German GP supports, F3 Masters, Pocono IndyCar
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GP2 - Nurburgring: Frijns improves and goes third, now on a 1m38.804s. So it's Richelmi, Ericsson, Frijns, Evans and Nasr with 90secs to go.
GP2 - Nurburgring: Richelmi sets a storming middle sector, and not a bad first one too. He crosses the line... and it's P1! 1m38.487s. It's a DAMS 1-2 at present.
GP2 - Nurburgring: Quaife-Hobbs goes sixth with a tidy lap. He says the MP Motorsport team is making great strides with its car, and that's proving it.
GP2 - Nurburgring: Mitch Evans lights the middle sector up in that purple hue that racing drivers are so fond of. The rest of his lap isn't so swift, however, but it puts him third. Leimer has gone fifth, with a purple final sector.
But who can put a lap together to topple Ericsson?
But who can put a lap together to topple Ericsson?
GP2 - Nurburgring: Sam Bird is the next of the frontrunners to take a shot at Ericsson's pole time. It's a so-so first sector, three-tenths down. Second sector features a lock-up at the Turn 7 hairpin, and, no, that's not an improvement.
FIA GT - Nurburgring: @gazzasportscars has got his brogues all sandy after a trip into the dunes to watch some racing cars. Mayr-Melnhof is quickest so far for WRT in FP2. The silly pre-qualifying monicker appears to have been dropped. Quite right too when there wasn't a EuroBrun or a Coloni in sight.
GP2 - Nurburgring: Looking at the splits, Frijns needs to pick up a tenth in the middle sector to trump Ericsson's pole time. In fact, he's only 0.067s behind him overall.
Coletti's managed to hit traffic on his second run, even though the track is relatively quiet. Unlucky.
Coletti's managed to hit traffic on his second run, even though the track is relatively quiet. Unlucky.
GP2 - Nurburgring: It's all gone quiet out there... No! Hark, the sound of Coletti, who is out for his second run. Palmer and tail-end Charlie (well, Simon) Trummer too.
GP2 - Nurburgring: Frijns has gone second to depose Nasr to third. Calado has jumped up to fourth, just ahead of Bird. Richelmi has fallen to sixth. Exciting stuff!
The opening exchanges are now in the book; everyone heads pitwards to make some tweaks ahead of the second runs on new boots.
The opening exchanges are now in the book; everyone heads pitwards to make some tweaks ahead of the second runs on new boots.
GP2 - Nurburgring: Silverstone and Barcelona poleman Marcus Ericsson goes fastest for DAMS - can he make it a hat-trick of poles this year? It's looking good.
Trafficgeddon at the final chicane, and Sergio Canamasas gets a strop on with Daniel de Jong and runs about an inch away from him through the final corner to show his displeasure.
Trafficgeddon at the final chicane, and Sergio Canamasas gets a strop on with Daniel de Jong and runs about an inch away from him through the final corner to show his displeasure.
GP2 - Nurburgring: Felipe Nasr grabs the fastest time on 1m39.072s - a great lap from Carlin's title contender. It's about time he won a race this year, and a pole would be the perfect way to start his race weekend.
Frijns is third fastest, behind Richelmi but ahead of Coletti. Tom Dillmann and Jolyon Palmer are next up.
Frijns is third fastest, behind Richelmi but ahead of Coletti. Tom Dillmann and Jolyon Palmer are next up.
GP2 - Nurburgring: Stephane Richelmi takes top spot, on 1m39.152s for DAMS.
GP2 - Nurburgring: Coletti sets the benchmark, the points leader lapping in 1m39.274s.
Who is going to topple him?
Who is going to topple him?
GP2 - Nurburgring: After the customary two warm-up laps that the GP2 rubber requires, we are rocking in qualifying. The first runs were crucial in Silverstone a week ago, as the rain came, but they should get two bites of the cherry here - unless yellow flags intervene.
ART duo James Calado and Daniel Abt sit-out the first few minutes.
ART duo James Calado and Daniel Abt sit-out the first few minutes.
GP2 - Nurburgring: Rapax duo Simon Trummer and points leader Stefano Coletti are at the front of the queue. There's heavy cloud cover but no imminent threat of rain... but then again, this is the Nurburgring, with its fickle Eifel climate.
Robin Frijns
GP2 - Nurburgring: Teams are invading the Nurburgring pitlane ahead of qualifying for the sixth round of the series.
Robin Frijns was fastest in practice this morning, but those laps were all set on the 'prime' medium tyres. This session will be the domain of the 'option', which is the super-soft this weekend.
They were last used in Monaco. This promises to be fun!
Breaking news
Masters F3 - Zandvoort: Eagle-eyed F3 fans might have noticed the absence of Felix Serralles from the timesheets after FP1. The Puerto Rican is missing the Masters through injury.
Masters F3 - Zandvoort: Best possible start to Felix Rosenqvist's bid to win the Masters for a second time. The Mucke man tops FP1 by nearly two tenths. Jordan King is second for Carlin, another tenth up on team-mate Harry Tincknell. So it's Merc ahead of VW in the engine stakes.
Checkered flag
GP2 - Nurburgring: Session over and it's Barcelona victor Robin Frijns who heads the times, 0.124s ahead of Sam Bird and Mitch Evans, the latter doing well to bounce back from his problems at the start of the session.
Fabio Leimer was fourth fastest, ahead of points leader Stefano Coletti and Jolyon Palmer.
Felipe Nasr has work to do after ending his session down in 12th.
Fabio Leimer was fourth fastest, ahead of points leader Stefano Coletti and Jolyon Palmer.
