Marciello ends GP2 debut fastest after day one of post-season test
Reigning FIA Formula 3 Euro Series Champion Raffaele Marciello has ended the opening day of the GP2 post-season test fastest around Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit, after making his first appearance in the Series with Trident Racing. Alexander Rossi topped the morning session for Caterham, ahead of Daniel Abt and Johnny Cecotto.
With the GP2 season now at a conclusion after yet another thrilling finale around the Yas Marina Circuit, the Series retook to the tricky 5.554km circuit to carry out their traditional post-season test. As per usual a combination of returnees and debutants got behind the wheel of the numerous machines for the opening day of the test, with Pirelli nominating the medium tyre compound for the three days of track action. Johnny Cecotto set the initial pace in the morning session with a 01:50.642, ahead of former Arden International team-mate Mitch Evans.
The morning session ran relatively incident-free, apart from a brief red flag delay when rookie Denis Nagulin stopped for Venezuela GP Lazarus. Once the Russian’s car had been retrieved by the marshals, Alexander Rossi proceeded to rise to the top of the timing sheets for Caterham. The American sensation took his maiden GP2 race victory around the Yas Marina Circuit last weekend, and looked on fine form once again as he managed to produce the first timed lap of the day below the 01:50s with a 01:49.958. During the final minutes of the session Daniel Abt slotted into 2nd position for Hilmer Motorsport, with Johnny Cecotto 3rd for Venezuela GP Lazarus.
Alexander Rossi ended the morning session fastest ahead of Daniel Abt and Johnny Cecotto.
After allowing the GP3 Series to take to the Yas Marina Circuit for their opening day of track action, the evening session began under the iconic floodlights. Monegasque driver Stephane Richelmi managed to set the initial benchmark for DAMS, before former GP3 driver Carlos Sainz rose to the top for MW Arden. The Spanish sensation remained at the top of the timing sheets for the majority of the evening session, with the likes of Stoffel Vandoorne, Will Stevens, Rene Binder and Daniel Abt all gradually lowering the gap at the front.
However, with only one hour remaining in the opening day of the test, rookie Raffaele Marciello stormed to the top for Trident Racing with an impressive 01:49.811. Shortly after rising to the top for the Italian outfit, the second red flag delay of the day occurred when Alexander Rossi was forced to come to a halt out on the circuit after picking up a puncture due to a flat-spot. Despite the session being resumed for a short period before the conclusion, Raffaele Marciello managed to remain fastest ahead of Carlos Sainz and Daniel Abt with Johnny Cecotto 4th.
The GP2 fraternity will return to the Yas Marina Circuit tomorrow for the second day of track action, with numerous driver changes scheduled to ripple throughout the paddock. Jolyon Palmer will join Stephane Richelmi at DAMS, Sam Bird will return to GP2 to replace the still-injured Tom Dillmann at Russian Time whilst reigning British Formula Three Champion Jordan King will make his GP2 debut at Barwa Addax.
Morning times Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Alexander Rossi Caterham 1m49.958s 22 2. Daniel Abt Hilmer 1m50.608s 20 3. Johnny Cecotto Lazarus 1m50.643s 12 4. Mitch Evans Russian Time 1m50.722s 20 5. Raffaele Marciello Trident 1m50.812s 20 6. Daniel De Jong MP Motorsport 1m51.038s 15 7. Nico Muller Arden 1m51.144s 23 8. Stephane Richelmi DAMS 1m51.152s 20 9. Will Stevens MP Motorsport 1m51.210s 21 10. Rene Binder Arden 1m51.234s 25 11. Simon Trummer Rapax 1m51.515s 23 12. Carlos Sainz Carlin 1m51.536s 20 13. Jazeman Jaafar Carlin 1m51.620s 27 14. Julian Leal Trident 1m51.627s 13 15. Andre Negrao Hilmer 1m51.734s 21 16. Rio Haryanto Racing Engineering 1m51.779s 24 17. Jolyon Palmer Racing Engineering 1m51.966s 21 18. Rodolfo Gonzalez Addax 1m52.056s 13 19. Stoffel Vandoorne ART 1m52.357s 28 20. Arthur Pic ART 1m52.422s 28 21. Artem Markelov Russian Time 1m52.763s 17 22. Sandy Stuvik Rapax 1m52.772s 20 23. Nikolay Martsenko Addax 1m53.419s 18 24. Denis Magulin Lazarus 1m55.231s 20 25. Facu Regalia Caterham no time 1 Afternoon times Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Raffaele Marciello Trident 1m49.811s 17 2. Carlos Sainz Carlin 1m49.967s 28 3. Daniel Abt Hilmer 1m50.120s 25 4. Johnny Cecotto Lazarus 1m50.206s 19 5. Jolyon Palmer Racing Engineering 1m50.238s 28 6. Mitch Evans Russian Time 1m50.279s 22 7. Rene Binder Arden 1m50.291s 22 8. Will Stevens MP Motorsport 1m50.392s 26 9. Andre Negrao Hilmer 1m50.411s 26 10. Facu Regalia Caterham 1m50.525s 29 11. Stoffel Vandoorne ART 1m50.538s 23 12. Arthur Pic ART 1m50.547s 26 13. Simon Trummer Rapax 1m50.610s 27 14. Julian Leal Trident 1m50.631s 26 15. Nicol Muller Arden 1m50.634s 20 16. Rio Haryanto Racing Engineering 1m50.712s 24 17. Stephane Richelmi DAMS 1m50.791s 27 18. Artem Markelov Russian Time 1m50.900s 25 19. Rodolfo Gonzalez Addax 1m50.993s 25 20. Daniel De Jong MP Motorsport 1m51.106s 22 21. Jazeman Jaafar Carlin 1m51.261s 22 22. Nikolay Martsenko Addax 1m51.339s 30 23. Sandy Stuvik Rapax 1m51.343s 24 24. Alexander Rossi Caterham 1m52.006s 35 25. Denis Nagulin Lazarus 1m53.510s 24
Picture(s) Copyright © Sam Bloxham & Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
Marcus Ericsson pips Alexander Rossi to GP2 pole at Abu Dhabi
Marcus Ericsson has stormed to his third pole position in the GP2 Series, after a thrilling qualifying session for the final feature race of the season. The Swedish ace only just managed to deny Alexander Rossi the luxury of securing his maiden pole in the Series, with Championship rivals Sam Bird and Fabio Leimer 3rd and 5th respectively.
