Antonio Felix da Costa has ended the second day of the Abu Dhabi Young Driver Test fastest overall, ahead of the McLaren of Oliver Turvey, with Edoardo Mortara 3rd for Lotus. The Portuguese driver, testing for Red Bull, was almost half a second faster than Turvey throughout the day, as the GP3 driver got to grips with Formula 1 machinery.
Although da Costa’s eventual time of a 01:42.679 was several tenths slower than the McLaren of Kevin Magnussen on day one, the Red Bull driver was still able to end the day fastest. Oliver Turvey, who took over driving duties at McLaren from Gary Paffett for the afternoon session was able to finish 2nd fastest, with DTM star Edoardo Mortara 3rd fastest for Lotus after assuming driving duties from Nicolas Prost after day one.
steban Gutierrez was able to finish 4th fastest for Sauber, as the GP2 race winner took over behind the wheel of the Sauber C31 from Robin Frijns after the opening day. With many linking the young Mexican to the vacant Sauber position alongside Nico Hulkenberg for next season, Gutierrez was understandably eager to impress. Throughout the day, Gutierrez completed 94 laps of running, making him the busiest of the seven competing drivers.
Troughout the morning period, Gary Paffett completed 41 laps for McLaren before handing over driving duties to fellow countryman Oliver Turvey. The 31-year-old Briton finished the day 5th fastest for the Woking-based outfit, only just ahead of Johnny Cecotto jr. (Toro Rosso) and Giedo van der Garde (Caterham).
Tomorrow will see the third and final day of the Abu Dhabi Young Driver Test, and will see several driver changes at the various teams. Robin Frijns will take over from Antonio Felix da Costa at Red Bull, newly-crowned GP2 Champion Davide Valsecchi will take over from Edoardo Mortara at Lotus, Luiz Razia will resume driving duties at Toro Rosso and Alexander Rossi will bring proceedings to a conclusion with Caterham.
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| Pos | Driver | Car | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antonio Felix da Costa | Red Bull RB8 | 1:42.679 | 62 |
| 2 | Oliver Turvey | McLaren MP4-27 | 1:43.176 | 62 |
| 3 | Edoardo Mortara | Lotus E20 | 1:43.418 | 75 |
| 4 | Esteban Gutierrez | Sauber C31 | 1:43.485 | 94 |
| 5 | Gary Paffett | McLaren MP4-27 | 1:43.771 | 41 |
| 6 | Johnny Cecotto Jr | Toro Rosso STR7 | 1:44.569 | 76 |
| 7 | Giedo van der Garde | Caterham CT01 | 1:45.106 | 72 |