F2: Nissany puts DAMS on top on Day 2 of testing in Barcelona

Roy Nissany managed the tricky conditions on a cold and wet second day of running in Barcelona, beating Trident’s Richard Verschoor and his DAMS’ teammate, Ayumu Iwasa. Nissany set a 1:28.812 to beat the duo by more than half a second in between six Red Flags in the morning.

The wind and the rain continued into the afternoon and the quickest time was nearly a second down on the morning. Marcus Armstrong’s 1:29.752 was enough to lead the standings in the PM, with the New Zealander beating MP Motorsport’s Felipe Drugovich and his Hitech Grand Prix teammate Jüri Vips.

MORNING

A drop of rain and dark clouds threatened a wet session on the morning of Day 2, but apart from a brief spitting, the track would remain relatively dry throughout the third outing of the test.

Trident’s Richard Verschoor set the benchmark time at the start, posting a 1:29.328 on hard tires for Trident, ahead of Iwasa.

There were several interruptions throughout the morning, beginning when Marino Sato’s Virtuosi stopped on the main straight in the opening hour. Iwasa was another, as the Japanese racer lost control of his DAMS and clipped the wall at Turn 5.

Turn 5 was proving tricky to master in difficult conditions, as Jake Hughes and Olli Caldwell both ended up in the gravel shortly after. There were two further Red Flags during the session, as Vips spun to a stop at Turn 11 before Caldwell’s Campos came to a standstill at Turn 4.

Despite the disruptions, there was still a fair amount of running completed, with 16 drivers surpassing the 30-lap mark. Of those, it was Charouz Racing System’s Enzo Fittipaldi who completed the most tours, the Brazilian passing go 52 times.

Nissany knocked Verschoor down to second with the fastest time of the session, breaking the 1m 29s barrier to beat the Trident driver by more than half a second. Nissany’s time also bumped his DAMS teammate, Iwasa, down to third.

Campos Racing’s Ralph Boschung and Trident’s Calan Williams completed the top five. ART Grand Prix’s Théo Pourchaire was sixth, ahead of Carlin’s Liam Lawson and PREMA Racing’s Jehan Daruvala. Behind them, Caldwell beat Vips to ninth.

AFTERNOON

After a stop-start morning stint, rain proved to be the only real interrupting factor in the afternoon, as a sprinkle in the afternoon led to a spell stuck in the garages, with too little rain for wet tires and too much for slicks.

Vips set the benchmark at 1:30.148 in the opening half an hour, but the Red Bull reserve driver was knocked down to third by his Hitech teammate, Armstrong, as well as by Felipe Drugovich.

Armstrong’s time of 1:29.752 was enough to top the session, with the New Zealander finishing 0.208s ahead of Drugovich.