MRF Challenge: Schumacher leads the way

Manama : Mick Schumacher topped the opening day of practice for the MRF Challenge 2016/2017 season-opener by setting the fastest time in practice two.

The German, who is the son of Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher, clocked a best lap of two minutes 00.467 seconds to go one-tenth faster than Australian Joey Mawson.

Earlier in the day, Estonian driver Ralf Aron clocked the fastest time in practice one, finishing ahead of Schumacher and Briton Harrison Newey, who is the son of Formula 1 design guru Adrian Newey.

In the opening session, it was Newey who first went fastest as the other drivers spent time familiarising themselves with the circuit.

Halfway through the session, Newey led with a 2:02.449 ahead of Mawson and Schumacher.

The next 10 minutes saw Newey and Schumacher exchange fastest laps with the latter setting a time of 2:01.370. Newey went one tenth faster (2:01.263) as the session was coming to an end only to be pipped by Italian F4 champion Ralf Aron (2:01.144) on the last timed lap, as Juri Vips and Kimi Schramm completed the top five.

Free practice two saw Mawson wasting no time in getting up to speed and went fastest with a 2:01.783. 

Behind him, Newey and Aron also went fast, but were a couple-of-tenths off the pace. Schumacher (2:00.783)went even faster to set his pole-clinching time. Mawson (2:00.56) was second) with Aron (2:00.89) third, while Rinus van Kalmthout and Manuel Maldonado completed the top five.

All drivers were driving the updated MRF 2000 cars, which feature anew updated Mountune Engine amongst aerodynamic changes. Qualifying takes place today along with the first two of four races this weekend.

“It is my first time driving here so I spent the first few laps familiarising myself with the circuit, which I really enjoyed driving at,” Schumacher said.