The final qualifying session of the season began under the floodlights around the Yas Marina Circuit, as Simon Trummer lead out a long queue of drivers once the session finally got underway. During the opening minutes of the session almost the entire field immediately took to the track, with only the ART Grand Prix duo of James Calado and Daniel Abt remaining in the pit-lane. As the many drivers out on track jostled for a clean lap, Championship contender Stefano Coletti produced the first timed lap of the session with a 01:59.714.
Alexander Rossi narrowly missed out on what would’ve been his maiden GP2 pole.
Naturally the times quickly began to tumble as the qualifying session continued, as the likes of Simon Trummer, Jolyon Palmer and Alexander Rossi each contributed in lowering the benchmark with the latter producing a 01:49.675. As the battle for pole raged on at the sharp-end of the order, Felipe Nasr and Alexander Rossi came perilously close to colliding at Turns 8 and 9 but somehow managed to avoid each other. Jolyon Palmer soon managed to return to the top with a 01:49.376 for Carlin, before Alexander Rossi produced a sensational final sector to storm to the top with a 01:49.276 which included narrowly avoiding the slow moving ART Grand Prix of Daniel Abt.
Meanwhile the private battle between the main two Championship contenders raged on behind the fight for provisional pole, as Fabio Leimer managed to rise ahead of rival Sam Bird into 3rd position. However, the Championship leader then suffered a major lock-up at Turns 8 and 9 which scuppered his next flying lap. As the session ensued many drivers came under investigation by the race stewards for varying misdemeanors centralized around potential blocking maneuvers, including Gianmarco Raimondo, James Calado, Daniel Abt and Alexander Rossi.
After enjoying an highly competitive start to the season for Rapax, Stefano Coletti has only just managed to cling on to the Championship fight at the front as the season draws to a conclusion. The Monegasque driver was visibly pushing his car through the first sector in a bid to rise up the order, however this ended in a string of errors which ultimately ruined his lap. After running perilously wide at the high-speed Turn 4, Coletti then completely cut Turn 6 after carrying way too much speed.
As many of the drivers up and down the gird prepared to return to the Yas Marina Circuit on fresh tyres in a bid to improve their position, Daniel Abt’s qualifying session simply failed to improve as the German’s left-rear wheel worked it’s way loose and fell off. This caused a momentary red flag delay as the car and wheel was removed by the marshals, therefore forcing everyone who had returned to the track on new tyres to frustratingly return to the pits.
After a delay of several minutes as Daniel Abt’s stricken ART Grand Prix car was removed along with it’s rogue wheel, the session was resumed in a flurry of freneticism as Rio Haryanto led out almost the entire field at once. Such was the urge to return to the track that Julian Leal almost collected Marcus Ericsson on his way out of the pits, which unsurprisingly saw him come under investigation by the stewards for an unsafe release. Despite relatively fresh tyres, neither Sam Bird or Fabio Leimer were able to challenge for pole position, as Marcus Ericsson asserted his authority over proceedings with a 01:48.924. This time enabled the Swedish sensation to secure pole position for DAMS, and will see him start the all-important feature alongside the Caterham of Alexander Rossi.
With Stefano Coletti qualifying way down in 18th position for Rapax, the Championship is now realistically only between the Racing Engineering of Fabio Leimer and the Russian Time of Sam Bird. Both drivers will start tomorrow’s race in the same vicinity of the grid, creating what will surely be a mouth-watering final feature race of what has been a superlative GP2 season.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Marcus Ericsson DAMS 1m48.924s 2. Alexander Rossi Caterham 1m48.931s +0.007s 3. Sam Bird Russian Time 1m49.241s +0.317s 4. Jolyon Palmer Carlin 1m49.376s +0.452s 5. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering 1m49.485s +0.561s 6. Tom Dillmann Russian Time 1m49.672s +0.748s 7. Johnny Cecotto Jr Arden 1m49.680s +0.756s 8. Jon Lancaster Hilmer 1m49.827s +0.903s 9. Felipe Nasr Carlin 1m49.829s +0.905s 10. Stephane Richelmi DAMS 1m49.835s +0.911s 11. Dani Clos MP 1m49.846s +0.922s 12. Mitch Evans Arden 1m49.864s +0.940s 13. Sergio Canamasas Caterham 1m49.951s +1.027s 14. James Calado ART 1m50.002s +1.078s 15. Rio Haryanto Addax 1m50.334s +1.410s 16. Nathanael Berthon Trident 1m50.446s +1.522s 17. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs Hilmer 1m50.510s +1.586s 18. Stefano Coletti Rapax 1m50.534s +1.610s 19. Julian Leal Racing Engineering 1m50.553s +1.629s 20. Simon Trummer Rapax 1m50.634s +1.710s 21. Jake Rosenzweig Addax 1m50.809s +1.885s 22. Rene Binder Lazarus 1m50.884s +1.960s 23. Daniel de Jong MP 1m50.906s +1.982s 24. Daniel Abt ART 1m50.907s +1.983s 25. Vittorio Ghirelli Lazarus 1m51.493s +2.569s 26. Gianmarco Raimondo Trident 1m52.311s +3.387s
Picture(s) Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
Tom Dillmann Remains Fastest At GP2 Jerez Test
Tom Dillmann has continued to top the timing sheets at Jerez, during the second day of GP2 testing at the Spanish circuit. The Frenchman, driving for rookie outfit Hilmer Motorsport, ended the morning session fastest overall, whereas Monaco’s Stephane Richelmi managed to set the fastest time in the afternoon period.
