Molina quickest in Nurburgring test
Prema's Miguel Molina was fastest during the first collective test at the Nurburgring, as the Formula Renault 3.5 series returned to action after an eight-week break
The Spaniard edged out Mikhail Aleshin, a previous World Series pole-sitter at the German track, by three tenths of a second.
Fabio Carbone enjoyed a competitive start to this weekend's meeting by finishing the morning third on the timesheets. The victor last time out at the Hungaroring will be aiming to continue his recent strong form to close in on Frenchman Julien Jousse for the second spot in the championship.
Carbone's Ultimate-Signature teammate Esteban Guerrieri was sixth fastest, fresh from his F3 outing with Ultimate's sister British F3 squad in Bucharest.
Comtec's Italian pairing of Marco Bonanomi and Pasquale di Sabatino were closely matched in fourth and fifth. Bonanomi was the first driver under the 1:47 barrier, before being usurped by Carbone and Molina in the closing minutes.
Giedo van der Garde, who leads the championship by a mighty 41 points, ended the morning in eighth. The Dutchman has stayed focused in the summer interval with a training regime in Finland alongside McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen.
Of the newcomers, Paolo Nocera was a respectable 12th fastest for RC Motorsport, while17 year-old Formula Renault graduate Siso Cunill completed more laps than anyone else, 37, to finish 23rd in the solitary KTR entry.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Miguel Molina Prema Powerteam 1:45.473 28 2. Mikhail Aleshin Carlin Motorsport 1:45.750 + 0.277 38 3. Fabio Carbone Ultimate-Signature 1:46.066 + 0.593 37 4. Marco Bonanomi Red Devil Team Comtec 1:46.553 + 1.080 29 5. Pasquale Disabatino Red Devil Team Comtec 1:46.693 + 1.220 35 6. Esteban Guerrieri Ultimate-Signature 1:46.757 + 1.284 30 7. Alvaro Barba Prema Powerteam 1:46.917 + 1.444 34 8. Giedo Van Der Garde P1 Motorsport 1:47.058 + 1.585 13 9. Salvador Duran Interwetten.Com Racing 1:47.094 + 1.621 30 10. Claudio Cantelli Rc Motorsport 1:47.115 + 1.642 38 11. Bertrand Baguette Draco Racing 1:47.191 + 1.718 36 12. Paolo Nocera Rc Motorsport 1:47.214 + 1.741 31 13. James Walker Fortec Motorsport 1:47.267 + 1.794 36 14. Pablo Sanchez Interwetten.Com Racing 1:47.332 + 1.859 45 15. Julien Jousse Tech 1 Racing 1:47.605 + 2.132 29 16. Aleix Alcaraz Pons Racing 1:47.629 + 2.156 39 17. Mario Romancini Epsilon-Euskadi 1:47.801 + 2.328 36 18. Charles Pic Tech 1 Racing 1:47.824 + 2.351 32 19. Marcos Martinez Pons Racing 1:47.948 + 2.475 30 20. Robert Wickens Carlin Motorsport 1:47.983 + 2.510 22 21. Fairuz Fauzy Fortec Motorsport 1:48.038 + 2.565 20 22. Pippa Mann P1 Motorsport 1:48.268 + 2.795 27 23. Siso Cunill Ktr 1:48.500 + 3.027 37 24. Alexandre Marsoin Epsilon-Euskadi 1:49.046 + 3.573 19 25. Marco Barba Draco Racing 1:52.576 + 7.103 19
Share Or Save This Story
Autosport 70: Why Portimao is the right home for the Portuguese GP
FV8 3.5 race winner Orudzhev switches to title-winning AVF team
How the post-Renault 3.5 series is shaping up
How Penske could stay in Formula E despite DS exit
Exclusive: The story behind Red Bull and Verstappen's F1 turnaround in Miami
Why Pedrosa won't replace Vinales at French MotoGP
Recalling the start of a new F1 era
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments