F2: Boschung fastest for Campos Racing on Day 1 of testing in Barcelona

Ralph Boschung was the only driver to break the 1m28s benchmark on a chilly first day of testing at Barcelona, with the Campos Racing driver beating Hitech Grand Prix’s Marcus Armstrong and DAMS’ Ayumu Iwasa.

MP Motorsport’s Felipe Drugovich led a gloomy morning session, with the current Championship leader setting a 1:29.755 early doors to see off ART Grand Prix’s Théo Pourchaire and Iwasa.

MORNING

With a sprinkling of rain and a track temperature of just 14 degrees, running was reduced on a quiet opening morning of testing, with only two drivers posting more than 30 laps.

Championship leader Drugovich picked up from where he left off at Round 2 in Jeddah, with the Brazilian jumping to the top of the order in the opening hour with a 1:29.755. In second, ART Grand Prix’s Pourchaire was 0.165s off his fellow title contender.

Ayumu Iwasa was 0.369s off the pace in third for DAMS, with Hitech Grand Prix’s Jüri Vips and Virtuosi Racing’s Jack Doohan completing the top five.

There were three stoppages during the morning, including Calan Williams who spun to a stop at Turn 2. Liam Lawson’s Carlin later came to a halt at Turn 10, before Cem Bölükbaşı lost control of his Charouz at Turn 9 and went into the barrier.

Despite the stoppage, Lawson still managed to set the seventh-fastest time behind Marcus Armstrong, who made it two Hitech’s inside of the top 10.

Ralph Boschung was eighth for Campos Racing, as Lawson’s Carlin teammate Logan Sargeant put himself in ninth.

Finishing 10th fastest, Jake Hughes topped the lap count on Tuesday morning, completing 37 tours of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

AFTERNOON

Track temperature marginally increased in the afternoon, rising to 19 degrees, and this meant that the grid was able to offer up a few push laps on the back of their race runs.

After a benchmark time of 1:29.897 from Armstrong during the long-running, Boschung fired to the top of the field, dropping a 1:27.929 to go more than a second faster than the Hitech ace.

Armstrong strapped on a pair of softs and headed back out onto the tarmac, but the New Zealander was unable to break the 1m 28s barrier and had to settle for second fastest, 0.241s off the rapid Campos racer.