Tio Ellinas Fastest On Day One Of GP3 Silverstone Test
Marussia Manor Racing’s Tio Ellinas ended the opening day of the GP3 Silverstone test fastest overall, with a time set during the afternoon period around the Northamptonshire circuit. The drivers were met with freezing weather conditions throughout the day, which saw the MW Arden of Carlos Sainz jr. post the fastest time in the morning period.
The day began in sunny yet bitterly cold weather conditions, with the majority of the 27-car field electing to immediately return to the warm confines of the pits after their initial installation laps. Eventually the track action increased throughout the morning period, with Alex Fontana and Nick Cassidy becoming the first two drivers to set times within the 01:47s. Gradually the times began to tumble, as Tio Ellinas and then David Fumanelli set the pace. However, the MW Arden of Carlos Sainz jr. finally went fastest as the session drew to a close with a 01:46.795.
Carlos Sainz jr. was fastest in the morning period, yet had his time deleted in the afternoon for being underweight.
After a two-hour lunch break, track action was resumed around the legendary Silverstone circuit. Facu Regalia caused an early red flag delay in his ART Grand Prix machine after stopping on the circuit, whereas his team-mate of Jack Harvey went fastest. Melville McKee rose to the top for Bamboo Engineering as the afternoon session entered its midway point, before Luis Sa Silva ran extensively wide at Becketts and glanced the retaining tyre barrier to cause another red flag delay.
As the afternoon session entered its closing stages, the wind began to pick up making driving conditions rather difficult. After causing an earlier red flag delay, Facu Regalia rose to the top as Adderly Fong ran wide at Chapel and caused yet another brief delay as his car was retrieved. Despite Regalia’s authority at the top, Tio Ellinas stormed ahead of the ART Grand Prix driver with only a minute remaining with a scintillating 01:46.211, a time 3.9 seconds faster than the previous GP3 record at Silverstone set last season by Mitch Evans in the old GP3/10 machine.
The second and final day of the GP3 Silverstone test will commence tomorrow at the Northamptonshire venue, with proceedings scheduled to get underway at 9am local time, with a one hour lunch break between 12pm and 1pm. This will be the final day of testing before the start of the new season next month at Barcelona.
Morning Session: Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Carlos Sainz Jnr MW Arden 1m46.795s 10 2. Tio Ellinas Manor 1m47.389s 10 3. David Fumanelli Trident 1m47.490s 11 4. Alex Fontana Jenzer 1m47.700s 24 5. Nick Cassidy Manor 1m47.850s 13 6. Daniil Kvyat MW Arden 1m47.904s 13 7. Nick Yelloly Carlin 1m47.942s 14 8. Giovanni Venturini Trident 1m48.047s 14 9. Aaro Vainio Koiranen 1m48.238s 7 10. Kevin Korjus Koiranen 1m48.242s 15 11. Patrick Kujala Koiranen 1m48.370s 13 12. Patric Niederhauser Jenzer 1m48.493s 15 13. Dino Zamparelli Manor 1m48.545s 12 14. Robert Visoiu MW Arden 1m48.796s 12 15. Melville McKee Bamboo 1m48.889s 13 16. Josh Webster Status 1m49.025s 15 17. Adderly Fong Status 1m49.484s 15 18. Eric Lichtenstein Carlin 1m49.546s 13 19. Felipe Guimaraes Bamboo 1m49.633s 12 20. Luis Sa Silva Carlin 1m49.644s 16 21. Emanuele Zonzini Trident 1m49.725s 15 22. Jimmy Eriksson Status 1m50.566s 12 23. Carmen Jorda Bamboo 1m52.684s 13 24. Samin Gomez Jenzer 1m52.887s 10 25. Conor Daly ART - 1 26. Jack Harvey ART - 1 27. Facu Regalia ART - 1
Afternoon Session* Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Tio Ellinas Manor 1m46.211s 29 2. Facu Regalia ART 1m46.247s 31 3. Nick Yelloly Carlin 1m46.540s 37 4. Jack Harvey ART 1m46.664s 23 5. Melville McKee Bamboo 1m46.719s 20 6. David Fumanelli Trident 1m46.774s 24 7. Robert Visoiu MW Arden 1m47.027s 32 8. Alex Fontana Jenzer 1m47.050s 28 9. Kevin Korjus Koiranen 1m47.143s 18 10. Conor Daly ART 1m47.177s 33 11. Daniil Kvyat MW Arden 1m47.345s 32 12. Dino Zamparelli Manor 1m47.391s 30 13. Jimmy Eriksson Status 1m47.402s 29 14. Josh Webster Status 1m47.474s 30 15. Patric Niederhauser Jenzer 1m47.698s 11 16. Felipe Guimaraes Bamboo 1m47.731s 25 17. Emanuele Zonzini Trident 1m47.924s 25 18. Adderly Fong Status 1m47.983s 18 19. Eric Lichtenstein Carlin 1m48.305s 34 20. Patrick Kujala Koiranen 1m48.322s 24 21. Nick Cassidy Manor 1m48.755s 23 22. Giovanni Venturini Trident 1m48.977s 9 23. Aaro Vainio Koiranen 1m49.146s 11 24. Luis Sa Silva Carlin 1m50.517s 15 25. Samin Gomez Jenzer 1m50.890s 15 26. Carmen Jorda Bamboo 1m51.457s 21 * Carlos Sainz's times deleted after car found to be underweight
