INDIA in F1

Tag: GP3 Series

  • Hubert crowned GP3 champion even as Pulcini wins; Jehan Daruwala suffers setback, finishes 19th

    Hubert crowned GP3 champion even as Pulcini wins; Jehan Daruwala suffers setback, finishes 19th

    Anthoine Hubert came third but it was enough to seal the GP3 championship on Saturday. at Yas Marina
    Photo: GP3 Series

    Abu Dabhi, 24 Nov 2018: Leonardo Pulcini claimed his second victory of the season in fine style in this afternoon’s Race 1 at Yas Marina Circuit, fighting off an early challenge before powering all the way to the flag for a popular win, but most eyes were focussed a little further back as Anthoine Hubert did everything he needed to claim the final GP3 Series drivers’ title before easing off at the end to finish on the podium behind David Beckmann.

    Meanwhile, Indian ace Jehan Daruwala of MP Motorsport suffered a setback finishing 19th with only Joey Mawson behind him.
    Temperatures were soaring as the lights went out, with poleman and title challenger Nikita Mazepin unable to match Pulcini’s glorious getaway: the Russian cut straight across to cover the challenge, and although Hubert made a strong start he was in no position to risk a move at turn 1 and fell into line behind the front row starters but ahead of Callum Ilott, who mugged teammate Jake Hughes at the first corner, Beckmann and Ryan Tveter.
    Pulcini knew he had an advantage, and he played it almost immediately: the Italian outdragged Mazepin on the long back straight for the lead, with Beckmann copying the move on Hughes for P5. The Russian was not finished though, knowing that he needed victory to keep his title hopes alive, and he pushed Pulcini before outbraking for the lead at the marina on lap 4, but a slightly wide line at the hotel complex on the next lap allowed the Italian back into P1.
    Mazepin tried the marina move once again on lap 6, but Pulcini was alert to the danger: the Russian went too deep and ran off, but in his hurry to restart the battle he missed the bollard around which he needed to rejoin the track, and the subsequent 10 second time penalty effectively ended his title run.
    If the move meant that the front-runners could focus on preserving their cars and tyres, further back there was more action to be had: Beckmann run through Ilott at the marina for P4 on lap 9, while Giuliano Alesi started his progression up the points by claiming Tveter’s scalp behind him, while a lap later Hughes repaid his teammate by outbraking Ilott for P5. Beckmann and Hughes squabbled over P4 for a few laps before the German could finally pull away and focus on the target ahead in the closing laps.
    With the title in his pocket Hubert had no reason to fight too hard for P3, particularly as it was coming back to him at the end of the race, and gave way to Beckmann at the marina chicane on the final lap, but up front Pulcini was greeted by the flag some 8.6 seconds ahead of the German and the 2018 GP3 Champion, with Ilott hanging on for 4th and Mazepin, who was 2nd on the road before his penalty, was handed P5 ahead of a charging Alesi, who mugged Hughes on the penultimate lap, with Juan Manuel Correa surviving a late squabble for P8 and tomorrow’s pole with Simo Laaksonen and Tatiana Calderon.
    Race 1 Provisional Classification
    Position
    Driver
    Team
    Gap
    1
    Leonardo Pulcini
    Campos Racing
    2
    David Beckmann
    Trident
    8.631
    3
    Anthoine Hubert
    ART Grand Prix
    10.360
    4
    Callum Ilott
    ART Grand Prix
    11.156
    5
    Nikita Mazepin
    ART Grand Prix
    11.481
    6
    Giuliano Alesi
    Trident
    12.701
    7
    Jake Hughes
    ART Grand Prix
    16.729
    8
    Juan Manuel Correa
    Jenzer Motorsport
    17.110
    9
    Simo Laaksonen
    Campos Racing
    17.512
    10
    Tatiana Calderón
    Jenzer Motorsport
    17.804
    11
    Ryan Tveter
    Trident
    18.479
    12
    Pedro Piquet
    Trident
    20.350
    13
    Jannes Fittje
    Jenzer Motorsport
    21.523
    14
    Richard Verschoor
    MP Motorsport
    22.728
    15
    Gabriel Aubry
    Arden International
    24.169
    16
    Sacha Fenestraz
    Arden International
    26.043
    17
    Devlin DeFrancesco
    MP Motorsport
    28.055
    18
    Diego Menchaca
    Campos Racing
    32.591
    19
    Jehan Daruvala
    MP Motorsport
    39.718
    20
    Joey Mawson
    Arden International
    69.610
  • Jehan Daruvala to make GP3 debut in Abu Dhabi driving for MP Motorsport

    Jehan Daruvala to make GP3 debut in Abu Dhabi driving for MP Motorsport

    Jehan Daruvala….all set for GP3 debut in Abu Dhabi over the weekend.

