Vergne sets the pace on home turf

The third round of the 2010 Cooper Tires British F3 Series got underway today, with Carlin's Jean-Eric Vergne setting the pace at the Circuit de Nevers, Magny Cours. The Frenchman was near the top of the timesheets throughout the session and set the quickest time overall on his penultimate lap. James Calado also looked strong in his Volkswagen-powered Carlin Dallara and was fourth quickest overall.

Jean Eric Vergne (FRA) Carlin Dallara Volkswagen Credit: British F3

The British F3 drivers enjoyed three hours of testing this afternoon, as they got to grips with the Magny Cours circuit which was a new experience for the majority of the drivers. Vergne was quickest from the outset but was soon back in the pits to work on his set-up. Calado was also on the pace from the start, the Racing Steps Foundation driver was third fastest on his first ever laps around the French circuit.

As the session progressed, the times continued to fall as Rupert Svendsen-Cook moved up to third quickest with an hour and half of the session gone as he made his smooth style of driving work around the 4.4km circuit. British F3 rookie Lucas Foresti was making progress and was P2 mid-way through the session and finished the three hour test sixth quickest. Meanwhile, Adriano Buzaid and Jazeman Jaafar explored the limits on their first visit to the former home of the French Grand Prix as they worked towards the optimum set-up.

Reflecting on his practice session, Vergne said, "I am very happy, because the car feels good and there is still some speed left in it. It was not the aim to be the fastest car on track today; the aim was to create a good set up and feel positive about the rest of the weekend. I feel much more positive about the car now than I did at the last round at Silverstone, we are in good shape but there is still potential to be better."

Team mate Calado added, "I really like the track, it's very sweeping with some really fast corners; you don't want to get it wrong because there's no run off, so its important to keep a cool head. Having said that it's really rewarding when you get it right. I'm pleased with our progress today, the car feels good, but there's still quite a bit of time we can make up in the chicanes so I'm feeling pretty happy with where we are."

The Carlin will drivers will return to the track for qualifying tomorrow at 10.15 local time.

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