Melker quickest as GP3 test ends

The Mucke driver, whose promising but luckless 2010 campaign saw him twice start from pole position yet end up only 23rd in the standings, set the pace in the morning session with a 1m34.747s lap that remained unbeaten.

MW Arden's Michael Christensen was second to Melker in the first session and quickest later on by a comfortable 0.7-second margin over Rio Haryanto, who had switched from Manor to ART for the test.

Also seat-hopping was ART's Formula 3 Euro Series driver Alexander Sims, who took third in the afternoon with Status, ahead of Arden duo Simon Trummer and Matias Laine.

Thursday pacesetter Trummer had been fourth in the morning, behind Addax driver Roberto Merhi.

Category newcomers showing good form including British F3 runner-up James Calado, who took sixth for ART in the morning, and Carlos Sainz Jr - son of World Rally legend Carlos Sainz - who was seventh in session one with Addax.

Other GP3 newcomers appearing in the top 10 included Formula Renault frontrunners Tamas Pal Kiss (Atech CRS) and Arthur Pic (Tech 1), and ex-Formula BMW driver Facu Regalia (Status).

Session one:

Pos  Driver                  Team       Time       Gap
 1.  Nigel Melker            Mucke      1m34.747s
 2.  Michael Christensen     MW Arden   1m34.958s  + 0.211s
 3.  Roberto Merhi           Addax      1m34.980s  + 0.233s
 4.  Simon Trummer           MW Arden   1m35.020s  + 0.273s
 5.  Nico Muller             Jenzer     1m35.036s  + 0.289s
 6.  James Calado            ART        1m35.073s  + 0.326s
 7.  Carlos Sainz Jr         Addax      1m35.073s  + 0.326s
 8.  Carlos Munoz            Mucke      1m35.131s  + 0.384s
 9.  Alexander Sims          Status     1m35.161s  + 0.414s
10.  Tamas Pal Kiss          Atech CRS  1m35.188s  + 0.441s
11.  Robin Frijns            Manor      1m35.283s  + 0.536s
12.  Willi Steindl           Mucke      1m35.285s  + 0.538s
13.  Antonio Felix da Costa  Carlin     1m35.326s  + 0.579s
14.  Adrien Tambay           Manor      1m35.395s  + 0.648s
15.  Callum Macleod          Carlin     1m35.475s  + 0.728s
16.  Marlon Stockinger       Jenzer     1m35.508s  + 0.761s
17.  Thomas Hylkema          Manor      1m35.545s  + 0.798s
18.  Matias Laine            MW Arden   1m35.562s  + 0.815s
19.  Arthur Pic              Tech 1     1m35.611s  + 0.864s
20.  Leonardo Cordeiro       Status     1m35.644s  + 0.897s
21.  Aaro Vainio             Tech 1     1m35.690s  + 0.943s
22.  Nick Yelloly            Atech CRS  1m35.715s  + 0.968s
23.  Juan Carlos Sistos      Jenzer     1m35.733s  + 0.986s
24.  Albert Costa            Atech CRS  1m35.829s  + 1.082s
25.  Miki Monras             Tech 1     1m35.846s  + 1.099s
26.  Rio Haryanto            ART        1m35.865s  + 1.118s
27.  Pedro Nunes             ART        1m35.904s  + 1.157s
28.  Facu Regalia            Status     1m36.066s  + 1.319s
29.  Conor Daly              Carlin     1m36.160s  + 1.413s
30.  Vittorio Ghirelli       Addax      1m36.576s  + 1.829s

Session two:

Pos  Driver                  Team       Time       Gap
 1.  Michael Christensen     MW Arden   1m35.509s
 2.  Rio Haryanto            ART        1m36.255s  + 0.746s
 3.  Alexander Sims          Status     1m36.337s  + 0.828s
 4.  Simon Trummer           MW Arden   1m36.343s  + 0.834s
 5.  Matias Laine            MW Arden   1m36.394s  + 0.885s
 6.  Adrien Tambay           Manor      1m36.402s  + 0.893s
 7.  Nico Muller             Jenzer     1m36.441s  + 0.932s
 8.  Arthur Pic              Tech 1     1m36.537s  + 1.028s
 9.  Carlos Munoz            Mucke      1m36.537s  + 1.028s
10.  Facu Regalia            Status     1m36.593s  + 1.084s
11.  Antonio Felix da Costa  Carlin     1m36.609s  + 1.100s
12.  Roberto Merhi           Addax      1m36.699s  + 1.190s
13.  James Calado            ART        1m36.700s  + 1.191s
14.  Robin Frijns            Manor      1m36.722s  + 1.213s
15.  Willi Steindl           Mucke      1m36.827s  + 1.318s
16.  Carlos Sainz Jr         Addax      1m36.838s  + 1.329s
17.  Tamas Pal Kiss          Atech CRS  1m36.857s  + 1.348s
18.  Callum Macleod          Carlin     1m36.866s  + 1.357s
19.  Albert Costa            Atech CRS  1m37.001s  + 1.492s
20.  Conor Daly              Carlin     1m37.023s  + 1.514s
21.  Nigel Melker            Mucke      1m37.024s  + 1.515s
22.  Pedro Nunes             ART        1m37.079s  + 1.570s
23.  Thomas Hylkema          Manor      1m37.108s  + 1.599s
24.  Juan Carlos Sistos      Jenzer     1m37.157s  + 1.648s
25.  Miki Monras             Tech 1     1m37.194s  + 1.685s
26.  Aaro Vainio             Tech 1     1m37.212s  + 1.703s
27.  Nick Yelloly            Atech CRS  1m37.229s  + 1.720s
28.  Marlon Stockinger       Jenzer     1m37.460s  + 1.951s
29.  Leonardo Cordeiro       Status     1m37.489s  + 1.980s
30.  Vittorio Ghirelli       Addax      1m37.589s  + 2.080s