Gutierrez claimed his third win of the season

Poleman Esteban Gutierrez claimed his third win of the season in Race 1 after a hard fought battle with Manor Racing’s Rio Haryanto.

The ART driver made the perfect start from pole position and looked like pulling away to take another dominant victory whilst Manor Racing teammates Rio Haryanto and Adrian Quaife-Hobbs battled for second spot. But the Mexican didn’t have it all his own way. By the end of lap one Haryanto had lost and regained second place from his teammate and then set his sights firmly on Gutierrez.

There was drama at the start when James Jakes stalled his Manor Racing car and ended up dead last after qualifying eighth. Down the grid Addax Teams’ Pablo Sanchez Lopez was given a drive through penalty for jumping the start from twenty-first.

Meanwhile a fast starting Alexander Rossi was up behind Nico Müller, pushing the Jenzer driver for fourth spot. This gave RSC Mücke driver Tobias Hegewald the opportunity to move up behind the battling pair, eventually catching and passing Rossi. Hegewald then put in successive fastest laps to stay ahead of the ART driver.

Haryanto kept up his pace in second and charged after Gutiérrez, putting in a succession of fastest laps, whilst drama unfolded behind when midway through the race Quaife-Hobbs went off track ending his home race prematurely. Müller inherited third spot and had to go defensive from a speedy Hegewald – the German getting a sniff of the final podium spot. The battle continued for the remainder of the race, turning into a three man fight with Rossi before the American went wide two laps from the end and had to settle for fifth.

Dean Smith finished in sixth spot for Carlin followed over the line by Status GP’s Daniel Morad. Addax Teams’ Mirko Bortolotti took the final point paying position and reverse pole position for Race 2 tomorrow. Fastest lap of the race went to Gutiérrez, the ART driver snatching the bonus point on his last lap of the race for good measure. Gutiérrez now leads the Series by 27 points ahead of Rio Haryanto who has moved up into second.

The action continues tomorrow at 08:30 with Race 2.