In Istanbul two weeks ago, Round 1 of the 2011 GP3 Series season had drama and excitement in abundance – a fitting opener to what looks set to be a closely fought battle for the crown.
This weekend will be exciting here in catalunya. After a disappointing inaugural season, which saw RSC Mücke Motorsport finish tenth in the teams’ standings, the German outfit bounced back with style to dominate at Istanbul Park. Poleman Tom Dillmann got bogged down at the start of Race 1 leaving Tech 1 Racing’s rookie Andrea Caldarelli and sophomore RSC Mücke Motorsport’s Nigel Melker to pass the Frenchman off the line, and by the end of lap 1 Melker had snatched the lead. From then on a faultless drive earned the Dutchman his first GP3 victory. Caldarelli and Dillmann joined him on the podium.
In what was an action packed Race 2 full of overtaking manoeuvres, Status Grand Prix’s Alexander Sims made the perfect getaway to take a lights-to-flag victory from pole position. Michael Christensen and Nigel Melker finished second and third completing a hat-trick of podiums for Mücke, and putting the German at the top of the teams’ standings. Two podium finishes ensured Melker left Turkey leading the standings on 14 points.
This weekend, GP3 heads to Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain for Round 2. The Spanish track is well known by both the teams and drivers, so expect the competition to be fierce. Pirelli will equip the GP3 drivers with its hard compound tyres, as Racing Manager Mario Isola explained: “The Circuit de Catalunya puts a lot of stress on tyres, due to the combination of different factors such as track layout, aggressive asphalt and the hot weather conditions expected for the race weekend. We are planning to equip GP3 with our hard slicks in Spain because of the characteristics of the track and the likely weather conditions. When racing in hot ambient temperatures we need to put the accent on durability, which comes though at the expense of grip. It’s a tough compromise but an important part of racing.”
Last year, Circuit de Catalunya was home to the GP3 season-opener, and Melker was the man on pole. The Dutchman couldn’t convert his front row start into a win – that honour went to Pål Varhaug, and in Race 2 Alexander Rossi – but this season the bets are off as the stage is set for a thrilling Round 2.
Weekend timetable:
Friday 20th May
08:45 – 09:15 First practice session
16:50 – 17:20 Second practice session
Saturday 21st May
08:45 – 09:15 Qualifying Session
17:20 Race 1 (16 laps / 30 minutes)
Sunday 22nd May
09:25 Race 2 (16 laps / 30 minutes)
In what was an action packed Race 2 full of overtaking manoeuvres, Status Grand Prix’s Alexander Sims made the perfect getaway to take a lights-to-flag victory from pole position. Michael Christensen and Nigel Melker finished second and third completing a hat-trick of podiums for Mücke, and putting the German at the top of the teams’ standings. Two podium finishes ensured Melker left Turkey leading the standings on 14 points.
This weekend, GP3 heads to Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain for Round 2. The Spanish track is well known by both the teams and drivers, so expect the competition to be fierce. Pirelli will equip the GP3 drivers with its hard compound tyres, as Racing Manager Mario Isola explained: “The Circuit de Catalunya puts a lot of stress on tyres, due to the combination of different factors such as track layout, aggressive asphalt and the hot weather conditions expected for the race weekend. We are planning to equip GP3 with our hard slicks in Spain because of the characteristics of the track and the likely weather conditions. When racing in hot ambient temperatures we need to put the accent on durability, which comes though at the expense of grip. It’s a tough compromise but an important part of racing.”
Last year, Circuit de Catalunya was home to the GP3 season-opener, and Melker was the man on pole. The Dutchman couldn’t convert his front row start into a win – that honour went to Pål Varhaug, and in Race 2 Alexander Rossi – but this season the bets are off as the stage is set for a thrilling Round 2.
Weekend timetable:
Friday 20th May
08:45 – 09:15 First practice session
16:50 – 17:20 Second practice session
Saturday 21st May
08:45 – 09:15 Qualifying Session
17:20 Race 1 (16 laps / 30 minutes)
Sunday 22nd May
09:25 Race 2 (16 laps / 30 minutes)
