Race Report

2016 Formula 1 Malaysia Grand Prix
GP3 SERIES

Circuit: Sepang (MAS), Length 5.542 km, 29^th – 02^nd October 2016, Rounds 15 & 16
www.sepangcircuit.com

JENZER MOTORSPORT 2016:
Akash Nandy (MAS), ARJUN MAINI (IND) and ALESSIO LORANDI (I)

Maini and Lorandi in the top ten at Sepang

The GP3 Series met up for their eighth outing at the sensational Sepang (MAS) circuit, as ever racing as one of the support races for the Formula 1 Malaysia Grand Prix. The weather was hot and humid as expected and these conditions added to the challenge for the drivers.

Race One Qualifying

Friday, 30/09/16, 16.50 – 17.20, Weather: Sunny, 33°C

The free practice session on Thursday afternoon took place under a cloudy sky with temperatures a sticky 31°C. 16 of the 22 drivers were within a second of the fastest time. Arjun was 6^th, and Akash, competing on his home track, was 10^th. Alessio, driving this car for the first time on a circuit he had never seen before, was 17^th.
For qualifying there was not a cloud in the sky and it was now a blistering 33°C. Arjun managed the 7^th fastest lap time, while Akash put a lot of pressure on himself and claimed his best qualifying result of this season so far with a handsome 12^th place. Alessio managed a very respectable 15^th in his very first GP3 qualifying session. Because Fukuzumi was taking a grid penalty from Monza, and Palou had been disqualified for a technical infringement, Arjun moved up to 6^th, Akash up to 11th and Alessio to 14^th.

GP3 Series

Race One (40 Minutes)

Saturday, 01/10/16, 10.30, Weather: Cloudy, 30°C

For the initial GP3 Series race in Sepang it was again searing hot, and dry. After the start De Vries and Leclerc tangled, and Leclerc lost two places. De Vries dropped even further back and was later awarded a time penalty for causing a collision. That meant Albon led from Aitken, and Arjun was 3^rd. Soon Leclerc was behind Arjun and on the attack. Arjun didn’t want to take any risks so he didn’t put up too much resistance, and Leclerc got past him quite easily. That put Arjun in 4^th place, where he set several very fast lap times, and managed to pile the pressure back onto Leclerc. However Leclerc defended the last place on the podium fiercely and after a very strong race Arjun reached the finishing line in an excellent, although not as rewarding as it might have been, 4^th place. Akash was already 10^th at the end of the first lap, but technical gremlins prevented him from achieving a top result in his home Grand Prix. He couldn’t change gear and just managed to get back to the pit lane, which was a real pity! Alessio made a good first start in the category and moved up to 12^th, where he was able to set some good lap times and begin to put pressure on Stuvik. However, he couldn’t find a way past, though he did become ever more confident in the car. Alessio never came under pressure himself and came home in a trouble free 12^th place. After De Vries was awarded his time penalty Alessio moved up to 11^th in the order.

The grid for the second race of the weekend was set by reversing the order of the first eight finishers in the first race, with the rest of the places set according to finishing order in the first race.

GP3 Series

Race Two (30 Minutes)

Sunday, 02/10/16, 10.05, Weather: Cloudy, 31°C

It was again searingly hot on Sunday morning. The start went well and soon there were fierce fights for position through the field. Arjun was a bit too cautious initially and lost a few places before getting into a ferocious fight with De Vries and Schothorst, positions changing several times. From the middle of the race onward Arjun set a super pace and came home to claim an excellent 7^th place and more points. Alessio gained a place on the first lap and was soon up to 10^th. He got embroiled in battle with Albon and Schothorst and, after several overtaking manoeuvres which went on lap after lap, was able to wrest a fine 9^th place from them. That meant Alessio was already in the top ten on his very first race weekend in the series. Akash, who had had to start from a long way back, was very cautious in the early laps. Later he managed to improve his position steadily and crossed the finishing line in a respectable 19^th position.

We are now looking forward to the ninth and final event of the 2016 GP3 Series, which takes place in eight week’s time at the Abu Dhabi (UAE) F1 Grand Prix.

Championship standings after 16 out of 18 races:

1^st Charles Leclerc (F), 202 points; 2^nd Alexander Albon (THA), 173 points; 3^rd Antonio Fuoco (I), 157 points; 4^th Jake Dennis (GB), 121 points; 5^th Jack Aitken (GB), 117 points; 6^th Nick de Vries (NL), 108 points; 10^th Arjun Maini, 50 points; 14^th Oscar Tunjo (COL), 18 points

2016 GP3 Series

For more information:

• www.gp3series.com
• www.italiaracing.net