GP3

Giuliano Alesi has dominated this morning’s Race 2 at Silverstone for his maiden GP3 win, leading all the way from lights to flag and controlling the pace all the way despite a close late battle behind him to lead home Jack Aitken and Niko Kari.

Poleman Dorian Boccolacci was unable to take the start, but his misfortune was to his teammate’s advantage: when the lights went out Alesi tore away from P2, leading his rivals unopposed into turn 1.

Behind him Aitken made a scorching start, easily disposing Arjun Maini and a slower Kari who just held off Anthoine Hubert, giving George Russell a line through his teammate and into P5 as the field headed away.

Kari soon made up for his disappointing start by dispatching Maini for P3 on lap 3 as Alesi and Aitken traded fastest laps, but they were slowed next time round as Steijn Schothorst and Julien Falchero came together and found the gravel, prompting a safety car period to dispose of the stricken vehicles.

The race was live again on lap 7, with Alesi easily controlling the restart before starting to rebuild his lead, while further back Russell was on a charge: yesterday’s winner was looking to return to the podium today and soon dispatched Maini into the final complex after hounding him all around the circuit.

Teammate Hubert tried to follow him through but was denied, handing Alessio Lorandi a run at the Frenchman: the pair touched and Hubert ran wide, but both returned to the fray almost immediately.

Out in front Alesi was controlling the pace: Aitken threw everything he had at him but it was not enough, with the Frenchman crossing the line 0.7s ahead for his first series win. Behind them Kari had his mirrors filled by Russell’s car for the closing stages of the race: the Briton tried to use all of his local knowledge but ran out of time to knock the Finn off the podium.

The Jenzer pair of Maini and Lorandi brought home more points to the team in P5 and 6, ahead of a late battle for the final points as Kevin Joerg held on against a charging Hubert.

And despite the lack of podium Russell was delighted to leave his home race leading the drivers’ standings on 92 points ahead of his teammates Hubert on 57, Nirei Fukuzumi on 54, Aitken on 52, with Lorandi on 51 and Alesi on 43, while in the teams’ fight ART Grand Prix are well ahead of their rivals on 241 points ahead of Trident on 91 and Jenzer on 87 points as the grid looks towards Round 4 in Budapest in just 2 weeks’ time.

Provisional Race 2 Classification  

source: gp3series.com

Two penalties have been handed down by the race stewards following this afternoon’s Race 1 in Silverstone, with Dorian Boccolacci and Bruno Baptista receiving time penalties which drop them down the classification and affect the grid for tomorrow’s Race 2.

Boccolacci was given a 5 second penalty for causing a collision with Niko Kari: the Frenchman, who finished the race in fifth place, now drops to P8 in the classification, promoting Kari, Arjun Maini and Giuliano Alesi.

Baptista was found to have infringed the rules surrounding the Virtual Safety Car, and was given a drive through penalty: as he was unable to serve it during the race, it has been converted to a 20 second time penalty, with the Brazilian dropping from P12 to 15^th in the classification, promoting Marcos Siebert, Steijn Schothorst and Tatiana Calderon.

eorge Russell brought a smile to the faces of the local fans with a strong win in gloomy conditions in this afternoon’s Race 1 at Silverstone, easing into the lead early on before leading for the remainder of the race ahead of teammate Anthoine Hubert and Alessio Lorandi.

But the Briton didn’t have it all his own way: when the lights went out it was Hubert who led the field into turn 1, making a brilliant start to mug the poleman for P1 while behind him Jack Aitken made a brilliant start from P5 to grab third from teammate Nirei Fukuzumi, with ART holding the top 4 places before Niko Kari blasted past both of them as the Japanese driver slowed to a stop, with Lorandi, Dorian Boccolacci and Ryan Tveter lined up behind Aitken at the end of the lap.

Russell was not to be denied, however, and it was lap 4 when he took a long tow and blew past Hubert for the lead of the race on Hangar straight. 3 laps later and it was Lorandi who was on the move, attacking Aitken for P4 at Bridge and looking forward for more as most of the grid looked to preserve their tyres for the end of the race.