In similar circumstances to the opening day, the second day of track action at Jerez dawned in clear yet chilly weather conditions. British driver James Calado set the initial pace for ART Grand Prix, before the Carlin of Felipe Nasr rose to the top with the first time in the 01:25s. The session was brought to a brief halt early on as the DAMS of Marcus Ericsson spun into the gravel at Turn 10, becoming the first of many to make an error in the morning period.
Although the session was quickly resumed, Nathaniel Berthon brought proceedings to another brief delay after the Trident Racing driver spun and stopped out on track. No sooner had the session been resumed when Felipe Nasr made an error through Turn 3. Tom Dillmann became the next driver to assert his authority over proceedings, before an incident between Daniel Abt and Adrian Quaife-Hobbs brought proceedings to yet another momentary delay.
The remainder of the morning session ran relatively incident-free thereafter, as James Calado momentarily rose to the top before Tom Dillmann returned his Hilmer Motorsport machine to the top of the timing sheets. The Frenchman’s time of a 01:24.400 remained unchallenged as the incident-filled morning period drew to a conclusion, with Dillmann being followed by Stefano Coletti in 2nd and James Calado in 3rd.
Stephane Richelmi was fastest in the afternoon period for DAMS.
During the two hour lunch break the temperature at Jerez dipped slightly, as grey clouds began to gather above the circuit. After setting the fastest time in the morning session, Tom Dillmann continued his competitiveness at the front by setting an early benchmark. In stark contrast to the morning period, the afternoon session ran relatively incident-free, as the majority of the order centralized their running around long race simulations.
With only one hour remaining on the clock, Monegasque driver Stephane Richelmi stormed to the top with a 01:24.604. Despite this time being several tenths off of Tom Dillmann’s quickest time set in the morning period, Richelmi remained fastest as the day drew to a conclusion. Stefano Coletti caused a brief red flag delay in the final minutes of the day after the Italian driver ran slightly wide at Turn 1. Stephane Richelmi, however, remained on top as the checkered flag was brought out. The DAMS driver was followed at the top by Tom Dillmann and Johnny Cecotto jr. The third and final day of the GP2 Jerez test is scheduled to begin at 9am local time tomorrow morning.
Morning session: Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps 1. Tom Dillmann Hilmer 1m24.400s 19 2. Stefano Coletti Rapax 1m24.418s + 0.018s 26 3. James Calado ART 1m24.525s + 0.125s 33 4. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering 1m24.534s + 0.134s 28 5. Felipe Nasr Carlin 1m24.691s + 0.291s 25 6. Marcus Ericsson DAMS 1m24.712s + 0.312s 23 7. Stephane Richelmi DAMS 1m24.776s + 0.376s 34 8. Sergio Canamasas Caterham 1m24.963s + 0.563s 33 9. Kevin Giovesi Lazarus 1m24.967s + 0.567s 23 10. Rene Binder Lazarus 1m24.976s + 0.576s 24 11. Simon Trummer Rapax 1m25.023s + 0.623s 19 12. Nathanael Berthon Trident 1m25.059s + 0.659s 18 13. Jake Rosenzweig Addax 1m25.243s + 0.843s 27 14. Mitch Evans Arden 1m25.258s + 0.858s 27 15. Jolyon Palmer Carlin 1m25.310s + 0.910s 31 16. Robin Frijns Trident 1m25.345s + 0.945s 25 17. Pal Varhaug Hilmer 1m25.402s + 1.002s 28 18. Julian Leal Racing Engineering 1m25.486s + 1.086s 32 19. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs MP 1m25.604s + 1.204s 28 20. Johnny Cecotto Arden 1m25.607s + 1.207s 28 21. Ma Qing Hua Caterham 1m25.800s + 1.400s 26 22. Daniel de Jong MP 1m25.858s + 1.458s 25 23. Daniel Abt ART 1m25.893s + 1.493s 8 24. Rio Haryanto Addax 1m26.610s + 2.210s 30 Afternoon session: Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps 1. Stephane Richelmi DAMS 1m24.604s 37 2. Tom Dillmann Hilmer 1m24.932s + 0.328s 18 3. Johnny Cecotto Arden 1m25.292s + 0.688s 22 4. Daniel Abt ART 1m25.312s + 0.708s 30 5. Robin Frijns Trident 1m25.335s + 0.731s 22 6. Marcus Ericsson DAMS 1m25.388s + 0.784s 32 7. Pal Varhaug Hilmer 1m25.391s + 0.787s 42 8. Sergio Canamasas Caterham 1m25.618s + 1.014s 31 9. Jake Rosenzweig Addax 1m25.677s + 1.073s 33 10. Simon Trummer Rapax 1m25.685s + 1.081s 49 11. Nathanael Berthon Trident 1m25.725s + 1.121s 16 12. Kevin Giovesi Lazarus 1m25.920s + 1.316s 33 13. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs MP 1m25.925s + 1.321s 18 14. Stefano Coletti Rapax 1m26.022s + 1.418s 29 15. Ma Qing Hua Caterham 1m26.096s + 1.492s 37 16. James Calado ART 1m26.116s + 1.512s 21 17. Mitch Evans Arden 1m26.374s + 1.770s 38 18. Rio Haryanto Addax 1m26.462s + 1.858s 41 19. Daniel de Jong MP 1m27.075s + 2.471s 22 20. Rene Binder Lazarus 1m28.039s + 3.435s 29 21. Julian Leal Racing Engineering 1m28.793s + 4.189s 43 22. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering 1m29.189s + 4.585s 38 23. Jolyon Palmer Carlin 1m29.596s + 4.992s 27 24. Felipe Nasr Carlin 1m29.749s + 5.145s 33
Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
2012 GP3 Series Season Review: Part 2
After the first two rounds of the 2012 GP3 Series season, it was almost a month until the teams and drivers reconvened for the third round of the Championship at the Valencia Street Circuit in support of the European Grand Prix. Aaro Vainio was in the lead of the Championship with 54 points, with Mitch Evans a close 2nd with 43 points.