Picture(s) Copyright © Malcolm Griffiths/GP3 Series Media Service
Nico Rosberg Fastest As Winter Testing Is Brought To A Conclusion
Nico Rosberg has ended the final day of winter testing fastest overall for Mercedes, continuing the German marque’s impressive form during the final test at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya. The German was followed by the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso, with Jenson Button a distant 3rd for McLaren.
The final day of testing for the new season dawned in glorious weather conditions at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, therefore allowing the teams and drivers one further day of perfect conditions to bring their preparations to a conclusion. After being sidelined yesterday due to food poisoning, Kimi Raikkonen was able to return behind the wheel of the Lotus E21 for the final day, as the Finn became one of the first drivers to take to the track along with Nico Rosberg and Jules Bianchi.
As per usual the drivers up and down the paddock completed installation laps throughout the early minutes of the day, before the Force India of Paul di Resta set the first timed lap of the day with a 01:28.643. This time was almost instantly thwarted by the Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg, who went a whole second faster with a 01:27.651. Mercedes continued their impressive pace at the front as the morning session continued, as Nico Rosberg shot to the top of the timing sheets with a 01:22.825, which the German managed to improve upon several times, working his way down to a 01:21.277.
Whilst the majority of the order continued to rack up the miles ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Kimi Raikkonen remained stuck in the confines of the pit-lane after his E21 machine suffered a gearbox issue. This forced the team to change the component, however their tweets indicated a positive atmosphere within the team. As the morning session continued the benchmark at the top was swapped several times between both Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg, before the latter fully asserted himself at the top with a 01:20.130, the fastest time of the week so far.
With only four minutes of the session remaining, Kimi Raikkonen finally returned to the Circuit de Catalunya after his earlier gearbox issue. The Finn only managed several laps in the dying minutes of the session, and set a 01:25.228 to remain last. Nico Rosberg, however, ended the morning session fastest overall ahead of Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari and Jenson Button in the McLaren.
Nico Rosberg became the first driver to return to the circuit once the track action was resumed in the afternoon, which was expected to see the majority of the order complete further race simulations. Several driver changes were carried out over the lunch interval, as Williams once again swapped over their drivers with Valtteri Bottas replacing Pastor Maldonado. Jules Bianchi’s time behind the wheel of the Marussia MR-02 was also ended, with Max Chilton assuming driving duties for the final afternoon of winter testing.
As was expected the majority of the drivers completed race simulations throughout the afternoon period, which therefore saw the timing screens remain relatively unchanged as winter testing neared its conclusion. After a gearbox issue earlier in the morning period, Kimi Raikkonen was one of the only drivers to improve upon his time in the afternoon session, with the Finn setting a 01:21.866.