On lap 14 Tveter slowed to a halt, his strong drive broken with his car on the side of the circuit, prompting a VSC period to remove his vehicle. Lorandi was ready for the restart 2 laps later and blew past Kari when the race went live and was soon all over the back of Hubert, who now had to look in his mirrors instead of ahead to the race lead.

As the last few laps rolled down it was Russell who was first to the flag, just a second ahead of the battle for P2, finally secured by Hubert over Lorandi for his first podium. Behind them Aitken held on for P4 in an eventful race ahead of a storming Boccolacci, who finished ahead of a fierce late squabble between Kari, Maini and Alesi, with Kevin Joerg and Julien Falchero rounding out the points in 9^th and 10^th. 

source: gp3series.com

George Russell has delighted the local fans with a sterling drive in cool conditions in this afternoon’s qualifying session in Silverstone.

The Briton lead the way for most of the session to claim his second pole position ahead of ART Grand Prix teammates Anthoine Hubert and Nirei Fukuzumi.

The Briton stopped the clock with a laptime of 1:46.608 to claim pole by a tenth in a tight session, which took place under overcast but dry conditions. All of the drivers were immediately on track given the chance of rain, looking to at least secure a banker lap while they could.

The early pace was fast and frantic: Santino Ferrucci, Bruno Baptista, Steijn Schothorst, Niko Kari, Alessio Lorandi and Hubert all spent time on top of the timesheets before Russell grabbed P1 with a 47.5s, and with tyres clearly beyond their best the entire field returned to the pits for fresh rubber and to plan how best to use it.

When they finally returned to the track the pace was no less rapid: Dorian Boccolacci missed pole by five thousandths before the ART teammates hit the front: Jack Aitken, Fukuzumi and finally Russell ran faster again, with Hubert slotting into P2 with 2 minutes remaining. Fukuzumi looked to improve on his final lap but was slightly wide in sector 3, and the top 3 was set.

Behind then Boccolacci, Lorandi, Aitken, Niko Kari, Arjun Maini, Ryan Tveter and Julien Falchero were all within a second of the top spot and will be looking to make up the gap tomorrow when they hit the track once again for race 1.

Provisional Qualifying Classification

George Russell has claimed the top spot in this afternoon’s free practice session in Silverstone, blasting past everyone as the session closed with a stunning lap to grab P1 in an ART block out of the top four places ahead of Nirei Fukuzumi, Jack Aitken and Anthoine Hubert.

In a very dark and ominous looking session the Mercedes F1 junior driver used all of his local knowledge to bring home a lap of 1:46.738 as the flag dropped, crushing his own best time as well as those of his rivals to take the top spot by over three tenths.

With rain threatening the circuit as the session opened all of the drivers except Bruno Baptista were straight out on track, with Niko Kari making the first competitive lap before Aitken claimed the top spot at the 8 minute mark and running even faster on his next circuit round. In a tight session Dorian Boccolacci was the next man on top, with Fukuzumi claiming it from him 20 minutes in, and then circulating even faster on his next lap.

The teams then concentrated on race pace until the closing minutes: Fukuzumi usurped his own top time with 3 minutes remaining just before Russell snuck ahead by a few thousands, with Aitken and Hubert setting their quickest laps right behind him before pitting, but as the flag dropped first Fukuzumi and then Russell went quicker again, building a bit of breathing room into their times.

Behind the ART foursome Leonardo Pulcini, Kari and Steijn Schothorst put their Arden’s next on the timesheets ahead of Giuliano Alesi, Julien Falchero and Santino Ferrucci rounding out the top ten: with many of the drivers back in the pits when the quickest laps were sent, tomorrow’s qualifying session is likely to look very different indeed.

