Prema Powerteam led the way in both morning free practice sessions at Silverstone as the 2015 FIA European Formula 3 Championship got underway on Friday.
Canadian Lance Stroll set the fastest time in the first of the two sessions ahead of qualifying, before his team-mate Brandon Maisano set the pace in the second.
The fastest times of the sessions were set in the second session, with times tumbling as drivers took on new tyres for the first time for qualifying simulation runs, although traffic was a major player as it was always going to be with thirty-five drivers eager to impress.
Stroll led Carlin’s George Russell and Antonio Giovinazzi in the first session, before Maisano set the best time in FP2, ahead of team-mate and series veteran Felix Rosenqvist, while Russell was again quick in third.
Fourth fastest overall over the two sessions was Giovinazzi, ahead of Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc of Van Amersfoort Racing, while Stroll dropped to sixth.
Jake Dennis was seventh in the fourth Prema entry, ensuring that the team remain the team to beat this season after winning four consecutive driver’s championships in the past four years.
Callum Ilott was an impressive eighth quickest for Carlin on his International single-seater debut, ahead of Mikkel Jensen in the leading Mücke Motorsport machine and Markus Pommer of Motopark, who rounded out the top ten.
Santino Ferrucci had a disrupted couple of sessions in his Mücke Motorsport machine after having a clutch spring break, while Sam MacLeod had a wiring issue in his Motopark machine.
There was one red flag period during the morning session, when Zhi Cong Li’s Fortec Motorsports machine took a trip through the gravel trap and covered the circuit with gravel that needed cleaning.
Silverstone Free Practice 1 Times
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Silverstone Free Practice 2 Times
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