Abu Dhabi GP2 practice: Red Bull's Gasly leads McLaren's Vandoorne
Red Bull protege Pierre Gasly topped the timesheets in GP2 practice in Abu Dhabi, edging out champion Stoffel Vandoorne
DAMS driver Gasly, who has taken pole position in two of the last three rounds, set the pace on his opening lap and was never troubled for top spot.
McLaren Formula 1 reserve driver Vandoorne finished the session 0.134 seconds adrift of the Frenchman, ahead of his final GP2 qualifying outing.
Vandoorne, who is aiming to set the record for most GP2 wins this weekend with 11, set the fastest time in all three sectors but couldn't combine them into one lap.
His ART Grand Prix team-mate Nobuharu Matsushita was third, and the only other driver to set a time in the 1m49s.
Alexander Rossi ended the session fourth, despite having a moment out of the final turn halfway through the session.
Williams F1 development driver Alex Lynn was fifth, ahead of last week's Bahrain sprint race winner Mitch Evans and Racing Engineering's Jordan King.
Ferrari junior Raffaele Marciello was more than a second off Gasly's pace in eighth, with Norman Nato and Arthur Pic ninth and tenth respectively.
PRACTICE TIMES:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pierre Gasly | DAMS | 1m49.349s | - | 19 |
| 2 | Stoffel Vandoorne | ART Grand Prix | 1m49.483s | 0.134s | 19 |
| 3 | Nobuharu Matsushita | ART Grand Prix | 1m49.860s | 0.511s | 19 |
| 4 | Alexander Rossi | Racing Engineering | 1m50.021s | 0.672s | 15 |
| 5 | Alex Lynn | DAMS | 1m50.056s | 0.707s | 19 |
| 6 | Mitch Evans | RUSSIAN TIME | 1m50.270s | 0.921s | 17 |
| 7 | Jordan King | Racing Engineering | 1m50.288s | 0.939s | 18 |
| 8 | Raffaele Marciello | Trident | 1m50.390s | 1.041s | 20 |
| 9 | Norman Nato | Arden International | 1m50.521s | 1.172s | 15 |
| 10 | Arthur Pic | Campos Racing | 1m50.631s | 1.282s | 19 |
| 11 | Andre Negrao | Arden International | 1m50.680s | 1.331s | 18 |
| 12 | Rio Haryanto | Campos Racing | 1m50.795s | 1.446s | 17 |
| 13 | Sergey Sirotkin | Rapax | 1m50.825s | 1.476s | 19 |
| 14 | Artem Markelov | RUSSIAN TIME | 1m51.048s | 1.699s | 16 |
| 15 | Sergio Canamasas | Daiko Team Lazarus | 1m51.057s | 1.708s | 18 |
| 16 | Dean Stoneman | Carlin | 1m51.070s | 1.721s | 18 |
| 17 | Rene Binder | MP Motorsport | 1m51.094s | 1.745s | 18 |
| 18 | Nicholas Latifi | MP Motorsport | 1m51.110s | 1.761s | 18 |
| 19 | Oliver Rowland | Status Grand Prix | 1m51.158s | 1.809s | 17 |
| 20 | Marlon Stockinger | Status Grand Prix | 1m51.504s | 2.155s | 18 |
| 21 | Daniel de Jong | Trident | 1m52.107s | 2.758s | 17 |
| 22 | Gustav Malja | Rapax | 1m52.873s | 3.524s | 18 |
| 23 | Sean Gelael | Carlin | 1m53.403s | 4.054s | 18 |
| 24 | Nathanael Berthon | Daiko Team Lazarus | 1m53.876s | 4.527s | 5 |
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