Rodin Motorsport's Gianmarco Pradel set the pace as the GB3 Championship event weekend at the Hungaroring got underway with two test sessions on Thursday.
The Australian's best time of 1m38.327s came in the morning's half hour, and was over 1.3 seconds quicker than last year's pole time. He was just under three tenths quicker than teammate Abbi Pulling, with Xcel Motorsport's Patrick Heuzenroeder third quickest.
VRD Racing's Hugo Schwarze was fourth fastest, a couple of tenths further back and 0.065s clear of the lead Argenti with Prema runner of Reza Seewooruthun.
Hitech TGR's Deagen Fairclough was exactly the same distance behind to complete the top-six, with teammate Keanu Al Azhari seventh. The Emirati topped the afternoon session, with track temperatures reaching almost 60 degrees celsius, some 18 degrees warmer than the morning, and lap times over a second slower as a result.
Argenti's Yuanpu Cui set the eighth quickest time, with the Mercedes junior 0.082s ahead of the lead JHR Developments car of Noah Lisle, with the top-10 completed by Cui's teammate Lucas Fluxa.
Rodin's championship leader Alex Ninovic was one of only two drivers to set their best time of the day in the final session, enough to put the Australian 11th quickest.
Track action continues tomorrow with two free practice sessions at 11.36 and 16.59, with both being of 45 minutes duration.
GB3 Championship, partnered by the BRDC, Thursday testing combined result:
1. Gianmarco Pradel, Rodin Motorsport, 1m38.327s
2. Abbi Pulling, Rodin Motorsport, +0.294s
3. Patrick Heuzenroeder, Xcel Motorsport, +0.464s
4. Hugo Schwarze, VRD Racing, +0.694s
5. Reza Seewooruthun, Argenti with Prema, +0.759s
6. Deagen Fairclough, Hitech TGR, +0.824
7. Keanu Al Azhari, Hitech TGR, +0.914s
8. Yuanpu Cui, Argenti with Prema, +0.968s
9. Noah Lisle, JHR Developments, +1.050s
10. Lucas Fluxa, Argenti with Prema, +1.109s
11. Alex Ninovic, Rodin Motorsport, +1.135s
12. Will Macintyre, Elite Motorsport, +1.242s
13. Kai Daryanani, JHR Developments, +1.294s
14. Jack Sherwood, Xcel Motorsport, +1.463s
15. Flynn Jackes, Elite Motorsport, +1.606s
16. Bianca Bustamante, Elite Motorsport, +2.839s