Beckmann and Norris fastest in wet Formula 3 European test at Spa
David Beckmann topped a wet Formula 3 European Championship test at Spa, with Lando Norris heading the second session as the field prepares for this weekend's 24 Hours support round
Beckmann stamped his time in early in the day before heavier rain wiped out any chance of improvement for much of the morning session.
The German's Motopark Dallara-Volkswagen set three laps quicker than the best anyone else could manage, and finished the opening three hours of running 1.111 seconds clear.
Team-mate and title contender Joel Eriksson was one of the few to improve as the track became less wet in the closing stages, his time lifting him to second position ahead of Carlin-run McLaren-Honda protege Norris.
Next up were Van Amersfoort Racing pairing Joey Mawson and Pedro Piquet, with Callum Ilott rounding out the top six in the leading Prema Powerteam entry.
The two-hour lunchtime session again featured most of the quick times being set relatively early on, and Norris's best was never beaten, the 2016 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner lapping just 0.132s short of Beckmann's morning effort.
Again there was a minor flurry of late improvements, with Beckmann leapfrogging Ilott on his final lap as the chequered flag flew to lift himself to second place, although he remained 0.342s adrift of Norris's session topper.
Eriksson was fourth this time, ahead of Prema's championship leader Maximilian Gunther, who bounced back from a crash in the morning session.
Force India protege Jehan Daruvala was another to improve on his final lap, lifting his Carlin car to sixth in the session.
MORNING SESSION TIMES:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Beckmann | Motopark | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m31.404s | - | 30 |
| 2 | Joel Eriksson | Motopark | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m32.515s | 1.111s | 36 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | Carlin | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m32.566s | 1.162s | 30 |
| 4 | Joey Mawson | Van Amersfoort Racing | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m32.692s | 1.288s | 20 |
| 5 | Pedro Piquet | Van Amersfoort Racing | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m32.828s | 1.424s | 28 |
| 6 | Callum Ilott | Prema Powerteam | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m32.970s | 1.566s | 26 |
| 7 | Guanyu Zhou | Prema Powerteam | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m33.045s | 1.641s | 34 |
| 8 | Jake Hughes | Hitech GP | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m33.079s | 1.675s | 29 |
| 9 | Ralf Aron | Hitech GP | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m33.106s | 1.702s | 36 |
| 10 | Nikita Mazepin | Hitech GP | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m33.152s | 1.748s | 29 |
| 11 | Harrison Newey | Van Amersfoort Racing | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m33.297s | 1.893s | 33 |
| 12 | Jehan Daruvala | Carlin | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m33.425s | 2.021s | 28 |
| 13 | Maximilian Guenther | Prema Powerteam | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m33.427s | 2.023s | 11 |
| 14 | Ferdinand Habsburg | Carlin | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m33.468s | 2.064s | 28 |
| 15 | Marino Sato | Motopark | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m33.720s | 2.316s | 34 |
| 16 | Max Defourny | Van Amersfoort Racing | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m33.915s | 2.511s | 31 |
| 17 | Keyvan Andres | Motopark | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m33.957s | 2.553s | 30 |
| 18 | Mick Schumacher | Prema Powerteam | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m34.255s | 2.851s | 31 |
| 19 | Ameya Vaidyanathan | Carlin | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m37.270s | 5.866s | 28 |
LUNCHTIME SESSION TIMES:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lando Norris | Carlin | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m31.536s | - | 21 |
| 2 | David Beckmann | Motopark | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m31.878s | 0.342s | 18 |
| 3 | Callum Ilott | Prema Powerteam | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m31.943s | 0.407s | 22 |
| 4 | Joel Eriksson | Motopark | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m32.435s | 0.899s | 16 |
| 5 | Maximilian Guenther | Prema Powerteam | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m32.596s | 1.060s | 25 |
| 6 | Jehan Daruvala | Carlin | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m32.621s | 1.085s | 21 |
| 7 | Ralf Aron | Hitech GP | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m32.669s | 1.133s | 25 |
| 8 | Guanyu Zhou | Prema Powerteam | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m32.727s | 1.191s | 23 |
| 9 | Jake Hughes | Hitech GP | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m32.807s | 1.271s | 24 |
| 10 | Ferdinand Habsburg | Carlin | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m32.919s | 1.383s | 20 |
| 11 | Mick Schumacher | Prema Powerteam | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m32.958s | 1.422s | 24 |
| 12 | Max Defourny | Van Amersfoort Racing | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m33.303s | 1.767s | 23 |
| 13 | Keyvan Andres | Motopark | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m33.335s | 1.799s | 22 |
| 14 | Harrison Newey | Van Amersfoort Racing | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m33.409s | 1.873s | 23 |
| 15 | Joey Mawson | Van Amersfoort Racing | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m33.665s | 2.129s | 22 |
| 16 | Marino Sato | Motopark | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m33.778s | 2.242s | 21 |
| 17 | Pedro Piquet | Van Amersfoort Racing | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m33.936s | 2.400s | 19 |
| 18 | Nikita Mazepin | Hitech GP | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m34.322s | 2.786s | 6 |
| 19 | Ameya Vaidyanathan | Carlin | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m34.511s | 2.975s | 21 |
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