Race Report

Formula 1 Gran Premio de Espana 2018
GP3 SERIES

Circuit: Barcelona (E), Length: 4.655 km, 12^th/13^th May 2018, Rounds 1 & 2
www.circuitcat.com

JENZER MOTORSPORT 2018:
Tatiana Calderon (COL), Juan Manuel Correa (USA) and David Beckmann (D)

Correa shines in Barcelona

The GP3 Series teams met for the first event of the season as they ran as part of the Formula One programme at the Gran Premio de Espana 2018, held on the challenging Barcelona circuit in Spain. The sun shone throughout the weekend, and the pleasant conditions went a long way towards making it very obvious just how close the competition is within this highly competitive field.

Race One Qualifying

Friday, 11/05/18, 17.50 – 18.20, Weather: Sunny, 20°C

In spite of the sky featuring dark grey colours in the morning, the sun was out just as the free practice started and our drivers were very motivated. 7 minutes before the end of the session Juan Manuel was in 11^th position. However, a Virtual Safety Car practice was held for five minutes, and after that another run for pole was impossible. Juan Manuel didn’t improve and was 17^th in the end. David, who was in 2^nd at that stage, was doing a little better and in the end finished in 10^th, but Tatiana was the one who managed to put in the best performance of the three, claiming a super 6^th place.
The track was dry for the first qualifying session of the new season and conditions were fine. Our drivers all ended up in good positions although the lap times were very close across the whole field, with 18 drivers finishing within a second of the best time.

GP3 Series

Race One (40 Minutes)

Saturday, 12/05/18, 10.15, Weather: Sunny, 26°C

The start of the first race of the season went well. Two laps into the race the DRS system was activated; its effects can be used six times in the main race and four times in the sprint race and the rules are the same as in Formula 1. In the designated zones, the car must be within a second of the car in front before it can be released, and you really need to be close enough to really profit from it.
Kari did not get off at the start, but luckily everyone was able to avoid him. David made up two places and came back in 6^th at the end of the first exciting lap. Also Juan Manuel had advanced and was 10^th, while Tatiana had improved to 13^th. David easily kept up with the speed of the top group and was close to Pulcini, but couldn't find a way past. As a result Alesi got nearer and launched an attack. David and he were side by side, wheels touching, but David defended his 6^th place, drove confidently and stayed ahead. Juan Manuel was right on Lorandi when Lorandi tried to attack Hughes and it all went wrong, the two touched and Lorandi had an off track excursion. Juan Manuel was through and then made his move on Hughes, putting himself in a very popular 8^th place. Tatiana fought with Piquet and Mawson, and damaged the car when they touched, and she tried to continue the race, but fell back, eventually driving back to the pits where unfortunately she had to give up the race. David drove a very strong first race in this category and saw the chequered flag in an excellent 6^th place, while Juan Manuel made no mistakes and came home in a very good 8^th place in this first race of the new season, thus securing him pole position for the second race.

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, 13/05/18, 10.25, Weather: Rain, 20°C

It had rained during the night and the track was still wet. All drivers except one (Palmer) opted for rain tyres. Juan Manuel did not get away very well at the start and Alesi shot into the lead. Hubert soon found his way past Juan Manuel too. Then Juan Manuel settled into a rhythm and held on to 3^rd place for much of the race, although Hughes put a lot of pressure on him from behind. Behind them, David had a small collision with Pulcini, which resulted in a trip into the gravel trap for David. He was able to free himself again, and to slot back into the field further down the order. Tatiana had started well and had improved up 14^th place. The racing line dried, but the track was wet otherwise, which led to several incidents, and resulted in a number of short safety car phases. After the middle of the race, Hughes managed to get past Juan Manuel. However Juan Manuel finished the second race of the new season with a strong drive to bring home an excellent 4^th place. Unfortunately, Tatiana got stuck after a spin and did not reach the finish. David gained more racing experience and took the chequered flag in 17^th place.

We are looking forward to the next race on the Circuit Paul Ricard in the south of France, newly added to the calendar, and which will be held in the second half of June.

Championship standings after 2 out of 18 races:

1^st Anthoine Hubert (F), 32 points; 2^nd Nikita Mazepin (RUS), 25 points; 3^rd Giuliano Alesi (F), 23 points; 4^th Callum Ilott (GB), 17 points; 5^th Leonardo Pulcini (I), 16 points; 6^th Dorian Boccolacci (F), 16 points; 7^th Juan Manuel Correa (USA), 12 points; 9^th David Beckmann (D), 8 points

2018 GP3 Series

For more information:

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