F2 – Spanish Grand Prix – Free Practice: Lindblad dominates Barcelona practice, collision between Dunne and Martins

Arvid Lindblad gave Campos Racing an excellent start to the home weekend by setting the fastest time in the free practice of the Formula 2 Spanish Grand Prix. The British driver completed his best lap in 1:27.147, ahead of Alex Dunne by more than two-tenths. Gabriele Minì completed the provisional podium.

The 45-minute session was marked by another collision between Dunne and Victor Martins, just a few days after their clash in Monaco. The incident occurred as the Irishman was returning to the pits after his first fast laps, with Martins driving in front of him. Approaching the pit speed limit line, the Frenchman suddenly slowed down, forcing Dunne to lock his front wheels. Despite his attempts to avoid it, the impact was inevitable and damaged the front wing of the Rodin Motorsport as well as the rear of the ART Grand Prix.

A successful strategy for Campos Racing

The drivers initially chose to wait in the pits during the first few minutes, preferring to save their tires. Richard Verschoor from MP Motorsport was the first to set a benchmark with a time of 1:28.044, quickly beaten by Dunne, who took the lead with a 1:27.425. Minì then climbed to second position, trailing by 0.429 seconds.

While the majority of the field returned to the pits, Campos Racing sent its two drivers out on track. Lindblad took advantage of the clear track to improve the reference time and take the lead, while Josep María Martí finished 14th. The rapid tire degradation prevented any further improvements in the final minutes.

Behind the leading trio, Richard Verschoor took 4th place ahead of DAMS Lucas Oil’s Kush Maini. Ritomo Miyata was the fastest of the ART Grand Prix drivers in 6th position, outpacing his teammate Victor Martins despite the incident. Leonardo Fornaroli, Dino Beganovic, and Oliver Goethe completed the top 10, representing nine different teams.

The championship leader Luke Browning had a difficult session, finishing only 19th, two seconds off the best time. The qualifying will take place today at 3:55 PM.

Dunne sanctioned, Browning in trouble

The stewards quickly responded to the collision by summoning Alex Dunne. After reviewing video evidence and hearing from both drivers, they determined that the Irishman was fully responsible for the accident. Dunne admitted to misjudging Martins’ speed, which resulted in a three-place grid penalty for the sprint and main races.

This penalty is in addition to a ten-place penalty carried over from Monaco, where Dunne had already collided with Martins at the first corner. The Irish driver had also received three penalty points for his responsibility in the incident.