    Mumbai, 21 November 2018: Jehan Daruvala will race MP Motorsport’s third GP3 car in the last round of the GP3 series, in Abu Dhabi this weekend. Formula 3 race winner Daruvala from Mumbai, will debut in the highly acclaimed GP3 series with Dutch team, MP Motorsports. Jehan who last year became the first Indian to win a race in the highly competitive FIA F3 European Championship, completed the 2018 season with 1 win, 1 pole, 1 fastest lap and 5 podiums in total.

    GP3 is considered an important stepping stone to F1. Current Mercedes F1 racer, Valteri Bottas and 2019 Ferrari F1 racer, Charles Leclerc are just some of the F1 stars who have graduated via GP3. This weekend the GP3 series will serve as a support race, to the F1 season finale at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

    MP Motorsport also currently fields a team in the Formula 2 championship and currently lie 4th in the GP3 series. Jehan will partner Dutchman Richard Verschoor and Canadian Devlin Defrancesco.

    Jehan Daruvala

    “I’m pleased to welcome Jehan to our GP3 team for the final weekend in the series’ nine-year history before we move on to the all-new FIA F3 in 2019,” said MP’s team manager Sander Dorsman. “I’m sure Jehan will gel well with Richard and Devlin, and will help us wave goodbye to GP3 by going out on a high.”

    “After my 2017 test, it will be good to gain some more GP3 experience ahead of the 2019 season. I am thankful to MP for giving me this opportunity,” said Jehan. The Mumbai racer first proved his mettle in karts in India, winning the JK Tyre National Karting title in Micro Max. He went on to win the Malaysian Junior Yamaha Title. He then went on to become the first & only Indian to win the CIK FIA Asia Pacific KF3 Championship & subequently the British Superone Karting Championship.

    Having finished third in the 2014 CIK-FIA World Karting Championship, Jehan moved to single-seater racing the next year, finishing fifth in the 2015 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC series & runner up in the Toyota Racing Series 2016. In early 2017, he won the New Zealand Grand Prix (Toyota Racing Series). He then debuted in the FIA F3 European Championship  where he finished 6th in the championship, with a win, a pole and three podiums in total. In his second FIA F3 season in 2018, Jehan copied those results and added two more podiums and a fastest lap.

    Note: The FIA issued specs of the F3 2019 car on Nov 22, 2018.

  • Ilott claims maiden pole in Spielberg qualifying: GP3 Series

    Ilott claims maiden pole in Spielberg qualifying: GP3 Series

    Callum Ilott of ART Grand Prix takes GP3 Series pole on Saturday at Spielberg. A GP3 series image

    Spielberg, 29 June 2018: Callum Ilott clinched his first GP3 Series pole position during the Qualifying session at Spielberg, Austria, pipping ART Grand Prix teammate Jake Hughes to top spot with a 1:19.209 lap in the final stages of the session here on Saturday. Hughes secured his highest qualifying result of the season with second, with Trident’s Alessio Lorandi taking third place.

    Unlike the morning’s practice, the session began in dry, overcast conditions; at the start, Ilott led ART stablemates Anthoine Hubert, Nikita Mazepin and Hughes out onto the Red Bull Ring. The running began inauspiciously for the Ferrari Academy driver – Ilott went off at turn 1 on his first flying lap – to let Hubert clock the quickest time on the opening cycle of runs.
    Ilott soon hit back, becoming the first to reach the 1m19s in the session, with Pedro Piquet (Trident) and Joey Mawson (Arden International) filtering in just behind the British driver. Mazepin then popped up onto the top of the timing boards before Ilott whittled the pace down further, finding a 1:19.630 ahead of the field electing to switch tyres in the middle of the session.
    Jenzer Motorsport’s Juan Manuel Correa got the running back underway, with Ilott once more taking the initiative and reopening the phase of hot laps in the final ten minutes. Ryan Tveter – who topped the morning’s Free Practice session – quickly threatened and elevated himself into second, but Ilott extended his advantage over the Trident driver before Mazepin returned to head the times.
    Hughes then assumed control of the session in its final stages before Ilott was able to wrest back provisional pole, going half a tenth faster than his teammate to set a 1:19.209. The session was then quickly red-flagged, as Hubert – who had sustained a huge wide moment at turn 10 on his hot lap – came to a halt on the track at the exit of turn 6, requiring a tow away from the marshals. With just under two minutes left on the clock, the session was not restarted – cementing Ilott’s first GP3 pole.
    Completing an all-ART front row, Hughes was 0.03s faster than Trident’s Alessio Lorandi, who starts from the second row alongside countryman Leonardo Pulcini. Mazepin begins Saturday’s race from fifth ahead of Piquet, with previous polesitter Dorian Boccolacci qualifying seventh to beat Tveter. French duo Gabriel Aubry and Giuliano Alesi complete the top ten.
    As current series leader Hubert starts from 19th on the grid, all eyes will be on him to fight back through the field in Saturday’s Race 1, while the battle for victory should be hotly contested – with plenty of close racing expected at the Red Bull Ring.
    2018 GP3 Series Round 3 – Spielberg, Austria – Provisional Qualifying Classification
    Driver
    Team
    Time
    Laps
    1
    Callum Ilott
    ART Grand Prix
    1:19.209
    15
    2
    Jake Hughes
    ART Grand Prix
    1:19.246
    15
    3
    Alessio Lorandi
    Trident
    1:19.276
    16
    4
    Leonardo Pulcini
    Campos Racing
    1:19.344
    15
    5
    Nikita Mazepin
    ART Grand Prix
    1:19.351
    15
    6
    Pedro Piquet
    Trident
    1:19.400
    14
    7
    Dorian Boccolacci
    MP Motorsport
    1:19.453
    16
    8
    Ryan Tveter
    Trident
    1:19.487
    16
    9
    Gabriel Aubry
    Arden International
    1:19.502
    15
    10
    Giuliano Alesi
    Trident
    1:19.549
    15
    11
    Juan Manuel Correa
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:19.592
    16
    12
    Simo Laaksonen
    Campos Racing
    1:19.606
    15
    13
    Joey Mawson
    Arden International
    1:19.718
    15
    14
    David Beckmann
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:19.782
    15
    15
    Diego Menchaca
    Campos Racing
    1:19.807
    15
    16
    Niko Kari
    MP Motorsport
    1:19.902
    16
    17
    Tatiana Calderon
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:19.974
    15
    18
    Julien Falchero
    Arden International
    1:19.995
    15
    19
    Anthoine Hubert
    ART Grand Prix
    1:20.003
    14
    20
    Devlin DeFrancesco
    MP Motorsport
    1:20.191
    13
  • Maiden victory for Kari; Podium for Maini: GP3 Series

    Maiden victory for Kari; Podium for Maini: GP3 Series

    Arjun Maini (right) comes 3rd, for another podium at Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Photo by Zak Mauger

    Niko Kari drove a perfect race in this afternoon’s Race 1 at the Yas Marina Circuit, pushing up to the lead at the start and absorbing all the pressure his rivals could through at him, along with a couple of VSC periods, for his maiden win in the GP3 Series ahead of 2017 champion George Russell and Arjun Maini.

    The victory was made at the start: when the lights went out Arden teammates Leonardo Pulcini and Kari made great getaways from P2 and P3 respectively, leaving poleman Russell the choice of which driver to cover. He chose the Italian and pushed across to the inside line, leaving the outside wide open for Kari to swoop through and into the lead at turn 2, ahead of Russell, Pulcini and Maini, while behind them Nirei Fukuzumi and Raoul Hyman were slow to get away from the grid, delaying most of their rivals.
    The Japanese driver clattered into Giuliano Alesi at turn 8, forcing both drivers to pit, while ahead of them Pulcini blew past Russell to set up an Arden 1-2 on track, with the top 4 edging away and behind them Dan Ticktum leading Dorian Boccolacci, Anthoine Hubert (who was hoping to insert himself into the fight for the vice-champion position), Alessio Lorandi, Steijn Schothorst and Ryan Tveter.
    Kari was looking to build a DRS buffer back to his teammate when Marcos Siebert stopped at turn 8, prompting a brief VSC period on lap 5: the Finn easily controlled the restart with Russell almost catching Pulcini napping and being forced to run over the kerbs to avoid the Italian, handing Kari the vital 1s gap he needed to avoid the DRS and allowing him to control the race, and his tyres.
    Ticktum and Lorandi were both mugged at the restart but soon regained their positions, with the Briton sailing away into the distance and the Italian soon looking for more: as Hubert suddenly slowed with some sort of gremlin dropping him back through the field, Lorandi got the jump on Boccolacci on the back straight for P6 just before Alesi rolled to a stop at turn 20, bringing out the VSC boards once again.
    Russell caught out Pulcini once again at the restart, but this time made it stick for P2 on the final turn, while Lorandi and Boccolacci resumed battle again, swapping position all around the circuit before the Italian finally made it stick on lap 14, with Schothorst inserting himself into the battle and forcing the Frenchman to keep an eye on his mirrors.
    There was soon more bad news for Pulcini: his left rear started to deflate, dropping him back down the grid before an inevitable retirement on lap 17, handing Maini a place on the podium. Ahead of him Russell was unable to do anything about the speed of Kari, who punched the air with delight as he was greeted by the flag across the line. Ticktum rolled home a lonely 4th, ahead of Lorandi and Schothorst, who both broke away from the squabble behind them: Boccolacci just held off a fast charging Hubert, who drove a magnificent recovery effort for P8 and tomorrow’s pole, just ahead of Tveter and Kevin Joerg.
    Provisional Race 1 Classification
    Driver
    Team
    1
    Niko KARI
    Arden International
    2
    George RUSSELL
    ART Grand Prix
    3
    Arjun MAINI
    Jenzer Motorsport
    4
    Daniel TICKTUM
    DAMS
    5
    Alessio LORANDI
    Jenzer Motorsport
    6
    Steijn SCHOTHORST
    Arden International
    7
    Dorian BOCCOLACCI
    Trident
    8
    Anthoine HUBERT
    ART Grand Prix
    9
    Ryan TVETER
    Trident
    10
    Kevin JOERG
    Trident
    11
    Bruno BAPTISTA
    DAMS
    12
    Juan Manuel CORREA
    Jenzer Motorsport
    13
    Raoul HYMAN
    Campos Racing
    14
    Jack AITKEN
    ART Grand Prix
    15
    Nirei FUKUZUMI
    ART Grand Prix
    16
    Tatiana CALDERON
    DAMS
    17
    Leonardo PULCINI
    Arden International

