Tio Ellinas Fastest In Cool And Wet GP3 Practice At Spa
Marussia Manor Racing’s Tio Ellinas was fastest during the GP3 practice session earlier this morning, as the GP3 field got their first taste of the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit in preparation for this weekend’s two races. The Cypriot was followed closely by the Carlin of Antonio Felix da Costa and the Lotus of Daniel Abt.
The early morning session was run in wet and cool conditions, as the rain lashed down upon the Spa-Francorchamps circuit on and off throughout the 45-minute session. The MW Arden of Matias Laine and the Jenzer Motorsport of Robert Visoiu were the first drivers to brave the elements once the session got underway, as the first GP3 laps were completed after the lengthy summer recess.
Previous race winners Antonio Felix da Costa and William Buller set the initial pace, before the session was momentarily halted as local driver John Wartique spun whilst negotiating the daunting Eau Rouge complex of the track. This incident brought out the red flag, as the Atech CRS GP driver embedded his car within the tyre barriers, prematurely ending his practice session.
Once the session was eventually resumed, Antonio Felix da Costa continued to assert authority over the proceedings, ahead of the Lotus of Daniel Abt. As the session drew to a close, it looked inevitable that da Costa would end the session fastest overall, however Tio Ellinas surprised many and shot to the top of the timing sheets with a 02:28.100 within the final minute of the session.
This left Antonio Felix da Costa 2nd, as the GP3 cars returned to the pits after battling against the inclement Spa-Francorchamps weather system. The GP3 fraternity will now be reviewing their data ahead of tomorrow morning’s early qualifying session, ahead of the first race of the weekend later in the day.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Tio Ellinas Manor 2m28.100s 2. Antonio Felix da Costa Carlin 2m28.143s + 0.043s 3. Daniel Abt Lotus 2m28.204s + 0.104s 4. Conor Daly Lotus 2m28.392s + 0.292s 5. Alex Brundle Carlin 2m29.063s + 0.963s 6. Aaro Vainio Lotus 2m29.498s + 1.398s 7. Mitch Evans MW Arden 2m29.555s + 1.455s 8. Matias Laine MW Arden 2m29.692s + 1.592s 9. Lewis Williamson Status 2m29.925s + 1.825s 10. Alex Fontana Jenzer 2m30.093s + 1.993s 11. David Fumanelli MW Arden 2m30.122s + 2.022s 12. Will Buller Carlin 2m30.133s + 2.033s 13. Tamas Pal Kiss Atech CRS 2m30.296s + 2.196s 14. Marlon Stockinger Status 2m30.324s + 2.224s 15. Patric Niederhauser Jenzer 2m30.556s + 2.456s 16. Kevin Ceccon Ocean 2m30.801s + 2.701s 17. Robert Visoiu Jenzer 2m30.998s + 2.898s 18. Giovanni Venturini Trident 2m31.157s + 3.057s 19. Robert Cregan Ocean 2m31.404s + 3.304s 20. Ethan Ringel Atech CRS 2m31.455s + 3.355s 21. Fabiano Machado Manor 2m31.584s + 3.484s 22. Dmitry Suranovich Manor 2m31.832s + 3.732s 23. Vicky Piria Trident 2m34.041s + 5.941s 24. Carmen Jorda Ocean 2m35.412s + 7.312s 25. Alice Powell Status 2m35.772s + 7.672s 26. John Wartique Atech CRS 2m36.035s + 7.935s
Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP3 Series Media Service
Antonio Felix da Costa Cruises To Dominant GP3 Victory At Budapest
Portuguese driver Antonio Felix da Costa has cruised almost effortlessly to his third career victory in the GP3 Series, after taking the lead away from pole man Aaro Vainio at the start. The Carlin driver was followed home by the Lotus of Daniel Abt, with Championship leader Mitch Evans closely following the German home in 3rd.
At the start, Aaro Vainio suffered a disastrous getaway off the line, dropping like a lead balloon back to 4th as the likes of Antonio Felix da Costa, Daniel Abt and Mitch Evans stormed around the ailing Finn. Towards the end of the opening lap, William Buller and Tio Ellinas lightly came together, as the pair negotiated the tricky turn 13.
