Conor Daly Takes Maiden GP3 Victory In Spain
American driver Conor Daly has taken his maiden race victory in GP3, after a splendid drive during the sprint race at the Circuit de Catalunya. Pole man from the reverse grid Robert Visoiu came home in 2nd place, with Finnish driver Matias Laine 3rd just over four seconds from the eventual winner.
After a night of heavy rain, the tracks grip levels were exceedingly diminished in comparison to yesterdays feature race. With only minutes until the start of the race, Lotus GP were taking no chances with the threatening weather and began preparing wet tyres for any rain that might interfere with the race.
At the start, Series rookie Tio Ellinas got a stunning getaway, and sprinted off into the lead. However, question marks quickly arose over whether the Cypriot jumped the start, and sure enough several laps later he was penalized with a drive through penalty.
Further down the order, carnage ensued as Tamas Pal Kiss made slight contact with William Buller. This forced the Hungarian driver off the track and onto the still damp grass, resulting in Pal Kiss collecting several other cars as he slid across the track at turn 4. These unfortunate drivers’ were Dmitry Suranovich, Antonio Spavone and Robert Cregan, all of which were forced to retire from the race.
After a magnificent race yesterday, feature race winner Mitch Evans suffered a frustrating start to the sprint race, as the Kiwi picked up a left rear puncture which forced an unscheduled pit-stop. However, upon returning to the track the MW Arden driver proceeded to make up lost ground. He eventually finished the race a distant 20th, just under a minute from winner Daly.
It wasn’t until lap 5 that race leader Ellinas eventually took his drive-through penalty, and when he did so Conor Daly assumed the lead for Lotus. Upon taking the lead, Conor Daly never looked back as he stormed away at the front, leaving pole man Visoiu in 2nd place.
As if MW Arden’s race hadn’t already been hampered by the puncture on Evans’ car, his team-mate David Fumanelli was issued a drive-through penalty for setting a fast sector time during yellow flag conditions, a penalty which demoted the Italian down to 17th. Rookie Fabiano Machado also suffered an unsatisfactory end to his race, after spinning all by himself as Japanese driver Kotaro Sakurai passed the Brazilian.
Alice Powell had a fantastic race in comparison to yesterday, when she was taken out after only two corners on her GP3 debut. After starting from 25th on the grid, the former Formula Renault BARC Champion stormed through the field to finish 11th in only her second ever race for the team.
As the checkered flag emerged, it was Conor Daly who stormed across the line with his fist the air, taking his maiden GP3 victory as he enters his second season in the Series.
Picture Copyright © Daniel Kalisz/GP3 Series Media Service
Antonio Felix da Costa Secures Pole Position For GP3 In Spain
Portuguese driver Antonio Felix da Costa has secured pole position for the opening round of the 2012 GP3 Series, only seven one hundredths-of-a-second ahead of Conor Daly with Aaro Vainio close behind in 3rd. The top three all qualified within a tenth of one another, confirming that this GP3 season will be as competitive as the last.
After the practice session yesterday, the MW Arden of Matias Laine was quickest and it was his team-mate David Fumanelli who led the queue of cars out on track as the session got underway. It was also the Italian driver who set the first timed lap of the qualifying session, with a 01:45.907.
The majority of the fields qualifying runs were unfortunately hampered early on as the Ocean Racing Technology car of Kevin Ceccon stopped just before turn 14. This forced the marshals to collect the stricken car, thus resulting in yellow flags being waved throughout the final complex of corners. As the marshals bravely retrieved the Italian’s car, every driver had to visibly show the race stewards they had backed off through the yellow flag zone, thus preventing anyone from completing a truly competitive lap.
However, this was not the case for series rookie Tio Ellinas who went fastest during this period with a 01:40.183. With Vicky Piria being issued a 10-place grid penalty after supposedly ignoring yellow flags during yesterdays practice session, it was expected the same penalty would befall the young Cypriot. It was later announced the race stewards would investigate Ellinas.
As Ceccon’s stricken car was successfully removed, the session returned to green flag conditions. This enabled many drivers to set fastest laps, with Championship favorite Mitch Evans setting a 01:39.511 before Antonio Felix da Costa pipped him with a 01:39.275. The Kiwi then went faster still, as the two drivers continued to battle it out for the top spot.
