Van der Garde on top in free practice

Giedo van der Garde has come out on top in this morning's free practice session at the Hungaroring, pipping teammate Sergio Perez, Sam Bird and Jerome d'Ambrosio for the top spot by just one tenth of a second. The Dutchman's best lap of 1:28.188 was set midway through the session, crossing the line just behind his teammate to steal the top spot Perez briefly held by just 0.053 as the Addax team showed their hand ahead of this afternoon's qualifying session.

The session opened to overcast conditions and dropping temperatures, but the promised rain held off to give the teams a clean session to get through their programs: with the drivers running within themselves to avoid handing their mechanics any last minute dramas, the field gradually slicing away at the timesheets as the clock ticked away.

Behind the top four were Davide Valsecchi, Michael Herck, Maldonado, Christian Vietoris, Marcus Ericsson and Jules Bianchi, while the top 14 drivers were all within a second of the top time.

With more performance available throughout the grid, and the promise of rain to come, this afternoon's qualifying session should be enthralling.

Results

Driver Team Time Laps
1. Giedo van der Garde Barwa Addax Team 1:28.188 15
2. Sergio Perez Barwa Addax Team 1:28.241 16
3. Sam Bird ART Grand Prix 1:28.296 16
4. Jerome d’Ambrosio Dams 1:28.303 17
5. Davide Valsecchi iSport International 1:28.609 15
6. Michael Herck DPR 1:28.618 15
7. Pastor Maldonado Rapax 1:28.750 16
8. Christian Vietoris Racing Engineering 1:28.801 15
9. Marcus Ericsson Super Nova Racing 1:29.047 16
10. Jules Bianchi ART Grand Prix 1:29.053 17
11. Giacomo Ricci DPR 1:29.062 15
12. Dani Clos Racing Engineering 1:29.067 15
13. Alberto Valerio Scuderia Coloni 1:29.106 15
14. Oliver Turvey iSport International 1:29.175 13
15. Luca Filippi Super Nova Racing 1:29.234 15
16. Luiz Razia Rapax 1:29.353 15
17. Fabio Leimer Ocean Racing Technology 1:29.434 15
18. Charles Pic Arden International 1:29.436 15
19. Adrian Zaugg Trident Racing 1:29.475 14
20. Johnny Cecotto Trident Racing 1:29.593 17
21. Ho-Pin Tung Dams 1:29.627 16
22. Vladimir Arabadzhiev Scuderia Coloni 1:30.106 16
23. Rodolfo Gonzalez Arden International 1:30.306 16
24. Max Chilton Ocean Racing Technology 1:30.551 16