Heading into his fifth year at FIA Formula 2 level (previously GP2), Luca Ghiotto topped the final day of pre-season testing at the Sakhir International Circuit.
The Italian, who has won six races at this level in his career, did a 1:41:252 in the final session of the three day test to put F2’s newest team, Hitech GP, on top.
The British outfit had allocated the first two days to bedding themselves in as the F2 field expands to 22 cars to incorporate their inclusion before unleashing their true potential right at the very end.
Teammate Nikita Mazepin showed more good signs in sixth, less than fourth tenths off his far more tenured colleague.
Second, behind Ghiotto, was rookie Felipe Drugovich (MP Motorsport) who has hovered around the top ten places throughout the three days with Williams F1 reserve driver Jack Aitken (Campos) third.
PREMA also showed more of their true pace as Mick Schumacher ended fourth and FIA Formula 3 champion Robert Shwartzman seventh. MP’s Nobuharu Matsushita was fifth.
Louis Delétraz and Charouz looked imperious at Abu Dhabi’s post-2019 test in December but the Swiss could only manage eighth with Sean Geleal (DAMS) and Callum Ilott (UNI-Virtuosi) completing the top ten.
Pedro Piquet and Jehan Daruvala had been fastest on days one and two but they could only manage 11th and 18th respectively.
Once again, HWA – who are replacing Arden from 2020 onwards – were at the rear of the field but again completed more laps than any other team with the only two drivers (Artem Markelov and Guiliano Alesi) to do over 40 laps each.
With the test over, attentions turn to the first race of the season in the Bahrain desert on March 21-22.