    eom/GP3 series press release

  • Russell strikes back for 4th pole; Maini takes P5: GP3 series

    George Russell pulled out a champion’s drive in this afternoon’s qualifying session at the Yas Marina Circuit: the Briton defied the difficulty of jumping from GP3 to F1 with Force India and back today with a stunning last lap to claim his fourth pole position of the season (and rounding out 2017 by ensuring that ART Grand Prix grabbed every pole of the year) by three tenths from Arden International teammates Leonardo Pulcini and Niko Kari.
    The new champion’s best time of 1:54.751 came after the chequered flag had dropped: Russell was the last man in a series of quickest laps to ensure that his rivals realised he will not be taking this weekend easily just because the pressure of the championship is over.
    The track opened to hot and sunny conditions, with all of the drivers running straight out to take advantage of the F1 rubber from their recent free practice. Russell, who had helped to lay down some of it, was taking the early part of the session easy as his rivals squabbled over the top spot: Dorian Boccolacci, Arjun Maini and Dan Ticktum all spent time on the top spot before returning to the pits, with Russell staying out one lap later and running green in sector 1 and purple in sector 2 before ominously aborting the lap as he returned to the pits, confident he had more to come.
    With 5 minutes remaining the drivers were swapping best times in the various sectors as they warmed their tyres for the push to the flag: Pulcini and then Russell claimed P1 with a few minutes remaining, then pulled back for a slow lap before pushing again on the last tour. Maini ran wide out of the marina section and lost his chance while up front Kari topped the timesheets before being usurped by teammate Pulcini and then Russell as the chequered flag dropped, and the session was over.
    Behind the top 3 Ticktum just missed out again for P4, but finished ahead of Maini, Nirei Fukuzumi, Boccolacci (who lost time in sector 2 and missed his chance to shine), Raoul Hyman, Anthoine Hubert and Alessio Lorandi were among the 12 drivers within a second of the top spot, all of whom will be looking to unleash their speed in tomorrow’s Race 1.
    Provisional Qualifying Classification
    Driver
    Team
    Laptime
    Laps
    1.
    George RUSSELL
    ART Grand Prix
    1:54.751
    12
    2.
    Leonardo PULCINI
    Arden International
    1:55.073
    12
    3.
    Niko KARI
    Arden International
    1:55.157
    11
    4.
    Daniel TICKTUM
    DAMS
    1:55.289
    12
    5.
    Arjun MAINI
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:55.466
    11
    6.
    Nirei FUKUZUMI
    ART Grand Prix
    1:55.484
    12
    7.
    Dorian BOCCOLACCI
    Trident
    1:55.533
    12
    8.
    Raoul HYMAN
    Campos Racing
    1:55.583
    11
    9.
    Anthoine HUBERT
    ART Grand Prix
    1:55.594
    12
    10.
    Alessio LORANDI
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:55.605
    12
    11.
    Steijn SCHOTHORST
    Arden International
    1:55.610
    12
    12.
    Ryan TVETER
    Trident
    1:55.684
    11
    13.
    Tatiana CALDERON
    DAMS
    1:55.772
    13
    14.
    Kevin JOERG
    Trident
    1:55.774
    12
    15.
    Jack AITKEN
    ART Grand Prix
    1:55.823
    12
    16.
    Giuliano ALESI
    Trident
    1:55.909
    12
    17.
    Bruno BAPTISTA
    DAMS
    1:56.088
    13
    18.
    Marcos SIEBERT
    Campos Racing
    1:56.485
    10
    19.
    Juan Manuel CORREA
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:56.597
    12
    20.
    Julien FALCHERO
    Campos Racing
    1:57.015
    9