As ever the weekend began with a practice session on the Friday, which Championship leader Aaro Vainio topped with a 02:00.094 for Lotus. The Finn was followed by team-mate Conor Daly, with the Marussia Manor Racing of Tio Ellinas a close 3rd. However, Mitch Evans was able to storm to a superlative pole the following morning, as the Kiwi asserted his authority over the proceedings. He was joined on the front-row of the grid by team-mate David Fumanelli, with the second row consisting of Championship contender Aaro Vainio and Ocean Racing Technology driver Kevin Ceccon.
Mitch Evans stormed to a dominant victory during race one at Valencia.
The opening race of the weekend later in the afternoon saw Mitch Evans carry out a extremely mature and dominant drive at the front, as the Kiwi stormed to a lights-to-flag victory from the Lotus of Aaro Vainio and the MW Arden of David Fumanelli. As usual there was utter confusion further back during the opening laps, as Marlon Stockinger lost his rear-wing whilst Robert Visoiu, Fabiano Machado and Antonio Spavone were forced into retirement.
Despite loosing his rear-wing on the opening lap, Marlon Stockinger was able to return to the pits to allow his mechanics to fit a rear-wing to his car. This saw the Pilipino driver drop a lap behind the leaders, however he was able to continue racing albeit at the back of the pack. Lap 2 saw another big incident between the Carlin of Antonio Felix da Costa and the Marussia Manor Racing of Dmitry Suranovich, as the former slammed into the side of the Russian driver. This incident ended both of their races, but amazingly did not force the safety car to be deployed.
This victory for Mitch Evans saw the Kiwi retake the lead in the Drivers’ Championship, with only a two point advantage over Aaro Vainio who remained a close 2nd for Lotus. Marlon Stockinger remained in a distant 3rd position in the Championship, with fellow MW Arden driver David Fumanelli 4th with 35 points scored.
An ecstatic Patric Niederhauser celebrates after taking his maiden GP3 victory at Valencia!
After finishing the opening race of the weekend in 8th, Patric Niederhauser would start the second race from the reverse grid pole alongside the Ocean Racing Technology of Kevin Ceccon. The Swiss driver capitalized greatly on his starting position, and took his maiden GP3 victory during the 14-lap race the following morning.
The 21-year-old was followed home by the Lotus of Daniel Abt, who initially started the race from 3rd. Matias Laine eventually finished the race in 3rd, after starting from 4th on the grid. Tio Ellinas initially finished 3rd, however the Cypriot was issued with a penalty after forcing Kevin Ceccon off the track throughout the closing stages of the race.
Just like race one, several collisions ensued further back throughout the opening lap of the race. This included an incident between the Lotus of Conor Daly and the Atech CRS GP of John Wartique, as both were forced into retirement. Alice Powell also retired on the opening lap, as she endured yet another tough weekend in the series.
Ethan Ringel retired several laps into the race, after a collision with fellow series rookie Fabiano Machado, who was issued with a penalty for causing the incident. Carmen Jorda also retired in the latter stages of the race, leaving Trident’s Vicky Piria as the only female driver to finish the race.
Although Mitch Evans could only managed 6th position after starting the race from 8th, the Kiwi still retained the lead in the Drivers’ Championship from Aaro Vainio as the GP3 fraternity prepared for the fourth round of the season at the legendary Silverstone circuit in support of the British Grand Prix.
Facu Regalia was one of two new drivers competing in the GP3 Series at Silverstone.
Ahead of the British Grand Prix weekend, there were several driver changes throughout the paddock as Fabio Gamberini replaced John Wartique at Atech CRS Grand Prix and Facu Regalia replaced Jakub Klasterka at Jenzer Motorsport. The British Grand Prix weekend was one plagued with extremely inclement weather conditions, as heavy rain struck the circuit on numerous occasions throughout the weekend.
Antonio Felix da Costa was fastest during a wet practice on the Friday, as the GP3 teams and drivers carried out their preparations for the weekend ahead. Hungarian driver Tamas Pal Kiss was 2nd, with Championship leader Mitch Evans 3rd. However, once the practice session had come to a conclusion, both Tamas Pal Kiss and Ethan Ringel were struck with grid penalties for race one after various yellow flag infringements.
Despite the wet practice session on the Friday, the GP3 fraternity was met with surprisingly dry but overcast weather conditions for the all-important qualifying session early Saturday morning. However, the track was not 100% dry, with several notoriously damp patches remaining on the track, which caught out several drivers throughout the session. Mitch Evans stormed to his second pole of the season for race one, and would start the race alongside fellow Championship contender Aaro Vainio.
