After picking up the GP3 pole position at Silverstone this morning, ART Grand Prix’s Esteban Gutiérrez strengthened his championship lead by eventually winning Saturday’s Race 1 by a comfortable margin. As Rio Haryanto and Nico Müller completed the podium, Dean Smith and Carlin Motorsport led the way for British honours in sixth.
ART driver Gutiérrez made the perfect start from pole position and looked like pulling away to take another dominant victory whilst Manor Racing team-mates Rio Haryanto and Adrian Quaife-Hobbs battled for second spot. But the Mexican didn’t have it all his own way; by the end of Lap 1, Haryanto had lost and regained second place from his team-mate and then set his sights firmly on Gutiérrez.
There was drama at the start when James Jakes stalled his Manor Racing car and ended up dead last after qualifying eighth. Down the grid Addax Team’s Pablo Sanchez Lopez was given a drive-through penalty for jumping the start from 21st. Meanwhile, a fast starting Alexander Rossi was up behind Müller, pushing the Jenzer driver for fourth spot; this gave RSC Mücke driver Tobias Hegewald the opportunity to move up behind the battling pair, eventually catching and passing Rossi. Hegewald then put in successive fastest laps to stay ahead of the ART driver.
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Haryanto kept up his pace in second and charged after Gutiérrez, putting in a succession of fastest laps, whilst drama unfolded behind when midway through the race Quaife-Hobbs went off-track, ending his home race prematurely. Müller inherited third spot and had to go defensive from a speedy Hegewald – the German getting a sniff of the final podium spot. The battle continued for the remainder of the race, turning into a three-man fight with Rossi before the American went wide two laps from the end and had to settle for fifth.
Dean Smith finished in sixth spot for Carlin, followed over the line by Status GP’s Daniel Morad. Addax Team’s Mirko Bortolotti took the final point-paying position and reversed pole for Race 2 tomorrow.
Fastest lap of the race went to Gutiérrez, the ART driver snatching the bonus point on his last lap of the race for good measure. He now leads the series by 27 points, ahead of Haryanto who has moved up into second.
Sunday's Race 2 begins at 8:30am local time (BST)
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