Clarke back on top in final F2 test

The Briton, who was ninth in this year's championship in his second season in the category, has been in the top three in every session during the four days of post-season running in Portugal and Spain.

Today he took on new tyres in the first hour of the morning session to set the 1m37.121s lap that stood as the day's best.

Ramon Pineiro used a similar tactic to take second, half a second off Clarke's pace.

Italian Formula 3 champion Cesar Ramos was quickest in the day's final session - when the cars' overboost function was permitted - and that time put him third overall.

Thursday pacesetter Alex Brundle, back in F2 for winter testing after a season of British Formula 3, was quickest in the second session and fourth in the combined times, ahead of debutant Christopher Zanella, who has raced in the F3 Euro Series this year.

Other F2 newcomers showing well included Formula Palmer Audi champion Nigel Moore, who took eighth, and Daniel Cammish - who was ninth-quickest as he made the big step up from Formula Ford.

The two drivers having their very first experience of F2 today, sometime Superleague Formula racer Martin Qing Hua and Formula Renault graduate Jukka Honkavuori, were 14th and 15th.

Pos  Driver               Time       Gap
 1.  Jack Clarke          1m37.121s
 2.  Ramon Pineiro        1m37.658s  + 0.537s
 3.  Cesar Ramos          1m37.843s  + 0.722s
 4.  Alex Brundle         1m37.954s  + 0.833s
 5.  Christopher Zanella  1m37.968s  + 0.847s
 6.  Mihai Marinescu      1m38.104s  + 0.983s
 7.  Benjamin Lariche     1m38.105s  + 0.984s
 8.  Nigel Moore          1m38.303s  + 1.182s
 9.  Daniel Cammish       1m38.580s  + 1.459s
10.  Kelvin Snoeks        1m38.712s  + 1.591s
11.  Max Snegirev         1m38.872s  + 1.751s
12.  Thiemo Storz         1m38.985s  + 1.864s
13.  Dominik Kraihamer    1m39.048s  + 1.927s
14.  Martin Qing Hua      1m39.076s  + 1.955s
15.  Jukka Honkavuori     1m39.507s  + 2.386s
16.  Plamen Kralev        1m41.073s  + 3.952s