Leimer tops two day test in Barcelona

The post-season test for the GP2 Series ended today on the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona. Yesterday, Marcus Ericsson for iSport International set the fastest time at 1:29.705 on sunny day. Today, it was Racing Engineering’s Fabio Leimer who laid down the best lap with a time of 1:29.324. The weather was perfect for the testing of the 2012 Pirelli P Zero tires.

Leimer leaves Spain, having set the fastest overall lap time. “We had to great days of testing. We tried many different things during these two days and went for a lap time this morning, which worked out well. We also made several long runs to see how the tyres behave. We have therefore gathered a lot of information and had two very positive test days. I would like to thank Racing Engineering for the great work done. The team is trying to make me feel more and more comfortable in the car and we are also working on the points where I can still improve my driving,” he said.

Along with the drivers who competed this season were several newcomers behind the wheel as they made their debut in the GP2 cars. There were two sessions each day and between the more experienced and the rookies, Pirelli and the teams were able to gain insight as they plan for the future.

Sam Bird was in the cockpit for Trident Racing after contesting the 2011 season with iSport. The Briton ended with the second best time overall with a 1:29.549. Third over the four sessions belonged to Esteban Gutierrez with a 1:29.588 for Lotus ART.

Kevin Magnussen

Photo by: GP2 Media Service

Kevin Magnussen finished second in the British Formula 3 Championship this year and was here testing the GP2 cars Carlin; same team he contested the BF3 series with. The He finished with a 1:29.697 for the fourth best overall time.

Ericsson’s best lap on Wednesday netted him fifth fastest over the two day test.

More to follow...