Browning tops Day 1 of post-season testing in Barcelona

Luke Browning got quickly back up to speed around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, securing the fastest lap on Day 1 of Formula 3’s second post-season test.

Behind the wheel of the #16 Hitech Pulse-Eight car once again, the Briton set a 1:27.055 and narrowly remained ahead of PHM Racing’s Taylor Barnard by 0.034s at the chequered flag.

With the afternoon’s running dominated by long runs, Gabriele Minì punched in a 1:28.368 with just over five minutes of running remaining. This was enough to earn PREMA Racing a 1-2, as Dino Beganovic followed just over a tenth behind in second.

MORNING

It was a leisurely start to running, as teams waited for track conditions to improve following their installation laps. Charlie Wurz put the first lap time of the day on the board for Jenzer Motorsport, clocking in a 1:29.374 at the start of the second hour.

Browning then set the benchmark at 1:27.577, four tenths ahead of Nikola Tsolov and Zane Maloney. Callum Voisin brought out the first Red Flag of the test after finding the gravel trap at Turn 14.

Once the Rodin Carlin car was recovered, it was back to business as Oliver Goethe took over the top of the timing sheets for Campos Racing on a 1:27.299. Beganovic moved up into second ahead of Minì and closing the gap out front to 0.048s.

With less than an hour remaining, Tsolov lowered the time to beat to a 1:27.151, moments before a second Red Flag appearance. Laurens van Hoepen stopped at Turn 3, necessitating a brief pause to recover the #7 ART Grand Prix car.

Running resumed with 43 minutes left on the clock and Browning quickly regained the fastest lap of the morning, setting a 1:27.055. A third Red Flag was thrown at the 35-minute mark after Joshua Dufek spun whilst exiting the final corner.

Times continued to tumble as Barnard slotted into second behind Browning, 0.034s adrift of his compatriot’s effort. The Hitech Pulse-Eight driver’s time remained unbeaten at the chequered flag, alongside getting the most mileage in with 33 laps to his name.

Mari Boya was another late improver, climbing up into third for Campos on a 1:27.113. Tsolov, Leonardo Fornaroli, Beganovic and Minì occupied fourth to eighth. Noel León and Hadrien David were the leading rookies, rounding out the top 10 for Van Amersfoort Racing and MP Motorsport respectively.

AFTERNOON

Goethe swiftly returned to the front of the pack at the start of the afternoon stint, setting a 1:28.656 to lead a Campos 1-2-3 ahead of Boya and Sebastián Montoya. However, the German driver wouldn’t remain there for long, as Boya jumped ahead by a tenth.

Focus immediately shifted towards race simulations for most of the afternoon’s running, with 17 drivers notching in over 20 laps each within the opening hour.

As the track quietened down towards the midway point, Browning opted to go out later than most of the field, with the Williams junior going third fastest ahead of the PREMA trio of Beganovic, Minì and Arvid Lindblad.

Very little changed until Minì went top, putting down a 1:28.527 with 22 minutes to go. Setting off a flurry of fastest lap attempts throughout the order, the Italian continued to improve, securing an afternoon’s best 1:28.368 at the five-minute mark.

Beganovic followed in second, 0.112s off the Alpine Academy junior’s time. Fornaroli displaced Boya for third, as Sami Meguetounif put a second Trident car into the top five.

Goethe ended up sixth at the chequered flag ahead of Browning. Van Hoepen concluded Day 1’s running on a positive note in eighth. Lindblad and Tsolov closed out the top 10, whilst Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak was the busiest driver out on track, putting 48 laps on the board on his way to the 11th fastest time for PHM Racing.

The action will resume for the second and final day of post-season testing in Barcelona tomorrow at 09:00 (local time).

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

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