Rodin’s Alex Dunne fastest on final day of F2 post-season testing

Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd

Rodin Motorsport’s Alex Dunne was quickest on the final day of Formula 2 post-season testing at Yas Marina Circuit.

All 10 teams sent drivers out when the morning session began, with all but DAMS, MP Motorsport and Trident opting for new sets of medium compound tyres. AIX Racing’s Emmo Fittipaldi posted the first representative laptime, a 1m41.500s.

There was then a flurry of improvements, with top spot being occupied by John Bennett (Trident), Nico Varrone (Van Amersfoort Racing), Colton Herta (Hitech GP), Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak (ART Grand Prix), Kush Maini (ART GP) and then Rafael Villagomez (VAR). He set a 1m39.387s that was the benchmark for two minutes, before Maini set a 1m38.864s.

Dunne was on top next, beating Maini by 0.105 seconds, then red flags waved as Prema’s Sebastian Montoya stopped at turn 14.

DAMS and MP went for new rubber at the restart, while VAR and AIX’s Cian Shields abandoned mediums for supersoft tyres and Villagomez lowered the pace to 1m37.715s.

After a cooldown lap he improved to 1m37.502s, going 0.5s clear at the top. Soon the rest of the field also opted for supersofts.

There was more change near the top 53 minutes in. Villagomez set a 1m37.300s to lead Bennett by 0.4s before Fittipaldi and Inthraphuvasak jumped into second and third.

Later on Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov became Villagomez’s closest rival, then Prema’s Mari Boya.

Invicta Racing’s Rafael Camara reduced Villagomez’s gap to 0.062s, before Maini went fastest again in the second hour by 0.137s. He was ahead for one minute, as Dunne beat him by 0.01s with a 1m37.153s that would go unbeaten. Maini had posted a 1m37.150s, but it was deleted for exceeding track limits.

Two further red flag periods, triggered by MP’s Oliver Goethe stopping at turn six and Invicta’s Joshua Duerksen stopping at turn 10, interrupted later running. A second covered the top 19.

Boya and Fittipaldi had the track to themselves early in the afternoon, a 1m40.152s being Boya’s benchmark, and Rodin’s drivers were next to set laptimes 34 minutes in.

It soon became busier, and a 1m38.274s put Goethe on top by 1.878s. Montoya went third fastest after 48 minutes, 2.791s off Goethe, and Tsolov was a further 0.072s behind.

Half of the field had recorded laptimes after 53 minutes, while Trident’s drivers, Camara and MP’s Gabriele Mini had not even left the pits as hour two began.

Bennett missed the session entirely, and when team-mate Laurens van Hoepen eventually headed out he went second fastest with a 1m40.052s. That was swiftly beaten by Montoya’s 1m39.780s, as ART GP’s drivers and Mini also entered the top 10 on their first runs.

Van Hoepen got within 0.01s of Montoya at the session’s halfway point, when Camara finally left the pits, and Shields was the next driver to lap sub-1m40s later in the hour before red flags waved.

Inthraphuvasak set a 1m39.925s to sit fourth with 45 minutes to go, then after a very late red flag period caused by Montoya stopping many drivers embarked on qualifying simulations.

Dunne came just 0.083s shy of Goethe’s benchmark, team-mate Martinius Stenshorne was a further 0.063s behind, Shields improved to be 0.545s back in fourth, and van Hoepen and Fittipaldi got within a second of Goethe in sixth and seventh.

Goethe, Montoya and Duerksen in 17th were the only drivers to better their morning pace.

Day 3 results