    eom/press release

  • Kari grabs the honours in free practice, Maini 9th fastest: GP3 Series

    Niko Kari has laid down a marker for his rivals for the final round of the 2017 season by claiming the top spot on his final lap of the Yas Marina Circuit in this morning’s free practice session, biding his time before claiming the honours when his rivals had no chance to usurp him for a lap time that was less than a tenth faster than Dorian Boccolacci and Nirei Fukuzumi. Meanwhile, Indian driver Arjun Maini of Jenzer Motorsports, was 9th fastest.
    The Finn’s best time of 1:55.796 after the chequered flag had dropped was the quickest of a string of fast laps that came in the final minutes of a session which saw times tumbling throughout but was otherwise quiet, with no major off-track drama given the short gap before this afternoon’s qualifying session.
    The track opened to warm and sunny conditions, with a number of drivers spending time on the top of the timesheets: Fukuzumi was the first person under the 2 minute mark with Kari, Dan Ticktum and Leonardo Pulcini swapping P1 between them until Boccolacci grabbed the top spot just before the 20 minute mark and held on until late into the session as everyone worked on their race simulations.
    With 5 minutes remaining everyone turned up the wick once more: Anthoine Hubert picked up the pace ahead of a string of drivers swapping the top spot between them, with Giuliano Alesi, Kevin Joerg, George Russell, Kari and Fukuzumi rotating through before Boccolacci reclaimed P1 with 2 minutes remaining. Ticktum went purple in sector 1, soon overtaken by Boccolacci, and it looked like the Frenchman had done enough as he slowed in the 2nd sector only to hear that Kari had claimed P1, leaving him no time to improve as he rolled to the flag.
    Behind the top 3 Ticktum, Russell, Hubert, Raoul Hyman, Pulcini and Arjun Maini were among the 14 drivers within a second of the top spot, promising fireworks in this afternoon’s qualifying session in just a few hours’ time.
    Provisional Qualifying Classification
    Driver
    Team
    Laptime
    Laps
    1.
    Niko KARI
    Arden International
    1:55.796
    19
    2.
    Dorian BOCCOLACCI
    Trident
    1:55.865
    18
    3.
    Nirei FUKUZUMI
    ART Grand Prix
    1:55.886
    18
    4.
    Daniel TICKTUM
    DAMS
    1:56.006
    16
    5.
    George RUSSELL
    ART Grand Prix
    1:56.071
    18
    6.
    Anthoine HUBERT
    ART Grand Prix
    1:56.159
    18
    7.
    Raoul HYMAN
    Campos Racing
    1:56.225
    16
    8.
    Leonardo PULCINI
    Arden International
    1:56.323
    19
    9.
    Arjun MAINI
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:56.558
    18
    10.
    Steijn SCHOTHORST
    Arden International
    1:56.607
    19
    11.
    Marcos SIEBERT
    Campos Racing
    1:56.608
    17
    12.
    Kevin JOERG
    Trident
    1:56.612
    17
    13.
    Giuliano ALESI
    Trident
    1:56.640
    17
    14.
    Jack AITKEN
    ART Grand Prix
    1:56.641
    18
    15.
    Ryan TVETER
    Trident
    1:57.068
    16
    16.
    Bruno BAPTISTA
    DAMS
    1:57.255
    18
    17.
    Juan Manuel CORREA
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:57.885
    18
    18.
    Alessio LORANDI
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:58.723
    18
    19.
    Julien FALCHERO
    Campos Racing
    1:58.820
    14
    20.
    Tatiana CALDERON
    DAMS
    1:59.345
    9
  • George Russell is 2017 GP3 Series champion; Maini finishes outside points in both races

    George Russell is 2017 GP3 Series champion; Maini finishes outside points in both races

    George Russell wins GP3 Series title with a P5 in the Sunday’s race. Image from GP3 Series

    Jerez: George Russell managed to finish fifth in Race 2 and grabbed enough points to take a 50-point lead in the championship which virtually sealed his championship on Sunday morning at the Circuito de Jerez. Thus he became the 2017 GP3 Series Champion with one round remaining in the season.