Antonio Felix da Costa celebrates victory at Silverstone with Mitch Evans.
The opening race of the weekend was also run in dry conditions, despite the treacherous weather conditions witnessed the previous day. Despite qualifying on pole, Mitch Evans was unable to translate his superlative qualifying performance into a race victory, as the Carlin of Antonio Felix da Costa stormed to a commanding victory ahead of the Kiwi. Aaro Vainio was able to finish a distant 3rd, however the Finn still remained behind Evans in the Drivers’ Championship.
In stark contrast to the usual incident-filled races witnessed throughout the opening three rounds of the year, the first race of the British Grand Prix weekend featured only two retirements as William Buller retired on the opening lap after a collision. Ethan Ringel followed the Briton into retirement several laps later, with the American’s car almost catching fire in the process. After retiring on the opening lap of race one, local driver William Buller would therefore start the second race on Sunday morning from last on the grid.
William Buller pulled off an unforgettable drive to win after starting last at Silverstone!
However, this minor fact did not deter William Buller from storming to an absolutely unforgettable victory during the second race, despite starting from plum last during a wet/dry 14-lap race. Only moments before the start of the race, rain began to fall upon the Silverstone circuit, presenting the drivers with a conundrum as to which tyre they should start the race on. Several drivers opted for the safer option of starting on the wet tyres, whereas others decided to stick with the slick tyres.
As the lights went out it quickly became clear that the drivers who started the race on the wet tyres were visibly faster, as Tio Ellinas and Antonio Felix da Costa rose to 1st and 2nd position in the opening laps. However, as the race wore on, the rain began to subside thus allowing the drivers on the dry tyres to rise back through the order. As the race entered the halfway mark, Patric Niederhauser began to challenge Tio Ellinas for the lead after overtaking Antonio Felix da Costa for 2nd. William Buller was already in 6th position, and was clearly the fastest driver on the track.
By Lap 10, William Buller had scythed through the order like a hot knife through butter into lead ahead of Patric Niederhauser and Robert Visoiu. Whilst one local driver wowed the Silverstone faithful at the front of the pack, another in Alice Powell endured yet another frustrating race as she beached her Status Grand Prix machine into the gravel and into retirement.
In the closing stages of the race, Aaro Vainio, Marlon Stockinger and Daniel Abt joined Alice Powell in retirement. Daniel Abt spun out of the race, whereas his team-mate Aaro Vainio collided with fellow countryman Matias Laine. Although Laine was able to make it to the end of the race, albeit a lap down, Aaro Vainio was forced into a disastrous retirement.
Whilst the race drew to an incident-filled conclusion, William Buller stormed across the line to take an absolutely mesmerizing victory after starting last. The Briton was followed home by the Lotus of Conor Daly, with Patric Niederhauser a very competitive 3rd. After an entertaining race weekend, Mitch Evans retained his lead in the Drivers’ Championship with 100 points scored, ahead of Aaro Vainio (89 points) and Antonio Felix da Costa (58 points).
Part 3 to follow…
Picture(s) Copyright © Daniel Kalisz/Andrew Ferraro/GP3 Series Media Service
Mitch Evans: “It’s A Dream Come True”
Newly-crowned GP3 Champion Mitch Evans has explained winning the Drivers’ Championship as a “dream come true”, after the MW Arden driver endured a roller-coaster weekend of emotions to clinch the GP3 Championship after a race-long battle with the Lotus of Daniel Abt.
Mitch Evans was a dominant figure within the GP3 paddock throughout the season, as the Kiwi led the Championship Standings all season-long. Although Evans was pushed by fellow competitors Aaro Vainio, Daniel Abt and Antonio Felix da Costa, the rising star shrugged off the opposition despite a disastrously uncompetitive final two races of the season around the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza. Both races saw Mitch Evans flounder towards the back of the pack, after running wide at turn 7 during both races on the Saturday and the Sunday.
“If you told me at the start of the season I would be Champion before this season I wouldn’t be able to describe how I would feel.” Explained Mitch Evans, after finally clinching the Drivers’ Championship, “Now I’ve been crowned Champion, I have no words to describe this. It’s a dream come true. I’ve sacrificed my whole life to come to Europe and it’s so rewarding to win a title in my second year in Europe. There are so many people who made this possible, I can’t name everyone but they know who they are. This championship isn’t just for me, it’s for so many people.”
Throughout yesterday morning’s final race, Mitch Evans needed only either finish in the points, or have Daniel Abt denied victory to become Champion. After dropping to the back of the pack on the eighth lap during the finale, Mitch Evans began to rely heavily on Tio Ellinas, who began to reel in race leader and provisional Champion Daniel Abt. Whilst Evans circulated at the back, his only information on the battle at the front came from the various TV screens lining the track, and his mechanics via the team radio.
“Yes, they were and I was also trying to keep an eye on the TV screens.” Continued Mitch Evans, when asked whether his team was keeping him informed on the race. “I guess when Daniel [Abt] got into the lead the team tried to keep as quiet as possible. I knew Abt was leading when I had my puncture, so emotionally I was heartbroken. I was watching Tio [Ellinas] on the TV screen at every chance I had. I probably wasn’t paying enough attention to my driving! I was screaming in my helmet ‘Go Tio’ as I knew that was my only hope for the title. I went to see him and say thank you, he was my lifesaver. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”
After qualifying on pole for the opening race of the weekend, many predicted Mitch Evans would wrap up the Championship on the Saturday afternoon. However, after a problem with the clutch lever at the start, the 18-year-old suffered a disastrous race that had the potential to ruin his hopes of winning the Championship. After retiring from the race, this meant Evans had to start the all-important season finale on the Sunday morning from last. Once again, he suffered a troublesome race, but Daniel Abt’s inability to take victory played into his hands, and enabled him to take the Drivers’ Championship by only finishing 20th during the final race.
