Tio Ellinas set the pace in the first of the two scheduled collective test sessions of the Formula Renault 3.5 Series event at the Red Bull Ring on Friday.
The Cypriot Strakka Racing driver set a time of 1m18.222s to lead the way by 0.146s from Brazilian driver Pietro Fantin, who took second with a last gasp lap for International Draco Racing.
Fantin’s lap saw him jump ahead of Championship leader Oliver Rowland of Fortec Motorsports, who is back in his usual seat this weekend after making his GP2 Series debut last weekend at Silverstone.
Tom Dillmann placed fourth for Jagonya Ayam with Carlin ahead of Roy Nissany of Tech 1 Racing, with current Manor F1 Team driver Roberto Merhi sixth in the leading Pons Racing entry.
Jazeman Jaafar was seventh in the second Fortec Motorsports entry ahead of AVF driver Alfonso Celis Jr, while Meindert van Buuren was ninth on his return to Pons Racing, ahead of Strakka Racing’s Gustav Malja.
It was a relatively quiet session for championship challenger Matthieu Vaxiviere, who could only finish down in eighteenth, four places behind Lotus team-mate Marlon Stockinger who is returning to the team in place of van Buuren this weekend.
Current Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Championship leader Louis Deletraz was twentieth on his FR3.5 debut for Comtec Racing, ahead of Hungaroring race winner Egor Orudzhev of Arden Motorsport.
Red Bull Ring Collective Test 1 Result
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