Stanek breaks 1:30 barrier to top day one of F3 Jerez test

The second post-season FIA Formula 3 at Jerez in Spain saw Roman Stanek top the times for ART, less than half a tenth of a second ahead of rookie Arthur Leclerc.

Stanek was a late call up for Charouz after Niko Kari’s exit prior to the 2020 season and the sixteen year old showed glimpses of promise which meant ART took a chance on the Czech for this test.

Leclerc was surprisingly quiet in the first post-season test at Barcelona but he proved PREMA’s pace in Jerez, ending the day second as he also snuck under the 1:30 benchmark.

Jonathan Hoggard was third fastest after another good day in the F3 car. The 19-year-old has had little racing in 2020 with just two Formula Renault Eurocup races to his name alongside the Daytona 24 Hour where he raced in the GTD class for Precision Performance Motorsports.

The morning session was topped by Jack Doohan driving for the Trident team and the Australian was quick again in the afternoon, finishing fourth.

Dennis Hauger returned to PREMA for the two-day test and was immediately at the sharp end finishing the day fifth ahead of Enzo Fittipaldi and Clément Novalak.

There were plenty more rookies on show as everyone tried to show off their skills with hopes of a 2021 F3 drive; Caio Collet impressed with a top ten in the afternoon session along with 15-year-old American Jak Crawford who was 17th in both sessions.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) is the final day of post-season testing and potentially a last chance for drivers to put themselves in the shop window heading into the off-season.