Ending a month-long break, the Formula V8 3.5 series lined-up today at Circuit Paul Ricard in France for the opening practice session for the French event. Teams and drivers went on-track with nice weather and temperatures around 29°C, with a further increase set for the afternoon.
Setting the fastest lap of the day so far was Egor Orudzhev (Arden Motorsport), who lapped in 1:40.606 to edge best rookie and Renault Sport Academy driver Louis Delétraz (Fortec Motorsports) by 0.153s. Home hero Aurélien Panis (Arden Motorsport) finished third. Another Frenchman, Matthieu Vaxiviere (SMP Racing), held the point at half session before ending up in 8th.
Making his series debut in Le Castellet, Polish racer Artur Janosz (RP Motorsport) set the 13th fastest lap.
The second session of free practice will be held this afternoon from 13:10 to 14:00.
Press release