Alex Lynn topped this week’s British Formula 3 test at Rockingham Motor Speedway ahead of the its next round there in two weeks.
The Fortec racer narrowly pipped teammate Hannes van Asseldonk to the top of the timesheets with a best of 1:17.578 – a mere one tenth quicker than his Dutch counterpart.
Lynn set the quickest lap during the morning running, taking advantage of the cooler conditions at the north-eastern circuit, before moving toward set-up programmes.
Having opted to use a joker test day* at the circuit on Monday, the Formula Renault UK champion firmly bedding himself into the series, the test proved to be a confidence builder for Essex-born the 18-year-old.
Lynn also assumed the top position at the end of the final session, although lap times had fallen away come the final chequered flag.
Jazeman Jaafar headed the Carlin charge in 3rd, thanks to a 0.054s advantage over teammate Harry Tincknell, while Pipo Derani made it three Fortec drivers in the top five. Carlos Sainz Jr (Carlin) was fastest in the third session; however his best would only translate to 6th quickest overall.
The Spaniard held a small advantage over teammates Jack Harvey (7th) and Pietro Fantin (8th), although the latter endured an engine prone to over-revving, robbing the Brazilian of some finesse.
Felix Serralles assumed 9th in the final Fortec machine.
ATS German Formula 3 Cup** regular Mitchell Gilbert rounded out the top ten in his Performance Racing Volkswagen. Gilbert*** enjoyed a one-tent advantage over Double R’s Geoff Uhrhane (11th), who finally appears to be displaying more confidence in his new field of racing.
Uhrhane ended the day quicker than T-Sport rival Nick McBride (who claimed a credible 3rd in the final session) and Double R teammate Fahmi Ilyas (13th).
As per usual, the National Class pairing of Spike Goddard and Duvashen Padayachee filled out the bottom of the time sheets, with Goddard holding a 2.3 second advantage.
* {note 1}
Outside of the pre-planned test sessions, organised by either SRO or FOTA (Formula Three Association and nothing to do with the Formula 1 group), teams are allowed five independently organised test days, as long as those days are registered with the series.
** {note 2}
Although Gilbert took 10th overall, his Volkswagen-powered German F3 machine runs to slightly different engine rules.
Unlike British F3 and the F3 Euro Series, German F3 are allowed cars to utilise a “push-to-pass” facility – a technology that takes the series slightly outside FIA regulations for the formula. As such, Gilbert is not eligible for British Formula 3, despite the relatively minor difference in power output.
*** {note 3}
While his time may not make him stand out, it has not been the most unsuccessful of seasons for Gilbert. The Australian currently sits 2nd in the ATS Formula 3 Cup with 38 points, only one point behind series leader Lucas Auer (nephew of Gerhard Berger).
Interestingly, despite three races having already taken place at Zandvoort, neither Auer not Gilbert have actually won a race yet. In fact Auer leads even though he missed a race, yet the Austrian garnered enough bonus points from the Dutch meeting to leapfrog race winners Jimmy Eriksson, Yannick Mettler and Kimiya Sato.
2012 British Formula 3 Test (Rockingham, May 22nd) Pos Driver Team/car Time 1. Alex Lynn Fortec Motorsport Dallara-Mercedes 1m17.578s 2. Hannes van Asseldonk Fortec Motorsport Dallara-Mercedes 1m17.668s 3. Jazeman Jaafar Carlin Dallara-Volkswagen 1m18.227s 4. Harry Tincknell Carlin Dallara-Volkswagen 1m18.281s 5. Pipo Derani Fortec Motorsport Dallara-Mercedes 1m18.308s 6. Carlos Sainz Jr Carlin Dallara-Volkswagen 1m18.367s 7. Jack Harvey Carlin Dallara-Volkswagen 1m18.386s 8. Pietro Fantin Carlin Dallara-Volkswagen 1m18.492s 9. Felix Serralles Fortec Motorsport Dallara-Mercedes 1m18.659s 10. Mitchell Gilbert Performance Racing Dallara-Volkswagen* 1m18.736s 11. Geoff Uhrhane Double R Racing Dallara-Mercedes 1m18.835s 12. Nick McBride T-Sport Dallara-Nissan 1m18.989s 13. Fahmi Ilyas Double R Racing Dallara-Mercedes 1m19.161s 14. Spike Goddard T-Sport Dallara-Mugen Honda 1m20.454s 15. Duvashen Padayachee Double R Racing Dallara-Mugen Honda 1m22.768s
* = Not eligible for British F3
Italics = National Class