By the end of the second lap, William Buller and Dmitry Suranovich elected to pit, with the latter eventually retiring several laps later upon returning to the pits. Mitch Evans began to pile immense amounts of pressure upon the Lotus of Daniel Abt as the race progressed, however the German denied the Championship leader the opportunity to overtake.
Aaro Vainio’s race then took yet another slump, as Kevin Ceccon found a way around the Finnish driver. After such a dominant performance during both practice and qualifying, the opening race of the weekend will undoubtedly have been a big disappointment for the Finn and Lotus GP.
Whilst Vainio frantically tried to pass Kevin Ceccon, and Mitch Evans tried to pressurize Daniel Abt into a mistake, Antonio Felix da Costa stormed into the distance to secure an exceedingly dominant race victory for Carlin. David Fumanelli will start tomorrow’s second race from the reverse grid pole, after the Italian driver finished this afternoon’s race in 8th position.
Picture Copyright © Daniel Kalisz/GP3 Series Media Service
Mitch Evans Wins Incident Filled GP3 Race
Mitch Evans has taken yet another victory in the second GP3 race around the Hockenheimring, after the safety car led proceedings for the majority of the 15-lap race. Local hero Daniel Abt came home 2nd, with his Lotus team-mate Conor Daly 3rd as the race finished under safety car conditions.
At the start the Lotus of Daniel Abt stormed into the lead from 2nd on the grid, as the MW Arden of Mitch Evans suffered a slow getaway. As the field negotiated turn 6, there was utter carnage as Vicky Piria slammed into the rear of several drivers, taking out Lewis Williamson, Alice Powell and William Buller in the process. This incident naturally brought out the safety car, with debris and stricken cars strewn across the circuit.
As the medical cars arrived on the scene, it quickly became apparent that all was not well with Vicky Piria. Whereas the other drivers involved had safely removed themselves from their cars, Piria had remained in her car. After a lengthy process of waiting as the safety led the field around the Hockenheimring, reports began to emerge that Piria had been extracted from her car still within her race seat.
Once the debris and cars had been cleared, the race was restarted. Mitch Evans quickly retook the lead from Daniel Abt, as the Kiwi continues to assert his authority over the Series. On lap 9, Fabiano Machado ran wide at turn 1 only be thrown into the air on the bumpy grass. This incident was reminiscent of Vitaly Petrov at Malaysia, and immediately brought out yet another safety car period.
As with Vicky Piria’s worrying incident, it quickly became apparent that all was not well with the Brazilian. Soon enough, the FIA medical car and an ambulance were on the scene, with Machado most likely suffering with a back-related injury due to the force of his incident. As the medical staff worked on Machado, the race ended under safety conditions as Mitch Evans took his third race victory of the 2012 season.
Picture Copyright © Daniel Kalisz/GP3 Series Media Service
Daniel Abt Secures GP3 Pole On Home Soil
Germany’s Daniel Abt has secured his maiden GP3 pole position for this afternoon’s opening race of the weekend, after a last minute charge from the Lotus driver saw him displace Championship leader Mitch Evans at the top. The Kiwi will start alongside Abt on the front row, with the Lotus of Conor Daly in 3rd.
The session started in chilly but dry conditions at the Hockenheimring, with the whole field taking to the track within the opening two minutes of the session. It was Daniel Abt who set the initial pace of the session, with a 01:34.560. However, Mitch Evans quickly rose to the top and became locked in a tussle with Carlin’s Antonio Felix da Costa for supremacy. However, Evans fended off the charging Portuguese driver to remain fastest with a 01:32.614.
Marussia Manor Racing’s Tio Ellinas rose to the top as the session entered it’s halfway mark, with a 01:32.381. The Cypriot was fastest during yesterday’s free practice session, and is still searching for both his maiden pole and maiden victory in the Series. Conor Daly then assumed the top spot, as the frenetic qualifying session continued to change with each passing minute. The American star then improved upon his time as the session entered it’s closing stages, with a 01:32.267.
Mitch Evans returned to the top once again, further asserting his authority over the Series. The Kiwi currently sits atop the Drivers’ Championship with 100 points, largely thanks to his exceedingly consistent results over the due course of the season. However, pole was not destined to be his as Daniel Abt carried out a late surge and set a blistering 01:32.183. This time was then bettered by an even quicker 01:31.961, cementing Abt’s position at the front of the grid.