Provisional Free Practice Classification

source: gp3series.com

Raoul Hyman has opened his win account in the most emphatic way possible by crushing his rivals in this morning’s Race 2 at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria, leading from lights to flag and controlling the race all the way through before easing off in the closing stages to win by a second from Giuliano Alesi and Nirei Fukuzumi.

The victory was set up at the start, with the South African making a blazing getaway from pole as the lights went out to easily lead the pack into turn 1, while behind him fellow front row starter Alessio Lorandi bogged down and couldn’t delay a strong getaway by Alesi and teammate Ryan Tveter, with the ART trio of Fukuzumi, Jack Aitken and George Russell just delayed enough into turn 1 to ensure the Trident pair had an easy run up to turn 2 to set up their first lap ahead of their ART rivals, Lorandi and Dorian Boccolacci.

Hyman and Alesi were clearly faster than anyone else today, with the pair pulling away from the rest of the field as the laps rolled down: Alesi tried to use his DRS to close on the South African but it was to no avail, as Hyman slowly pulled a gap over the Frenchman as he closed in on his first win. Behind them Fukuzumi was playing a waiting game as Tveter fell back into his grasp, and on the final lap he struck, using his DRS and better tyres to steal the podium from the American.

But the attention of the paddock was elsewhere: Hyman was greeting the chequered flag just ahead of Alesi, with Fukuzumi, a gutted Tveter, a satisfied Aitken and Russell running line astern towards the finish, but behind them Boccolacci was looked to attack Lorandi after following him all race long: the pair came together and the Frenchman was airborne before landing in a lurid set of rolls from which he happily walked away, while Lorandi limped to the line in P8, with Anthoine Hubert picking up a few unlikely positions for 7^th just ahead of him.

And with the weekend coming to a close it was Fukuzumi who now leads the Drivers’ Championship on 54 points, 1 ahead of teammate Russell with Hubert on 38, Lorandi on 32, Aitken on 28 and Hyman moving up to 25 points, while in the Teams’ Championship ART Grand Prix have built a big lead over their competitors with 159 points ahead of Trident on 60, Jenzer Motorsport on 54 and Campos Racing on 26 points ahead of next week’s round 3 in Silverstone.

Provisional Race 2 Classification

George Russell has claimed his first GP3 Series win with a fine drive from pole position in this afternoon’s Race 1 at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria: the Briton squeezed past fellow front row starter Jack Aitken when the lights went out to lead the grid into turn one, and held position all the way to the flag to head Aitken, Nirei Fukuzumi and Anthoine Hubert for an ART Grand Prix 1-2-3-4.

The race opened to muggy but dry conditions, but it was of no concern to poleman Russell: at the start Aitken had a slightly better reaction but Russell had the better line, slightly squeezing his teammate to shut down any attack into turn one before heading off into the distance.

Behind them Dorian Boccolacci had a poor start and fell back, opening a line up the inside into turn 2: Hubert filled it but bounced off the kerbs into Leonardo Pulcini who hit Arden teammate Steijn Schothorst, prompting a VSC period to remove the Italian’s car.

Quick work by the marshals saw the race run live before the end of the lap, and Russell controlled the restart well ahead of teammates Aitken and Hubert, with Giuliano Alesi leading Dorian Boccolacci, who dropped back at the start from P3, Ryan Tveter, Fukuzumi, Schothorst and Alessio Lorandi, who was soon promoted when Schothorst too had to stop by the side of the track due to a damaged car.

Hubert was handed a 10 second time penalty for causing a collision but ran at the same pace as his teammates, who were pulling away from the rest of the field from the front. There were time penalties for Tatiana Calderon and Bruno Baptista too, with the DAMS pair picking up 5 seconds each for overtaking under yellow flags during a collision between Julien Falchero (who also received a 10s penalty) and Niko Kari at the start of the race at turn 1, but who were running P10 and 11 as they looked to climb up the order.