“After practice and qualifying I felt really comfortable for the race.” Said Mitch Evans, recapping on his eventful weekend. “I got a shocking start, I had a problem with the clutch leaver and I didn’t nail it. I paid the price for it in turn one so I should take the blame for that. I was unfortunate to get the damage to the car after going over the kerb and it was not able to be repaired. I couldn’t continue. In Race 2, I drove my heart out and I made up 18 positions in the first half of the race and was around P7. I was catching the leaders so it would have been good to have seen where I would have ended up but unfortunately we got a puncture. It’s been a huge emotional roller-coaster this weekend. To have two bad races, and then to win the championship is probably quite unusual but it’s also amazing.”
The previous two Champions of GP3, Esteban Gutierrez and Valtteri Bottas, have since progressed up the motor sport ladder. Gutierrez is now an established GP2 driver, racing for front runners Lotus whereas Valtteri Bottas is currently the Williams F1 reserve driver. Mitch Evans is currently unsure as to where he’ll end up for the 2013 season, with GP2 naturally the most appealing graduation for the Kiwi.
“Winning this championship, I receive a very nice cheque from Pirelli if I graduate to GP2 so that makes the transition to GP2 even more attractive which I think is the ultimate step for me.” Explained Mitch Evans, “Right now I need to get a budget together. For GP2, it will be tricky so we will work hard during the off-season to put a budget together. Hopefully we will be in the same paddock next year.”
Wherever Mitch Evans ends up next season, he’s most certainly on course to becoming one of the stars of the future. The GP2 and GP3 Series were founded to offer young drivers with the ability to show their potential on current F1 circuits. This season, Mitch Evans has done just that and will undoubtedly return next season as competitive as ever…wherever his motor sport career takes him.
Picture Copyright © Daniel Kalisz/GP3 Series Media Service
Tio Ellinas Wins As Mitch Evans Becomes GP3 Champion
Tio Ellinas has taken his first race victory of the season at the final GP3 race of the year, after a frenetic and highly entertaining race around the historic Autodromo Nazionale di Monza. As the Cypriot bathed himself in glory, Mitch Evans was able to clinch the Drivers’ title after a roller coaster of emotions throughout the race weekend.
After a disastrous race yesterday, Mitch Evans started the final race of the season from 25th and plum last on grid. The only other driver who could deny the Kiwi Championship glory was that of yesterday’s race winner Daniel Abt, who started the race from 8th on the grid. All Evans had to do was finish within the points to win the Championship, whereas all Abt had to do was win the race without Evans finishing in the points. Both tasks were monumental, and would unarguably force both drivers to earn the Championship.
At the start, there was light contact between Lewis Williamson, Vicky Piria and Ethan Ringel into turn 1, thus forcing Championship leader Mitch Evans across the grass as the Kiwi took evasive action. After the opening few corners, Daniel Abt had already progressed to 5th position, with his eyes firmly set on taking the race victory. Conor Daly ran extensively wide at turn 11 as the opening lap came to an end, with the American driver only just avoiding contact with the barriers as the Lotus driver skipped through the deep and punishing gravel trap.
After the opening lap of the race, Lewis Williamson, Vicky Piria and Ethan Ringel had all retired due to their first lap incident, with Dmitry Suranovich also retiring from the race. By the second lap, Daniel Abt had scythed his way through the field to 3rd, and by lap 5, the German driver had progressed into the lead of the race. The Championship was now momentarily on Abt’s hands, as Evans continued to battle his way through the field.
As the race progressed, Mitch Evans’ Championship surge suffered an almighty blow, as the Kiwi was forced into making several mistakes through the first two chicanes. This left him at a disadvantage as he jostled for position with the likes of Aaro Vainio and Antonio Felix da Costa, and as the pack negotiated turns 6 and 7, Evans ran wide and skipped once again through the gravel, picking up a puncture and therefore ruining his Championship chances.
With Mitch Evans forced to pit for new tyres after picking up a puncture, this left Daniel Abt in the lead of the race and seemingly on course to take a memorable race victory and the Championship crown. However, Daniel Abt still needed to win the race to win the Championship, and this task was made all the more difficult as the German lost the lead to the Cypriot of Tio Ellinas on lap 12. Abt was able to retake the lead the next time around as the duo jostled for position down the start/finish straight, however the German’s Championship chances waned slightly as Tio Ellinas stormed commandingly into the lead on lap 14.
Mitch Evans was able to clinch the 2012 GP3 Championship, despite only finishing 20th and last.
As hard as Daniel Abt tried to retake the lead once again from the charging Manor Racing of Tio Ellinas, the Cypriot crossed the line to take his first race victory of the season and to deny Daniel Abt the Championship crown. This left Mitch Evans, who was still circulating on track down in 20th position, the new GP3 Series Champion by default. The Kiwi was understandably exultant, unable to believe that he was the Champion after enduring two of his most uncompetitive race results of the entire season.
Giovanni Venturini, who started the race from pole for Trident Racing, followed Ellinas and Abt home in 3rd to secure his first podium finish of the season. The Italian driver joined the Series at Silverstone, six races into the season. This brings the 2012 GP3 Series season to a superlative conclusion, after 16 enthralling races which enabled the stars of the future the ability to show their full potential. Ten different drivers were victorious throughout the 2012 season, once again showing the sheer competitiveness of the GP3 Series.