With less than five minutes remaining, American driver Conor Daly went fastest with a 01:39.167. The son of the former F1 driver Derek Daly is competing in his second season in GP3, and will be aiming for race victories racing for Lotus GP.
Patric Niederhauser momentarily went fastest with a 01:38.988 before the Carlin of da Costa finally returned to the top with a 01:38.642. Daly and Aaro Vainio were able to slot neatly into 2nd and 3rd respectively, with Mitch Evans back in 4th. William Buller ended the session beached in the gravel trap at turn 4, after loosing the rear end on what had the potential to be a fast lap.
The GP3 drivers’ have to now patiently wait for the Formula 1 and GP2 track events to take place, before the all-important GP3 feature race later this afternoon.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Antonio Felix da Costa Carlin 1m38.642s 2. Conor Daly Lotus 1m38.720s + 0.078s 3. Aaro Vainio Lotus 1m38.732s + 0.090s 4. Mitch Evans MW Arden 1m38.835s + 0.193s 5. Marlon Stockinger Status 1m38.867s + 0.225s 6. Tio Ellinas Manor 1m38.894s + 0.252s 7. Daniel Abt Lotus 1m38.945s + 0.303s 8. Patric Niederhauser Jenzer 1m38.988s + 0.346s 9. Matias Laine MW Arden 1m39.151s + 0.509s 10. Dmitry Suranovich Manor 1m39.164s + 0.522s 11. David Fumanelli MW Arden 1m39.175s + 0.533s 12. Tamas Pal Kiss Atech CRS 1m39.201s + 0.559s 13. Alex Brundle Carlin 1m39.228s + 0.586s 14. William Buller Carlin 1m39.512s + 0.870s 15. Robert Visoiu Jenzer 1m39.553s + 0.911s 16. Kotaro Sakurai Status 1m39.701s + 1.059s 17. Antonio Spavone Trident 1m39.932s + 1.290s 18. Alice Powell Status 1m40.002s + 1.360s 19. Fabiano Machado Manor 1m40.278s + 1.636s 20. John Wartique Atech CRS 1m40.578s + 1.936s 21. Ethan Ringel Atech CRS 1m40.640s + 1.998s 22. Jakub Klasterka Jenzer 1m41.053s + 2.411s 23. Robert Cregan Ocean 1m41.112s + 2.470s 24. Carmen Jorda Ocean 1m42.066s + 3.424s 25. Vicky Piria Trident 1m43.509s + 4.867s 26. Kevin Ceccon Ocean
Picture Copyright © Daniel Kalisz/GP3 Series Media Service
Alexander Rossi To Drive For Caterham In FP1 At Spain
As Caterham gear up for the Spanish Grand Prix on Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, it has been announced that American driver Alexander Rossi will replace Heikki Kovalainen on Friday morning during FP1. This comes after Rossi was announced as the teams test driver alongside Giedo van der Garde in March.
Alexander Rossi has previously raced in the GP3 Series and World Series by Renault, winning races in both Championships. The American had a highly competitive season in the World Series by Renault Championship last year, after winning a stunning 9 races on his way to 3rd in the Drivers’ Championship behind current F1 rookie Jean-Eric Vergne and Robert Wickens.
“I am looking forward to getting back into the F1 car in Spain and I want to thank the team for the chance to run in FP1 in Barcelona.” Explained Alexander Rossi, “I have a clear goal for the session – make sure I run to the plan set by the engineers, not make any mistakes and learn as much as I can over the whole weekend. I know how much I will be able to take from my time with the team back to my Formula Renault 3.5 commitments and I know the team will do everything they can to help me maximize my performance on Friday.”
Heikki Kovalainen will naturally return to the car for the remainder of the weekend, as Caterham continue to reel in the midfield teams. Alexander Rossi will be the first American driver to step into a Formula 1 car during a Grand Prix weekend since Scott Speed did so with Toro Rosso in 2007.
Alexander Rossi Set For Busy 2012 Season
American driver Alexander Rossi has today been announced as Caterham F1’s test driver for the 2012 season. This move will see him compete in several Friday practice sessions, as well as compete in the 2012 Word Series by Renault Championship for the Arden-Caterham outfit.
