Nyck De Vries ended Day 1 of the first 2019 FIA Formula 2 pre-season test at Jerez de la Frontera as the fastest driver. The ART Grand Prix ace set the quickest laptime in both the morning and afternoon sessions to head the timesheets ahead of Nicholas Latifi and Mick Schumacher.
The sun greeted the teams as the pitlane opened on Day 1 of testing. Latifi was the first driver to hit the track for the DAMS team while the rest of the pack followed him closely for their customary installation laps.
The opening hour was very studious with Schumacher setting up the first laptime, but it was Louis Delétraz who topped the timesheets on the one hour mark in a1:27.779 ahead of Dorian Boccolacci, Nobuharu Matsushita, Schumacher and Sean Gelael.
The session was briefly red flagged after Sergio Sette Camâra spun and stopped at Turn 1 and when the running got back underway, ten drivers had set a laptime. At the midway point, Callum Ilott went quickest in a 1:26.508, but Delétraz reclaimed the top spot with a laptime of a 1:26.217.
De Vries put first position with one hour left in the session: he clocked in a laptime of a 1:26.044 which was good enough to remain at the top of the standings until the chequered flag. Sette Camâra slotted in behind the Dutchman in the dying minutes for second ahead of teammate Latifi. Luca
Ghiotto was fourth quickest ahead of Delétraz, Schumacher, Guanyu Zhou, Boccolacci, Ilott and Gelael.
The proceedings resumed two hours later with Delétraz the first man to dive onto the track but it was Ilott who set the early pace in a 1:26.573 ahead of teammate Juan Manuel Correa and Schumacher. There was a first red flag period after Jordan King stopped at Turn 14 following mechanical issues.
At the re-start, Schumacher went top thanks to a laptime four tenths better than Ilott’s whilst Ghiotto moved up to third. Halfway through the session, the Italian from UNI Virtuosi went one spot better in a 1:26.181 before the running was halted a second time courtesy of Correa who went wide and stopped at Turn 4.
With one hour left in the session, the pitlane went green one more time. De Vries put his head down and dipped under 1m26s to claim the top spot in a 1:25.973, but Ghiotto improved on the Dutchman’s time thirty minutes later.
In the closing stages, a final Red flag period quickly paused the proceedings after Gelael stopped at Turn 8. The track went live one last time and de Vries clocked in a laptime of 1:25.358 to top the afternoon session and the day overall ahead of Latifi ad Schumacher who also improved in the dying minutes. Ghiotto finished fourth ahead of Nikita Mazepin, Delétraz, Ilott, Giuliano Alesi, Sette Camâra and Zhou.
Day 2 of testing will commence tomorrow at 09.00 local time.