GP3 Hot News

Mitch Evans leads the way in Barcelona

The first post season GP3 Series test kicked off today at Circuit de Catalunya, and there were lots of new faces in the paddock. With the majority of the 2011 field moving on this season it was time to welcome a new batch of drivers hoping to impress teams and grab a coveted 2012 race seat including British Formula Ford champion Scott Malvern, Ferrari protégé Brandon Maisano and Kevin Korjus.

The teams were greeted with thick fog at the Spanish track this morning which delayed the start of the session by thirty minutes. Once underway the twenty-six young drivers hit the track on wet weather Pirelli P Zero tires to complete installation laps and survey the damp conditions. Rookie Tio Ellinas was first to top the time sheets for MW Arden, but before long the drivers got to grips with their new machines and the times started to drop with Lotus ART’s rookie Daniel Abt the first driver under two minutes.

As the track dried out the drivers switched to slick Pirelli tires and the rookies started to shine. Ellinas, Abt, Maisano, Miki Weckstrom, Nicolas Costa, and Michael Heche all took their turns at the top, but in the end it was sophomore Evans who took control of the session. With just a few minutes remaining on the clock the New Zealander topped the time sheets with a 1:39.695 lap leaving the remainder of the field unable to react. Korjus was 0.367 seconds behind Evans in second with Carlos Huertas, Ellinas, Maisano, Weckstrom, Tamas Pal Kiss, Nick Yelloly, Gabby Chaves and Heche rounding out the top ten.

By the afternoon conditions had continued and the teams were treated to bright sunshine. Abt topped the times sheets for Lotus ART for the first thirty minutes of the session, but Evans soon took control and moved up into P1. As the teams and drivers concentrated on setups the times remained relatively unchanged at the top until thirty minutes from the end when Abt once again moved into the top spot. But in the final few minutes Evans was back in charge moving to the top of the timesheet where his time of 1:39.037 remained unbeaten. Matias Laine set the second quickest time ahead of Huertas, Ellinas, Abt, Korjus, Weckstrom, Pal Kiss, Yelloly and Edoardo Liberati.

Just three red flags interrupted proceedings caused by Ethan Ringal, Kotaro Sakuri and Huertas going off track.

Testing will resume tomorrow at 09:00 am local time.

Morning times:

Pos Driver Nat Team Time Total Gap
1 26 Mitch EVANS NZL MW ARDEN 1:39.695 23 0.000s
2 19 Kevin KORJUS EST TECH 1 RACING 1:40.062 18 0.367
3 14 Carlos HUERTAS COL CARLIN 1:40.508 12 0.813
4 28 Tio ELLINAS GBR MW ARDEN 1:40.620 36 0.925
5 7 Brandon MAISANO FRA JENZER MOTORSPORT 1:40.692 38 0.997
6 18 Miki WECKSTRÃ-M FIN TECH 1 RACING 1:40.814 16 1.119
7 22 Tamas PAL KISS HUN ATECH CRS GP 1:40.916 13 1.221
8 21 Nick YELLOLY GBR ATECH CRS GP 1:40.957 16 1.262
9 10 Gabby CHAVES COL MANOR RACING 1:40.997 25 1.302
10 9 Michael HECHE SUI JENZER MOTORSPORT 1:41.074 35 1.379
11 8 Maxim ZIMIN RUS JENZER MOTORSPORT 1:41.267 30 1.572
12 27 Edoardo LIBERATI ITA MW ARDEN 1:41.486 22 1.791
13 23 Pieter SCHOTHORST NED ADDAX TEAM 1:41.515 22 1.820
14 30 Markus POMMER GER RSC MÃœCKE MOTORSPORT 1:41.562 20 1.867
15 31 Pascal WEHRLEIN GER RSC MÃœCKE MOTORSPORT 1:42.000 19 2.305
16 16 Nicolas COSTA BRA CARLIN 1:42.229 27 2.534
17 17 Gerardo NIETO MEX TECH 1 RACING 1:42.613 14 2.918
18 25 Michela CERRUTI ITA ADDAX TEAM 1:47.382 17 7.687
19 20 Ethan RINGEL USA ATECH CRS GP 1:47.550 10 7.855
20 4 Marlon STOCKINGER PHI STATUS GRAND PRIX 1:50.507 14 10.812
21 6 Scott MALVERN GBR STATUS GRAND PRIX 1:51.745 20 12.050
22 3 Aaro VAINIO FIN LOTUS ART 1:51.922 11 12.227
23 2 Gregoire DEMOUSTIER FRA LOTUS ART 1:52.075 17 12.380
24 1 Daniel ABT GER LOTUS ART 1:57.134 16 17.439
25 5 Kotaro SAKURAI JPN STATUS GRAND PRIX 1:58.122 9 18.427
26 12 Matias LAINE FIN MANOR RACING 1:58.534 12 18.839

Afternoon times:

Pos Driver Nat Team Time Total Gap
1 26 Mitch EVANS NZL MW ARDEN 1:39.037 19 0.000s
2 12 Matias LAINE FIN MANOR RACING 1:39.627 29 0.590
3 14 Carlos HUERTAS COL CARLIN 1:39.686 23 0.649
4 28 Tio ELLINAS GBR MW ARDEN 1:39.718 22 0.681
5 1 Daniel ABT GER LOTUS ART 1:39.745 35 0.708
6 19 Kevin KORJUS EST TECH 1 RACING 1:39.835 21 0.798
7 18 Miki WECKSTRÃ-M FIN TECH 1 RACING 1:40.035 24 0.998
8 22 Tamas PAL KISS HUN ATECH CRS GP 1:40.111 24 1.074
9 21 Nick YELLOLY GBR ATECH CRS GP 1:40.145 29 1.108
10 27 Edoardo LIBERATI ITA MW ARDEN 1:40.304 31 1.267
11 4 Marlon STOCKINGER PHI STATUS GRAND PRIX 1:40.304 28 1.267
12 9 Michael HECHE SUI JENZER MOTORSPORT 1:40.319 30 1.282
13 7 Brandon MAISANO FRA JENZER MOTORSPORT 1:40.372 28 1.335
14 3 Aaro VAINIO FIN LOTUS ART 1:40.382 37 1.345
15 10 Gabby CHAVES COL MANOR RACING 1:40.484 26 1.447
16 23 Pieter SCHOTHORST NED ADDAX TEAM 1:40.652 25 1.615
17 30 Markus POMMER GER RSC MÃœCKE MOTORSPORT 1:40.714 27 1.677
18 5 Kotaro SAKURAI JPN STATUS GRAND PRIX 1:41.055 38 2.018
19 6 Scott MALVERN GBR STATUS GRAND PRIX 1:41.063 41 2.026
20 17 Gerardo NIETO MEX TECH 1 RACING 1:41.105 31 2.068
21 31 Pascal WEHRLEIN GER RSC MÃœCKE MOTORSPORT 1:41.145 25 2.108
22 2 Gregoire DEMOUSTIER FRA LOTUS ART 1:41.474 32 2.437
23 8 Maxim ZIMIN RUS JENZER MOTORSPORT 1:41.706 23 2.669
24 16 Nicolas COSTA BRA CARLIN 1:41.896 28 2.859
25 20 Ethan RINGEL USA ATECH CRS GP 1:43.610 33 4.573
26 25 Michela CERRUTI ITA ADDAX TEAM 1:44.396 34 5.359