Kevin Korjus Storms To GP3 Pole But Incurs Penalty

GP3 debutant Kevin Korjus has stormed to his and Koiranen GP’s maiden GP3 pole after a thrilling qualifying session around Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, but will incur a ten-place grid penalty after allegedly ignoring yellow flags during Friday practice. This will therefore see Tio Ellinas start from pole alongside Patric Niederhauser.

The first ever qualifying session for GP3’s new GP3/13 machine got underway in dry conditions around Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, with Russian debutant Daniil Kvyat leading out a long queue of awaiting drivers once the session began. His team-mate Robert Visoiu set the early benchmark for MW Arden with a 01:38.191, which was quickly smashed by the third MW Arden of local driver Carlos Sainz jr. However, MW Arden’s reign was short-lived, as Koiranen GP’s Kevin Korjus stormed to the top with a 01:35.920.

As the 30-minute session progressed, the times at the top continued to tumble as the likes of Tio Ellinas, David Fumanelli and Patric Niederhauser all rose to the top with the latter setting a 01:34.809 for Jenzer Motorsport. Singapore-born British driver Melville McKee endured a tough first qualifying session for Bamboo Engineering, as the 18-year-old spun at Turn 9 on his way to 22nd on the grid. After returning to the pits for a fresh set of tyres, Carlos Sainz jr. returned to the top with a 01:34.733, before Kevin Korjus continued to improve with a 01:34.619.

Throughout the final minutes of the session, the quest for pole intensified as Tio Ellinas stormed to the top with a 01:34.233 before team-mate Ryan Cullen spun his Marussia Manor Racing machine at Turn 12. This caused a momentary yellow flag period as his car was retrieved, before Kevin Korjus blitzed the opposition with a 01:34.193. However, after ignoring yellow flags during practice earlier in the weekend, the Estonian driver will incur a ten-place grid penalty allowing Tio Ellinas to start on pole alongside Patric Niederhauser.

The opening race of the 2013 GP3 season will get underway later in the day, in what will surely be a thrilling 16-lap event. Both Tio Ellinas and Patric Niederhauser are in their second seasons in the Series, and will unquestionably have victory in their sights once the lights go out later this afternoon.

Picture Copyright © Malcolm Griffiths/GP3 Series Media Service