Nakamura-Berta tops opening day of F3 testing in Jerez

Nakamura-Berta set the pace at the end of the opening day of Formula 3 post-season testing in Jerez, his 1:31.169 putting him narrowly ahead of TRIDENT team-mate Niccolò Maccagnani. Ernesto Rivera had led the morning for Campos, but the afternoon’s late improvements reshuffled the order.

The result closed a day of running that began with installation laps before teams moved on to quicker runs and race-distance work. The test continues with a second day, scheduled to begin at 09:00 local time.

Rivera led Campos’ morning charge

James Egozi was the first reported morning pace-setter, before Matteo De Palo and Miguel Costa took turns at the top. Rivera then moved ahead with a 1:31.677, giving Campos the session lead. His team-mate Mattia Colnaghi climbed to second, and Enzo Deligny later split the pair by going 0.188 seconds behind Rivera.

Rivera’s morning result continued the Campos team’s strong start in Jerez, as detailed in our report on his session-leading run. Deligny ended the session second, with Colnaghi third. The top 10 also included De Palo, Alexander Abkhazava, Keanu Al Ahzari, Maciej Gladysz, Costa, Kanato Le and Matteo De Palo, according to the session report.

Late laps put Nakamura-Berta on top

The afternoon developed into a close fight between Campos and TRIDENT. Rivera briefly led again on a 1:31.784, less than two tenths clear of Colnaghi, before De Palo went fastest on 1:31.456. As the session entered its closing stages, Nakamura-Berta’s 1:31.169 moved him to the top, just 0.044 seconds ahead of Maccagnani.

Colnaghi finished third, with Rivera fourth and Maccagnani fifth. Alessandro Giusti, James Egozi, Kato, De Palo, Christian Wheldon and Olivieri completed the reported top 10. Alexander Abkhazava’s car stopped at the chicane, bringing out the day’s first red flag.

Teams used different tyre plans, with some running old Hard tyres while MP Motorsport, TRIDENT and Campos fitted new Hards. Long runs and practice starts also featured as drivers worked on race stints and tyre management. The two-day Jerez programme is covered in our overview of the post-season test schedule.