Alex Lynn topped practice for the second round of the British Formula 3 Series at a dry, but cool Monza.
Indeed, it was good day for Fortec in general, as the Formula Renault UK champion headed a Fortec 1-2-3 ahead of Pipo Derani and Hannes van Asseldonk.
A late effort by Lynn – clocking in 1:46.607 – knocked Derani off the top spot, thanks – in part – to a mistake by the Brazilian on his fast lap.
It ensured something of a confidence boost for the 18-year-old Lynn following a tough opening weekend at Oulton Park; however he was also keen to establish practice is merely that – practice.
Jazeman Jaafar led the Carlin contingent from 4th place, despite being troubled by a persistent engine misfire.
The Malaysian’s best was nearly half-a-second shy of the top spot; however Jaafar held off the ambitions of Carlos Sainz Jr (5th), Harry Tincknell (6th), Jack Harvey (7th) and Pietro Fantin (9th), with a mere four tenths covering the Carlin quintet.
Nick McBride assumed 9th in his Nissan-powered T-Sport Dallara, just one-tent up on Oulton Park race winner, Felix Serralles (Fortec, 10th).
Double R duo Fahmi Ilyas and Geoff Uhrhane rounded out the International Class standings, although a gap of six-tenths to Serralles may leave them scratching their heads.
It was a case of the same again between the National Class pairing, as T-Sport’s Spike Goddard outpaced Double R rookie Duvashen Padayachee by a clear second.
Sainz claimed the fastest lap in the opening practice, despite a trip through the gravel on cold, gripless tyres, with the Carlin man complaining of a lack of tyre temperature. The Spaniard proved two-tenths quicker than Derani, before lunch drew the session to a close.
The session was brought to an early end when Goddard went backwards into the barriers at Ascari, rendering chassis severely damaged; however the T-Sport mechanics worked wonders to rebuild Goddard’s chassis in time for the afternoon session.
2012 British Formula 3 Round of Monza (Rd 2, Free Practice) Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap 1. Alex Lynn Fortec Dallara-Merc 1m46.607s 2. Pipo Derani Fortec Dallara-Merc 1m46.721s + 0.114s 3. Hannes van Asseldonk Fortec Dallara-Merc 1m46.995s + 0.388s 4. Jazeman Jaafar Carlin Dallara-VW 1m47.067s + 0.460s 5. Carlos Sainz Jr Carlin Dallara-VW 1m47.166s + 0.559s 6. Harry Tincknell Carlin Dallara-VW 1m47.178s + 0.571s 7. Jack Harvey Carlin Dallara-VW 1m47.209s + 0.602s 8. Pietro Fantin Carlin Dallara-VW 1m47.484s + 0.877s 9. Nick McBride T-Sport Dallara-Nissan 1m47.554s + 0.947s 10. Felix Serralles Fortec Dallara-Merc 1m47.619s + 1.012s 11. Fahmi Ilyas Double R Dallara-Merc 1m48.286s + 1.679s 12. Geoff Uhrhane Double R Dallara-Merc 1m48.490s + 1.883s 13. Spike Goddard T-Sport Dallara-Mugen 1m50.234s + 3.627s 14. Duvashen Padayachee Double R Dallara-Mugen 1m51.293s + 4.686s Italics = National Class ^Notes compiled from live updates and team releases.