Felipe Nasr has work to do after ending his session down in 12th.
FIA GT - Zandvoort: Laurens Vanthoor fastest in FP1 for WRT and Audi, three tenths up on two of the Gravity Charouz Mercs.
GP2 - Nurburgring: So no major improvements, it seems like these medium-compound tyres enjoyed their first run on top of rubber laid by the previous F1 session, not so much their second runs after a stay in the pits.
Calado has a wild off-track moment at Turn 9. Major brown-trousers moment! He carries on rather than pitting for laundry service.
Calado has a wild off-track moment at Turn 9. Major brown-trousers moment! He carries on rather than pitting for laundry service.
GP2 - Nurburgring: Not many improvements right now on the second runs, but a shout-out to Adrian Quaife-Hobbs (ninth) and Rene Binder (10th). Nasr down to 12th now, just behind Silverstone poleman Marcus Ericsson.
GP2 - Nurburgring: Racing Engineering's Julian Leal has stalled at the end of the pitlane. Marshals do a great job to push him back up the hill to the safety of his engineers. They restart him, but it happens again - doh!
He's back underway again.
He's back underway again.
GP2 - Nurburgring: Evans is back out on track after his issues early on. Coletti, meantime, is already rejoining for his second run. He's keen!
Evans goes third on 1m40.165s.
Evans goes third on 1m40.165s.
GP2 - Nurburgring: Frijns takes top spot, despite a few lock-ups and corrections along the way, in his Hilmer Motorsport car. His 1m39.838s is 0.124s faster than Bird.
Fabio Leimer has popped up into third, demoting points leader Coletti down to fourth. Calado and Jolyon Palmer are next up.
Title challenger Felipe Nasr is down in 10th at the moment.
Fabio Leimer has popped up into third, demoting points leader Coletti down to fourth. Calado and Jolyon Palmer are next up.
Title challenger Felipe Nasr is down in 10th at the moment.
GP2 - Nurburgring: Coletti is the first of the frontrunners to head pitwards. He had a rubbish free practice in the wet of Silverstone last week, but he seems far more on it here.
Frijns takes top spot on 1m40.248s, and is quicky overtaken by Bird on 1m39.362s in his "Save the Ring"-liveried Russian Time car.
Frijns takes top spot on 1m40.248s, and is quicky overtaken by Bird on 1m39.362s in his "Save the Ring"-liveried Russian Time car.
GP2 - Nurburgring: Coletti is the first man into the 1m40s bracket - he's currently heading James Calado and Sam Bird.
GP2 - Nurburgring: First runs are being completed, the times are predictably tumbling. Take your pick from Daniel Abt, Stefano Coletti, Jolyon Palmer, Adrian Quaife-Hobbs, Tom Dillmann, Felipe Nasr, Robin Frijns... they've all taken a turn at the top!
GP2 - Nurburgring: Early problems for Mitch Evans, who is complaining of a steering wheel-related problem. Evans was very unlucky at Silverstone, as the failure of a front wheel-speed sensor meant he was caught speeding in the pits, which robbed him of a podium finish.
F3 Masters - Zandvoort: For a full rundown of who is contesting the Masters, one of F3's blue riband events along with Macau, have a browse here:
F3 Masters attracts major European names
The big news is the absence of Ferrari protege and European F3 leader Raffaelle Marciello, as Brit Emil Bernstorff gets a great opportunity in the Prema car in his stead.
F3 Masters attracts major European names
The big news is the absence of Ferrari protege and European F3 leader Raffaelle Marciello, as Brit Emil Bernstorff gets a great opportunity in the Prema car in his stead.
Green flag
GP2 - Nurburgring: Weather conditions are dry as the cars hit the track in Germany for this 30-minute session.
Sam Bird
First up is GP2 practice from the Nurburgring. The British rounds last weekend produced a pair of home wins, as Sam Bird and Jon Lancaster came out on top in the feature and sprint respectively, both driving for new-for-2013 teams in Russian Time and Hilmer.
With disastrous weekends for championship top men Stefano Coletti and Felipe Nasr, Bird strode forward in the title race.
Championship standings after 10 of 22 rounds:
1 Stefano Coletti 120
2 Felipe Nasr 98
3 Sam Bird 89
4 Fabio Leimer 66
5 James Calado 52
6 Jon Lancaster 44
Full season statistics on FORIX
Welcome to AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live for July 5-7.
We'll be bringing you live as-it-happens coverage of the German Grand Prix support bill as the GP2 and GP3 battles continue at the Nurburgring.
Elsewhere in junior single-seaters, the annual Masters of Formula 3 classic takes place alongside the FIA GT Series at Zandvoort.
And there's plenty happening in America too, as IndyCar returns to Pocono for the first time in over two decades, the NASCAR Sprint Cup has its second Daytona date of the year, and the American Le Mans Series resumes at Lime Rock.
There will also be updates from V8 Supercars on the streets of Townsville, plus another European Rallycross thrash at Holjes.
We'll be bringing you live as-it-happens coverage of the German Grand Prix support bill as the GP2 and GP3 battles continue at the Nurburgring.
Elsewhere in junior single-seaters, the annual Masters of Formula 3 classic takes place alongside the FIA GT Series at Zandvoort.
And there's plenty happening in America too, as IndyCar returns to Pocono for the first time in over two decades, the NASCAR Sprint Cup has its second Daytona date of the year, and the American Le Mans Series resumes at Lime Rock.
There will also be updates from V8 Supercars on the streets of Townsville, plus another European Rallycross thrash at Holjes.
By: Matt Beer, Charles Bradley, Gary Watkins, Mark Glendenning, Dan Cross
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