Fukuzumi and Tveter found a way past Alesi early in the race, but at temperatures rose the time gaps throughout the field held still as everyone looked to preserve their tyres to the end of a long race. And it was only at the end that anyone looked for a little more than they had: Boccolacci tried to get by Alesi but ran wide and lost a number of places, promoting Lorandi and Raoul Hyman on the penultimate lap.

And when the chequered flag dropped it was Russell who received the plaudits, leading Aitken by 2 seconds at the line. Hubert was next on track but was dropped to P4 with his time penalty, promoting Fukuzumi to the podium while the Frenchman picked up the fastest lap on his final tour.

Tveter won the bragging rights at Trident after holding off Alesi for almost the whole race, ahead of Lorandi and Hyman in P7 and 8: Calderon was 9^th on track but 13^th on the classifications, promoting Boccolacci and Arjun Maini for the final points positions.

Provisional Qualifying Classification

George Russell emerged on top despite the best efforts of his rivals in this morning’s hectic qualifying session at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria, defying the almost constantly changing timesheets to hang on for pole by less than a tenth from ART teammate Jack Aitken and Dorian Boccolacci.

The Briton stopped the clock at 1:19.114 with 3 minutes remaining of the overcast but dry session, and with the constantly evolving times throughout it looked like it was too early: his rivals improved their times again, but fell just short of Russell’s target.

All of the field were straight out on track when the track went green, and they wasted little time in getting up to speed: Arjun Maini recorded the first competitive time 6 minutes into the session, but was soon overtaken on the timesheets by a constantly evolving battle between Boccolacci, Russell and Aitken, who all chipped away at the times before returning for fresh rubber.

The Frenchman was soon running faster still on his second set of tyres, but his rivals had other plans: in the frenetic final minutes of the session first Aitken, then Steijn Schothorst, and finally Russell grabbed P1.

Aitken improved again on his final run to P2, as did Boccolacci for P3, and Russell went quicker on his first sector before losing time in the second one and the session was over.

Behind the top three Leonardo Pulcini, Schothorst, Giuliano Alesi, Ryan Tveter, Anthoine Hubert, Niko Kari and Nirei Fukuzumi will all feel they could have been higher, but in a session where the entire grid is covered by 0.8s hundredths make a difference. It all promises to make this afternoon’s race 1 unmissable.

Provisional Qualifying Classification

Marcos Siebert has grabbed the bragging rights by topping the timesheets in this afternoon’s busy free practice at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria, claiming the top spot late in a hot and sunny session with a laptime of 1:19.703 to lead the way just ahead of Santino Ferrucci and Nirei Fukuzumi.

The session opened under ominously cloudy skies, with all of the field rushing to get out on track when the green lights came on, but it quickly dispersed as the drivers warmed their tyres leaving hot and sunny conditions for almost all of the session. Ferrucci set the first competitive lap before running well wide at the final corner, launching over the kerbs and just staying out of the barriers as Fukuzumi crossed the line to take the top spot from the American, with Giuliano Alesi in P2.

The Frenchman soon went one better to hold the top spot for the first set of tyres, with the field circulating on long run pace until just before the half hour mark when Anthoine Hubert ground to a halt just past turn 3, prompting a brief VSC period to remove his stricken car and for all of his rivals to return to the pits for fresh rubber.

On the second set of tyres Dorian Boccolacci set the early pace before the floodgates opened late in the session: Fukuzumi, Leonardo Pulcini and Alesi all swapped best times before Siebert claimed the honours with 5 minutes remaining, with Ferrucci and Fukuzumi beating their best times but just missing out on the top spot as the chequered flag emerged.

Behind the top three Alesi, Pulcini, Jack Aitken, George Russell, Raoul Hyman, Alessio Lorandi and Jenzer teammate Arjun Maini rounded out the top ten in a session which say 12 drivers within 0.5s of the fastest lap: it bodes well for yet another competitive qualifying session tomorrow morning.