In traditional GP3 fashion, the grid for Sunday morning’s second race will be determined by a reversal of the top 8, similar to that of the GP2 Series. Daniel Abt has yet to win a race in GP3, and will be striving to do so on home soil later this afternoon.
Picture Copyright © Daniel Kalisz/GP3 Series Media Service
Patric Niederhauser Takes Maiden GP3 Victory At Valencia
Patric Niederhauser took his maiden GP3 victory earlier this morning, after a superlative drive around the Valencia Street Circuit. Daniel Abt came home a competitive 2nd, with Tio Ellinas just finishing 3rd after forcing his way around Kevin Ceccon at the last corner.
Miraculously the first two corners were relatively incident free, as Niederhauser defended from Abt at the start. The German’s Lotus team-mate Conor Daly’s torrid weekend continued as the American driver retired after out-braking himself into turn 8 and collecting the unsuspecting John Wartique. Further back Alice Powell continued her miserable weekend as she made contact on the opening lap. Although the British female driver visibly has the pace, she has yet to score a Championship point this season.
Amid the action of the opening lap, Aaro Vainio moved swiftly ahead of Championship leader and birthday boy Mitch Evans for 6th. Meanwhile further down the order the sole remaining American driver, Ethan Ringel, retired from the race. This was due to a collision with Fabiano Machado, who subsequently received a drive-through penalty for causing the incident.
As the race drew to a close, Aaro Vainio ran exceedingly wide at turn 2. This enabled Mitch Evans to repass the Finn. Carmen Jorda became the next driver to retire, leaving Vicky Piria as the sole remaining female driver on track.
Throughout the final lap, Cypriot Tio Ellinas was all over the rear of Ocean Racing Technology’s Kevin Ceccon. As Patric Niederhauser crossed the line to take his maiden GP3 victory, Ellinas barged his way past Ceccon. The Italian driver subsequently ran wide after this maneuver from Ellinas, and lost a further place to the MW Arden of Matias Laine.
Results - 14 laps:
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Patric Niederhauser Jenzer + 28m13.702s
2. Daniel Abt Lotus + 0.924s
3. Tio Ellinas Manor + 5.938s
4. Matias Laine MW Arden + 6.314s
5. Kevin Ceccon Ocean + 6.589s
6. Mitch Evans MW Arden + 6.940s
7. Aaro Vainio Lotus + 9.959s
8. Antonio Felix da Costa Carlin + 15.020s
9. Will Buller Carlin + 19.751s
10. Tamas Pal Kiss Atech CRS + 23.761s
11. Marlon Stockinger Status + 24.396s
12. Robert Visouiu Jenzer + 26.251s
13. Robert Cregan Ocean + 26.330s
14. Alex Brundle Carlin + 28.954s
15. Dmity Suranovich Manor + 33.481s
16. David Fumanelli MW Arden + 34.148s
17. Antonio Spavone Trident + 37.558s
18. Vicky Piria Trident + 46.606s
19. Fabiano Machado Manor + 56.689s
Retirements:
Conor Daly Lotus 8 laps
John Wartique Atech CRS 2 laps
Carmen Jorda Ocean 0 laps
Ethen Ringel Atech CRS 0 laps
Alice Powell Status 0 laps
Picture Copyright © Daniel Kalisz/GP3 Series Media Service
Matias Laine Quickest On Day 1 Of Valencia Test
After the first two rounds of the 2012 GP3 Series, the teams and drivers returned to track action earlier today for day one of a two day test at Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo. The MW Arden of Matias Laine finished the day fastest overall, as fellow countryman Aaro Vainio currently sits atop the Drivers’ Championship for Lotus.
A new face joined the driving line-up for the opening day of the test, as Venezuelan driver Samin Gomez prepared to make her GP3 debut with Jenzer Motorsport. Her addition to the grid meant a record breaking four female drivers would be taking part in the GP3 test, alongside GP3 regulars Alice Powell, Vicky Piria and Carmen Jorda.
The day’s running got underway in hazy but humid conditions at the Valencia circuit, as the MW Arden trio of Matias Laine, Mitch Evans and David Fumanelli took to the track to complete their installation laps. The Finnish driver stormed to the top of timing sheets early on, until the Status Grand Prix of Marlon Stockinger went fastest.
