Stenshorne fastest in final FIA F3 test session at Barcelona

Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd

Hitech GP’s Martinius Stenshorne was quickest in the final session of post-season FIA Formula 3 testing at Barcelona.

He was fastest from the off, setting a 1m49.183s four minutes in to top the times. Van Amersfoort Racing’s John Bennett was next to lead the way, then on his next lap Stenshorne set a 1m28.337s that would not be beaten. Less than six minutes had passed in the three-hour session.

Only Hitech and VAR’s drivers were on track at first, then Campos Racing’s trio headed out. They had plenty of clean air to maximise once the other two teams summoned their drivers back to the pits, while Trident sent out Ruiqi Liu for some important mileage to build his experience of the F3 car.

He went fourth fastest 21 minutes in, ahead of Bennett, VAR’s Ivan Domingues and Campos’s drivers.

The next team to leave the pits was Rodin Motorsport, and Roman Bilinski went straight into seventh with his first flying lap. Freddie Slater and Louis Sharp slotted into eighth and ninth before the track became busier at the end of the first half-hour.

Although many personal bests were set, there were no changes to the top 10 and after 40 minutes ART Grand Prix and AIX Racing were still yet to send their drivers out.

It was only 55 minutes in that ART GP’s trio lapped at pace, but were firmly at the bottom of the order. Tuukka Taponen and James Wharton did improve early in the second hour, but remained in 26th and 27th place as they focused on long runs instead.

Slater set a 1m30.915s to take seventh place after 71 minutes of the session had passed, and Hitech’s Gerrard Xie set a new personal best in 21st place as the halfway point of the session approached. At that point AIX’s Javier Sagrera and Jesse Carrasquedo were still without any laptimes to their names, and that was still the case entering the final hour.

With 40 minutes to go they went on a run of quick laps, going 10th and 11th fastest respectively ahead of team-mate Jose Garfias, then returned to the pits. Campos’s Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak also improved in 16th.

Slater was shuffled down to eighth with 35 minutes remaining as Jenzer Motorsport’s Matias Zagazeta set a 1m30.794s, and Sharp improved to 1m31.176s in 10th.

ART GP’s Laurens van Hoepen moved himself up to 21st with 20 minutes left on the clock, and 10 minutes later the AIX trio went on another short run. All three improved, and Sagrera set a 1m30.415s in fifth. A 1m30.564s put Carrasuqedo sixth, and Garfias set a 1m30.674s.

Six seconds before the chequered flag waved Jenzer’s Christian Ho jumped up to 15th by posting a 1m32.012s, and on his final lap improved again to 1m30.418s to snatch sixth. He, Carrasuqedo and VAR’s drivers were on track as testing came to a close.

Afternoon session results