Injured Pla makes cautious return to cockpit.

Returning to the cockpit for the first time since breaking his wrist and hand at Monaco, Olivier Pla filled in for the absent Graham Rahal in the DPR Direxiv car during the mid-season test at Paul Ricard.

With Rahal due to test on one of the two days, Pla was only due to join Clivio Piccione for just a single day but when the American was unable to travel due to the cancelling of a flight, the Frenchman was drafted in for both sessions.

However, with an eye on not stressing his wrist or hand, Pla was given the task of endurance work and together with difficulties turning the car into right-hand corners, the Frenchman could only manage the 24th and 25th fastest times out of 26 at the end of the two days. Nonetheless, he is still targeting a return for his home race at Magny-Cours.

Piccione meanwhile, buoyed by his podium at Silverstone, proved to be one of the pace setters with the sixth fastest time of the day, a result that gives the team confidence ahead of the second half of the season.

"Lap times at a test session are, to be honest, irrelevant as everyone is trying different things at different times," team principal David Price said. "Yes, everyone can put a set of new tyres on at the end of the day, but the results of that shouldn't be seen as the only true indication of what has been learnt or achieved. Both our drivers came away highly satisfied, so all round it was a very good test."