Vallelunga European F3 test: Joel Eriksson fastest in mixed weather

The Swede, younger brother of GP3 race winner Jimmy Eriksson, was at the head of a 1-2-3-4 for the Motopark team during the first session when rain began to fall.

The second and third of the four one-hour sessions took place in entirely wet conditions, and it only began to dry out towards the end of the final period.

SMP Formula 4 champion Niko Kari, who was second to Eriksson in the brief window of dry running in the morning, topped the wet second and third sessions.

The Finn was a gargantuan 2.411 seconds clear of his closest rival in the second period.

Prema Powerteam's Nick Cassidy missed the dry running in the morning because he had only just arrived back from a Super GT test in Japan, then went fastest in the final session on a drying circuit, although he was one second off Eriksson's earlier pace.

Twenty-one of the 24 entries registered for the championship took to the circuit.

Carlin's fourth car - which was entered as 'TBA' - was as expected driven by Raoul Hyman, while two further entries (run by Hitech GP and T-Sport) that also have drivers yet to be nominated are believed unlikely to be filled by the start of the season.

Also missing was Mucke Motorsport's David Beckmann, who cannot drive at an official test or in competition in Euro F3 until after his 16th birthday, which falls before the third round on the streets of Pau.

SESSION ONE:

SESSION TWO:

SESSION THREE:

SESSION FOUR: