Nobuharu Matsushita claimed the first day honours after topping this afternoon's FIA Formula 2 Championship pre-season test in Barcelona, stopping the clock halfway through the session with a time of 1:29.061 to lead ART Grand Prix teammate Alexander Albon and Norman Nato, who both finished on the same time, by just under a tenth and top this morning's best time set by Johnny Cecotto by almost two tenths.

The sun came out for this afternoon's 3 hour session, with Sean Gelael the first driver to set a competitive time as the teams finished their installation work a third of the way through the session. Matsushita grabbed the top spot at the 1hr20 mark and was never displaced, despite some strong work from Albon, Gustav Malja, Charles Leclerc, Cecotto and finally Nato as the clock wound down to zero.

The Japanese driver had time to practice pitstops with his team in the closing minutes of the session as his rivals tried in vain to top his times, with most conceding defeat and joining him in the pits over the closing minutes. The sunny conditions contrasted with this morning's gloomier weather, when the test opened to overcast but dry conditions as the teams worked on their set ups before heading out on track.

Jordan King and Luca Ghiotto were the early targets with Oliver Rowland looking like he would claim the honours late in the session, before a last lap by Cecotto grabbed the morning's top spot with a time of 1:29.239, ahead of Rowland and Matsushita. The Japanese driver will be quietly happy with his first day's work, but his rivals will be looking to rain on his parade when action restarts tomorrow morning.

Morning results

1. Johnny Cecotto Rapax 1:29.239
2. Oliver Rowland DAMS 1:29.355
3. Nobuharu Matsushita ART Grand Prix 1:29.552
4. Nyck De Vries Rapax 1:29.625
5. Norman Nato Pertamina Arden 1:29.674
6. Luca Ghiotto RUSSIAN TIME 1:29.727
7. Nicholas Latifi DAMS 1:29.743
8. Charles Leclerc PREMA Racing 1:29.928
9. Alexander Albon ART Grand Prix 1:30.018
10. Sean Gelael Pertamina Arden 1:30.162
11. Artem Markelov RUSSIAN TIME 1:30.188
12. Gustav Malja Racing Engineering 1:30.365
13. Antonio Fuoco PREMA Racing 1:30.433
14. Jordan King MP Motorsport 1:30.672
15. Sergio Canamasas Trident 1:30.901
16. Ralph Boschung Campos Racing 1:30.992
17. Sergio Sette Camara MP Motorsport 1:31.072
18. Nabil Jeffri Trident 1:31.230
19. Roberto Merhi Campos Racing 1:31.470
20. Louis Delétraz Racing Engineering 1:31.591

Afternoon results

1. Nobuharu Matsushita ART Grand Prix 1:29.061
2. Alexander Albon ART Grand Prix 1:29.157
3. Norman Nato Pertamina Arden 1:29.157
4. Gustav Malja Racing Engineering 1:29.230
5. Johnny Cecotto Rapax 1:29.356
6. Louis Delétraz Racing Engineering 1:29.699
7. Oliver Rowland DAMS 1:29.725
8. Artem Markelov RUSSIAN TIME 1:29.750
9. Charles Leclerc PREMA Racing 1:29.756
10. Luca Ghiotto RUSSIAN TIME 1:29.976
11. Nicholas Latifi DAMS 1:30.113
12. Sean Gelael Pertamina Arden 1:30.160
13. Sergio Sette Camara MP Motorsport 1:30.278
14. Sergio Canamasas Trident 1:30.297
15. Jordan King MP Motorsport 1:30.330
16. Ralph Boschung Campos Racing 1:30.470
17. Nyck De Vries Rapax 1:30.475
18. Antonio Fuoco PREMA Racing 1:30.671
19. Roberto Merhi Campos Racing 1:31.697
20. Nabil Jeffri Trident 1:32.113