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Saturday, 26 May 2012 19:45 |
 GP3 Series report and result from Monte Carlo - Reverse Pole position starter Marlon Stockinger celebrated his first win of his GP3 Series career with Status Grand Prix after producing a lights to flag victory on the famous street circuit in Monaco in a memorable race!
The start was dramatic with a spectacular incident at the exit of Sainte Devote after Alex Brundle tapped the back of his Carlin team-mate William Buller launching Buller’s car high onto the two left side wheels and in a rotation which ended with the GP3/10 upside down against the ARMCO.
While the marshals gently righted the vehicle, the safety car was immediately deployed and luckily the Brit from Northern Ireland was able to climb out of the car unscathed after the nasty looking shunt, which also ruled the young Brundle out of the race.
Stockinger defended his lead at the start with Daniel Abt trying to sneak past Antonio Felix Da Costa but the Lotus GP driver had to hold station.
After two laps, the safety car came back in and the race was restarted. The remaining Carlin car of Felix Da Costa set sights on P1, chasing Stockinger and desperately looking for a way past, the Portuguese star started applying pressure on the Filipino to stay within half a second of the Status Grand Prix car during the race, eager to make a move.
Abt in P3 was a few seconds back from the two dicing for the win, ahead of Mitch Evans, David Fumanelli, Kevin Ceccon, Aaro Vainio and Tio Ellinas.
There was to be more action further down the field in the second half of the race after Lotus GP’s Conor Daly caught the back of Dmitry Suranovich at the hairpin and the Russian driver lost his rear wing.
As Suranovich continued on, struggling to keep control, Daly made contact with the rear of the Marussia Manor Racing car as they came out of the tunnel and became airborne, hitting the barriers at the side of the circuit.
It was a shocking accident, fortunately the son of former Formula 1 driver Derek Daly was able to get out of his car and walk away unharmed.
The safety car was brought out for a second time and after a few processional laps, the decision was made to stop the race for safety reasons due to the extensive damage to the track surround leaving Stockinger to record his debut victory in GP3 after the result was declared with 14 laps completed.
Felix Da Costa took second with Abt achieving his first podium in the Series. Evans, Fumanelli, Ceccon, Vainio and Ellinas rounded out the top eight. This result makes it four different winners from four races in 2012.
Vaino heads the standings after Round 2 on 54 points ahead of Evans on 43 and Stockinger on 39.
Round 3 takes place in Valencia on the 22-24 June with a GP3 test planned the week before.
Tio Ellinas
“Considering my qualifying I think we’ve achieved the best we could this weekend and I’ve learned a lot about racing in Monaco. We improved the car at every step and was pleased with my two race results, particularly today when I felt even more was possible had the race not been cut short.”
Dmitry Suranovich
“The weekend did not start as well as I’d hoped for, with a disappointing qualifying, but things have improved from there and I am pleased with the way my race pace is developing.”
Fabiano Machado
“It was disappointing to end today so far down after losing so many places as I tried to avoid the first corner accident. At a track like this it is difficult to work your way back through the field. Anyway, there were more positive signs through the weekend and I’ve enjoyed racing in Monaco for the first time.”
Kevin Ceccon
"It is a very important result for me and for the team, which is new to the GP3 Series this season. We are very happy and determined to continue on the same path," declared the Italian driver. "It reinforces everyone's motivation. In Monaco, overtaking is very difficult and so I could not aim for better than the 3rd and 6th place finishes, but they are already excellent results as it is."
Robert Cregan
"Racing on this circuit demands constant attention. I am happy that we were able to finish both races and to put many kilometres under my belt."
Carmen Jorda
"I am more confident in the car and I am getting closer to the drivers in front of me. I have improved my times each time out and that's very encouraging. Therefore, I am very delighted with the work done, and only regret one thing, and that is the DNF in the first race."
Mitch Evans
"I started fourth again and hoped to gain a place or two at the start, but that didn't happen. I held my position, though, and after that it was a case of follow my leader. I'm pleased with another decent points haul, though, because it keeps me in the thick of the title battle."
David Fumanelli
“I made another good start, but so did Mitch and I was unable to gain any positions off the grid. The race was fairly tame after that, for me, at least. I pushed as hard as I could to get fastest lap, but missed out by about three tenths. Overall, though, my Monaco experience has been very positive.”