    Meanwhile, Arjun Maini of Jenzer Motorsport finished 13th, 6.576 behind the winner. Earlier in Race 1 on Saturday, Maini could only finish 17th. With no points from these two races, the Indian driver remains on 53 points with one round to go.
    Alessio Lorandi claimed his first GP3 Series win with a strong race from pole to flag , leading home Dorian Boccolacci and Niko Kari. In sunny and warm conditions, Lorandi got away well when the lights went out and easily contained Boccolacci and Kari into turn 1 before the trio ran together all the way round the circuit. Then the Italian started to build a small but significant gap to his rivals as Anthoine Hubert and Dan Ticktum started to close in, with the Frenchman running wide on lap 2 to clear a path into P4 for the Briton.
    If the leaders were focused on their shot at victory, all other eyes were on the fight for the title: Russell started behind Jack Aitken but forced his way past at Dry Sac, with the Renault junior driver running slightly wide at the exit and allowing Nirei Fukuzumi to run through too. When Russell grabbed the fastest lap the potential points difference was 47, 1 short of a title confirmation, but with Giuliano Alesi just 0.5s behind Aitken anything could still happen.
    Up front Lorandi was easily controlling the pace, running his own lines and looking comfortable even if he was unable to break the 1s DRS barrier back to Boccolacci, who had a similar problem with Kari. Aitken was pushing hard to grab the fastest lap but was unable to close down the time set by Russell, and with the laps rolling down it looked as though the fight was going to continue to Abu Dhabi.
    But on lap 13 Ticktum, who had been fast all weekend and was looking for more than another P4, pushed hard and got inside Kari, towing Hubert with him as they ran 3 wide into turn 4, where there was only space for 2: Ticktum was into the gravel and retirement, Kari just held off an attack from Hubert, the safety car was out to allow the marshals to retrieve the stranded DAMS, and the points bump meant that the gap from Russell to Aitken was now 50, enough to claim the title.
    The race restarted for the final lap, with Lorandi comfortably controlling Boccolacci and Kari for his maiden win, with Hubert leading home his ART teammates Russell, Fukuzumi and Aitken, the latter two having a look at Russell at Dry Sac but unable to make anything stick, with Alesi rounding out the points in P8 as Jenzer celebrated their second win of the season and ART basked in the glory of success after claiming the 2017 GP3 Series Drivers’ and Teams’ titles ahead of the final round of the season, in Abu Dhabi on 24-26 November.
    Provisional Race 2 Classification
    Driver
    Team
    Gap
    1
    Alessio LORANDI
    Jenzer Motorsport
    2
    Dorian BOCCOLACCI
    Trident
    +0.743
    3
    Niko KARI
    Arden International
    +1.511
    4
    Anthoine HUBERT
    ART Grand Prix
    +1.696
    5
    George RUSSELL
    ART Grand Prix
    +2.722
    6
    Nirei FUKUZUMI
    ART Grand Prix
    +3.065
    7
    Jack AITKEN
    ART Grand Prix
    +3.617
    8
    Giuliano ALESI
    Trident
    +4.077
    9
    Tatiana CALDERON
    DAMS
    +4.376
    10
    Julien FALCHERO
    Campos Racing
    +5.198
    11
    Steijn SCHOTHORST
    Arden International
    +5.563
    12
    Leonardo PULCINI
    Arden International
    +5.948
    13
    Arjun MAINI
    Jenzer Motorsport
    +6.576
    14
    Bruno BAPTISTA
    DAMS
    +6.960
    15
    Ryan TVETER
    Trident
    +7.229
    16
    Raoul HYMAN
    Campos Racing
    +7.723
    17
    Juan Manuel CORREA
    Jenzer Motorsport
    +8.096
    18
    Marcos SIEBERT
    Campos Racing
    +8.637
    19
    Kevin JOERG
    Trident
    +8.746
    20
    Daniel TICKTUM
    DAMS
    +4 Laps
    Japanese driver wins Race 1
    Earlier, Nirei Fukuzumi reminded everyone of his abilities with a strong, unopposed victory on Saturday morning’s Race 1 at the Circuito de Jerez, making a tremendous start and soaring off into the distance untroubled by the intra-team battle behind him for his first win since Barcelona, leading home an ART 1-2-3 ahead of teammates George Russell and Jack Aitken.
    If most eyes were on the title fight between his teammates, the Honda development driver was determined to make the most of his opportunity and grab the win on offer: under gloriously sunny skies Fukuzumi tore away when the lights went out for a lead which never looked in question, while Aitken made a strong start from P2 but was slightly conservative into turn 1, opening the door to Russell.
    The Series leader didn’t need any further invitation: the Mercedes F1 junior driver slid inside his teammate into turn 1, with the pair running side by side through 2 before Russell edged ahead at turn 3, with Aitken left thinking about DRS strategies and the mounting challenge behind him from newcomer Dan Ticktum, who made a good start and was running on the same pace as his countryman.