Results - 16 laps:
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Tio Ellinas Manor 28m18.541s
2. Daniel Abt Lotus + 1.003s
3. Giovanni Venturini Trident + 1.408s
4. Marlon Stockinger Status + 1.715s
5. Antonio Felix da Costa Carlin + 7.377s
6. Matias Laine MW Arden + 8.488s
7. Robert Visoiu Jenzer + 8.968s
8. Alice Powell Status + 14.383s
9. Kevin Ceccon Ocean + 14.416s
10. Alex Brundle Carlin + 15.535s
11. Conor Daly Lotus + 16.124s
12. Will Buller Carlin + 18.964s
13. David Fumanelli MW Arden + 24.392s
14. Aaro Vainio Lotus + 27.489s
15. Tamas Pal Kiss Atech CRS + 30.682s
16. Fabiano Machado Manor + 36.048s
17. Robert Cregan Ocean + 36.116s
18. John Wartique Atech CRS + 38.365s
19. Carmen Jorda Ocean + 1m08.753s
20. Mitch Evans MW Arden + 1m29.894s
Retirements:
Patric Niederhauser Jenzer 7 laps
Vicky Piria Trident 2 laps
Lewis Williamson Status 0 laps
Ethan Ringel Atech CRS 0 laps
Dmitry Suranovich Manor 0 laps
Picture(s) Copyright © Daniel Kalisz/GP3 Series Media Service
Daniel Abt Wins Frenetic GP3 Race At Monza
Daniel Abt has taken an highly important victory at Monza in the penultimate race of the final GP3 weekend, in which Championship leader Mitch Evans retired on the opening lap after a series a errors. Antonio Felix da Costa momentarily led the race, before suffering a gearbox issue. Ellinas came home 2nd, with Laine in 3rd.
In similar fashion to the GP2 race beforehand, the pack safely negotiated the opening chicane without any major incident. Both Mitch Evans and Antonio Felix da Costa ran wide at turn 1, taking drastic avoiding action as the likes of Fumanelli, Ellinas and Laine jostled for position. Mitch Evans, who had an opportunity to take the Drivers’ Championship, ran exceedingly wide at turn 7. This ultimately led to the Kiwi returning to the pits after the opening lap, and eventually retiring and throwing the Championship wide open.
With Mitch Evans out of the race, Antonio Felix da Costa wasted no time in reaping the rewards and storming into the lead, the Drivers’ Championship now a very realistic target for the Portuguese driver. Fabiano Machado became the first retirement after the opening lap, as Daniel Abt began to scythe through the field in hot pursuit of Antonio Felix da Costa.
By lap 4, and Daniel Abt had caught race leader Antonio Felix da Costa. With the German driver also a Championship contender, he immediately passed the Carlin driver as he too pursued Championship glory, especially with Mitch Evans disconsolately sat in the pits and out of the race. David Fumanelli straight lined turns 4 and 5 as the race progressed, whilst Conor Daly ran wide at turn 7 and skipped through the punishing gravel trap. Antonio Felix da Costa was passed by Aaro Vainio as the leaders negotiated turn 11, as the Portuguese driver was seen bumping the rear of Vainio’s car as they sped down the start/finish straight.
The Championship then took yet another fascinating twist, as Antonio Felix da Costa was seen cruising around stuck in gear. The Portuguese driver was able to continue racing, albeit further down the order, after he carried out a cunning tactic in turning the engine on and then off to fix his gearbox issue and continue to race. These turn of events had taken Antonio Felix da Costa out of the Championship hunt, leaving the Lotus duo of Daniel Abt and Aaro Vainio the remaining drivers battling at the sharp end of the pack for Championship supremacy.
Alex Brundle was then issued a black flag for failing to pit, with the Briton amazingly still circulating without a rear wing. The Carlin driver had previously been issued a black and orange flag, but Brundle seemingly ignored these warnings and continued racing. As the race entered the closing stages, Daniel Abt and Aaro Vainio became locked in a grueling battle for the lead, however the Cypriot of Tio Ellinas wasn’t far behind and overtook the Finn for the 2nd place.
On the last lap of the race, with Tio Ellinas striving to find a way around the Lotus of Daniel Abt, Dmitry Suranovich spun at turn 11 and became the fourth retirement of the race. This meant yellow flags were fluttering at the final corner, forcing the leaders to back off on the final lap. This enabled Daniel Abt to take victory ahead of Tio Ellinas, however Aaro Vainio was issued a post-race 20-second timed penalty for ignoring yellow flags throughout the final corner. This demoted the Finn down the order and out of the points, thus promoting fellow countryman Matias Laine to 3rd.
This fascinating race means that only Mitch Evans and Daniel Abt can be crowned Champion during tomorrow morning’s final race. Mitch Evans will be starting 25th and last, whereas Daniel Abt will be starting from 8th due to the reverse grid ruling. The final race of the season will unquestionably be one of the entertaining of the year, as the fight for the Championship comes down to the wire around the historic Autodromo Nazionale di Monza.
Picture Copyright © Daniel Kalisz/GP3 Series Media Service
Mitch Evans Takes GP3 Pole Ahead Of Championship Rivals At Monza
Championship leader Mitch Evans has taken pole-position for this afternoon’s first GP3 race around the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, after a thrilling end to qualifying this morning. The Kiwi was able to qualify ahead of Championship rivals Antonio Felix da Costa, Aaro Vainio and Daniel Abt, with da Costa set to start the race alongside Evans from 2nd.
