GP3 Hot News

Felix Da Costa quickest at Circuit de Catalunya

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Felix Da Costa

Status Grand Prix’s Antonio Felix Da Costa set the quickest time of the day today marking the start of the final official pre-season GP3 Series test at Circuit de Catalunya.

In a change of fortunes from the previous two tests, the temperature was soaring and there wasn’t a cloud in site as the cars took to the Spanish track. RSC Mucke Motorsport was the first team to have all three drivers across the line, with Christensen going top. Soon after the session was briefly interrupted by a red flag, caused by Addax Team’s Thomas Hylkema going off track. When the track went green Marussia Manor Racing’s Adrian Quaife-Hobbs moved to the top of the time sheets, but only briefly.

It was Status GP’s Felix Da Costa who then dominated the time sheets. The 19-year-old Portuguese driver went top with a 1:38.776 lap less than an hour into the session, and rising track temperatures meant his time went unbeaten. Sophomore Nico Müller set the second quickest time ahead of Nigel Melker, Alexander Sims and Valtteri Bottas. There was just one more interruption to the session when Conor Daly hit the tire barrier at turn 3 damaging his #14 Carlin car.

By the start of the afternoon session, it was a sunny 25 degrees, and with a track temperature of 35 degrees the young drivers struggled to match the morning session times. A red flag halted proceedings early on when Christensen made a trip into the gravel trap. Once back underway, Lotus ART was quickest out the box and just thirty minutes into the session the French team filled the top three spots: James Calado, Valtteri Bottas and Pedro Nunes respectively.

GP3 returnee Daniel Morad then found some extra time around the 4.655km track and topped the time sheet for the middle section of the session until heading into the last hour when a recovered Christensen moved ahead. With fifteen minutes left on the clock, Lotus ART were back in the top three spots, until new tires saw a final ten minutes shootout between the field. Bottas held onto the top spot in a frantic final few minutes of the session which saw Alexander Sims edge ahead for Status GP. Bottas remained in second ahead of Quaife-Hobbs, MW Arden’s Mitch Evans, and Nunes.

The test will continue tomorrow at 09:00 am local time.

Morning session times:

POS # DRIVER TEAM LAP TIME GAP LAPS
1 5 Antonio Felix Da Costa STATUS GRAND PRIX 7 1.38.776
2 7 Nico MULLER JENZER MOTORSPORT 17 1.38.810 0.034 23
3 31 Nigel MELKER RSC MUCKE MOTORSPORT 10 1.38.816 0.04 34
4 4 Alexander SIMS STATUS GRAND PRIX 8 1.38.993 0.217 44
5 2 Valtteri BOTTAS LOTUS ART 9 1.39.245 0.469 25
6 10 Adrian QUAIFE-HOBBS MARUSSIA RACING 7 1.39.252 0.476 27
7 3 James CALADO LOTUS ART 6 1.39.287 0.511 35
8 15 Tom DILLMANN CARLIN 7 1.39.451 0.675 34
9 8 Maxim ZIMIN JENZER MOTORSPORT 18 1.39.494 0.718 28
10 28 Lewis WILLIAMSON MW ARDEN 25 1.39.608 0.832 34
11 17 Aaro VAINIO TECH 1 RACING 9 1.39.620 0.844 30
12 1 Pedro NUNES LOTUS ART 27 1.39.623 0.847 29
13 30 Michael CHRISTENSEN RSC MUCKE MOTORSPORT 13 1.39.644 0.868 34
14 11 Rio HARYANTO MARUSSIA RACING 17 1.39.673 0.897 37
15 20 Marlon STOCKINGER ATECH CRS GP 11 1.39.688 0.912 30
16 27 Simon TRUMMER MW ARDEN 9 1.39.806 1.03 30
17 19 Tamas PAL KISS TECH 1 RACING 8 1.39.862 1.086 28
18 6 Ivan LUKASHEVICH STATUS GRAND PRIX 19 1.39.867 1.091 39
19 24 Gabby CHAVES ADDAX TEAM 23 1.39.932 1.156 32
20 16 Leonardo CORDEIRO CARLIN 8 1.39.958 1.182 25
21 21 Nick YELLOLY ATECH CRS GP 9 1.39.961 1.185 28
22 25 Daniel MORAD ADDAX TEAM 12 1.40.023 1.247 26
23 9 Vittorio GHIRELLI JENZER MOTORSPORT 27 1.40.206 1.43 28
24 26 Mitch EVANS MW ARDEN 21 1.40.223 1.447 25
25 18 Andrea CALDARELLI TECH 1 RACING 15 1.40.251 1.475 26
26 12 Matias LAINE MARUSSIA RACING 7 1.40.423 1.647 23
27 29 Willi STEINDL RSC MUCKE MOTORSPORT 8 1.40.468 1.692 34
28 22 Zoel AMBERG ATECH CRS GP 10 1.41.070 2.294 17
29 23 Thomas HYLKEMA ADDAX TEAM 9 1.41.627 2.851 36
30 14 Conor DALY CARLIN 5 1.41.745 2.969 12