With the many drivers carrying out race simulations in the afternoon session, Nico Rosberg ended the final day of winter testing fastest overall for Mercedes. The German’s time from the morning session, which was the fastest seen throughout the whole week, remained unchallenged at the front as Fernando Alonso came home 2nd ahead of Jenson Button in a distant 3rd. With winter testing now completed, all the teams and drivers will now head to Australia for the season-opening race in what promises to be another sensational year of Formula 1 action.
TODAY'S TIMES Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps 1. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m20.130s 131 2. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m20.494s + 0.364s 120 3. Jenson Button McLaren 1m21.444s + 1.314s 122 4. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber 1m21.541s + 1.411s 118 5. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus 1m21.658s + 1.528s 50 6. Paul di Resta Force India 1m21.664s + 1.534s 112 7. Pastor Maldonado Williams 1m22.415s + 2.285s 42 8. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1m22.514s + 2.384s 100 9. Valtteri Bottas Williams 1m22.524s + 2.394s 31 10. Charles Pic Caterham 1m23.115s + 2.985s 116 11. Jules Bianchi Marussia 1m23.167s + 3.037s 62 12. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1m23.628s + 3.498s 91 13. Max Chilton Marussia 1m24.103s + 3.973s 49
Picture Copyright © Mercedes AMG Petronas
Alexander Rossi Ends GP2 Winter Test Fastest At Barcelona
Alexander Rossi has ended the two-day GP2 winter test at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya fastest, in conditions starkly contrasting to yesterday with rain persistently lashing down during the morning period. This presented the drivers with extremely treacherous track conditions, as Facu Regalia set the pace in the morning.
The morning session began with heavy rain pounding the Circuit de Catalunya, initially preventing anyone from setting a timed lap once proceedings began. Eventually drivers began to brave the elements and leave the confines of the pit lane, before the Lotus GP of Sergio Canamasas set the first timed lap of the day, albeit woefully off of the pace from yesterday.
As the morning session slowly progressed, Jolyon Palmer rose to the top as still the rain persistently fell upon the circuit. Halfway through the session, Nigel Melker went fastest for Racing Engineering, before Argentine team-mate Facu Regalia asserted his authority over proceedings. Rene Binder caused the first red flag delay of the day, as the Venezuela GP Lazarus driver spun at turn five.
Facu Regalia ended the morning session fastest in treacherous conditions.
The rain cleared for the final hour of the morning session, allowing times to quickly tumble as the track began to dry out. Alexander Rossi rose to the top for Caterham, before further red flag delays from rookie Sergei Sirotkin and Rene Binder hindered proceedings. As the morning session drew to a conclusion, Facu Regalia was fastest ahead of Sergio Canamasas and Alexander Rossi.
Once track action was resumed after the one hour break, Stefano Coletti, Daniel de Jong and Eddie Cheever jr. were the first to return to a less damp Circuit de Catalunya. Sergio Canamasas once again set the early pace, but with the track conditions greatly improving, Pau Varhaug quickly improved ahead of team-mate Jolyon Palmer at iSport International. However, the Norwegian driver joined Frenchman Arthur Pic in the gravel only moments later to bring out another red flag delay.
Once the session was resumed, the sun began to shine down on the Circuit de Catalunya, igniting fresh hope that slick tyres might make an appearance before the end of the days running. As the afternoon session wore on, Nigel Melker and Stefano Coletti momentarily went fastest, before Rene Binder once again brought proceedings to a halt by spinning off at turn seven. Once normality was resumed, Alexander Rossi went fastest ahead of rookie Daniel Abt.
Further red flag delays plagued proceedings as the day drew to a conclusion, with Daniel Juncadella and then Lucas Foresti both running off the track on separate occasions. However, no-one could match the earlier pace set by Alexander Rossi, as the day ended under red flag conditions courtesy of Pau Varhaug who made contact with the barrier at turn four. The GP2 paddock will reconvene for the final post-season winter test in three weeks time at Jerez.
Picture(s) Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
Kevin Ceccon Fastest Again On Day 2 Of GP3 Jerez Winter Test
Kevin Ceccon once again ended the day fastest overall at the Jerez circuit, as the the second and final day of the first GP3 winter test came to a wet conclusion. With rain plaguing proceedings during the afternoon yesterday, the rain continued to hamper the session throughout day two.
