Fastest lap for Sam Bird in Estoril
22.03.2008 - Sam Bird (Manor Motorsport, 1:32.086 min.) set the outright fastest lap time in two days of testing of the Formula 3 Euro Series in Estoril. Nico Hülkenberg (ART Grand Prix, 1:32.086 min.) was second, 0.051 seconds down, ahead of rookie Mika Mäki Die (Mücke Motorsport, 1:32.184 min). A total of 19 drivers ranged within one second in the overall classification after the two days.
The fastest lap times were established in the morning hours of the second day. Towards the end of the session, Bird came out on top and defended this position until the lunch break.
Second-placed Nico Hülkenberg, who was only just beaten by the Briton, was happy, too. “I think that we have done a good job. I am among the front runners and I am able to fight for the top positions. However, I expect competition to be quite close this season.“
Fourth place of his British team mate James Jakes (1:32,203 min) also underlined the strong performance of his team ART Grand Prix on the two days.
Team SG Formula, that was on top with Tom Dillmann (1:32.313 min) on the first day, was quite late to join the action on Friday. Henki Waldschmidt (1:32.382 min) didn’t even complete one lap in the morning, his team mate Tom Dillmann only did 18 laps. “We still had a lot of work to do on our cars, which was the reason that it took so long for us”, Dillmann explained.
Surprise of the windy afternoon was Maximilian Götz (R.C. Motorsport, 1:32.430 min). The best-placed Volkswagen driver set the fastest time in the final session of the two test days. “It is only a test, but I am still happy. We have made a lot of progress. I was quick both with old and with new tyres, which makes me optimistic for the season opener.“ In the overall classification of the Estoril test, Götz occupied tenth place.
At the former Formula 1 circuit in Portugal, there were also shining faces in the Jo Zeller Racing pit box. The team’s new driver, Michael Klein (1:32.266 min) was a regular contender for top positions in Estoril, he finally occupied sixth place in the overall classification. “I could have been even quicker. I had a lot of traffic when I was out with new tyres and unfortunately a lot of yellow flags as well. But still, I am really happy with our strong performance.“
> Result test session 1
> Result test session 2
> Result day 1+2 combined