GP3
TIO ELLINAS ON TOP AT SILVERSTONE
Tio Ellinas recorded the fastest time in the afternoon session on day one of the official pre-season test at the Northamptonshire circuit. The Cypriot’s quickest time of 1:46.211 was 3.9 seconds quicker than the previous GP3 record set by Mitch Evans here in 2012 with the first generation car. Carlos Sainz Jnr set the best time in the morning session.
Very chilly temperatures greeted the GP3 paddock for the final two-day pre-season test. The sun may have been shining but with ground temperatures below zero as the test begun, the full grid of 27 drivers set their installation laps and returned to the pits and waited for the winds to die down and for the track to warm up.
Alex Fontana (Jenzer Motorsport) and Nick Cassidy (Marussia Manor Racing) were the first two drivers to set times in the 1m47’s with a hype of activity in the last hour with the majority of drivers braving the big freeze. Ellinas and David Fumanelli (Trident) shot to the head of the timings until Spaniard Sainz Jnr went half a second quicker than the Cypriot to end the morning on top.
At the chequered flag it was Ellinas, Fumanelli, Fontana, Cassidy, Daniil Kvyat (MW Arden), Nick Yelloly (Carlin), Giovanni Venturini (Trident) and the Koiranen GP duo of Aaro Vainio and Kevin Korjus.
Following the two hour lunch break, the session got underway with an early red flag for Regalia who stopped on the circuit whilst teammate Jack Harvey topped the timesheets. Melville McKee (Bamboo Racing) was P1 at the midway point when Luis Sa Silva (Carlin) ran wide at Becketts and kissed the barrier, whilst Fumanelli stopped on circuit which both caused small interruptions to proceedings.
Yelloly rose to P2 as the wind increased making driving conditions difficult. Regalia posted the best time of the day while Adderly Fong (Status Grand Prix) ran wide at Chapel at the latter stages of the day as there was a brief stoppage covered by red flags. With one minute left on the clock, Ellinas went a mere 0.036s faster than the Argentine to claim P1.
The final times saw Ellinas, Regalia, Yelloly, Ellinas, Harvey, McKee, Fumanelli, Robert Visoiu, Fontana, Korjus and Conor Daly, with the top ten drivers covered by a second.
Tomorrow’s test session will run from 09.00 – 12.00 a one hour break. The afternoon session will run from 13.00 – 16.00 GMT.
Day 1: Morning Session
|
|
Driver
|
Team
|
Laptime
|
Laps
|
|
1.
|
Carlos Sainz Jnr
|
MW Arden
|
1:46.795
|
10
|
|
2.
|
Tio Ellinas
|
Marussia Manor Racing
|
1:47.389
|
10
|
|
3.
|
David Fumanelli
|
Trident
|
1:47.490
|
11
|
|
4.
|
Alex Fontana
|
Jenzer Motorsport
|
1:47.700
|
24
|
|
5.
|
Nick Cassidy
|
Marussia Manor Racing
|
1:47.850
|
13
|
|
6.
|
Daniil Kvyat
|
MW Arden
|
1:47.904
|
13
|
|
7.
|
Nick Yelloly
|
Carlin
|
1:47.942
|
14
|
|
8.
|
Giovanni Venturini
|
Trident
|
1:48.047
|
14
|
|
9.
|
Aaro Vainio
|
Koiranen GP
|
1:48.238
|
7
|
|
10.
|
Kevin Korjus
|
Koiranen GP
|
1:48.242
|
15
|
|
11.
|
Patrick Kujala
|
Koiranen GP
|
1:48.370
|
13
|
|
12.
|
Patric Niederhauser
|
Jenzer Motorsport
|
1:48.493
|
15
|
|
13.
|
Dino Zamparelli
|
Marussia Manor Racing
|
1:48.545
|
12
|
|
14.
|
Robert Visoiu
|
MW Arden
|
1:48.796
|
12
|
|
15.
|
Melville McKee
|
Bamboo Racing
|
1:48.889
|
13
|
|
16.
