Norisring, F3 : Three Gravity drivers in the top 5
Free practice for the season highlight of the Formula 3 Euro Series at the 2.3 kilometres long Norisring saw Edoardo Mortara (Signature, 0:49.632 minutes) setting the fastest time. The Italian, who came to Nuremberg as the points’ leader, was followed by Alexander Sims (ART Grand Prix, 0:49,737 minutes),Valtteri Bottas (ART Grand Prix, 0:49.754 minutes) and Marco Wittmann (Signature, 0:49.832 minutes) on second to fourth place.
In the morning, it was already 30 degrees at the Norisring when Formula 3 Euro Series went out for its free practice session. After the first 15 minutes, Alexander Sims topped the time sheets. In the second half, Edoardo Mortara took over first place. With 15 minutes remaining, the Italian and Finnish driver Bottas, who was second fastest at the time, were the only ones to have set a lap time under 50 seconds. Mortara’s advantage over Bottas was 0.3 seconds.
When the final ten minutes of free practice went underway, leader Mortara was still in the pits. Bottas, Sims and Wittmann were on the track to attack Mortara’s fastest time. Fifth-placed Laurens Vanthoor (Signature, 0:50.188 minutes) left his pit box in order to improve his ranking.
The first to move up one place was local hero Wittmann. In the final two minutes, Bottas caught attention by setting the outright fastest time in the second sector, but failed to topple Mortara from the lead. The latter, meanwhile, countered and set the fastest time in the first sector. However, the Signature driver didn’t manage to improve his total lap time.
In the midfield, Vanthoor lost his fifth place in the closing stages to Jim Pla (ART Grand Prix, 0:50.168 minutes), who thus became the best-placed rookie in the fiekd. The Frenchman never drove at the Norisring before, but immediately found his way at this particular street circuit. His fellow rookie drivers Carlos Muñoz (Mücke Motorsport, 0:50.322 minutes), Daniel Juncadella (Prema Powerteam, 0:50.368 minutes) and Matias Laine (Motopark Academy, 0:50.431 minutes) occupied seventh to ninth place.
In the battle of the ART team mates, Alexander Sims outpaced Valtteri Bottas in the final second. Thus, the Brit ended up second behind Mortara, followed by Bottas, Wittmann and Pla.
