Alexander Sims sets pace in first GP3 practice at Valencia

The Status Grand Prix driver came out on top as a group of quick times were all set within seconds of each other with two minutes remaining.

Just before Sims crossed the line to set the session-topping lap, frequent pace setters Tom Dillmann and Mitch Evans had very brief final spells at the head of the field.

Dillmann, returning to the series with Addax for the first time since taking pole position and a podium finish for Carlin at the Istanbul season- opener, enjoyed several spells at the top of the order. But in the end he had to settle for third, as first Evans and then Sims came into play.

Evans was on course to challenge Sims again in the final seconds, but he had to sacrifice his final lap due to yellow flags. Nigel Melker was another to suffer the same fate, so he had to back off and settle for fifth.

Gabby Chaves made it two Addax cars in the top four, and the team was on course to have all three of its cars at the sharp end before Dean Smith crashed at the second corner after setting what was the fifth fastest lap at the halfway stage.

ART's Valtteri Bottas was one of the pace-setters in the early minutes of the session, although he had a brief scare when he bounced along the kerb on the start/finish straight when on course to go fastest. He improved late on to go third, but was eventually bumped down to sixth.

Pos  Driver                  Team       Time       Gap
 1.  Alexander Sims          Status     1m59.708s
 2.  Mitch Evans             MW Arden   1m59.798s  + 0.090s
 3.  Tom Dillmann            Addax      1m59.863s  + 0.155s
 4.  Gabby Chaves            Addax      1m59.930s  + 0.222s
 5.  Nigel Melker            RSC Mucke  1m59.974s  + 0.266s
 6.  Valtteri Bottas         ART        1m59.978s  + 0.270s
 7.  Aaro Vainio             Tech 1     2m00.025s  + 0.317s
 8.  Lewis Williamson        MW Arden   2m00.045s  + 0.337s
 9.  Adrian Quaife-Hobbs     Manor      2m00.052s  + 0.344s
10.  Conor Daly              Carlin     2m00.114s  + 0.406s
11.  Michael Christensen     RSC Mucke  2m00.134s  + 0.426s
12.  Nico Muller             Jenzer     2m00.194s  + 0.486s
13.  Matias Laine            Manor      2m00.214s  + 0.506s
14.  Simon Trummer           MW Arden   2m00.250s  + 0.542s
15.  Pedro Nunes             ART        2m00.285s  + 0.577s
16.  Marlon Stockinger       Atech CRS  2m00.298s  + 0.590s
17.  Ivan Lukashevich        Status     2m00.305s  + 0.597s
18.  Luciano Bacheta         RSC Mucke  2m00.558s  + 0.850s
19.  Dean Smith              Addax      2m00.573s  + 0.865s
20.  James Calado            ART        2m00.694s  + 0.986s
21.  Antonio Felix da Costa  Status     2m00.737s  + 1.029s
22.  Daniel Morad            Carlin     2m00.783s  + 1.075s
23.  Rio Haryanto            Manor      2m00.842s  + 1.134s
24.  Leonardo Cordeiro       Carlin     2m01.067s  + 1.359s
25.  Nick Yelloly            Atech CRS  2m01.084s  + 1.376s
26.  Tamas Pal Kiss          Tech 1     2m01.149s  + 1.441s
27.  Maxim Zimin             Jenzer     2m01.374s  + 1.666s
28.  Thomas Hylkema          Tech 1     2m02.155s  + 2.447s
29.  Vittorio Ghirelli       Jenzer     2m03.413s  + 3.705s
30.  Zoel Amberg             Atech CRS