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Spa FR3.5: Matthieu Vaxiviere fastest in free practice

Matthieu Vaxiviere set the fastest time in Formula Renault 3.5 practice at Spa on Friday, leading the way in the second of two sessions

The Lotus F1 junior driver recorded a lap of 1m59.620s in the afternoon's 50 minutes, to edge out morning pacesetter Tio Ellinas by 0.210 seconds.

Strakka racer Ellinas moved to the head of the timing screens in the final two minutes of FP1 thanks to a time of 2m00.307s.

Although the circuit was declared wet prior to the opening FR3.5 session, rain had ceased and slicks were the tyre of choice.

But only 10 minutes after the green, Monaco winner Jazeman Jaafar was caught out by a damp patch and left the track on the exit of Rivage, bringing out the red flags.

The second session was red-flagged after nine minutes when Tech 1 Racing's Roy Nissany stopped at Raidillion.

Monaco podium finisher Tom Dillmann had been fastest at the time of the first stoppage in FP2 on a time of 2m02.187, 0.031s ahead of Arden's Nicholas Latifi, but the order changed comprehensively in the final few minutes when drivers mounted new tyres.

The lead changed hands between Latifi, Ellinas and Vaxiviere, with Oliver Rowland - who experimented with low downforce in FP1 - also threatening.

Drivers were robbed of a last opportunity to demote Vaxiviere when yellow flags appeared on the exit of Rivage after a car stopped by the side of the road.

Following his blistering drive through the field in Monaco, Rowland ended the afternoon in third, ahead of Latifi and Dutch drivers Beitske Visser and Meindert van Buuren.

Brazilian Pietro Fantin, who has enjoyed a consistent start to the season, was second quickest in FP1, just 0.050s ahead of Vaxiviere.

Fantin caused one of two stoppages in the afternoon when he suffered an incident at the right-hand Courbe Paul Frere, leading into Blanchimont.

FREE PRACTICE 1

Pos Driver Team Gap Laps
1 Tio Ellinas Strakka Racing 2m00.307s 18
2 Pietro Fantin International Draco Racing 0.233s 17
3 Matthieu Vaxiviere Lotus 0.283s 18
4 Sean Gelael Jagonya Ayam with Carlin 0.394s 16
5 Oliver Rowland Fortec Motorsports 0.451s 17
6 Nyck de Vries DAMS 0.465s 17
7 Dean Stoneman DAMS 0.572s 16
8 Meindert van Buuren Lotus 0.672s 17
9 Tom Dillmann Jagonya Ayam with Carlin 0.816s 14
10 Gustav Malja Strakka Racing 0.921s 17
11 Aurelien Panis Tech 1 Racing 0.928s 17
12 Roberto Merhi Pons Racing 0.985s 16
13 Alfonso Celis AVF 1.292s 15
14 Beitske Visser AVF 1.385s 18
15 Bruno Bonifacio International Draco Racing 1.695s 16
16 Egor Orudzhev Arden Motorsport 1.780s 17
17 Roy Nissany Tech 1 Racing 1.937s 19
18 Nicholas Latifi Arden Motorsport 2.008s 14
19 Philo Paz Armand Pons Racing 3.116s 17
20 Jazeman Jaafar Fortec Motorsports 3.808s 5

FREE PRACTICE 2

Pos Driver Team Gap Laps
1 Matthieu Vaxiviere Lotus 1m59.620s 14
2 Tio Ellinas Strakka Racing 0.210s 14
3 Oliver Rowland Fortec Motorsports 0.465s 14
4 Nicholas Latifi Arden Motorsport 0.558s 16
5 Beitske Visser AVF 0.819s 17
6 Meindert van Buuren Lotus 0.913s 14
7 Dean Stoneman DAMS 0.933s 15
8 Tom Dillmann Jagonya Ayam with Carlin 0.950s 15
9 Jazeman Jaafar Fortec Motorsports 1.053s 14
10 Gustav Malja Strakka Racing 1.164s 15
11 Nyck de Vries DAMS 1.274s 16
12 Sean Gelael Jagonya Ayam with Carlin 1.673s 17
13 Egor Orudzhev Arden Motorsport 1.733s 16
14 Alfonso Celis AVF 2.237s 14
15 Bruno Bonifacio International Draco Racing 2.290s 15
16 Aurelien Panis Tech 1 Racing 2.369s 17
17 Philo Paz Armand Pons Racing 2.428s 14
18 Pietro Fantin International Draco Racing 2.676s 9
19 Roberto Merhi Pons Racing 2.791s 15
20 Roy Nissany Tech 1 Racing 3.197s 7


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