Matias Laine
"It was a lively race for some drivers, but less so for me. I was determined to make up a few places, but overtaking was no easier than yesterday and it was hard to settle into a rhythm with all the interruptions. Roll on Valencia."
Antonio Spavone
"Even though the overall results haven't been brilliant, I'm happy with my first time at Monte Carlo. I hoped to clinch a better result in qualifying, but despite that, I made no mistakes during the whole weekend. In race 1 there were a lot of contacts after the start, and I lost ground in order to avoid the melee. When I managed to overtake the slower cars I had in front my lap times dropped of about 2 seconds, but at that time the race was almost over. In the second race I overtook many cars at the start, but then in the first lap chaos several cars cut the chicane and I was laying again in the mid pack. I'm doing my best to prepare for the round at Valencia, as it won't be a new racetrack for me."
Vicky Piria
“The time at Monte Carlo has been really exciting. The most positive aspects were, of course, the fact to have raced on a legendary racetrack, and having made another big step compared to the race at Barcelona. The only regret is the little touch to the barriers with three laps to go in qualifying. The damage was almost non existent, but I lost time in trying to figure out if something was wrong. The loss of these few laps cost me several positions. I made no mistakes during the races, although there aren't big chances to overtake at Monte Carlo. Overall, it's been a positive weekend and I'm looking forward to the next rounds with confidence."
Mario Isola - Pirelli racing manager
“Monaco has a reputation for springing a surprise, and it was great to see so many new winners this weekend in GP2 and GP3. The two winners in GP2 are both the sons of former Formula One drivers, and in GP3 Vainio and Stockinger are very deserving winners as well. The new tyre rules have created an extra element in GP2, and we saw both the performance and the durability of the supersoft compound amply demonstrated.
"While the supersoft is resilient enough to last for an entire race, it develops its best performance over only two or three laps, meaning that it needs to be managed carefully during qualifying in particular. The winning strategy of changing just the rear tyres also means that drivers have to be very aware of looking after the fronts, especially at the beginning of the race when the cars are full of fuel.
"The same applies to GP3. While there are no pit stops it is still important for the drivers to know how to look after the tyres. In Monaco it’s impossible to get away with making any mistakes, so having the maximum precision and control is even more important than usual.”
2012 GP3 Monaco – Race 2 results:
| Pos. |
Driver |
Team |
| 1. |
Marlon Stockinger |
Status Grand Prix |
| 2. |
Antonio Felix Da Costa |
Carlin |
| 3. |
Daniel Abt |
Lotus GP |
| 4. |
Mitch Evans |
MW Arden |
| 5. |
David Fumanelli |
MW Arden |
| 6. |
Kevin Ceccon |
Ocean Racing Technology |
| 7. |
Aaro Vainio |
Lotus GP |
| 8. |
Tio Ellinas |
Marussia Manor Racing |
| 9. |
Tamas Pal Kiss |
Atech CRS GP |
| 10. |
Robert Visoiu |
Jenzer Motorsport |
| 11. |
Dmitry Suranovich |
Marussia Manor Racing |
| 12. |
Robert Cregan |
Ocean Racing Technology |
| 13. |
Vicky Piria |
Trident Racing |
| 14. |
John Wartique |
Atech CRS GP |
| 15. |
Antonio Spavone |
Trident Racing |
| 16. |
Patric Niederhauser |
Jenzer Motorsport |
| 17. |
Matias Laine |
MW Arden |
| 18. |
Fabiano Machado |
Marussia Manor Racing |
| 19. |
Ethan Ringel |
Atech CRS GP |
| 20. |
Jakub Klasterka |
Jenzer Motorsport |
| 21. |
Kotaro Sakurai |
Status Grand Prix |
| 22. |
Carmen Jorda |
Ocean Racing Technology |
| 23. |
Alice Powell |
Status Grand Prix |
| NC. |
Alex Brundle |
Carlin |
| NC. |
William Buller |
Carlin |
| NC. |
Conor Daly |
Lotus GP |
Fastest lap: Marlon Stockinger - Status Grand Prix - 1'28.747 on lap 11
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