of the second Strakka driver Gustav Malja, Draco’s Bruno Bonifacio and pre-season title favourite Oliver Rowland, who was a second off the pace in tenth.

The late stoppage was triggered by the afternoon’s slowest runner, Philo Paz Armand.

Afternoon session results
Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps
1 Matthieu Vaxiviere Lotus 1:40.635 16
2 Dean Stoneman DAMS 1:41.152 0.517 28
3 Egor Orudzhev Arden Motorsport 1:41.295 0.660 22
4 Jazeman Jaafar Fortec Motorsports 1:41.452 0.817 25
5 Tio Ellinas Strakka Racing 1:41.457 0.822 35
6 Tom Dillmann Carlin 1:41.509 0.874 25
7 Meindert van Buuren Lotus 1:41.525 0.890 23
8 Gustav Malja Strakka Racing 1:41.545 0.910 41
9 Bruno Bonifacio International Draco Racing 1:41.615 0.980 20
10 Oliver Rowland Fortec Motorsports 1:41.651 1.016 21
11 Pietro Fantin International Draco Racing 1:41.698 1.063 35
12 Beitske Visser AVF 1:41.851 1.216 21
13 Roberto Merhi Pons Racing 1:41.867 1.232 30
14 Sean Gelael Carlin 1:42.281 1.646 29
15 Nicholas Latifi Arden Motorsport 1:42.351 1.716 29
16 Alfonso Celis AVF 1:42.494 1.859 31
17 Nyck de Vries DAMS 1:42.526 1.891 31
18 Roman Mavlanov Zeta Corse 1:42.597 1.962 25
19 Aurelien Panis Tech 1 Racing 1:42.658 2.023 38
20 Roy Nissany Tech 1 Racing 1:42.820 2.185 31
21 Philo Paz Armand Pons Racing 1:44.871 4.236 24