Fabiano Machado caused the first red flag delay of the day, as the Brazilian driver embedded his Marussia Manor Racing car in the gravel trap. However, once the track returned to green flag conditions it was his team-mate, Tio Ellinas, who went fastest. Matias Laine then returned to the top of the timing sheets shortly after, and subsequently remained there until the end of the morning session. Both Laine and Vainio stopped on the track as the session came to a close, with technical issues plaguing their cars.
After the lunch interval, William Buller set the initial pace for Carlin until his team-mate, Antonio Felix da Costa, assumed the top spot. Fabiano Machado then caused yet another red flag delay, as the Brazilian driver stopped on the track. As the afternoon session enter its mid-point stage, the Lotus of Conor Daly went fastest as the majority of the field switched their focus to long runs.
Nico Muller then set a scintillating time which propelled the Swiss driver to the top, as the former GP3 driver returned with Trident Racing for testing purposes. Antonio Felix da Costa then returned to the top with only 15 minutes of the day remaining, however his reign at the top was short-live as Muller reasserted his authority on proceedings with a 01:26.865 which remained unbeaten as the day came to a close.
The Valencia test concludes tomorrow, as the cars take to the Circuit Ricardo Tormo for the last time before the GP3 fraternity head to the Valencia Street Circuit for round three of the 2012 season.
Morning session: Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Matias Laine MW Arden 1m26.610s 2. Daniel Abt Lotus 1m26.613s + 0.003s 3. Tio Ellinas Manor 1m26.629s + 0.019s 4. David Fumanelli MW Arden 1m26.686s + 0.076s 5. Marlon Stockinger Status 1m26.725s + 0.115s 6. Antonio Felix da Costa Carlin 1m26.817s + 0.207s 7. Conor Daly Lotus 1m26.836s + 0.226s 8. Patric Niederhauser Jenzer 1m26.932s + 0.322s 9. Mitch Evans MW Arden 1m27.134s + 0.524s 10. Nico Muller Trident 1m27.317s + 0.707s 11. Robert Visoiu Jenzer 1m27.323s + 0.713s 12. William Buller Carlin 1m27.332s + 0.722s 13. Aaro Vainio Lotus 1m27.516s + 0.906s 14. Kevin Ceccon Ocean 1m27.524s + 0.914s 15. Tamas Pal Kiss Atech CRS 1m27.579s + 0.969s 16. Antonio Spavone Trident 1m27.651s + 1.041s 17. Dmitry Suranovich Manor 1m28.043s + 1.433s 18. Fabiano Machado Manor 1m28.142s + 1.532s 19. Vicky Piria Trident 1m28.217s + 1.607s 20. Ethan Ringel Atech CRS 1m29.047s + 2.437s 21. Alice Powell Status 1m29.067s + 2.457s 22. Samin Gomez Jenzer 1m29.179s + 2.569s 23. John Wartique Atech CRS 1m29.493s + 2.883s 24. Robert Cregan Ocean 1m29.672s + 3.062s 25. Carmen Jorda Ocean 1m30.512s + 3.902s Afternoon session: Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Nico Muller Trident 1m26.865s 2. Antonio Felix da Costa Carlin 1m27.046s + 0.181s 3. Tio Ellinas Manor 1m27.663s + 0.798s 4. David Fumanelli MW Arden 1m27.721s + 0.856s 5. Kevin Ceccon Ocean 1m27.723s + 0.858s 6. Conor Daly Lotus 1m27.785s + 0.920s 7. Robert Visoiu Jenzer 1m27.842s + 0.977s 8. Mitch Evans MW Arden 1m27.870s + 1.005s 9. Matias Laine MW Arden 1m27.912s + 1.047s 10. Daniel Abt Lotus 1m27.982s + 1.117s 11. William Buller Carlin 1m27.990s + 1.125s 12. Aaro Vainio Lotus 1m28.059s + 1.194s 13. Patric Niederhauser Jenzer 1m28.144s + 1.279s 14. Dmitry Suranovich Manor 1m28.417s + 1.552s 15. Ethan Ringel Atech CRS 1m28.515s + 1.650s 16. Antonio Spavone Trident 1m28.693s + 1.828s 17. Tamas Pal Kiss Atech CRS 1m28.901s + 2.036s 18. Vicky Piria Trident 1m29.003s + 2.138s 19. Alice Powell Status 1m29.022s + 2.157s 20. John Wartique Atech CRS 1m29.045s + 2.180s 21. Samin Gomez Jenzer 1m29.132s + 2.267s 22. Fabiano Machado Manor 1m29.481s + 2.616s 23. Marlon Stockinger Status 1m29.694s + 2.829s 24. Robert Cregan Ocean 1m29.920s + 3.055s 25. Carmen Jorda Ocean 1m31.040s + 4.175s
Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP3 Series Media Service
Marlon Stockinger Wins Shortened Monaco GP3 Race
Marlon Stockinger has taken victory around the streets of Monte-Carlo after a shortened GP3 sprint race, which featured two serious incidents, the latter bringing out the red flag and subsequently bring the race to a premature end. Antonio Felix da Costa finished 2nd, with the Lotus of Daniel Abt coming home 3rd.