The second day of the test featured several driver changes, with Vittorio Ghirelli replacing Jack Harvey at Lotus, with the Briton instead joining the Carlin outfit for the final days running. The session began in highly treacherous weather conditions, with the field completing their installation laps around the Jerez circuit with wet tyres fitted to their GP3/10 cars.
The morning session was momentarily red flagged throughout the early stages, as Jack Harvey’s Carlin leaked oil over the track. This forced the marshals to throw the red flag, as they cleared the track. Once the session was resumed, Alex Fontana set the early pace for Jenzer Motorsport as the track began to gradually dry out, allowing the drivers to switch to slick tyres and the times to tumble.
Emanuele Zonzini was fastest in the wet morning session.
Kevin Ceccon then quickly asserted his authority over proceedings, continuing his dominance after a very productive opening day for MW Arden. However, the Italian’s reign was short-lived as GP3 rookie Emanuele Zonzini stormed to the top of the timing sheets for Trident Racing. As the morning session drew to a close, heavy rain once again began to fall, allowing Zonzini to remain fastest ahead of Kevin Ceccon and Nick Cassidy for Status Grand Prix.
After the lunch break, the sun briefly appeared therefore allowing the teams to complete valuable dry running around the Spanish circuit. The Carlin pair of Josh Webster and Jack Harvey set the initial pace, before rookie Melville McKee shot to the top for MW Arden. Giovanni Venturini then momentarily went fastest, before Kevin Ceccon once again rose to the top for MW Arden just after the midway point of the afternoon session.
With only a hour left in the session, the rain once again began to fall upon the Jerez circuit, which saw Tio Ellinas and Emanuele Zonzini both spin. The heavy rain once again prevented anyone from improving on their times, which in turn saw Kevin Ceccon end the afternoon session fastest overall with a time set during the only dry period of the day.
The GP3 Series will return for one further winter post-season test in several weeks time at Estoril in Portugal, on November 6th/7th. These two days of testing will see the GP3/10 chassis in action for the final time, before the all-new GP3/13 chassis becomes the standard machine in the Series from 2013 onwards.
Picture(s) Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP3 Series Media Service
Kevin Ceccon Fastest On Day 1 Of GP3 Winter Test At Jerez
Kevin Ceccon ended the opening day of GP3’s first winter test fastest yesterday at the Jerez circuit, in a day which featured changeable conditions and several new faces eager to impress in the hope of finding a drive for next season. Tio Ellinas was fastest in the afternoon session, albeit in treacherously wet weather conditions.
After a six week gap since the superlative GP3 Series finale at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, where Mitch Evans secured the Drivers’ Crown, the GP3 fraternity reconvened for the first day of the opening winter test around the Jerez circuit. The field featured only six returning GP3 drivers from the previous season, with many new faces itching to impress their relative teams.
Despite six drivers returning to the GP3 paddock, several were driving for different teams than they raced with during the previous season. This included Kevin Ceccon at MW Arden, with Robert Visoiu and Giovanni Venturini at Lotus GP. As the session began in cool and overcast weather conditions, GP3 returnees Kevin Ceccon, David Fumanelli and Tio Ellinas set the initial pace.
As Alex Fontana shot to the top of the timing sheets only an hour into the morning session, Australian rookie Jordan Oon spun his Atech CRS Grand Prix car into the gravel and brought a short delay to proceedings in the form of a red flag. However, once the session resumed, Kevin Ceccon was able to reassert his authority over proceedings with a 01:35.451 which enabled the Italian driver to return to the top of the timing sheets with only 30 minutes remaining in the session.
Tio Ellinas was quickest in the afternoon session, as the rain began to fall.
During the lunch break, the threatening rain that had loomed over proceedings throughout the morning period finally arrived, changing the track conditions greatly in only a short space of time. Polish rookie Patryk Szczerbinski set the initial pace in the afternoon session, before his team-mates of Nicolas Costa and Tio Ellinas rose to the top of the timing sheets. As the rain intensified, the Cypriot’s time at the top remained unchallenged as the opening day drew to a close. Tomorrow will see the drivers return to the Jerez circuit for the final day of the GP3 test, before they then head off to Estoril for the second winter test next month.