|
Josh Webster
|
Status Grand Prix
|
1:49.025
|
15
|
|
17.
|
Adderly Fong
|
Status Grand Prix
|
1:49.484
|
15
|
|
18.
|
Eric Lichtenstein
|
Carlin
|
1:49.546
|
13
|
|
19.
|
Felipe Guimaraes
|
Bamboo Racing
|
1:49.633
|
12
|
|
20.
|
Luis Sa Silva
|
Carlin
|
1:49.644
|
16
|
|
21.
|
Emanuele Zonzini
|
Trident
|
1:49.725
|
15
|
|
22.
|
Jimmy Eriksson
|
Status Grand Prix
|
1:50.566
|
12
|
|
23.
|
Carmen Jorda
|
Bamboo Racing
|
1:52.684
|
13
|
|
24.
|
Samin Gomez
|
Jenzer Motorsport
|
1:52.887
|
10
|
|
25.
|
Conor Daly
|
ART Grand Prix
|
–
|
1
|
|
26.
|
Jack Harvey
|
ART Grand Prix
|
–
|
1
|
|
27.
|
Facu Regalia
|
ART Grand Prix
|
–
|
1
|
Day 1: Afternoon Session*
|
|
Driver
|
Team
|
Laptime
|
Laps
|
|
1.
|
Tio Ellinas
|
Marussia Manor Racing
|
1:46.211
|
29
|
|
2.
|
Facu Regalia
|
ART Grand Prix
|
1:46.247
|
31
|
|
3.
|
Nick Yelloly
|
Carlin
|
1:46.540
|
37
|
|
4.
|
Jack Harvey
|
ART Grand Prix
|
1:46.664
|
23
|
|
5.
|
Melville McKee
|
Bamboo Racing
|
1:46.719
|
20
|
|
6.
|
David Fumanelli
|
Trident
|
1:46.774
|
24
|
|
7.
|
Robert Visoiu
|
MW Arden
|
1:47.027
|
32
|
|
8.
|
Alex Fontana
|
Jenzer Motorsport
|
1:47.050
|
28
|
|
9.
|
Kevin Korjus
|
Koiranen GP
|
1:47.143
|
18
|
|
10.
|
Conor Daly
|
ART Grand Prix
|
1:47.177
|
33
|
|
11.
|
Daniil Kvyat
|
MW Arden
|
1:47.345
|
32
|
|
12.
|
Dino Zamparelli
|
Marussia Manor Racing
|
1:47.391
|
30
|
|
13.
|
Jimmy Eriksson
|
Status Grand Prix
|
1:47.402
|
29
|
|
14.
|
Josh Webster
|
Status Grand Prix
|
1:47.474
|
30
|
|
15.
|
Patric Niederhauser
|
Jenzer Motorsport
|
1:47.698
|
11
|
|
16.
|
Felipe Guimaraes
|
Bamboo Racing
|
1:47.731
|
25
|
|
17.
|
Emanuele Zonzini
|
Trident
|
1:47.924
|
25
|
|
18.
|
Adderly Fong
|
Status Grand Prix
|
1:47.983
|
18
|
|
19.
|
Eric Lichtenstein
|
Carlin
|
1:48.305
|
34
|
|
20.
|
Patrick Kujala
|
Koiranen GP
|
1:48.322
|
24
|
|
21.
|
Nick Cassidy
|
Marussia Manor Racing
|
1:48.755
|
23
|
|
22.
|
Giovanni Venturini
|
Trident
|
1:48.977
|
9
|
|
23.
|
Aaro Vainio
|
Koiranen GP
|
1:49.146
|
11
|
|
24.
|
Luis Sa Silva
|
Carlin
|
1:50.517
|
15
|
|
25.
|
Samin Gomez
|
Jenzer Motorsport
|
1:50.890
|
15
|
|
26.
|
Carmen Jorda
|
Bamboo Racing
|
1:51.457
|
21
|
*Carlos Sainz Jnr’s times deleted after his MW Arden car was found underweight