  • Russell wins; Maini bumped by teammate, fares badly: GP3 Series

    Monza, 3 Sept 2017: George Russell put the long wait for the start of Race 1 behind him by claiming a strong win in this morning’s race at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, keeping his head while chaos reigned behind him to head home an ART 1-2-3 ahead of teammate’s Jack Aitken and Anthoine Hubert to claim the team’s 7th title in 8 seasons.
    Meanwhile, India’s Arjun Maini of Jenzer Motorsport could only finish 16th and  last as he was bumped from behind by his teammate which ended his aspirations for a better placing.
    The Briton’s job was made easier when poleman Nirei Fukuzumi failed to make the start after getting stuck at the pit exit with an electrical gremlin: when the lights went out Russell eased away from the line with Hubert and Aitken squabbling behind him. At the Variante della Roggia Leonardo Pulcini and Alessio Lorandi came together, with the former riding the latter’s rear wheel all the way to the barriers: the safety car was straight out on track as the medical team extracted Pulcini from the car, who emerged shaken before heading to the medical centre for the usual checks.
    Repairs to the barriers meant it took until lap 9 for the race to run live, with Russell making an early getaway to lead his teammates down to turn 1, while behind them Steijn Schothorst and Niko Kari squabbled over best of the rest status, touching at Roggia but continuing the fight. Hubert had the pace over Russell after the safety car and squeezed by him at Rettifilo on lap 11, but it wasn’t to last as the Briton responded in kind 2 laps later, just before Juan Manuel Correa missed his braking and flew into the rear of teammate Arjun Maini, bringing out the VSC boards for the clean up.
    There was a huge gap back from the ARTs to Kari in P4, who now had Raoul Hyman and a gaggle of drivers circulating ominously behind: the South African dropped like a stone at the restart while up at the front Aitken made a great restart at Parabolica to run side by side with his teammates before grabbing the lead at turn 1. But Russell was not going to accept it without a fight, running all over his teammate’s rear wing all lap long before getting a better run at Curva Grande and reclaiming the lead at Roggia on lap 16.
    With the laps running down the race switched to a timed one, but the impact from Correa was starting to show on Maini’s rear wing: on lap 19 it disintegrated, forcing the Indian into the pits and retirement from P7, and when Kari tripped over the kerbs at Lesmo 2 and found the wall there was little choice but to bring out the safety car once again for the final lap of the race.
    Russell claimed the win to extend his lead in the drivers’ championship over 2nd placed driver Aitken, 162 points to 119, with Hubert P3 in the race and 4th in the title fight behind Fukuzumi, 99 points to 97. Siebert threaded his way through the chaos for an impressive 4th on track ahead of Ryan Tveter, Giuliano Alesi (5th in the championship on 95 points), with Tatiana Calderon finishing in P7 ahead of Julien Falchero, Kevin Joerg and Bruno Baptista.
    In the teams’ title fight ART is untouchable with two rounds remaining on 463 points, from Trident on 222 and Jenzer on 116: following the rain delays yesterday the GP3 Race 2 was cancelled, with the teams now looking ahead to Round 7 of the championship in Jerez on 6-8 October, the penultimate round of the 2017 season.
    Provisional Race 1 Classification
    Driver
    Team
     
    1.
    George Russell
    ART Grand Prix
    2.
    Jack Aitken
    ART Grand Prix
    3.
    Anthoine Hubert
    ART Grand Prix
    4.
    Marcos Siebert
    Campos Racing
    5.
    Ryan Tveter
    Trident
    6.
    Giuliano Alesi
    Trident
    7.
    Tatiana Calderon
    DAMS
    8.
    Julien Falchero
    Campos Racing
    9.
    Kevin Jörg
    Trident
    10.
    Bruno Baptista
    DAMS
    11.
    Raoul Hyman
    Campos Racing
    12.
    Steijn Schothorst
    Arden International
    13.
    Daniel Ticktum
    DAMS
    14.
    Dorian Boccolacci
    Trident
    15.
    Niko Kari
    Arden International
    16.
    Arjun Maini
    Jenzer Motorsport
    Not Classified
    Juan Manuel Correa
    Jenzer Motorsport
    Leonardo Pulcini
    Arden International
    Alessio Lorandi
    Jenzer Motorsport
    Nirei Fukuzumi
    ART Grand Prix
    Fastest Lap
    Anthoine Hubert
    1:40.232 on lap 11

