Hamilton and Piquet top first 2006 test

GP2  series  rookie  Lewis  Hamilton  (ART  Grand  Prix)  and  second  year  driver  Nelson  Piquet  Jr (Piquet Sports) topped the timesheets at Circuit Paul Ricard on days one and two respectively of the first GP2 series test of 2006.

Hamilton’s time of 1:12.838, set late on Wednesday afternoon was the overall fastest time of the two day session, eclipsing the previous best lap set in a 2005 GP2 series group test on the “3D” 3.853km track solution by almost three seconds.

Second  quickest  over  the  two  day  test  was  Jose  Maria  Lopez  for  Super  Nova  International, whose time of 1:12.957 on day one placed him just a tenth of a second off Lewis’ best. Nelson’s lap of 1:13.068, set in the afternoon of day two, saw him finish the test third overall.

The two days of running in the South of France saw the debut of Bridgestone’s new slick tyres, which the GP2 series will use in the 2006 season. Their speed was evident from the outset, but with  a  reduction  in  rear-end  downforce  thanks  to  a  new  “bi-plane”  rear  wing  replacing  the  “tri- plane”  seen  in  2005,  the  complexities  of  the  transition  made  the  test  a  demanding  one. 

Every team and driver, no matter their experience of the GP2 series car, had a very different beast to tame over the two days. With so many new variables to take into consideration, the test formed the perfect basis for everyone to prepare for the 2006 season. The  two  day  session  saw  the  official  debuts  of  12  new  GP2  series drivers, and the speed with which they were up to pace with their second year rivals has left no-one in any doubt as to the level of competition we can expect this year. The test also saw the first track running for our two new  teams,  Trident  Racing  and  FMS  International.  They,  like  all  the  rookies  present,  made fantastic use of their time, settling in quickly and efficiently.

The GP2 series now looks towards its next test session, to be held again at Circuit Paul Ricard on March 16-17. With just over a month, and just six further days of testing to go until our first race weekend in Valencia on April 8-9, anticipation couldn’t be higher.