i1 Super Series Pre Season Test Results

The first-ever pre season test of the i1 Super Series was held today at the famous Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.
Below are the official laptimes from the test:
Pre-season test results

1.     Heinz-Harald Frentzen1:00:505
2.     Giancarlo Fisichella1:00:557
3.     Karun Chandhok1:00:660
4.     Jean Alesi1:00:688
5.     Matthias Lauda1:00:688
6.     Neel Jani1:00:695
7.     Armaan Ebrahim1:00:840
8.     Parthiva Sureshwaren1:00:853
9.     Vitantonio Liuzzi1:00:868
10.  Zaamin Jaffer1:01:153
11.  Alex Yoong1:01:191
12.  Aditya Patel1:01:258
13.  Sakon Yamamoto1:01:374
14.  Mika Salo1:01:784
15.  Raj Bharath1:01:925
16.  Ashwin Sundar1:02:153
17.  Akhil Khushlani1:02:399
18.  Vishnu Prasad1:02:509
19.  Sailesh Bolisetti1:02:584
20.  Ameya Walwalkar1:02:665
21.  Cyndie Allemann1:02:753
22.  Abdul Ahmed1:02:781
23.  Gaurav Dalal1:02:787
24.  Chirag Malhotra1:03:113
25.  Amittrajit Ghosh1:03:849
26.  Phiroze Billmoria1:04:165

Interestingly the top 10 drivers were separated by less than a second, which is a good sign that the Indian Racing League will be a closely fought one. However, one must note that the drivers and cars were not weight equal since there was no ballasting undertaken. This would have worked in favour of the lighter drivers. Also, the fuel loads of each driver was unknown, which would have also had some impact on the laptimes.

Karun Chandhok, Armaan Ebrahim and Parthiva Sureshwaran were the three Indian drivers to break into the top 10. The slowest of the international drivers was Mika Salo who ended his session in 14th and the only female driver in the test, Cyndie Allemann, was classified 21st. The laptimes might not be indicative of the actual speeds since the drivers were briefed to make use of this test session to understand and adjust to the Radical SR3 car.

Post the session, all drivers reported good feedback regarding the SR3. While most drivers thought it was too slow, the grip levels and ease of driving were two aspects that were widely highlighted and accepted. More on i1 Super Series…

For those new to motorsport and the concept of i1 Super Series, do read my introductory piece here – Indian Racing League is launched, welcome the i1 Super Series

You can also get to know more about the series by listening to the i1 Super Series podcast.

Most read i1 Super Series topic on my blog: Should Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok drive in the i1 Super Series

Kunal Shah is an FIA-accredited Formula 1 journalist who has been reporting on Formula 1 for nearly two decades. He worked with the Force India Formula 1 Team for 6 seasons in Marketing, Sponsorship and Commercial roles. As a former single-seater racer, he was responsible for Force India's grassroots talent program, One from a Billion Hunt. Presently, he co-writes a regular Formula 1 column for Firstpost, speaks on Inside Line F1 Podcast & Pits to Podium and produces broadcast/OTT content for NENT Group (Viasport & Viaplay).

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