Bianchi tops day one

Ferrari's Jules Bianchi topped the first day of the young driver test at Magny-Cours ahead of Force India's Luiz Razia and Mercedes' Sam Bird.

Ferrari test driver comfortably quickest at Magny-Cours

Ferrari's Jules Bianchi topped the first day of the young driver test at Magny-Cours ahead of Force India's Luiz Razia and Mercedes' Sam Bird. Bianchi, who has driven in seven practice sessions for Force India this season and is also part of Ferrari's young driver programme, ended the day half a second quicker than his nearest rival. His session came to an early stop, though, when an electrical problem on the F2012 brought him to a halt on circuit after 84 laps. Razia, who is second in the GP2 Series standings heading into next week's Singapore finale, got a full day at the wheel of Force India, as the title contender looks to impress ahead of a potential move to Formula 1 in 2013. A spin at Imola, which briefly brought out the red flag, put a dampener on an otherwise impressive day for the Brazilian. Sam Bird was third for Mercedes, but the focus was on their new exhaust and Lotus-style double DRS system rather than the British driver's times. The team have struggled with rear tyre wear throughout the season and while the new exhaust may be a step in the right direction, it showed no immediate effect on pace, with Bird over a second slower than Bianchi. "We've had a very productive first day of the test today and were able to complete everything that we had planned on our programme," Bird said. "It felt great to be back in the car again and I enjoyed every minute of it. I've driven at Magny Cours previously in a Formula 3 car and it was good to experience it today in a Formula One car. The layout here is nice and smooth whilst also being quite challenging. "We've collected a lot of data today which will take some time to sift through this evening and I'm looking forward to another good day tomorrow." Bianchi switches to Force India on Wednesday, with Italian Davide Rigon taking over the Ferrari. Day one times
1. Jules Bianchi - Ferrari - 1:18.070
2. Luiz Razia - Force India - +0.465
3. Sam Bird - Mercedes - +1.024