At the start, the two Carlin’s of William Buller and Alex Brundle came together as the latter tipped Buller upside down through turn 1. As the rest of the field filed past the stricken upside down car, the Monaco marshals were immediately on the scene and were quickly joined by medical staff. The safety car was immediately deployed, as the marshals and medical staff righted the upside down car. Amazingly Buller was perfectly fine, and his stricken car was quickly cleared. Further up the track, his team-mate Alex Brundle also came to halt and retired.
After only a couple of laps behind the safety car, the race returned to green flag conditions as Marlon Stockinger lead at the front from Antonio Felix da Costa. Further down the order, the Lotus of Conor Daly was piling immense amounts of pressure on Dmitry Suranovich. After several laps behind the Russian driver, Conor Daly ran into the back of the Marussia Manor car. This incident left Suranovich without a rear-wing, however he remained on track as a long train of cars began swarming all over the rear of his car.
On lap 11, disaster struck as the Lotus of Conor Daly slammed into the rear of Suranovich upon exiting the tunnel. This sent Daly whirling to destruction through the air, as he slammed into the catch-fencing and came to rest on the opposite side of the track. With debris strewn across the track, the safety car was immediately deployed. Luckily Conor Daly stepped out of his car unscathed, as Suranovich amazingly continued to circulate on track.
With the catch-fencing which Daly struck completely mangled and destroyed, the race was red flagged. This handed Marlon Stockinger his maiden GP3 victory, as Conor Daly returned to the pits after his horrendous incident. With two potentially dangerous incidents throughout the race, it’s a testament the modern safety of motorsport that both William Buller and Conor Daly were both uninjured in their respective incidents.
Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP3 Media Service
Aaro Vainio Secures Maiden GP3 Victory At Monaco
The Lotus of Aaro Vainio has secured his maiden GP3 victory around the streets of Monte-Carlo, with a stunning victory as he led every single lap of the first GP3 race of the weekend. The Finn was followed home by Hungarian driver Tamas Pal Kiss, with Kevin Ceccon 3rd with the fastest lap of the race.
At the start, it was a mixture of delight and dismay for the Lotus team, as Aaro Vainio shot into the lead from pole, whereas previous race winner Conor Daly stalled on the grid. Not only did the American driver therefore start the race from the back, but he was then also issued a drive-through penalty for jumping the start only moments before then stalling his car.
As the 18-year-old Finn opened up a gap to Tamas Pal Kiss, the two MW Arden’s of David Fumanelli and Mitch Evans became locked in a grueling battle for 4th position. With no team orders in use in GP3, the Kiwi would have to find a way to muscle his way passed his team-mate.
The inaugural GP3 race around the streets of Monte-Carlo ran relatively incident free until lap 9, when American driver Ethan Ringel clipped the tyre barrier on the exit of turn 1. This ripped off the left-rear wheel of the Atech CRS car, and forced Ringel into retirement. Once again the Monaco marshals cleared away the stricken car in a matter of minutes, allowing the race to continue without a safety car interruption.
Only several laps later and another incident occurred, this time as Patric Niederhauser clipped the barrier on the exit of turn 16. Although this was a minor incident, it was enough to damage the Swiss driver’s suspension and therefore forced him to join Ringel in retirement.
