The race engines came back to life for the 2016 season today at Montmelò as AVF lined-up in the Formula V8 preseason collective test scheduled at the venue near Barcelona. The team, led by Adrián Vallés, ran with 2016 drivers Tom Dillmann and Alfonso Celis, delivering strong results straight away.
In the opening session, the Frenchman set the second fastest mark of the field, while his Mexican team-mate rounded out the top-5. With higher temperatures and deteriorating track conditions, the team decided to focus on longer runs in the afternoon.
Alfonso Celis Jr. (#15) Morning: P5 1:31.821 – 36 laps
Afternoon: P13 1:32.246 - 39 laps
“I spent the day re-adapting to this car, as I was coming back after driving in Formula 1. Everything is so different, from the car itself to the tires, so it took a while to get back in tune. Regaining the right pace was the goal for today, and the results prove that we successfully accomplished the mission".
Tom Dillmann (#16) Morning: P2 1:31.289 – 48 laps
Afternoon: P14 1:32.810 - 31 laps
"It felt good to get behind the wheel again after a long time. We have to focus on the set-up, because the conditions are really different compared to what we experienced before. The track is three seconds per lap slower and marks to hit are different too. We used only one set of new tyres in the morning and then we focused on long runs and on the race set-up in the afternoon".