British frontrunners closely matched

With all the leading F3 teams and drivers on hand, the Snetterton test was the first form indicator of the 2003 season. South African van der Merwe was clearly fastest in the morning session, but as the track dried towards the end of the afternoon, both Antinucci and Piccione matched van der Merwe's pace. Jamie Green (Carlin Motorsport) and Nelson Piquet Jr (Piquet Sports) were only a couple of tenths of a second slower, according to unofficial timing.

"It's going well at the moment," said van der Merwe. "I always enjoy driving in the wet and I'm getting more and more confident every time I get in the car. I'm not putting too much pressure on myself, but this is the year that I want to win the British F3 Championship."

Antinucci was equally pleased: "It is important to be in the ballpark at this stage. At the end, every lap was getting faster, and it has been a good team effort."

In the Scholarship Class, young Irishman Steven Kane set the pace for T-Sport and set times inside the top 10 overall, while his team mate Karun Chandhok and Ivor McCullough (Meritus Racing) headed the chase.

The busy F3 test schedule continues at Rockingham and Donington Park next week as teams continue to prepare for the opening races of the season at Donington on 6 April.