Afternoon session times:

POS # DRIVER TEAM LAP TIME GAP LAPS
1 4 Alexander SIMS STATUS GRAND PRIX 18 1:39.469 – 21
2 2 Valtteri BOTTAS LOTUS ART 26 1:39.573 +0.104 31
3 10 Adrian QUAIFE-HOBBS MARUSSIA RACING 30 1:39.663 +0.194 32
4 26 Mitch EVANS MW ARDEN 36 1:39.686 +0.217 39
5 1 Pedro NUNES LOTUS ART 21 1:39.709 +0.240 26
6 28 Lewis WILLIAMSON MW ARDEN 20 1:39.736 +0.267 23
7 5 Antonio Felix DA COSTA STATUS GRAND PRIX 8 1:39.763 +0.294 12
8 27 Simon TRUMMER MW ARDEN 31 1:39.856 +0.387 32
9 18 Andrea CALDARELLI TECH 1 RACING 17 1:39.874 +0.405 24
10 24 Gabby CHAVES ADDAX TEAM 24 1:39.995 +0.526 25
11 3 James CALADO LOTUS ART 31 1:39.997 +0.528 34
12 25 Daniel MORAD ADDAX TEAM 22 1:40.027 +0.558 25
13 31 Nigel MELKER RSC MUCKE MOTORSPORT 29 1:40.028 +0.559 32
14 17 Aaro VAINIO TECH 1 RACING 29 1:40.145 +0.676 31
15 19 Tamas PAL KISS TECH 1 RACING 27 1:40.208 +0.739 29
16 30 Michael CHRISTENSEN RSC MUCKE MOTORSPORT 15 1:40.336 +0.867 26
17 6 Ivan LUKASHEVICH STATUS GRAND PRIX 42 1:40.347 +0.878 43
18 16 Leonardo CORDEIRO CARLIN 33 1:40.351 +0.882 37
19 20 Marlon STOCKINGER ATECH CRS GP 12 1:40.390 +0.921 18
20 9 Vittorio GHIRELLI JENZER MOTORSPORT 33 1:40.397 +0.928 34
21 29 Willi STEINDL RSC MUCKE MOTORSPORT 27 1:40.466 +0.997 32
22 11 Rio HARYANTO MARUSSIA RACING 27 1:40.476 +1,007 36
23 21 Nick YELLOLY ATECH CRS GP 19 1:40.499 +1,030 27
24 8 Maxim ZIMIN JENZER MOTORSPORT 23 1:40.558 +1,089 32
25 15 Tom DILLMANN CARLIN 25 1:40.563 +1,094 26
26 12 Matias LAINE MARUSSIA RACING 30 1:40.684 +1,215 34
27 23 Thomas HYLKEMA ADDAX TEAM 35 1:41.059 +1,590 35
28 22 Zoel AMBERG ATECH CRS GP 19 1:41.067 +1,598 21
29 7 Nico MULLER JENZER MOTORSPORT 31 1:41.241 +1,772 49
30 14 Conor DALY CARLIN 2 1:48.409 +8,940 4