Bahrain GP2 test: Honda protege Matsushita sets pace for ART
Honda-backed ART Grand Prix driver Nobuharu Matsushita led the way during the second day of GP2's pre-season test in Bahrain
Preparing for his maiden campaign outside of Asia, the reigning Japanese Formula 3 champion had been 20th on the opening day and seventh in Thursday's morning running.
Amid a flurry of afternoon qualifying simulations that saw times tumble by more than a second in the final 30 minutes, Matsushita recorded a 1m40.191s to top the timesheets.
He edged out Campos Racing's Arthur Pic by 0.159 seconds, while Sauber Formula 1 reserve driver Raffaele Marciello was fastest briefly before being bumped back to third.
Sergey Sirotkin was fourth-fastest, ahead of Marco Sorensen, Stoffel Vandoorne, Daniel de Jong and Sergio Canamasas.
Earlier, Sirotkin topped the morning running, as the only driver to lap below the 1m42s barrier with a time of 1m41.797s.
In a session delayed by an overnight sandstorm, day one pacesetter Jordan King was second, ahead of Alex Lynn, Rio Haryanto, Pic and Vandoorne, though many chose not to run - or just completed minimal laps - in the conditions.
In the afternoon, Lynn was 17th and King 26th.
MORNING TIMES:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sergey Sirotkin | Rapax | 1m41.797s | - | 10 |
| 2 | Jordan King | Racing Engineering | 1m42.289s | 0.492s | 10 |
| 3 | Alex Lynn | DAMS | 1m42.427s | 0.630s | 9 |
| 4 | Rio Haryanto | Campos Racing | 1m42.437s | 0.640s | 15 |
| 5 | Arthur Pic | Campos Racing | 1m42.483s | 0.686s | 21 |
| 6 | Stoffel Vandoorne | ART Grand Prix | 1m42.557s | 0.760s | 12 |
| 7 | Nobuharu Matsushita | ART Grand Prix | 1m42.588s | 0.791s | 14 |
| 8 | Julian Leal | Carlin | 1m42.736s | 0.939s | 5 |
| 9 | Rene Binder | Trident | 1m43.104s | 1.307s | 16 |
| 10 | Alexander Rossi | Racing Engineering | 1m43.390s | 1.593s | 15 |
| 11 | Robert Visoiu | Rapax | 1m43.580s | 1.783s | 12 |
| 12 | Raffaele Marciello | Trident | 1m43.749s | 1.952s | 4 |
| 13 | Nathanael Berthon | Lazarus | 1m43.868s | 2.071s | 8 |
| 14 | Nick Yelloly | Hilmer Motorsport | 1m43.877s | 2.080s | 9 |
| 15 | Pierre Gasly | DAMS | 1m43.963s | 2.166s | 4 |
| 16 | Marco Sorensen | Carlin | 1m44.511s | 2.714s | 4 |
| 17 | Sergio Canamasas | MP Motorsport | 1m44.954s | 3.157s | 6 |
| 18 | Zoel Amberg | Lazarus | 1m45.070s | 3.273s | 8 |
| 19 | Richie Stanaway | Status Grand Prix | - | - | 0 |
AFTERNOON TIMES:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nobuharu Matsushita | ART Grand Prix | 1m40.191s | - | 31 |
| 2 | Arthur Pic | Campos Racing | 1m40.350s | 0.159s | 27 |
| 3 | Raffaele Marciello | Trident | 1m40.446s | 0.255s | 16 |
| 4 | Sergey Sirotkin | Rapax | 1m40.561s | 0.370s | 24 |
| 5 | Marco Sorensen | Carlin | 1m40.658s | 0.467s | 25 |
| 6 | Stoffel Vandoorne | ART Grand Prix | 1m40.666s | 0.475s | 26 |
| 7 | Daniel de Jong | MP Motorsport | 1m40.927s | 0.736s | 20 |
| 8 | Sergio Canamasas | MP Motorsport | 1m40.958s | 0.767s | 33 |
| 9 | Rio Haryanto | Campos Racing | 1m40.981s | 0.790s | 29 |
| 10 | Artem Markelov | RUSSIAN TIME | 1m41.034s | 0.843s | 24 |
| 11 | Richie Stanaway | Status Grand Prix | 1m41.086s | 0.895s | 21 |
| 12 | Rene Binder | Trident | 1m41.097s | 0.906s | 25 |
| 13 | Robert Visoiu | Rapax | 1m41.128s | 0.937s | 27 |
| 14 | Norman Nato | Arden International | 1m41.183s | 0.992s | 32 |
| 15 | Nick Yelloly | Hilmer Motorsport | 1m41.227s | 1.036s | 22 |
| 16 | Alexander Rossi | Racing Engineering | 1m41.341s | 1.150s | 21 |
| 17 | Alex Lynn | DAMS | 1m41.352s | 1.161s | 22 |
| 18 | Mitch Evans | RUSSIAN TIME | 1m41.372s | 1.181s | 16 |
| 19 | Zoel Amberg | Lazarus | 1m41.440s | 1.249s | 35 |
| 20 | Julian Leal | Carlin | 1m41.497s | 1.306s | 21 |
| 21 | Pierre Gasly | DAMS | 1m41.606s | 1.415s | 31 |
| 22 | Marlon Stockinger | Status Grand Prix | 1m41.669s | 1.478s | 33 |
| 23 | Nathanael Berthon | Lazarus | 1m42.467s | 2.276s | 5 |
| 24 | Andre Negrao | Arden International | 1m42.509s | 2.318s | 23 |
| 25 | Nigel Melker | Hilmer Motorsport | 1m43.631s | 3.440s | 13 |
| 26 | Jordan King | Racing Engineering | 1m44.181s | 3.990s | 34 |
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