Ricciardo leads FR3.5 testing

The Toro Rosso Formula 1 reserve driver, who has switched from Tech 1 Racing to Czech team ISR over the close season, recorded a best time of 1m42.948s this afternoon.

Newcomer BVM Target fielded a single car for double Superleague Formula champion Davide Rigon. The Italian has yet to finalise his 2011 plans, but impressed by ending the day second-quickest and 0.07 seconds shy of Ricciardo.

Series returnee Robert Wickens reacquainted himself with his former team Carlin to take third. In a close session, the former Formula 2 and GP3 runner-up finished 0.035s up on KMP Racing's Nelson Panciatici. GP3 graduate Alexander Rossi and reigning Italian Formula 3 champion Cesar Ramos completed the top six.

British Formula 3 race-winner Oliver Webb topped the morning for Pons with a time of 1m43.467s. Kiwi Brendon Hartley was second for Gravity-Charouz in that session ahead of Draco's rookie Stephane Richelmi.

Former FHV Interwetten driver Sergio Canamasas ran in the second Pons entry, and the Spaniard will sample Epsilon Euskadi's machinery on the final day of the test tomorrow. The Basque team was reduced to a single entry for Albert Costa today.

The entry of 23 drivers was three short of capacity. Angolan Ricardo Teixeira, who tested for the Lotus Formula 1 team last month, is set to drive in place of Rigon at BVM Target tomorrow.

Morning session:

Pos  Driver             Team             Time       Gap       Laps
 1.  Oliver Webb        Pons             1m43.467s            31
 2.  Brendon Hartley    Gravity-Charouz  1m43.514s  + 0.047s  37
 3.  Stephane Richelmi  Draco            1m43.542s  + 0.075s  30
 4.  Robert Wickens     Carlin           1m43.544s  + 0.077s  29
 5.  Davide Rigon       BVM Target       1m43.566s  + 0.099s  42
 6.  Kevin Korjus       Tech 1           1m43.709s  + 0.242s  28
 7.  Nelson Panciatici  KMP              1m43.740s  + 0.273s  31
 8.  Cesar Ramos        Fortec           1m43.769s  + 0.302s  26
 9.  Daniil Move        P1               1m43.947s  + 0.480s  39
10.  Anton Nebylitskiy  KMP              1m43.988s  + 0.521s  38
11.  Jean Eric Vergne   Carlin           1m44.022s  + 0.555s  36
12.  Albert Costa       Epsilon-Euskadi  1m44.026s  + 0.559s  31
13.  Walter Grubmuller  P1               1m44.086s  + 0.619s  36
14.  Andre Negrao       Draco            1m44.143s  + 0.676s  28
15.  Daniel Ricciardo   ISR              1m44.293s  + 0.826s  14
16.  Daniel Mckenzie    Comtec           1m44.334s  + 0.867s  42
17.  Alexander Rossi    Fortec           1m44.351s  + 0.884s  21
18.  Jake Rosenzweig    Mofaz            1m44.453s  + 0.986s  37
19.  Jan Charouz        Gravity-Charouz  1m44.480s  + 1.013s  31
20.  Daniel de Jong     Comtec           1m44.558s  + 1.091s  36
21.  Arthur Pic         Tech 1           1m44.919s  + 1.452s  14
22.  Sergio Canamasas   Pons             1m45.138s  + 1.671s  31
23.  Nathanael Berthon  ISR              1m49.265s  + 5.798s  9

Afternoon session:

Pos  Driver             Team             Time       Gap       Laps
 1.  Daniel Ricciardo   ISR              1m42.948s            24
 2.  Davide Rigon       BVM Target       1m43.018s  + 0.070s  37
 3.  Robert Wickens     Carlin           1m43.153s  + 0.205s  29
 4.  Nelson Panciatici  KMP              1m43.188s  + 0.240s  33
 5.  Alexander Rossi    Fortec           1m43.266s  + 0.318s  40
 6.  Cesar Ramos        Fortec           1m43.305s  + 0.357s  28
 7.  Stephane Richelmi  Draco            1m43.384s  + 0.436s  37
 8.  Kevin Korjus       Tech 1           1m43.579s  + 0.631s  34
 9.  Daniil Move        P1               1m43.612s  + 0.664s  28
10.  Albert Costa       Epsilon-Euskadi  1m43.674s  + 0.726s  33
11.  Daniel Mckenzie    Comtec           1m43.696s  + 0.748s  30
12.  Arthur Pic         Tech 1           1m43.795s  + 0.847s  43
13.  Andre Negrao       Draco            1m43.876s  + 0.928s  30
14.  Jean Eric Vergne   Carlin           1m43.915s  + 0.967s  23
15.  Walter Grubmuller  P1               1m43.951s  + 1.003s  26
16.  Anton Nebylitskiy  KMP              1m43.952s  + 1.004s  34
17.  Sergio Canamasas   Pons             1m43.969s  + 1.021s  34
18.  Jake Rosenzweig    Mofaz            1m44.043s  + 1.095s  35
19.  Brendon Hartley    Gravity-Charouz  1m44.092s  + 1.144s  34
20.  Oliver Webb        Pons             1m44.317s  + 1.369s  14
21.  Daniel de Jong     Comtec           1m44.407s  + 1.459s  29
22.  Jan Charouz        Gravity-Charouz  1m44.501s  + 1.553s  17
23.  Nathanael Berthon  ISR              1m44.726s  + 1.778s  10