Carlin at the front in British F3 testing

Carlin’s Felipe Nasr set the pace in both free practice tests at Snetterton Friday, ahead of rounds seven, eight and nine of the Cooper Tires British F3 Series. Teammate Rupert Svendsen-Cook was also a consistent front runner and was second quickest in both sessions. All of the Carlin drivers made good progress today, with Kevin Magnussen third quickest in this morning’s session and Carlos Huertas also in the top seven this morning. Jack Harvey continued his learning curve in his rookie season, whilst Jazeman Jaafar lost out on track time due to a technical problem.

Both practice sessions were dry at the newly configured Snetterton 300 circuit Friday, with the Carlin drivers on the pace from the outset. The 2.99 mile circuit attracted positive comments, with a combination of slow, mid speed and fast corners creating a new challenge for the British Formula 3 drivers.

It was Felipe Nasr who got the most from his Volkswagen powered Dallara in the first session, although both Svendsen-Cook and Magnussen briefly took the top spot. Jaafar endured a troublesome first session, completing just three laps following a gearbox problem.

Session two allowed the drivers to work further on their qualifying set-up, with Nasr once again going quickest. The championship leader was most closely matched by Carlin teammate Svendsen-Cook who confirmed his pace around his local track. Magnussen completed the day sixth quickest overall, with Carlos Huertas eighth. Jack Harvey was 15th, while Jaafar was 16th as he recovered from his earlier problem.

Pace setter Nasr said, “Today went very well. I think for sure we have strong pace as we were quick in the morning and afternoon. In the morning we just used old tires so we were expecting to gain a bit more in the afternoon. I managed a good time on the new tires and the balance of the car was really good. We made a few changes to the car which seemed to work very well; it just felt great to drive. I think we have a good car for qualifying tomorrow."