Points leader Vesti leads Prema 1-2 in F2 practice at Barcelona

Photo: Prema

Frederick Vesti led a Prema one-two in Formula 2 practice around Barcelona’s new chicane-free layout. 

It was a relatively relaxed session at a track the F2 field has already visited for an in-season test this year, and laptimes only got down to 1m26.722s which was several seconds off what was achieved in testing.

Only four drivers set representative times in the first 20 minutes of practtice. Drivers were just beginning to start their flying laps when red flags were brought out with 24 minutes left on the clock.  

Victor Martins had taken to the grass after a slow-speed spin, and made contact with one of the advertising boards there. The incident was quickly cleared and the field headed back out for the final part of the session. 

MP Motorsport’s Jehan Daruvala was at the top of the times when the red flag was brought out, and would only drop to third by the chequered flag. 

Vesti and Ollie Bearman both went quicker than the MP Motorsport driver, with the championship leader just 0.126 seconds quicker than his team-mate. 

Dennis Hauger jumped up the order in the final moments to fourth place, just behind his team-mate Daruvala.

There were problems for Rodin Carlin’s Enzo Fittipaldi through most of practice. He spent the first half of the session with the pits as the team worked on the front of his car. But in the final four minutes of the session he set a lap good enough for fourth place. He was demoted to fifth, but ended practice just 0.472s off Vesti’s pace. 

Ayumu Iwasa was another late improver, placing sixth overall ahead of Theo Pourchaire and Jack Doohan. Richard Verschoor and Zane Maloney completed the top 10.  

Free practice results