Rowland and Gasly lead FR3.5 test

Formula Renault 3.5 newcomers Oliver Rowland and Pierre Gasly led the way on the first official day of pre-season testing at Aragon.

The two drivers who fought over last year's Formula Renault Eurocup title, with now-Red Bull supported Gasly coming out on top in that scrap, headed Sauber Formula 1 reserve driver and morning pacesetter Sergey Sirotkin at the top of the times.

Afternoon setup changes for Fortec's Rowland allowed him to mix it with Sirotkin at the top of the times as the day went on, with the Briton (pictured) setting his best lap and beating the circuit record with 14 minutes remaining.

"This morning was frustrating because we decided to run on used tyres from last year," said Rowland. "We decided to make a lot of changes to the car, and afterwards, with new tires, it was just about getting the most out of the tires at the right moment."

Gasly also spent most of his day on used tyres before putting on a new set near the end, and the Frenchman admitted that his Arden team plans to focus more on new tyre runs over the remainder of the three-day test.

Only 22 of the 26 cars were in action on day one. Former champion team Carlin is sitting out the test, while ISR and Tech 1 (where Nigel Melker will join 2014 signing Marco Sorensen for day two) only ran a single car each.

This week also marks a return to open-wheel action for 2011 Formula 3 Euro Series champion Roberto Merhi, who has spent the last two years racing for Mercedes in the DTM. The Spaniard was only 20th fastest for Zeta Corse as he admitted to spending most of the day re-acclimatizing to a single-seater, and he will remain with the team for the duration of the test.

COMBINED DAY ONE TIMES: