The Dams ace signed the quickest laptime this morning in a 1:13.278 ahead of both Piquet Sports cars. The  GP2  Series  circus  gathered  in  Le  Castellet  for  a  two-day  test  session.  The  teams  are preparing for the 2009 GP2 Series but also for the second season of GP2 Asia - which will start in less than three weeks in Shanghai. On  the  3D  track  of  3,853  Km,  the  2008  GP2  Champions,  Barwa  International  Campos  Team, tested  with Vitaly Petrov along with Mexican newcomer Sergio Perez. Meanwhile, 2008 runner-up iSport  International  worked  with  Frenchman  Nelson  Philippe  and  Brazilian  Diego  Nunes. 

His countryman Alberto Valerio, together with Spaniard Roldan Rodriguez, drove for Piquet Sports. But it was Toyota’s F1 third driver Kamui Kobayashi who was fastest this morning at the wheel of his Dams car, closely followed by the two Piquet Sports men, Valerio and Roldan Rodriguez. Also quick  was  Andreas  Zuber  at  the  wheel  of  the  Fisichella  Motor  Sport  International  car.  He  will  be replaced by Italian driver Fabrizio Crestani this afternoon.

Sam Bird – also testing with Dams today – completed the Top 5. Belgium   Bertrand   Baguette   will   be   replaced   by   Spaniard   Dani   Clos   this   afternoon   at  BCN Cometicion.

Morning session Driver Nationality Team Time Laps 1. Kamui Kobayashi JPN Dams 1:13.278 25 2. Alberto Valerio BRA Piquet Sports 1:13.586 31 3. Roldan Rodriguez ESP Piquet Sports 1:13.648 36 4. Andreas Zuber UAE Fisichella Motor Sport Int. 1:13.672 37 5. Sam Bird GBR Dams 1:14.075 42 6. Sergio Perez MEX Barwa Int. Campos Team 1:14.075 51 7. Davide Valsecchi ITA Durango 1:14.113 23 8. Michael Herck ROM DPR 1:14.149 42 9. Diego Nunes BRA iSport International 1:14.154 43 10. Nelson Philippe FRA iSport International 1:14.203 36 11. Carlos Iaconelli BRA Durango 1:14.588 32 12. Paul Di Resta GBR ART Grand Prix 1:14.620 29 13. Olivier Turvey GBR ART Grand Prix 1:15.091 25 14. Bertrand Baguette BEL BCN Competicion 1:15.125 53 15. Renger Van der Zande NDL Trust Team Arden 1:15.158 32 16. Vitaly Petrov RUS Barwa Int. Campos Team 1:15.169 14 17. Koudai Tsukakoshi JPN Trust Team Arden 1:15.175 31 18. Vladimir Arabadzhiev BUL Super Nova Racing 1:15.334 46 19. Will Bratt GBR DPR 1:15.340 55 20 Luiz Razia BRA Racing Engineering 1:15.351 33 21. Fabio Onidi ITA BCN Competicion 1:15.369 39 22. Narin Karthikeyan IND Trident Racing 1:15.407 39 23. Christian Ebbesvic NOR Racing Engineering 1:15.692 30 24. James Jakes GBR Super Nova Racing 1:15.722 34 25 Kevin Nai Chia Chen TW Fisichella Motor Sport Int. 1:18.580 34