Picture(s) Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP3 Series Media Service
Michael Schumacher Cautious Ahead Of First Race
After enjoying a relatively successful winter testing programme, Mercedes driver Michael Schumacher has disclosed that he is still cautious ahead of the first race in Australia next weekend. The 7-time World Champion has had a less-than-successful return to the sport in the last two seasons, and believes victory in Melbourne is unlikely.
Mercedes unveiled their car later than the rest of the field (with the exception of Marussia and HRT) with the aim of using the extra time to further develop and improve the car. Although pre-season testing went well for the team, Michael Schumacher still believes Red Bull are ahead of the opposition.
“The car is reliable which is already good,” Michael Schumacher said on his official website. “The first impression was already quite positive. We were driving out of the box with the car and everything went well, so there is potential. We are heading into the season much better prepared than in the past two years, and we can fully concentrate onto the development of our car. The speed is promising. I hope we can show that in Melbourne. We were able to drive a lot during the tests and therefore learn a lot too, and we certainly have made a step forward. But I want to wait until after the first races to judge how big this step is and how much it is worth compared to our competitors.”
Both of the Mercedes drivers’ are searching for race victories in 2012, with Nico Rosberg searching for his maiden win and Michael Schumacher for his first since the 2006 Chinese Grand Prix with Ferrari.
Picture Copyright © Mercedes GP
HRT Not To Partake In Barcelona Test
It has been confirmed by Spanish Formula 1 team, HRT, that they will unfortunately not partake of testing on Sunday, and will instead try their best to take to the track for a filming day on Monday.
HRT have had a miserable winter period, as their 2012 car initially failed the mandatory FIA crash test. This therefore forced the team to use their 2011 car for the first pre-season test at Jerez, before skipping the second test to focus on their new car.
The team were confident on making the final pre-season test, after their car finally passed the crash test last weekend. However, upon arriving at the circuit the team expected to take to the track on Sunday only, regarding they receive no setbacks. With HRT set to not take to the track during any of the official testing days this week, the team have announced they hope to complete a filming day at the Circuit de Catalunya on Monday.
If the planned filming day fails to take place, HRT will head to Australia without their new car, the F112, ever turning a wheel during testing. The same setback has hit Marussia, who’s car failed to pass the FIA crash tests prior to the third and final test at Barcelona. Both teams now look set to arrive at Albert Park in two weeks time on the back foot, with both cars failing to complete any true testing mileage.
This will be HRT and Marussia’s third season in Formula 1, and both teams are struggling to keep up with the rest of the teams. Caterham, who are also entering their third season, have improved their pace considerably since their debut back in 2010. They are confident on pushing for points in 2012, whereas the same unfortunately cannot be said for HRT or Marussia.
Testing continues this afternoon and concludes tomorrow at the Circuit de Catalunya, before the teams switch their focus to the season opening Australian Grand Prix, where the new HRT and Marussia will use FP1 as their unofficial pre-season test.
Picture Copyright © HRT F1
Vicky Piria Becomes First Female GP3 Driver
Italian female driver Vicky Piria will become the first ever female driver to take part in the GP3 Series, racing for Trident Racing in the coming 2012 season. She has become the first driver to be announced for the team, and the 13th in total for the series in 2012.
The 18-year-old has undergone a strenuous winter training programme, and is looking forward to making her debut in the GP3 Series. She began karting in 2003, working her way through various junior categories before making her single-seater debut in 2009 in the Formula 2000 Light and Formula Renault 2.0 Championships for Tomcat Racing.
In 2010 she switched to the Formula Abarth Championship in Italy and secured a total of 17 points in 2011 when she progressed to the Formula Abarth Italian and European Series.