Tatiana Calderon, who has recently increased her involvement in the FIA’s Women in Motorsport programme in line with the announcement of her GP3 Series drive with DAMS and her appointment as development driver for Sauber F1 Team, has no illusions about her ambitions within the sport which she calls home: “For me I want to beat everybody: not as a woman, but as a racing driver.

“We all have different strengths and weaknesses, we all have different driving styles, and I think it’s just a matter of pushing the team in the right direction so that you can feel comfortable driving the car. So I don’t think it [being a woman] makes a huge difference, and at this stage it’s my second year in GP3 and I think now that people know I can race and they respect me, and take my opinion as a racing driver rather than as a woman, which I think is great.”

Which is not to suggest that she thinks the FIA’s programme isn’t important. “It’s a huge privilege to represent Women in Motorsport,” she confirms in the GP3 paddock ahead of the first race of the season, “and also to encourage more women to follow their passion, because that’s important. When I grew up there was no one I could actually look up to, anyone in racing, and I think this is a sport where we can compete against men, and to win races.

“I just hope that with my passion I can inspire more people, and we can have more women in the sport in all areas, because they can do really well.”

But what got Calderon involved in a sport in which so few of her countrymen, let alone women, have to date succeeded? First and foremost, it was her older sister. “Yeah, I started with my sister: we both started at the same time but she’s 7 years older than me, so she couldn’t really take it as a profession, for her it was just more of a hobby.

“I tried go karts when I was 9 years old, and I just fell in love with the speed and the adrenaline! For me it was always that: I loved the feeling of driving a kart, and it really got me into this sport. I’ve always been a sport lover, but I found my real passion when I found karting.

“There are 3 of us: I also have a younger brother, but he always said ‘no, this sport is for girls’ – he likes to play tennis and soccer instead! Ironically he thinks we do a really good job but he was not really quick when he started, so he didn’t like it. We used to joke about it because he didn’t like motor racing, although just now he is starting to like it a bit more, but he thought it was just for the girls in the house!”

Living in a country without a huge motorsport tradition, albeit with a couple of big name drivers, meant that Calderon was largely left to her own devices, learning at her own pace about what worked for her: “yeah, I think it was a case of finding my own way, but I always followed [Juan Pablo] Montoya’s career because he was getting into Formula 1 when I was starting, and it made a huge impact on Colombia and motorsport. So I come from that Montoya boom, and hopefully I can make sure that people follow the sport in Colombia again.”

And coming from outside of the traditional motorsport markets only adds an extra level of complication, particularly when you move to Europe and compete with drivers who have raced here their whole lives. “Definitely it was a real challenge: this is not your market, so it’s hard to find sponsors when people don’t look at the races because it’s a small series, and also the culture and the way people work is a lot different.

“Unfortunately in South America we don’t have a really competitive single seater series where we can learn and then come to Europe, so there are many challenges that you face, and of course as a woman it hasn’t been easy to deal with that aspect as well! But I think that you earn your respect on track with a stopwatch, that’s where it really counts, and I can’t believe that I am in this position coming from Colombia where we only had 2 drivers in F1 history, so it takes a lot of effort!”

But that effort is starting to pay dividends, particularly in the form of her deal with Sauber, and Calderon has no regrets about following her dreams: “For me one of the best moves I did was to race in GP3, because you’re here in front of and exposed to the big teams, and that’s where I wanted to be. It’s because I did some good races last year that I got called up to meet Sauber: we kept in close contact during the year, and at the end of the year we sat together and discussed how can we work together.

“For me it’s like a dream come true: I came into GP3 with that objective in mind, I wanted to be picked by an F1 team, and I got that. Now I think the best and the most difficult part starts, because I need to deliver. Of course I have a lot of things to learn, but my goal is to race in Formula 1 and I am taking one step at a time, and they have really opened a door at Sauber. I’ve done already 2 days with them in the simulator, it was positive and they are keeping an close eye on everything I do, so it’s a proper development programme that I am getting from them.”

