Goethe ends Day 1 fastest after topping morning Jerez session

Oliver Goethe was the quickest driver on the return to on-track action in FIA Formula 3. The Campos Racing driver was one of just two in the 1:30s in the first half of the day, setting a 1:30.814 to end Day 1 fastest.

In the afternoon, Gabriele Minì secured the top spot with a 1:31.360 for PREMA Racing ahead of Luke Browning and Dino Beganovic.

MORNING

After the majority of the opening hour was taken up by installation runs and data checks, Rodin Carlin led 1-2 with Callum Voisin heading the way on a 1:32.032 from Zane Maloney. Hadrien David was the only other driver inside the 1:32s in the opening 60 minutes, third for MP Motorsport with an hour gone.

Taylor Barnard became the next driver to go fastest of all with a 1:31.999 before the first Red Flag of the test arrived with an hour and 45 minutes to go. Joshua Dufek ran into the gravel at Turn 8, requiring a brief stoppage to recover the #30 PHM Racing car.

The restart lasted only a few minutes before another Red Flag, this time for Emmo Fittipaldi, who had found the barriers after running wide at Turn 12. Once the MP Motorsport car was cleared, the session got back underway with an hour and 20 minutes left.

Times continued to fall with Maloney going onto a 1:31.315 to keep Rodin Carlin on top with an hour to go. Voisin slotted back into second just 0.045s back from the Bajan driver’s effort with Ugo Ugochukwu restoring the British team’s 1-2-3.

With 57 minutes left of the morning session, the third Red Flag was thrown after Sami Meguetounif spun into the gravel at Turn 6.

The session as quickly underway once more and there were plenty of drivers on track logging the mileage. That was until 26 minutes to go as Tommy Smith became the latest to spin at Turn 5. His Van Amersfoort Racing car was recovered, and the session resumed with 22 minutes remaining though the times remained fairly settled until the final 10 minutes.

Goethe put Campos on top, setting a 1:30.814 to go fastest as the first driver into the 1:30s. Gabriele Minì joined him, going P2 for PREMA Racing on a 1:30.947 in the final five minutes of the session. Mari Boya was another to improve late on, going third with a 1:31.125 for Campos to bring the morning session to a close.

AFTERNOON

Running resumed in the afternoon with Minì picking up from where he left off in the morning, setting a 1:31.750 to lead in the opening 15 minutes.

Tim Tramnitz was next-best during the opening hour of the afternoon session, going second for MP Motorsport on a 1:32.319, 0.019s clear of Dino Beganovic in third.

The Swede improved his effort with over an hour and 27 minutes left of the first day to make it a PREMA Racing 1-2 with a 1:32.303.

With mileage the focus for the majority of the afternoon running, improvements were scarce until the final hour of track time for the day. Beganovic became the second driver to get into the 1:31s, going to within 0.081s of Minì’s earlier time.

Boya was back up to third with half an hour remaining, setting a 1:31.923, edging out Goethe who moments later went within 0.001s the Spaniards time to go fourth.

With 12 minutes left, Beganovic briefly took the top spot from Minì but the Italian immediately restored himself to P1 with a 1:31.360 to go two-tenths ahead once more. Next to improve into the top three was Luke Browning as he lifted the #16 Hitech Pulse-Eight up to second with a 1:32.562.

Leonardo Fornaroli, Sebastián Montoya and Charlie Wurz were amongst the other late improvers to move inside the top 10 just before the chequered flag brought the first day to a close.

2023 FIA FORMULA 3 CHAMPIONSHIP - JEREZ POST-SEASON TEST, DAY 1, MORNING SESSION

2023 FIA FORMULA 3 CHAMPIONSHIP - JEREZ POST-SEASON TEST, DAY 1, AFTERNOON SESSION