Chilton and Turvey on the pace in Barcelona
Max Chilton and Oliver Turvey were on the pace in the final GP2 pre-season test in Barcelona this week, following two strong days around the Circuit de Catalunya. Chilton and Turvey were consistently amongst the front runners throughout with both drivers finishing the second day of testing in the top ten.
As the first day of testing at Barcelona kicked off on Tuesday, Chilton continued to build on the progress the team made last time out at Silverstone. Chilton was sixth fastest in the first session, which put him eighth quickest of the day overall, while Turvey was 14th in the sister Carlin car.
Turvey was on the pace in the opening session on Wednesday, and went second quickest on his new tyre run. By the end of the session, the British racer was eighth quickest, while Chilton was 10th, completing a strong morning for the Carlin team.
Happy with the overall pace of the car, the team focused on race simulation and pit stops in the final session on Wednesday afternoon, with both drivers providing the team with valuable feedback ahead of the first race of the season.
Reflecting on the test, Chilton said, “We had a really productive test in Barcelona. The car felt quick with both new and old tyres and I feel like we have done some very useful preparation ahead of the first race. Its hard to know what everyone is doing in testing, people have new tyres on at different times – but we’re happy with the progress we’ve made as a team and I can’t wait to get racing again now.”
Trevor Carlin was happy with the team’s performance adding, “The team did a fantastic job this week. Both drivers were consistently amongst the front runners on their new tyre runs and we also worked through a detailed test programme which included longer runs and race simulation. We’re very impressed with Max’s pace in the car; he is consistently quick, while we must also thank Oliver for another great job helping the team in Barcelona.”
The next time the Carlin team will be on track will be for the first race of the season in Istanbul, Turkey from 6 – 8 May.
