PRACTICE: Dunne on form for Rodin Motorsport in Spielberg

Alexander Dunne started Round 7 on the front foot for Rodin Motorsport, winding up quickest in Free Practice on a 1:16.121. The McLaren Development Driver found two late improvements to finish ahead of Gabriele Minì and Arvid Lindblad in the top three.

Luke Browning set the pace with a 1:17.558 for Hitech TGR in the opening 10 minutes, as Jak Crawford went up to second for DAMS Lucas Oil, just two-tenths down on that effort.

Amaury Cordeel was next to go to the top for Rodin, with his 1:17.415 putting him just 0.083s ahead, as Leonardo Fornaroli moved himself up the order to go second for Invicta Racing.

Crawford went back to the top on his next attempt as he dipped into the 1:16s, before Victor Martins delivered a 1:16.764 to usurp him and take P1.

The American driver hit back to go quicker once again with 30 minutes still to go, while Cordeel found another improvement to get within 0.003s of the DAMS driver’s 1:16.728.

Minì then moved PREMA Racing up the order to go quickest of all by 0.2s approaching the halfway point in Practice.

Into the final stages and Crawford improved once again but could only get to second, still one-tenth adrift of Minì’s 1:16.391 before Lindblad cut that advantage down to 0.125s.

Championship leader Dunne then set his personal best time to go quickest with less than 10 minutes left. The Irishman then found another tenth on his next lap, dipping down to a 1:16.121.

Minì wound up second with Lindblad third ahead of Martins and Crawford in the top five. Fornaroli finished sixth ahead of Kush Maini, Richard Verschoor, Ritomo Miyata and Cordeel, the Rodin driver completing the top 10.

Qualifying will take place later this afternoon at 15:55 local time.