“After ending the 2011 Formula Abarth season I had the chance to test a Formula 3 car as I saw that as a possible chance for my open-wheel career.” Explained Vicky Piria, “When Trident Racing explained to me the details of their GP3 Series program though, I immediately knew that it was the right thing to do for me. I know that there will be many tough aspects to overcome, especially because there will be a lot of more experienced drivers among my opponents. That said, I feel no pressure. I know I can afford a year learning and I’m aware that my goal for 2012 will be to improve step-by-step every lap. I want to learn the tracks which are almost unknown to me and a car that I haven’t driven before. I know I can rely on the help of Trident Racing’s engineers. We immediately got in touch with each other and I wasn’t scared at all in signing with a team I had never tested with. I’m excited by the idea of racing at the same events of Formula 1, and I believe that every driver aiming at the most prestigious series in the world knows that GP3 and GP2 are proven stepping stones”.
She’ll get her first taste of GP3 action as pre-season testing gets underway at Estoril in Portugal next week, in preparation for the season opening Spanish Grand Prix is support of the Formula 1 and GP2 event.
Vitaly Petrov Replaces Jarno Trulli At Caterham
It has been announced today that Russian Formula 1 driver, Vitaly Petrov, has replaced Jarno Trulli at Caterham. This therefore means there will be no Italian driver on the 2012 F1 grid, the first time this has occurred since 1970.
This has ended several weeks of speculation, where Vitaly Petrov and his manager, Oksana Kosachenko, have been voicing their hopes of making it onto the 2012 grid regularly throughout the winter period.
Vitaly Petrov will team-mate Finnish driver Heikki Kovalainen at Caterham this coming season, with Dutch driver Giedo Van Der Garde continuing his reserve driver duties throughout 2012. This move leaves Jarno Trulli out of Formula 1, with the Italian driver contesting 252 races since his debut at the 1997 Australian Grand Prix with Minardi.
“This is a very exciting day for me.” Explained Vitaly Petrov, “I would like to thank Tony, Kamarudin Meranun and SM Nasarudin for giving me the chance to join a team that made its F1 debut at the same time as me, and has grown from one of the new teams to a serious force for future honors. The passion and spirit that Tony and the whole team have to keep moving forwards is infectious, and I am honored to be able to join them and play my part in helping the team mount a serious challenge to the teams ahead in 2012 and for many seasons to come.
“I have been training hard all winter and am ready to get back into the cockpit and go to work.” Continued the Russian, “From what I have seen already, our new car is another good step forward from 2011 and now I cannot wait to see how it feels when we get to Barcelona. I would also like to take this chance to thank all my fans and partners for their support and their patience.”
Vitaly Petrov made his debut at the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix for Renault, and last season headed the team with the vacancy of Robert Kubica after his injury. He scored his first, and as of yet only, podium last season in Australia finishing 3rd. For 2012, he and Bruno Senna were replaced at the rebranded team by returning World Champion Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean.
At one stage it looked as though Petrov would miss out on an opportunity to race in 2012. However after a lengthy wait for sponsors, Petrov has finally secured a drive for the coming season, at the expense of the only Italian driver remaining on the Formula 1 grid.
“I want to take this chance to thank Tony, Kamarudin, SM Nasarudin, Riad, Mike and everyone in the team for the two seasons we had together.” Said Jarno Trulli, “From zero we built up and established a solid F1 team. I’m really proud to have been part of it. I understand the decision the team has made and I want to wish to the whole team the very best of luck for the season ahead.”
Vitaly Petrov will get his first taste of the Caterham CT01 at Barcelona next week, as the second pre-season test gets underway at the Circuit de Catalunya.
Romanian Teenager Robert Visoiu To Race In GP3
Jenzer Motorsport have today announced their first driver for the 2012 GP3 Series in Romanian teenager Robert Visoiu. The Romanian took part in the GP3 Winter Tests towards the end of last year, and impressed the team greatly by finishing the top three of the timings.
Robert Visoiu took part in the Italian Formula Abarth Championship for Jenzer Motorsport, as well the European Series. He ended with success when he won the final race of the season, a feat which will have assisted him with securing the drive in GP3.
The 16-year-old Romanian becomes the 10th driver to be confirmed on the 2012 GP3 grid, with the season kicking off at the Spanish Grand Prix in May. Once again, GP3 will support all the European races of the Formula 1 Championship alongside the sports other feeder series, GP2.
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