Daly in the points in Germany

American Conor Daly took his first points paying finish in the GP3 Series today, following a thrilling rain affected race at the Nürburgring in Germany. The 19 year-old American made up ten places having started from 16th place. Teammate Leonardo Cordeiro finished 17th, while GP3 rookie Callum McLeod finished at the back of the field following a tire gamble early on in the race.

Following a lightning start, Daly was already in the points when the rain that had been threatening to fall for the duration of the race finally made an appearance. With just three laps remaining, conditions began to deteriorate quickly, with several drivers struggling to stay on track.

Daly and his Carlin team made the decision to stay out on slicks and in the final stages track conditions were treacherous. The young American did well though and held onto sixth place to take his first GP3 points. Daly’s sixth place also earns him a third placed grid slot in tomorrow’s reverse grid race.

Reflecting on his race, Daly said, “It was a fun race for sure! The start was mega and I used the outside through the first three corners to get round quite a few people. The car felt really good the whole race. I was catching the guys in front of me really quickly when it started raining. Then it was very difficult on track but I knew I had to keep pushing and I managed to keep the car on track at a reasonable pace. My aim was just to keep going and get the car to the finish. It’s a great day for the Carlin team. We’ve worked extremely hard and I can’t wait to start third tomorrow."

While Daly was fighting to stay in the points, team mate Leonardo Cordeiro was also making progress. The Brazilian started the race 29th after a difficult qualifying session but had climbed to 17th at the finish line despite the challenging conditions.