Lotus ART's Valtteri Bottas stormed to victory during the final GP3 race of the weekend at the Nürburgring on Saturday, stealing the lead in the first few corners before pulling away from his battling rivals behind. The Finnish driver took the chequered flag 1.473 seconds ahead of Alexander Sims, while Nigel Melker completed the podium.
With overnight rain carrying over into the morning, wet tyres were the only option ahead of the 15-lap race, with all drivers having their rubber fitted in time this morning. A storming start from James Calado saw him challenge for the lead at the first corner, but the British driver ran wide and lost a handful of positions. Meanwhile, Nastola-born Bottas jumped into the lead and scampered away on the opening tour.
Tamás Pál Kiss and Aoro Vainio were fighting for second place early on, but the latter spun out at the first corner and fell significantly down the order. Status GP driver Sims was quickly on the move, inheriting third when Vainio slid off the circuit before closing on Pál Kiss and making a move stick. Just behind, Dutchman Melker was also making strong progress, finding himself in third as the race entered its second half.
Bottas stayed calm to take his first ever GP3 win ahead of Sims and Melker, while Pál Kiss held Tom Dillmann at bay to grab fourth. Calado fought back well to grab the final point from Nico Müller, disposing of the Swiss driver in the dying moments of the race. The championship lead remains with Sims after the event, with the Briton holding a lead of six points over MW Arden drivers Lewis Williamson and Mitch Evans.
Round 6 of the championship takes place at the Hungaroring next weekend
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| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  V. Bottas | Lotus ART | 30:25.297 |
| 2. | A. Sims | Status | +1.473 |
| 3. | N. Melker | RSC Mücke | +2.717 |
| 4. | T. Kiss | Tech 1 | +21.550 |
| 5. | T. Dillmann | Addax | +24.379 |
| 6. | J. Calado | Lotus ART | +32.578 |
| 7. | N. Müller | Jenzer | +34.073 |
| 8. | C. Daly | Carlin | +39.255 |
| 9. | N. Yelloly | Atech CRS | +44.551 |
| 10. | R. Haryanto | Manor | +46.898 |
| Full results | |||
| Valtteri Bottas | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| More Valtteri Bottas photos | |||
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