The Nürburgring round of the FIA F3 European Championship kicked off in chilly weather conditions on Friday, with Joel ending up tenth quickest at the end of 80 minutes of free practice.
The F3 paddock was greeted by light rain, grey clouds and cold winds as activities in the Eifel mountains got going at lunch time, but the drivers all stayed out of trouble at the former German Grand Prix track to set up an uninterrupted session.
At the end of it, Joel found himself leading the five-strong Team Motopark contingent of cars, taking tenth place overall as he lapped eight tenths down on practice pace-setter Lando Norris.
While running remained unaffected by rain, the heavens eventually opened just minutes after the fall of the chequered flag, with the track currently wet. The latest forecasts predict continued precipitation into this evening, when the opening qualifying session of the weekend is set to be staged.
Next session: Qualifying 1, 17.50 local time (GMT+02:00).
Comment, Joel:
“Not a great start. We’re six tenths down in the first sector alone, and I think we were just lacking overall grip in this session. The final two sectors were better, however. We have some work to do, but at the same time I think conditions this morning were quite strange. Hopefully things will come back to us in qualifying. We’re working hard to improve.”
RESULTS – Free Practice