Sauber are keeping the pressure off Calderon, expecting her to concentrate on her main job, in line with those of her rivals such as George Russell (Mercedes), Jack Aitken (Renault) and Nirei Fukuzumi (Honda) who are in a similar position with the other F1 teams: “definitely my main goal is to do really well in GP3, because that’s what they will measure: the progress I do with their guidance, and the help that I get to develop as a driver. My main thing is GP3, and that’s the best way to show them what I’m capable of.

“I think that this series is one of the toughest, and it’s why you see people going from GP3 to Formula 2 and doing really well, like Leclerc, De Vries and Albon: that means the series really prepares you well for the next steps. Even the people who have done a few free practices or tests in the [F1] car, they’re ready: this is why I think the level is so high here in GP3, and why if you want to move up to there you have to prepare here first.”

And if some of her competitors can sometimes be a bit macho, Calderon is more than ready to show them that she’s racing here on merit: “the other day I saw a Mexican guy I raced against, we race in different series now, but he said I remember one time you passed me on the outside, it was this year at this track at this corner, and that I have never felt so shit in my life!” she laughs.

“I thanked him for saying how it made him feel when I overtook him like that, and for sure it doesn’t make things easier, but at this level you also need to think that yes, it’s a woman, but I also need to be on top, and then slowly but surely they start to respect you.”

And they don’t give out a trophy for P1 of the women, it’s just for P1: “Exactly, thankfully!”

lmost every racing driver would love to be in George Russell’s position. A drive with the most successful team in the GP3 Series? Check. Young driver programme with the reigning Formula 1 champions? Check. But how does it feel to be in the young Briton’s shoes? “It definitely gives me a lot of self-confidence, and makes me feel appreciated for my career and the job I’ve done up to that point.”

But getting the deal is only part of the job: now the hard work begins. “Yeah, exactly,” Russell confirms as we sit down in the back of the ART truck in the Barcelona paddock, with the young Mercedes driver about to make his GP3 Series debut. “They’re obviously invested in me, and they need me to be successful to take me to the next stage of my career, so from their side they want me to just focus on GP3, and to do my job here.”

So for all of those drivers out there hoping to replicate his success, how do you go about building a relationship with a company like Mercedes? “It all kind of started from racing in Formula 3 really,” Russell begins, “and my first relationship with Mercedes was at the end of 2014, where I did a test for them in F3. I consequentially raced with Volkswagen in my first year until at the end of 2015, when they approached me to be a Mercedes Formula 3 driver, which is a pretty common thing: they usually have 1 or 2 a year.

“I then moved to Hitech in 2016 with a Mercedes engine, and they sent me an email asking me if I would like to do a simulator test on their sim. I had a good couple of days of assessment, they thought I was pretty good, and then I had more of a sim role throughout the 2016 season with them before they then decided at the end of the year to make me a Mercedes F1 junior driver.

“So a lot of it was basically off the back of my being with a Mercedes engine in F3, to my role with the simulator and doing a good job there and with my results, and then getting the phone call really.”

What did it mean to get that call? “I wouldn’t say it was a massive relief, but I had been working so hard on my career to let’s say reach Formula 1, and as you go up the ladder you kind of realise it’s not as easy as you think it is: you think if I win I’ll get there, but it’s sometimes not as easy as that at all.

“Throughout the 2015 season I kind of set my sights on DTM: I had a small link with BMW at that time with the DTM scene, and that became my focus. I just thought Formula 1 is out of reach now, and that’s where I’m focusing towards. And suddenly the opportunity came, they offered me the deal to be a Mercedes young driver in Formula 3, and then they said there’s an opportunity of the F1 simulator stuff depending on how you get on.

“I was quite confident at this point, and I thought I need to take a risk here: if I turned it down and committed to the DTM route then the Mercedes thing was off, and I thought I have to take a risk, do a good job, and hopefully they’ll decide that I’m capable enough to be a part of their F1 driver programme.”