With Aaro Vainio storming away out front, his team-mate Daniel Abt came under serious pressure from Antonio Felix da Costa. Behind this duo, Marlon Stockinger was coming under similar pressure from Tio Ellinas. However, with the tight and twisty confines of the Monaco circuit proving difficult to overtake on, the positions remained the same as Aaro Vainio powered to his first GP3 victory in his career. In traditional GP3 fashion, Marlon Stockinger will start tomorrow’s race on pole as the top eight are reversed to form the grid.
Picture Copyright © Daniel Kalisz/GP3 Media Service
Antonio Felix da Costa Ends Barcelona Test Fastest
Portuguese driver Antonio Felix Da Costa ended the final day of the GP3 pre-season test at Barcelona fastest for Carlin today, ending the morning session as one of only two drivers’ in the 01:37s bracket. The Finn of Matias Laine was close behind, along with fellow MW Arden driver Mitch Evans.
There was only two changes to the driver line-up, as Finland’s Aaro Vainio returned for Lotus GP and Yann Zimmer stepped in to replace Tom Blomqvist at Status Grand Prix. The latter unfortunately had his time deleted from the afternoon session as his car was found to be underweight.
It was a warm and clear start to proceedings at the Circuit de Catalunya, as Da Costa started the day fastest after only 30 minutes of running. Lotus GP driver Daniel Abt suffered a difficult start to the day, causing the first red flag delay after stopping on the track due to an oil leak.
As the session resumed, Matias Laine went fastest before Da Costa returned to the top as he became the first driver into the 01:37s. He was shortly joined by Laine, who also set a time within the 01:37s bracket. The two remained atop the timings sheets as the morning session continued. There were two further red flag delays throughout the morning session as Ethan Ringel spun at turn 8, along with Kevin Ceccon who spun at turn 1.
The temperatures began to rise as the afternoon session began, with Germany’s Daniel Abt making up for his disastrous morning session and setting the initial pace. After only one hour, Ethan Ringel caused yet another red flag delay, as his Atech CRS GP car came to a halt on track.
Daniel Abt improved his time atop the timing sheets as the session resumed, with rookie Tio Ellinas slotting into 2nd place just behind the German. With only 10 minutes remaining in the day, Russian driver Maxim Zimin flew into 2nd place for Jenzer Motorsports. This demoted Ellinas to 3rd, which was how the top three remained as the session came to an end. Italian female rookie Vicky Piria caused the final red flag delay of the day as she spun her Trident Racing in the dying seconds of the day.
The final GP3 test takes place next month at Silverstone, on the 11th and 12th of April. After that, the first round of the 2012 GP3 Series takes place in support of the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix in May.
Morning session:
Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Antonio Felix da Costa Carlin 1m37.934s 2. Matias Laine MW Arden 1m37.993s + 0.059s 3. Mitch Evans MW Arden 1m38.154s + 0.220s 4. Kevin Ceccon Trident 1m38.239s + 0.305s 5. Marlon Stockinger Status 1m38.283s + 0.349s 6. Conor Daly Lotus 1m38.322s + 0.388s 7. Robert Visoiu Jenzer 1m38.391s + 0.457s 8. Patric Niederhauser Jenzer 1m38.452s + 0.518s 9. Aaro Vainio Lotus 1m38.469s + 0.535s 10. William Buller Carlin 1m38.471s + 0.537s 11. David Fumanelli MW Arden 1m38.542s + 0.608s 12. Tamas Pal Kiss Atech CRS 1m38.593s + 0.659s 13. Tio Ellinas Manor 1m38.603s + 0.669s 14. Maxim Zimin Jenzer 1m38.692s + 0.758s 15. Dmitry Suranovich Manor 1m38.955s + 1.021s 16. Antonio Spavone Trident 1m38.977s + 1.043s 17. Alex Brundle Carlin 1m39.129s + 1.195s 18. Yann Zimmer Status 1m39.153s + 1.219s 19. Fabiano Machado Manor 1m39.318s + 1.384s 20. Vicky Piria Trident 1m39.348s + 1.414s 21. Kotaro Sakurai Status 1m39.419s + 1.485s 22. Daniel Abt Lotus 1m39.492s + 1.558s 23. Ethan Ringel Atech CRS 1m39.785s + 1.851s 24. Robert Cregan Ocean 1m40.601s + 2.667s 25. John Wartique Atech CRS 1m40.930s + 2.996s 26. Carmen Jorda Ocean 1m41.997s + 4.063s Afternoon session: Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Daniel Abt Lotus 1m38.760s 2. Maxim Zimin Jenzer 1m39.027s + 0.267s 3. Tio Ellinas Manor 1m39.058s + 0.298s 4. Tamas Pal Kiss Atech CRS 1m39.321s + 0.561s 5. Robert Visoiu Jenzer 1m39.354s + 0.594s 6. Antonio Felix da Costa Carlin 1m39.379s + 0.619s 7. Mitch Evans MW Arden 1m39.635s + 0.875s 8. Kotaro Sakurai Status 1m39.646s + 0.886s 9. Marlon Stockinger Status 1m39.690s + 0.930s 10. Fabiano Machado Manor 1m39.791s + 1.031s 11. Patric Niederhauser Jenzer 1m39.946s + 1.186s 12. Conor Daly Lotus 1m40.014s + 1.254s 13. Dmitry Suranovich Manor 1m40.016s + 1.256s 14. William Buller Carlin 1m40.076s + 1.316s 15. Matias Laine MW Arden 1m40.329s + 1.569s 16. Alex Brundle Carlin 1m40.344s + 1.584s 17. Aaro Vainio Lotus 1m40.638s + 1.878s 18. Antonio Spavone Trident 1m40.902s + 2.142s 19. David Fumanelli MW Arden 1m40.977s + 2.217s 20. Kevin Ceccon Trident 1m41.012s + 2.252s 21. John Wartique Atech CRS 1m41.075s + 2.315s 22. Robert Cregan Ocean 1m41.197s + 2.437s 23. Ethan Ringel Atech CRS 1m41.582s + 2.822s 24. Vicky Piria Trident 1m42.192s + 3.432s 25. Carmen Jorda Ocean 1m42.878s + 4.118s 26. Yann Zimmer Status
Picture Copyright © Drew Gibson/GP3 Series Media Service
Mitch Evans Fastest As GP3 Pre-Season Testing Resumes
As the motor sport world gears up for the opening round of the Formula 1 World Championship this weekend, the feeder series of GP3 began their second pre-season test at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya. New Zealander Mitch Evans was quickest throughout the day for MW Arden.
For the second pre-season test, six new drivers’ joined the GP3 grid with Carmen Jorda, Kotaro Sakurai, Tom Blomqvist, Kevin Ceccon and John Wartique all eager to impress. Lotus GP also had a new face racing for them today, with Carlos Sainz jr. replacing Aaro Vainio who returns tomorrow for the team.
As ever, the day started in cool temperatures as testing got underway in the morning. New signing for Ocean Racing Technology, Robert Cregan, initially topped the timing sheets, before also causing the first red flag of the day as he embedded his car in the gravel at turn 9.
As the rest of the field began setting competitive lap times, Kevin Ceccon went fastest with a 01:40.172 ahead of Patric Niederhauser. Matias Laine then went quickest for MW Arden, before Daniel Abt became the first driver to break into the 01:38s.
After his first lap on new tyres, rookie Tom Blomqvist ended up in the gravel, causing the second red flag of the morning session. As the session returned to green, Mitch Evans flew to the top with a 01:38.609. A third red flag delay was caused as Fabiano Machado spun at turn 8. After this, the morning session continued uninterrupted until the lunch break.
Germany’s Daniel Abt set the initial pace as the days running continued in the afternoon, as the Lotus GP driver set a 01:39.343 ahead of his team-mate for the day Carlos Sainz Jr..
The MW Arden of Mitch Evans caused the first red flag delay of the afternoon, and the fourth of the day so far. The New Zealander, who won around the Circuit de Catalunya last season, spun on the exit of turn 8.
The track came alive in the final 30 minutes of the day, as the Cypriot of Tio Ellinas shot to the top. The glory was short lived for the rookie, who was demoted to 3rd by Sainz Jr. and Ceccon shortly afterwards. With only 15 minutes remaining on the clock, Matias Laine went fastest, before Daniel Abt finally returned to the top with a 01:38.876.
