AUSSIES UP FRONT AS F3 TEST CONCLUDES

On the final day of mid-season testing in the FIA Formula 3 Championship test at Jerez, both Australian drivers ended up within the top 10.

After topping both the morning and afternoon sessions on Day 1, Queenslander Jack Doohan again found himself up the pointy end of the timesheets.

The morning conditions were perfect for qualifying simulations and saw the lap record around the Jerez circuit in Spain smashed.

In the 2020 post-season test Doohan broke the lap record setting a 1m 29.041s time, however his Trident teammate obliterated the record yesterday setting a 1m 28.677s and also took the honour of being the first F3 driver to lap the track in under 89 seconds.

Three-time F3 race winner Frederik Vesti was the only other driver to lap within the 88-second bracket, a 1m 28.935, a total of 0.258s off Novalak’s time.

Enzo Fittipaldi ended the morning session in third position just 0.001s faster than Doohan.

MP Motorsport drivers Victor Martins and Caio Collet rounded out the top six ahead of Jak Crawford, Alexander Smolyar, Juan Manuel Correa and Jonny Edgar.

West Australian Calan Williams was 15th setting a 1m 29.392s fastest of the Jenzer Motorsport drivers.

All three Prema Racing cars were outside of the top 20, championship leader Dennis Hauger was 24th, Race 2 winner Olli Caldwell was 25th and Arthur Leclerc, brother of Charles, ended the morning in 27th.

In the afternoon times were a lot slower as teams and drivers focussed on race runs, only one driver broke into the 29s, Hitech driver Ayumu Iwasa.

Hauger improved in the afternoon to end the day in second ahead of Caldwell.

Doohan completed 33 laps in the afternoon and ended up ninth fastest, two positions behind Williams.

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