Martins tops F2 Abu Dhabi post-season test for ART
Victor Martins topped the FIA Formula 2 post-season test in Abu Dhabi, driving for ART, the team with whom he won the 2022 Formula 3 title.
Photo by: Formula Motorsport Ltd
The reigning F3 champion set a 1m35.908s lap of Yas Marina Circuit during Friday’s morning session, the quickest across all three days of the test.
He led from Virtuosi driver Jack Doohan, who finished sixth in F2 this season, and runner-up Theo Pourchaire.
Day 1
Richard Verschoor topped the opening day of the test, beating the Prema duo of Frederik Vesti and Ollie Bearman with a 1m36.395s.
Dennis Hauger, who has moved to reigning champions MP Motorsport for the 2023 season, set an early benchmark, leading the morning’s running with a 1m36.821s.
Doohan finished the morning’s session in second for Virtuosi, while Verschoor finished third for Van Amersfoort Racing.
The first half of the day saw three red flags in the opening 90 minutes, with Enzo Fittipaldi (Carlin) and Campos’ Kush Maini stopping on track.
Brad Benavides, testing for Charouz, then hit the wall and was unable to continue running in that session.
As temperatures dropped in the afternoon, Verschoor usurped his time, with Hauger finishing fourth overall.
Roman Stanek brought out an early red flag in his Trident-run car after coming to a halt on track, while another stoppage came after Hitech F3 graduate Jak Crawford spun into the barriers at Turn 2.
Jack Doohan, Virtuosi
Photo by: Formula Motorsport Ltd
Day 2
Doohan was fastest on the second day of running, with the 2022 sixth-place finisher setting a 1m35.990s during the morning session to top the timesheets.
His best lap was quicker than the pole lap set by Ayumu Iwasa on the final race weekend of the season, a 1m36.290s.
Jehan Daruvala finished the day second, testing for MP Motorsport, with Iwasa in third.
Enzo Fittipaldi set an early benchmark, breaking the 1m36s barrier to lead from fellow Carlin runner Zane Maloney.
Daruvala then went quickest, before Doohan set his fastest lap.
The afternoon session focused on long-run pace, with Vesti setting the quickest time, a 1m36.462s, ahead of Iwasa and Bearman.
The only stoppage came after contact between Doohan and Maini at Turn 9.
Day 3
Martins topped the final day of testing, setting a 1m35.908s during the morning session to top the timesheet across all three days.
The 2022 Formula 3 champion, testing for ART, led from Doohan and Pourchaire by less than 0.1s.
The morning’s only stoppage was caused by Bearman, nudging the barriers at Turn 3.
Maini led the afternoon’s running from Rafael Villagomez (VAR) and Trident’s Clement Novalak, with a 1m36.875s the fastest time of the session.
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