Kevin Magnussen set the pace in mixed conditions on the first day of Formula Renault 3.5's preseason test at Barcelona.
The Carlin driver looked assured in all conditions, going fastest in the morning rain before setting the ultimate pace as the track dried and times fell in the afternoon. The Dane ended the day as the only driver inside the 1m30s mark, his best nearly 2.5sec faster than the previous series' record on the Catalan circuit.
"I couldn't manage to get the best out of the tires in the wet because I lost performance after two or three laps", Magnussen said. "Things went really well in the dry, though, and we knew where we could gain time. It's just great to be first today."
Lotus's Marco Sorensen finished the day in second, although his time – a 1m30.166s – was matched by Fortec's Robin Frijns.
Kevin Korjus (Tech 1) was the last driver to get within half a second of Magnussen, ending the day fourth fastest ahead of Nick Yelloly (Comtec), Richie Stanaway (Lotus) and Nico Muller (Draco).
Sam Bird ended the day eighth fastest, 1.3sec down the road from Magnussen, having trailed the Dane in the wet morning conditions.
Andre Negrao (Draco) and Jules Bianchi (Tech 1) rounded out the top 10.
Day 1 Times:
Pos Driver Team Time Gap
1. Kevin Magnussen Carlin 1m29.952s
2. Marco Sorensen Lotus 1m30.166s + 0.214s
3. Robin Frijns Fortec Motorsports 1m30.166s + 0.214s
4. Kevin Korjus Tech 1 Racing 1m30.409s + 0.457s
5. Nick Yelloly Comtec Racing 1m30.498s + 0.546s
6. Richie Stanaway Lotus 1m30.582s + 0.630s
7. Nico Muller International Draco 1m30.592s + 0.640s
8. Sam Bird Isr 1m31.295s + 1.343s
9. Andrè Negrao International Draco 1m31.352s + 1.400s
10. Jules Bianchi Tech 1 Racing 1m31.430s + 1.478s
11. Nicolay Martsenko Bvm Target 1m31.472s + 1.520s
12. Jake Rosenzweig Isr 1m31.517s + 1.565s
13. Will Stevens Carlin 1m31.836s + 1.884s
14. Vittorio Ghirelli Comtec Racing 1m32.012s + 2.060s
15. Giovanni Venturini Bvm Target 1m32.018s + 2.066s
16. Alexander Rossi Arden Caterham 1m32.454s + 2.502s
17. Daniil Move P1 Motorsport 1m32.596s + 2.644s
18. Walter Grubmuller P1 Motorsport 1m32.597s + 2.645s
19. Zoel Amberg Pons Racing 1m32.610s + 2.658s
20. Arthur Pic Dams 1m33.169s + 3.217s
21. Anton Nebylitskiy Team Rfr 1m33.604s + 3.652s
22. Lewis Williamson Arden Caterham 1m33.738s + 3.784s
23. Yann Cunha Pons Racing 1m33.970s + 4.018s
24. Mikhail Aleshin Team Rfr 1m34.047s + 4.095s
25. Lucas Foresti Dams 1m38.670s + 8.718s
26. Carlos Huertas Fortec Motorsports 1m56.132s + 21.180s