Gregoire Saucy claims second day of Formula 3 pre-season test

Grégoire Saucy set the fastest time for the second day in a row at the FIA Formula 3 pre-season test in Bahrain.

Grégoire Saucy was fastest for the second day in a row at the Formula 3 pre-season test in Bahrain. (Formula Motorsport Limited)

After topping the opening day of the 2023 season, the ART Grand Prix driver set a time of 1:46.642 in the morning session, which would not be beaten throughout the day.

Gabriele Bortoleto set the first representative lap time with Saucy just two-tenths behind the opening minutes of the morning test.

Saucy set consecutive fastest laps throughout the session, topping the timing sheet ahead of Dino Beganovic and Gabriele Minì.

Competition was tight in the morning session, with the top 15 drivers all within a second of Saucy, with Aussie Hugh Barter narrowly behind in 16th.

Fellow Aussie Christian Mansell was 21st, while Tommy Smith finished the morning session in 30th.

Gabriele Minì and Sebastian Montoya completed the longest runs with 39 laps each.

Josep María Martí was quickly up to the top of the ladder in the afternoon session, with Aussie Tommy Smith and Trident driver Leonardo Fornaroli both swapping the top spot before the sun set and lap times dropped further.

A burst of quick laps in the final 10 minutes saw Minì go fastest with a time of 1:48.175, just a few hundredths ahead of Saucy and Montoya.

Christian Mansell was 14th-fastest, with Hugh Barter 19th, and Tommy Smith 21st in the order.

The field returns on Thursday for the final day of pre-season testing before the 2023 FIA Formula 3 season begins 3-5 March.