like many other sons of pilot, Giuliano Alesi load with the pressure of a last name famous in the world of motorsports, and to respond to expectations that not always correspond with the level of the pilot. After a good fourth place in his first season in single-seaters in the Formula 4 French, his hasty jump to GP3 in 2016, ended with a point. This year, the French rider starts to settle in the top 10 of the championship, and last Sunday got his first victory in the category in the sprint race at Silverstone.
like that at the Red Bull Ring, the investment of the top eight positions was decisive for their achievement, and Alesi had come out second, but fortune smiled even more when her partner Dorian Boccolacci, in the possession of the pole, was not able to boot by a mechanical problem terminal. With no one in front, Alesi crossed the track at the exit to protect their position of advantage line that had Arjun Maini. Behind, Jack Aitken had escaped Niko Kari, and did the same with Maini in the curve Village. The british made gestures of correction with an attack, but the race was neutralized before being able to mount an offensive.
Julien Falcherò, who had lost the ninth place in the output before the Leonardo Pulcini, was trying to protect its position before the Steijn Schothorst in the fourth round. The Dutch won the game on the outside at Copse, but Falcherò saw late the maneuver, and both ended up in the gravel causing a Safety Car. With half the race ahead of you when it is resumed, Alesi kept his advantageous position, although he never managed to leave their three pursuers. Aitken exerted more pressure on the turns end, but it was insufficient to deprive the French of the 17-year-old that it is his fourth victory in single-seaters, after the three obtained in 2015 in Formula 4. Kari managed to get on the podium for the first time in the category, after overtaking Maini in the third turn and follow very closely to the duo of head.
George Russell completed the quartet in the lead after winning two positions in the output and overcome Maini in the ninth round. In the last two turns, atosigó a little bit of Kari setting a fast lap, without success, but getting a good sum of points to consolidate his lead in the general. After Maini, a controversial Alessio Lorandi crossed the line in sixth position. After the Safety Car, the Italian struggled with Anthoine Hubert, that he had won the position in the output. On lap 10, was released in the inside of The Loop and touched wheel to wheel with the French, who went off track and lost two more positions. Lorandi was not penalised for this manoeuvre, but Hubert was able to rescue a point for the overcome to Pulcini on the same lap for eighth, behind a right Kevin Jörg.
After his abandonment of the sabbath, Nirei Fukuzumi faced a Sunday very complicated. The japanese managed to get 13th, but Race Direction determined that some of these positions had gained during the Safety Car, and received a penalty of 10 seconds which eliminated any option of scoring. A great weekend to George Russell, who leaves Silverstone with 35 points of advantage over Hubert and 38 on Fukuzumi. Two points from the japanese, Aitken, passes to complete a top 4 of ART in general, a point ahead of Lorandi. Alesi, for its part, scale to a respectable sixth position. In a week and a half, Hungaroring will mark the halfway point of the season.
sprint Race of the GP3 Series 2017 at Silverstone (15 laps)
Pos. | Pilot | Time / difference | |
1 | Giuliano Alesi | Trident | 30:04.801 |
2º | Jack Aitken | ART Grand Prix | 0.724 |
3rd | Niko Kari | Arden International | 1.431 |
4th | George Russell | ART Grand Prix | 1.857 |
5th | Arjun Maini | Jenzer Motorsport | 5.900 |
6th | Alessio Lorandi | Jenzer Motorsport | 7.257 |
7th | Kevin Jörg | Trident | 8.099 |
8º | Anthoine Hubert | ART Grand Prix | 8.447 |
9th | Santino Ferrucci | DAMS | 10.744 |
10º | Mark Siebert | Fields Racing | 11.712 |
11º | Raoul Hyman | Fields Racing | 12.387 |
12º | Leonardo Pulcini | Arden International | 17.079 |
13º | Ryan Tveter | Trident | 17.645 |
14º | Bruno Baptista | DAMS | 22.595 |
15º | Tatiana Calderón | DAMS | 23.280 |
16º | Nirei Fukuzumi | ART Grand Prix | 28.539 |
Steijn Schothorst | Arden International | Accident (v3) | |
Julien Falcherò | Campos Racing | Accident (v3) | |
Dorian Boccolacci | Trident | Mechanical (DNS) |
the general Classification of the GP3 Series 2017 (round 3 8)
Position | Pilot | Points | |
1 | George Russell | ART Grand Prix | 92 |
2nd | Anthoine Hubert | ART Grand Prix | 57 |
3rd | Nirei Fukuzumi | ART Grand Prix | 54 |
4th | Jack Aitken | ART Grand Prix | 52 |
5th | Alessio Lorandi | Jenzer Motorsport | 51 |
6th | Giuliano Alesi | Trident | 43 |
7th | Arjun Maini | Jenzer Motorsport | 36 |
8th | Dorian Boccolacci | Trident | 26 |
9th | Raoul Hyman | Campos Racing | 25 |
10th | Niko Kari | Arden International | 20 |
11th | Leonardo Pulcini | Arden International | 18 |
12 | Ryan Tveter | Trident | 18 |
13th | Kevin Jörg | Trident | 4 |
14th | Santino Ferrucci | DAMS | 3 |
15 | Mark Siebert | Campos Racing | 1 |
16th | Julien Falcherò | Campos Racing | 1 |
–