Giovinazzi returns to top F3 test

Formula 3 European Championship race winner Antonio Giovinazzi was fastest on the third day of this week's F3 test at Valencia.

Giovinazzi, who looks certain to graduate to Formula Renault 3.5 in 2015, returned to the seat of a Carlin Dallara-Volkswagen for benchmark purposes as the team continued to try out new drivers. The Italian swapped fastest times during the day with star Danish newcomer Mikkel Jensen – the ADAC Formel Masters champion again impressed in a Van Amersfoort Racing Dallara-VW to top two sessions, the same number as Giovinazzi.

Their most consistent threat was Briton Sam MacLeod, who switched across from VAR to drive a Motopark Dallara-VW. Karter Callum Ilott also was an impressive fourth in his Carlin car.

George Russell swapped from Carlin to begin two days of testing with Mucke Motorsport, which also ran F.Masters ace Tim Zimmermann.

British F3 runner-up Matt Rao and Formula Renault racer Ryan Tveter joined the Fortec Motorsport line-up, as Pietro Fittipaldi and Arjun Maini moved on from Fortec to run with Carlin. MacLeod's place at VAR was taken by Brazilian F3 champion Pedro Piquet.

Double R Racing fielded a couple of newcomers, with German Niki Pohler joined by Formula Renault BARC racer Tarun Reddy, the Indian driving with the older-spec engine.

GP2 veteran and Motopark favourite Tom Dillmann drove the first session only with the team, during which the sister car of Markus Pommer's engine failed, sidelining the German F3 champion for the day.