GP2: Gasly leads practice, then stops

GP2 championship leader Pierre Gasly topped practice at Monza despite parking on track midway through the session along with second-fastest man Artem Markelov.

Both Gasly's Prema car and Markelov's Russian Time machine ground to a halt on the run down to the Parabolica within moments of each other.

Red Bull Formula 1 driver Gasly was first to hit trouble and had to stop on the circuit, while Markelov managed to make it to run-off area. Before then, Gasly had set the 1m31.990s that stood as the best of the morning, 0.152 seconds ahead of Markelov.

After winning both races at Spa, Prema started the Monza weekend with two cars in the top three – Antonio Giovinazzi taking third. Last year's Monza sprint race winner Mitch Evans showed encouraging form in fourth.

Fifth-placed Jordan King had a near-miss at the start of the session when he didn't notice the fast-approaching Gustav Malja on a flying lap while weaving down the back straight to warm his tires. Contact was averted but Malja immediately gestured angrily at King.

The need to retrieve Gasly and Markelov's cars caused one of three virtual safety cars during the session.

The first occurred when Jimmy Eriksson's Arden entry stopped on track at the first chicane before he could set a time, and the other when Philo Paz Armand crashed on the exit of the Lesmos.

Nabil Jeffri had a spin at the same spot just as Gasly and Markelov were parking, but kept his car out of the barriers.

Originally on Autosport.com