  • Arjun Maini 8th fastest in Free Practice: GP3 Series

    Monza 1 Sept 2017: Indian racer Arjun Maini of Jenzer Motorsport was 8th fastest in the  even as Nirei Fukuzumi grabbed the top spot late in the afternoon’s GP3 Series free practice session at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, setting his best lap on the last tour to stop the clocks at 1:38.594 and lead home an ART Grand Prix ahead of George Russell, Anthoine Hubert and Jack Aitken.
    The session opened with the circuit bathed in sunshine despite large, ominous looking clouds overhead, with all the field taking straight to the track to get some laps under their belts. Dorian Boccolacci, Leonardo Pulcini and Fukuzumi set the early pace before Hubert grabbed P1 with a 40.009 as most of the field looked for some race run information.
    Giuliano Alesi took over the top spot at the 30 minute mark, with teammate Ryan Tveter playing rear gunner in P2 ahead of the ARTs, until it was all change in the final 5 minutes of the session with Hubert, Boccolacci, Fukuzumi, Aitken, Russell and then finally Fukuzumi taking the top spot again as the flag dropped for the end of the session.
    There were 14 drivers within a second of P1, with Boccolacci, Steijn Schothorst, Pulcini, Arjun Maini, Alessio Lorandi and new driver Dan Ticktum rounding out the top ten. Qualifying promises to be equally tight: the session starts tomorrow morning at 9.45 local time.
    Provisional Free Practice Classification
    Driver
    Team
    Laptime
    Laps
    1.
    Nirei Fukuzumi
    ART Grand Prix
    1:38.594
    17
    2.
    George Russell
    ART Grand Prix
    1:38.693
    18
    3.
    Anthoine Hubert
    ART Grand Prix
    1:38.776
    19
    4.
    Jack Aitken
    ART Grand Prix
    1:38.786
    19
    5.
    Dorian Boccolacci
    Trident
    1:38.933
    21
    6.
    Steijn Schothorst
    Arden International
    1:38.963
    20
    7.
    Leonardo Pulcini
    Arden International
    1:38.971
    19
    8.
    Arjun Maini
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:39.033
    21
    9.
    Alessio Lorandi
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:39.148
    17
    10.
    Daniel Ticktum
    DAMS
    1:39.232
    20
    11.
    Marcos Siebert
    Campos Racing
    1:39.298
    20
    12.
    Juan-Manuel Correa
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:39.470
    20
    13.
    Giuliano Alesi
    Trident
    1:39.518
    22
    14.
    Niko Kari
    Arden International
    1:39.565
    18
    15.
    Raoul Hyman
    Campos Racing
    1:39.776
    20
    16.
    Bruno Baptista
    DAMS
    1:39.860
    17
    17.
    Ryan Tveter
    Trident
    1:39.923
    22
    18.
    Julien Falchero
    Campos Racing
    1:39.968
    19
    19.
    Tatiana Calderon
    DAMS
    1:40.411
    18
    20.
    Kevin Jörg
    Trident
    1:41.112
    20
    eom/GP3 Series press release

  • Arjun Maini qualifies P8; Russell on pole: GP3 Series

    George Russell has delighted the local fans with a sterling drive in cool conditions in this afternoon’s qualifying session in Silverstone, leading the way for most of the session to claim his second pole position ahead of ART Grand Prix teammates Anthoine Hubert and Nirei Fukuzumi.
    The Briton stopped the clock with a laptime of 1:46.608 to claim pole by a tenth in a tight session, which took place under overcast but dry conditions. All of the drivers were immediately on track given the chance of rain, looking to at least secure a banker lap while they could.
    The early pace was fast and frantic: Santino Ferrucci, Bruno Baptista, Steijn Schothorst, Niko Kari, Alessio Lorandi and Hubert all spent time on top of the timesheets before Russell grabbed P1 with a 47.5s, and with tyres clearly beyond their best the entire field returned to the pits for fresh rubber and to plan how best to use it.
    When they finally returned to the track the pace was no less rapid: Dorian Boccolacci missed pole by five thousandths before the ART teammates hit the front: Jack Aitken, Fukuzumi and finally Russell ran faster again, with Hubert slotting into P2 with 2 minutes remaining. Fukuzumi looked to improve on his final lap but was slightly wide in sector 3, and the top 3 was set.
    Behind then Boccolacci, Lorandi, Aitken, Niko Kari, Arjun Maini, Ryan Tveter and Julien Falchero were all within a second of the top spot and will be looking to make up the gap tomorrow when they hit the track once again for race 1.
    Provisional Qualifying Classification
    Driver
    Team
    Laptime
    Laps
    1.
    George Russell
    ART Grand Prix
    1:46.608
    12
    2.
    Anthoine Hubert
    ART Grand Prix
    1:46.714
    12
    3.
    Nirei Fukuzumi
    ART Grand Prix
    1:46.833
    12
    4.
    Dorian Boccolacci
    Trident
    1:47.052
    14
    5.
    Alessio Lorandi
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:47.082
    13
    6.
    Jack Aitken
    ART Grand Prix
    1:47.090
    12
    7.
    Niko Kari
    Arden International
    1:47.259
    13
    8.
    Arjun Maini
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:47.412
    12
    9.
    Ryan Tveter
    Trident
    1:47.412
    11
    10.
    Julien Falchero
    Campos Racing
    1:47.473
    11
    11.
    Raoul Hyman
    Campos Racing
    1:47.571
    12
    12.
    Giuliano Alesi
    Trident
    1:47.588
    11
    13.
    Kevin Jörg
    Trident
    1:47.658
    13
    14.
    Leonardo Pulcini
    Arden International
    1:47.677
    10
    15.
    Steijn Schothorst
    Arden International
    1:47.823
    13
    16.
    Santino Ferrucci
    DAMS
    1:47.898
    12
    17.
    Marcos Siebert
    Campos Racing
    1:47.977
    10
    18.
    Bruno Baptista
    DAMS
    1:48.544
    13
    19.
    Tatiana Calderon
    DAMS
    1:48.893
    14