Alexander Rossi competed in the inaugural GP3 season in 2010, ending the year 4th overall after a competitive season with ART Grand Prix. The American won two races, including several podium finishes throughout the course of the season. In 2011, he competed in his first full season of the World Series by Renault, ending the season 3rd overall after a highly competitive campaign which saw him win 9 of the 17 races throughout the year.
With a second season in the World Series by Renault planned for Rossi, coupled with Friday running in Formula 1 with Caterham, Alexander Rossi has a promising 2012 season ahead of him. A potential championship contender in the World Series by Renault, he could well be set to join the likes of Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo in Formula 1 in the next few years.
“I am absolutely delighted that we have been able to make this dual announcement today.” Explained an elated Alexander Rossi, “My goal to be in Formula One is one step closer after being signed as Test Driver for Caterham F1 Team. I want to thank Tony Fernandes, Kamarudin Meranun and Riad Asmat for their trust in me and long-term commitment to my career. The Caterham F1 Team support, coupled with the efforts of my management and investors, has brought my goal of reaching an F1 race seat one step closer.”
With an American Grand Prix scheduled towards the end of season, Alexander Rossi seems to have become a Formula 1 test driver at exactly the right time. If he impresses enough throughout the 2012 season, Rossi could well find himself in Ricciardo’s shoes and racing in F1 at his home race in November.
Picture Copyright © Caterham Racing
Lotus GP Sign American Conor Daly For GP3
Lotus GP have this morning announced their third and final driver for the 2012 GP3 Series, in 20-year-old American driver Conor Daly. He joins Daniel Abt and Aaro Vainio at the team, who have won every GP3 Championship to date.
Last season, Daly competed in both the GP3 Series with Carlin Motorsport and the American Indy Lights Series with Sam Schmidt Motorsports. The Indy Lights Series is the feeder series to IndyCar and is equivalent to how GP2 and GP3 work with Formula 1.
Throughout his first season in GP3, he consistently finished all but one race throughout the year, finishing as high a 6th on two occasions. The American only took part in five races throughout the Indy Lights Series, winning the race at Long Beach, as well as finishing 2nd at the season opening race at St. Petersburg.
Conor Daly and Lotus GP worked together for the first time at a test at the Jerez circuit in December last year, with Daly showing his quality by finishing his day within the top 10.
“I am very pleased to be with the Lotus GP team in 2012!” Explained Conor Daly, “The team has had an incredible history of success and have certainly been the team to beat in GP3. The goal in the off-season was to try and put myself in the best position to try and win the championship this year and I have no doubt that I’ve got the best chance to do so with Lotus GP. I was fortunate enough to test with the team at the end of 2011 and was extremely happy with what I was able to learn. I now look forward to learning more during pre-season testing from the team and my new teammates. I have to thank everyone who made this happen and I can’t wait to get the 2012 season rolling!”
The 2012 GP3 Series kicks off in May supporting the Spanish Grand Prix, with several pre-season tests taking place beforehand at both the Circuit de Catalunya and Silverstone.
Williams Part Company With Title Sponsor AT&T
It was officially announced today that Williams have parted company with their title sponsor AT&T, with their logos disappearing from the teams website earlier today. This comes after the teams most unsuccessful season in their long and colorful history in the sport as they finished the season with only five points from 19 races.
The American multi-national telecommunications company have been the teams title sponsor for five years after Williams split from their BMW partnership that had lasted since the 2000 season. With Williams promising better results in the up-and-coming 2012 season, they now not only have to find themselves a second driver, but also a title sponsor. It has become apparent through Reuters that the team are now currently undergoing negotiations with another telecommunications company, with other sources hinting that this particular company could turn out to be Qtel, the Qatar national telecommunications company.
Either way, there is no denying that Williams have an uphill struggle to find success in 2012, even though they will have the backing of Renault engines. Williams found huge amounts of success with Renault in the 1990s with Nigel Mansell (1992), Alain Prost (1993), Damon Hill (1996) and Jacques Villeneuve (1997) all being crowned Champions driving a Williams-Renault.
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