If all the attention across the Channel was on a certain wedding, at Spa-Francorchamps the attention was firmly focussed on group testing. Jean-Eric Vergne (Carlin) posted the best lap time of the morning.
The French driver was less satisfied with the afternoon, finishing his session in the gravel trap. Cesar Ramos (Fortec Motorsport) took advantage pulling out the fastest flying lap of the day ahead of Daniel Ricciardo (ISR) and Albert Costa (Epic Racing).
At Spa-Francorchamps, 2010 Indy Light champion Jean-Karl Vernay, just promoted reserve driver for Team Peugeot Total for the Le Mans 24 Hours, joined the Formula Renault 3.5 Series peloton today, teaming with Pons Racing. A total twenty-six drivers went out on track for collective testing. Daniel Ricciardo was the first driver to set a time worth noting.
The Australian, whose last session behind the wheel of a Formula Renault 3.5 was in Barcelona testing in March, immediately found his feat, following on from his convincing performances in Formula 1. He didn't stay on top of the timing screens for long though, with Chris Van der Drift (Mofaz Racing) staking his early claim.
The forces from Down-Under clearly meant business, with New Zealander Chris van der Drift in number one spot, Australian Daniel Ricciardo in number two and New Zealander Brendon Hartley number three. The order changed as Daniel Ricciardo reclaimed the fastest time, in 2'06''183. Team ISR's Australian driver improved again at the start of the second half of the session, posting 2'05''994.
The situation changed completely during the last ten minutes, as Vergne, Robert Wickens (Carlin) and Anton Nebilitskiy (KMP Racing) started to make things happen.
The Frenchman took a provisional claim on pole with a lap time of 2'05''271, ahead of his Canadian and Russian rivals. At the very end of the session, Daniel Zampieri (BVM Target) grabbed second place and Arthur Pic (Tech 1 Racing) shifted in between Robert Wickens and Anton Nebilitskiy in 4th. Daniel Ricciardo, Albert Costa, Brendon Hartley (Gravity-Charouz) and Nelson Panciatici started to push the clock early in the second session. The three drivers slowly edged towards Vergne's time. After pitting for a few minutes, Daniel Ricciardo upped the pace (2'04''809).
With the reserve driver for Red Bull Racing Formula One Team on the top of the timesheets above Brendon Hartley and Daniel Zampieri, the session got interrupted briefly when Jean-Eric Vergne crashed off. At the end of the session, it was Cesar Ramos who was turning heads. The Brazilian driver, and 2010 Italian F3 champion, already one-time pole-sitter this season at Motorland Aragón, ousted Daniel Ricciardo from the top slot with a time of 2'04''337.
So Ramos finished the day on top, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo and Albert Costa.
Quotes
Cesar Ramos: "I drove almost the whole day with old tires, then we put a new set on at the end and I myself was surprised how effective the car was. The others were pushing, I think the more experienced drivers have had enough of seeing the Rookies on top! I hadn't driven here since 2008, and I still love it just as much!"
Daniel Ricciardo: "It's good to be back. The last time I was behind the wheel of a Formula Renault 3.5 was back in Barcelona in March. It didn't take me long to get my bearings though. I hadn't forgotten much in fact! We had a precise program to get through today. I need to get lots of points on the board this weekend!"
Jean-Karl Vernay: "I don't know the car or this circuit. This is a real weekend of discovery for me. The car is really effective. It's a bit strange to go from the Peugeot 908 to a Formula Renault 3.5 in just a few days, but I'm certainly not complaining!. Pons Racing contacted me this week, and the decision was taken yesterday, Thursday. So I don't know if I'm here just for a race or for the season."
