Delétraz heads day 1 of post-season test

Louis Delétraz has topped the timesheets for day 1 of the FIA Formula 2 Championship post-season test at Yas Marina Circuit, claiming the honours in the evening session with a time of 1:48.282, less than a tenth ahead Alexander Albon and Norman Nato, while in a morning session largely focused on longer runs Lando Norris stopped the clock at 1:49.084 to grab P1 by a tenth from Jack Aitken and Delétraz.

The morning session opened to the usual warm and sunny conditions, while the evening session took place under lights as the sun set over the circuit, giving markedly different conditions for the teams and drivers to deal with. The morning saw Santino Ferrucci set the first competitive time at the 15 minute mark, but most of the teams were more concerned with their long run pace, meaning there was little competition for the top of the timesheets.

Aitken grabbed the top spot just after the half hour mark, with Alex Albon slotting into P2 a little while later, but at the halfway mark Norris grabbed P1 and held it for the remainder of the session, with Delétraz popping into P3 just before the 2 hour mark.

The evening session saw a lot of action right from the start: Nyck De Vries was making up for lost time after an engine gremlin struck early in the first session, setting a string of fastest laps before Delétraz took over P1 in the second hour. Later in the session a number of rivals closed in – Ferrucci, Nato, Albon – but none were able to overturn the Swiss driver’s advantage as the clock ticked down to zero.

Tomorrow’s day 2 will run at the same time as today’s sessions (from 11.45 to 14.15 and then 17.15 to 19.45, GMT +4), handing the teams another opportunity to close the gap at the top of the timesheets.