Robert Wickens back on top in Silverstone Formula Renault 3.5 practice two
Robert Wickens recovered from a throttle problem, which restricted him to 83 per cent throttle and 19th on the timesheets in this morning's opening Formula Renault 3.5 session at Silverstone, to record the fastest time in this afternoon's second collective test
The Marussia-backed Carlin racer finished 0.164 seconds ahead of GP3 regular Nick Yelloly, who adapted superbly on his debut appearance in the category with Pons Racing.
"The initial impression can be overwhelming because this is a fast car compared to GP3," said Yelloly. "I think it's the sound that scares you more than anything! It was a really late deal with Pons. We only decided to do it on Wednesday. I have obviously never driven anything quicker than a GP3, but I love this car, it's so nice to drive.
"It has been great day, I didn't use new tyres this morning and was P4. Then I put new tyres on this afternoon and was P2, I don't think you can wipe the smile off my face. I had lost a bit of confidence because we haven't been fast in GP3, so I wanted to see what I was like in a bigger car. I think I have managed to impress a few people and I haven't done that since I was in Formula Renault 2.0."
Mofaz Racing's Jake Rosenzweig was an impressive third, but the American was involved in an incident that brought out the red flags with fewer than three minutes of the session remaining.
ISR's Daniel Ricciardo returned to the circuit where he made his Formula 1 debut with HRT in July to finish fourth.
Points leader Jean-Eric Vergne was among the drivers frustrated by the red flag. The Frenchman had mounted new tyres one or two laps later than his Carlin team-mate Wickens, and felt that fifth, ahead of compatriot Nathanael Berthon (ISR), did not represent his potential.
Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup graduate Arthur Pic interrupted the session with an off at Copse. Pic was able to walk away from the crash unaided.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Robert Wickens Carlin 1m46.419s 2. Nick Yelloly Pons 1m46.583s + 0.164s 3. Jake Rosenzweig Mofaz 1m46.744s + 0.325s 4. Daniel Ricciardo ISR 1m46.872s + 0.453s 5. Jean-Eric Vergne Carlin 1m46.970s + 0.551s 6. Nathanael Berthon ISR 1m46.985s + 0.566s 7. Albert Costa EPIC 1m47.124s + 0.705s 8. Alexander Rossi Fortec 1m47.127s + 0.708s 9. Cesar Ramos Fortec 1m47.238s + 0.819s 10. Walter Grubmuller P1 1m47.250s + 0.831s 11. Oliver Webb Pons 1m47.296s + 0.877s 12. Daniil Move P1 1m47.309s + 0.890s 13. Kevin Korjus Tech 1 1m47.341s + 0.922s 14. Arthur Pic Tech 1 1m47.526s + 1.107s 15. Andre Negrao Draco 1m47.553s + 1.134s 16. Sergio Canamasas BVM Target 1m47.620s + 1.201s 17. Nelson Panciatici KMP 1m47.622s + 1.203s 18. Anton Nebylitskiy KMP 1m47.624s + 1.205s 19. Daniel Zampieri BVM Target 1m47.693s + 1.274s 20. Brendon Hartley Gravity-Charouz 1m47.753s + 1.334s 21. Fairuz Fauzy Mofaz 1m47.925s + 1.506s 22. Daniel McKenzie Comtec 1m48.278s + 1.859s 23. Sten Pentus EPIC 1m48.633s + 2.214s 24. Daniel de Jong Comtec 1m48.768s + 2.349s 25. Stephane Richelmi Draco 1m48.957s + 2.538s 26. Jan Charouz Gravity-Charouz 1m49.850s + 3.431s
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