Raffaele Marciello continued his impressive form by setting the best time in a blustery practice ahead of this weekends GP2 Series round at Silverstone. The Racing Engineering driver set a best lap time of 1:41.127s to beat team-mate Stefano Coletti by 0.134s.
After struggling for the opening few rounds, Ferrari Driver Academy driver Marciello has come alive in the last couple of races, and after taking his first points and podium finishes in Austria two weeks ago, set the best time of a competitive Silverstone practice session.
Third place in the session went to American Alexander Rossi for EQ8 Caterham Racing. One of the pre-season championship favourites has had a dreadful 2014, and like Marciello scored his first points of the season in Austria. Rossi was only 0.013s behind second placed Coletti.
Championship leader Jolyon Palmer placed fourth for DAMS, ahead of the winners of the Austrian Sprint and Feature races Johnny Cecotto Jr of Trident Racing and Felipe Nasr of Carlin respectively. Monaco Sprint race winner Stephane Richelmi was seventh in the second DAMS, just ahead of Bahrain Feature race winner Stoffel Vandoorne of ART Grand Prix.
MP Motorsport’s Dutch driver Daniel de Jong took an impressive ninth, while Russian Time racer Mitch Evans completed the top ten.
De Jong’s new MP Motorsport team-mate Marco Sorensen set the nineteenth fastest time in the session. It was the first time the Dane drove a GP2 car in his career, and he set a best lap time just over a second slower than Marciello’s pace setting time.
Silverstone Practice Times
| POS | DRIVER | NAT | TEAM | TIME |
| 1 | Raffaele Marciello | ITA | Racing Engineering | 1:41.127 |
| 2 | Stefano Coletti | MON | Racing Engineering | 1:41.261 |
| 3 | Alexander Rossi | USA | EQ8 Caterham Racing | 1:41.274 |
| 4 | Jolyon Palmer | GBR | DAMS | 1:41.404 |
| 5 | Johnny Cecotto Jr | VEN | Trident Racing | 1:41.448 |
| 6 | Felipe Nasr | BRZ | Carlin | 1:41.453 |
| 7 | Stephane Richelmi | MON | DAMS | 1:41.480 |
| 8 | Stoffel Vandoorne | BEL | ART Grand Prix | 1:41.668 |
| 9 | Daniel de Jong | NED | MP Motorsport | 1:41.729 |
| 10 | Mitch Evans | NZL | RT Russian Time | 1:41.737 |
| 11 | Julian Leal | COL | Carlin | 1:41.747 |
| 12 | Sergio Canamasas | ESP | Trident Racing | 1:41.892 |
| 13 | Rio Haryanto | INO | EQ8 Caterham Racing | 1:41.896 |
| 14 | Simon Trummer | SWI | Rapax | 1:42.041 |
| 15 | Conor Daly | USA | Venezuela GP Lazarus | 1:42.145 |
| 16 | Daniel Abt | GER | Hilmer Motorsport | 1:42.151 |
| 17 | Andre Negrao | BRZ | Arden International | 1:42.153 |
| 18 | Nathanael Berthon | FRA | Venezuela GP Lazarus | 1:42.161 |
| 19 | Marco Sorensen | DEN | MP Motorsport | 1:42.209 |
| 20 | Adrian Quaife-Hobbs | GBR | Rapax | 1:42.299 |
| 21 | Arthur Pic | FRA | Campos Racing | 1:42.474 |
| 22 | Artem Markelov | RUS | RT Russian Time | 1:42.675 |
| 23 | Kimiya Sato | JAP | Campos Racing | 1:42.826 |
| 24 | Takuya Izawa | JAP | ART Grand Prix | 1:42.941 |
| 25 | Jon Lancaster | GBR | Hilmer Motorsport | 1:43.180 |
| 26 | Rene Binder | AUT | Arden International | 1:43.316 |