Racing careers turn on decisions like that, and so far it seems to be working out well. What has been the most eye opening part of working so closely with an F1 team? “I do a lot of sim work for them, and I’m learning an awful lot just doing that work: how to develop a car, the amount of work they do, and just how a Formula 1 team works.

“Obviously the guys at ART do a wonderful job, but in Formula 1 they just have so much extra data and resources they can use, and just to see how they use that is mind blowing really. To get an insight into this has made me take a bit of information from there, which has helped a lot on the GP3 side of things.

“It’s definitely been a benefit: their sim is so good, so realistic, that it’s almost like doing laps and laps around a real circuit! If I feel like I need to go to Silverstone, for example, and do a couple of laps at the end of the day because I’m not too comfortable with Silverstone, then I ask if they mind doing a couple of laps, they click a button on the computer, and there we are: we’ve gone from Barcelona to Silverstone in five minutes! From that side of things it’s great.”

And away from the circuit do they give you any help? “Yes, what they’ve done is give me a Hintsa Performance coach: a lot of the F1 guys, I think 12 of them, use Hintsa Performance, so I’ve been really lucky because I’ve been given a guy who has moved over to the UK to be my full time trainer, and that’s been a massive help.

“Obviously I was already doing full time training before, and eating well, but since having him here alongside me everything has just gone to another level really. At the stage I’m at in my career now that’s been really important: there’s such a fine line with everything. And I know that at any time I could potentially get a call saying ‘we need you to test here’, and I’ve got to be ready for that, and for the next stage of my career.”

But the focus has to be on the here and now, and Russell knows that, no matter how tempting it would be to hang around the F1 scene, his real priority has to be on his current job. “They’ve given me a pass for the [F1] paddock, which is great and I can go over there anytime I want, but I’ve decided to myself that I’m here to do one job: my main job is GP3, my Mercedes role is secondary, and they’re completely on board with that.

“From their side they need me to go out and be successful this year, and then the next stage of my career will follow from that. But for now my number 1 priority is GP3, and my Mercedes role is secondary.”

He got a double points haul on his debut, and the recent test at the Hungaroring demonstrated that the hard work is starting to pay off when he topped the first day: next stop Austria, to turn the testing results into racing success.

Honda protege Nirei Fukuzumi set a blazing laptime of 1:31.943 in this morning’s final testing day at the Hungaroring in Budapest to top the overall times for the two days in Budapest, while in the afternoon Raoul Hyman was quickest of a studious session.

The second day of mid-season testing opened in slightly windy conditions as the cars fed onto the track for a frantic first half of the session. George Russell was quick to take control of the timesheets, but Giuliano Alesi improved on the Briton’s time by 9 hundredths to move up to P1.

On the one hour mark Russell reclaimed the top spot, leaving Leonardo Pulcini, Jack Aitken and Fukuzumi to battle for P2: eventually the Japanese ace found some extra pace to break the 1m32s barrier and move up to P1, while Aitken also improved to take P2 ahead of Russell, making it an all ART top 3.

The remainder of the session was trouble free as teams and drivers completed their testing programmes. At the chequered flag, Raoul Hyman, Pulcini, Niko Kari, Alesi, Dorian Boccolacci, Santino Ferrucci and Alessio Lorandi completed the top 10.

After a short break, Boccolacci took control of the timesheets and remained top for most of the first hour of the second session until Kari improved on the Frenchman’s time. Lorandi also found some extra pace to move up to P2 just before a brief red flag period courtesy of Alesi, who stopped at the entrance of the pitlane.

At the restart, Hyman clocked in a laptime of 1:32.191, three tenths faster than Kari’s best. The Campos racer remained at the top of the standings until the flag dropped, while Lorandi finished P3 ahead of Arjun Maini, Pulcini, Boccolacci, Marcos Siebert, Steijn Schothorst, Alesi and Tatiana Calderon.

The GP3 Series paddock will return to action for the second round of the 2017 season on July 7-8-9 at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.

Day 2 Morning results

 Day 2 Afternoon results