Kevin Magnussen set the early pace in the FR 3.5 testing (Photo Credit: Renault Sport)
Kevin Magnussen set the pace in intermittently wet conditions on the first day of the second Formula Renault 3.5 test of the season in Barcelona.
The Danish driver was quickest rain or shine, topping the timesheets on the wet track before setting the fastest time of the day as the circuit dried.
Magnussen was also the only driver to finish inside the 1m30s mark in a masterful performance.
The Carlin driver said: “I couldn't manage to get the best out of the tyres in the wet because I lost performance after two or three laps.
“Things went really well in the dry, though, and we knew where we could gain time. It's just great to be first today.”
Lotus’s Marco Sorensen finished the day in second, setting an identical time to Fortec's Robin Frijns with a 1m30.166s.
Because his time was set later in the session, Frijns had to settle for third.
Sorensen said: “It's good to have two Danes up at the top, isn't it?
“It was interesting driving on a damp track this morning, though it was all too easy to make a mistake because the grip was changing all the time.
“The circuit dried out quickly in the afternoon and we put down three good laps straightaway, although the red flags prevented me from using my second and third set of new tyres.”
Kevin Korjus (Tech 1) was the only remaining driver to get within half a second of Magnussen, ending the day fourth fastest ahead of Nick Yelloly (Comtec), Richie Stanaway (Lotus) and Nico Muller (Draco).
Day One Times:
Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Kevin Magnussen Carlin 1m29.952s 2. Marco Sorensen Lotus 1m30.166s + 0.214s 3. Robin Frijns Fortec Motorsports 1m30.166s + 0.214s 4. Kevin Korjus Tech 1 Racing 1m30.409s + 0.457s 5. Nick Yelloly Comtec Racing 1m30.498s + 0.546s 6. Richie Stanaway Lotus 1m30.582s + 0.630s 7. Nico Muller International Draco 1m30.592s + 0.640s 8. Sam Bird Isr 1m31.295s + 1.343s 9. Andrè Negrao International Draco 1m31.352s + 1.400s 10. Jules Bianchi Tech 1 Racing 1m31.430s + 1.478s 11. Nicolay Martsenko Bvm Target 1m31.472s + 1.520s 12. Jake Rosenzweig Isr 1m31.517s + 1.565s 13. Will Stevens Carlin 1m31.836s + 1.884s 14. Vittorio Ghirelli Comtec Racing 1m32.012s + 2.060s 15. Giovanni Venturini Bvm Target 1m32.018s + 2.066s 16. Alexander Rossi Arden Caterham 1m32.454s + 2.502s 17. Daniil Move P1 Motorsport 1m32.596s + 2.644s 18. Walter Grubmuller P1 Motorsport 1m32.597s + 2.645s 19. Zoel Amberg Pons Racing 1m32.610s + 2.658s 20. Arthur Pic Dams 1m33.169s + 3.217s 21. Anton Nebylitskiy Team Rfr 1m33.604s + 3.652s 22. Lewis Williamson Arden Caterham 1m33.738s + 3.784s 23. Yann Cunha Pons Racing 1m33.970s + 4.018s 24. Mikhail Aleshin Team Rfr 1m34.047s + 4.095s 25. Lucas Foresti Dams 1m38.670s + 8.718s 26. Carlos Huertas Fortec Motorsports 1m56.132s + 21.180s