As the session got underway in glorious weather conditions, the majority of the field immediately took to the track headed by the Lotus of Conor Daly. Alice Powell set the initial pace, however she was immediately thwarted by the dominant Mitch Evans who wasted no time in asserting his authority with a 01:47.768. In traditional GP3 qualifying fashion, the time immediately began to tumble as the rest of the field crossed the line, with Matias Laine, Daniel Abt, William Buller, Aaro Vainio and Tio Ellinas all sharing the top spot as the session progressed.
The Cypriot was able to improve upon his time at the top, setting a 01:44.767 as Kevin Ceccon and Patric Niederhauser made contact through turns 4 and 5. Both were able to continue, however the Italian driver suffered minor damage to his front wing. Tio Ellinas was then able to extend his advantage at the top with yet another quick lap, before Championship contender Antonio Felix da Costa stormed to the top with a 01:44.454, a time which the Portuguese driver was able to capitalize on a lap later with a 01:44.336.
Local female star Vicky Piria ran exceedingly wide at turn 7, as the Trident Racing driver strove to improve upon her time. Whilst Piria skipped through the gravel, William Buller shot to the top with a 01:44.273, before Mitch Evans reasserted his authority over proceedings once again with a scintillating 01:43.542. Fellow Championship rival Antonio Felix da Costa was able to improve to 2nd, whereas Aaro Vainio and Daniel Abt failed to improve after getting impeded on their final laps.
This qualifying result means Mitch Evans can clinch the 2012 GP3 Drivers’ Championship this afternoon in the opening race, after receiving the all-important four points for taking pole-position. However, with Antonio Felix da Costa starting alongside the Kiwi on the grid, expect a highly entertaining race as the two strive for the GP3 Drivers’ Championship.
Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP3 Series Media Service
Daniel Abt Takes Maiden GP3 Victory In Shortened GP3 Race At Spa
Daniel Abt has taken his maiden GP3 race victory around the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit, after a shortened race due to an horrific fifth lap incident in which the Ocean Racing Technology driver of Robert Cregan slammed backwards into the tyre barriers at turn 10. Antonio Felix da Costa was classified 2nd, ahead of Championship leader Mitch Evans.
The race started without incidents as the field negotiated the ever tricky La Source hairpin, as the MW Arden of Matias Laine enjoyed a sensational start and led out of turn 1. However, the Finnish driver threw away his advantage through turns 5 and 6, as the MW Arden driver ran wide and nearly collected Daniel Abt upon rejoining the circuit. This gifted the lead back to Mitch Evans, with Antonio Felix da Costa a close 2nd at the end of the opening lap.
Antonio Felix da Costa wasted no time stuck behind Mitch Evans, as the Portuguese driver quickly found a way around the Kiwi for the lead of the race. However, the two were thwarted by a literally stunning overtake by Daniel Abt, who drove straight around the leading duo as they fought between each other for the lead at turn 5. These frenetic opening two laps were then overshadowed by yet another huge high-speed incident, as Robert Cregan was seen slamming into the tyre barriers backwards at turn 10.
As was the case when Nigel Melker crashed earlier during the GP2 feature race, the safety car was immediately deployed, with the Ocean Racing Technology car deeply embedded in the tyre barriers. The race was then red flagged as the medical car arrived on the scene, as the drivers lined-up behind the safety car on the grid. It was then announced shortly after that the race would not restart, therefore declaring Daniel Abt victorious.
It has since been confirmed that Robert Cregan is conscious and moving after the high-speed incident on the fifth lap, with the field only being issued half points due to the length of the opening race of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend.
Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP3 Series Media Service
Mitch Evans Storms To Impressive Pole For GP3 At Spa
Championship leader Mitch Evans has continued his competitive season after storming to an impressive pole for this afternoon’s GP3 race around the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Evans will be joined on the front row by Finnish team-mate Matias Laine, with Championship contender Daniel Abt 3rd for Lotus.
In stark contrast to yesterday’s atrocious weather conditions, the morning qualifying session was run in glorious sunshine, albeit with a slightly damp track in places. This failed to deter the devoted GP3 drivers, who immediately took to the track to begin the session. Robert Cregan set the initial pace for Ocean Racing Technology, however Championship contender Aaro Vainio immediately rose to the top for Lotus with a 02:18.743.
In traditional GP3 qualifying fashion, the times continued to get quicker as the session progressed and the track conditions improved. Robert Cregan shot to the top once again with a 02:13.984, however Aaro Vainio continued to deny the Irishman the top spot as the Finn set an even quicker 02:13.708. Carmen Jorda’s woeful season continued throughout the qualifying session, as the Spaniard spun on the entry to turn 5, however she was luckily able to continue albeit atrociously off the pace.
Antonio Felix da Costa, who also remains a title contender for Carlin, then went fastest with a 02:13.582. However, with the competitive nature of the qualifying session, the Portuguese driver was disposed of quickly as Cregan, Vainio, Fumanelli and then Daniel Abt went fastest, with the latter setting a 02:12.114. The 19-year-old German then proceeded to improve upon his time, with a 02:11.559.
As the session entered it’s closing stages, it looked set to be a Lotus lock-out at the top, as Aaro Vainio, Conor Daly and Daniel Abt sat comfortably in the top three positions. However, a certain Mitch Evans had other ideas and stormed to the top in the dying minutes of the session with an impressive 02:10.513. Daniel Abt was unable to have an answer to this blisteringly quick lap by the Kiwi, as Laine progressed to 2nd resulting in an MW Arden front row lock-out.
With the 2012 GP3 Series season entering it’s final two race weekends, a competitive race later today for the likes of Mitch Evans, Aaro Vainio and Antonio Felix da Costa is imperative as they strive to clinch the Drivers’ Title at next weekend’s season finale around the legendary Monza circuit.
Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP3 Series Media Service
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