As the day came to a close, Kevin Ceccon brought proceedings to an end as he caused the fifth red flag period of the day as he spun into turn 4. This secured Daniel Abt at the top of the timing sheets for the afternoon session, roughly two tenths off the fastest time set in the morning period.
The testing continues tomorrow at 9am local time, with the days running coming to a close at 4pm local time with an hours lunch from midday to 1pm.
Morning times:
Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Daniel Abt Lotus GP 1m38.876s 2. Matias Laine MW Arden 1m39.014s + 0.138s 3. Tio Ellinas Marussia Manor 1m39.079s + 0.203s 4. Carlos Sainz Jr. Lotus GP 1m39.087s + 0.211s 5. Kevin Ceccon Trident Racing 1m39.102s + 0.226s 6. Tom Blomqvist Status Grand Prix 1m39.139s + 0.263s 7. David Fumanelli MW Arden 1m39.214s + 0.338s 8. P.Niederhauser Jenzer Motorsport 1m39.298s + 0.422s 9. Conor Daly Lotus GP 1m39.320s + 0.444s 10. A.F.da Costa Carlin 1m39.330s + 0.454s 11. Tamas Pal Kiss Atech CRS GP 1m39.398s + 0.522s 12. M.Stockinger Status Grand Prix 1m39.582s + 0.706s 13. Antonio Spavone Trident Racing 1m39.747s + 0.871s 14. Robert Visoiu Jenzer Motorsport 1m39.792s + 0.916s 15. Mitchell Evans MW Arden 1m39.849s + 0.973s 16. Alex Brundle Carlin 1m39.898s + 1.022s 17. Fabiano Machado Marussia Manor 1m40.107s + 1.231s 18. Maxim Zimin Jenzer Motorsport 1m40.224s + 1.348s 19. Vittoria Piria Trident Racing 1m40.516s + 1.640s 20. Kotaro Sakurai Status Grand Prix 1m40.541s + 1.665s 21. D.Suranovich Marussia Manor 1m40.731s + 1.855s 22. Robert Cregan Ocean Racing 1m40.951s + 2.075s 23. Ethan Ringel Atech CRS GP 1m41.059s + 2.183s 24. William Buller Carlin 1m41.154s + 2.278s 25. John Wartique Atech CRS GP 1m42.781s + 3.905s 26. Carmen Jorda Ocean Racing 1m44.009s + 5.133s Afternoon times:
Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Mitchell Evans MW Arden 1m38.609s 2. Tio Ellinas Marussia Manor 1m38.733s + 0.124s 3. Daniel Abt Lotus GP 1m38.799s + 0.190s 4. David Fumanelli MW Arden 1m38.944s + 0.335s 5. Tamas Pal Kiss Atech CRS GP 1m39.075s + 0.466s 6. A.F.da Costa Carlin 1m39.105s + 0.496s 7. Matias Laine MW Arden 1m39.199s + 0.590s 8. Kevin Ceccon Trident Racing 1m39.211s + 0.602s 9. P.Niederhauser Jenzer Motorsport 1m39.231s + 0.622s 10. Maxim Zimin Jenzer Motorsport 1m39.271s + 0.662s 11. M.Stockinger Status Grand Prix 1m39.340s + 0.731s 12. Carlos Sainz Jr. Lotus GP 1m39.470s + 0.861s 13. Conor Daly Lotus GP 1m39.615s + 1.006s 14. Robert Visoiu Jenzer Motorsport 1m39.649s + 1.040s 15. Tom Blomqvist Status Grand Prix 1m39.826s + 1.217s 16. Alex Brundle Carlin 1m40.083s + 1.474s 17. Antonio Spavone Trident Racing 1m40.109s + 1.500s 18. William Buller Carlin 1m40.589s + 1.980s 19. D.Suranovich Marussia Manor 1m40.760s + 2.151s 20. Ethan Ringel Atech CRS GP 1m41.013s + 2.404s 21. Fabiano Machado Marussia Manor 1m41.027s + 2.418s 22. Kotaro Sakurai Status Grand Prix 1m41.137s + 2.528s 23. Vittoria Piria Trident Racing 1m41.434s + 2.825s 24. Robert Cregan Ocean Racing 1m42.162s + 3.553s 25. John Wartique Atech CRS GP 1m43.695s + 5.086s 26. Carmen Jorda Ocean Racing 1m44.012s + 5.403s
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