Barcelona

Lotus GP kicked off their 2012 GP3 campaign in style with young driver Aaro Vainio securing third place on the rostrum in race one and Conor Daly taking victory in race two. The opening round was held at the Circuit de Catalunya in sunny Spain with practice and qualifying quick to showcase the talents of the teams three young drivers.

All three finished in the top five in opening practice before Conor Daly went on to qualify in second place, Aaro Vainio in third and Daniel Abt in seventh.

Under beautiful sunny skies, Daniel Abt made a blinding start from seventh on the grid and was in the lead before turn one! However, stewards determined that he, along with two other drivers, had jumped the start and he was given a drive through penalty as a result, He eventually finished 13th. Meanwhile, Conor Daly and Aaro Vainio dropped back from the front to P5 and P6. However after a restart, Vainio fought tooth and nail to secure third spot while Conor Daly was in a fight of his own that left him in 6th overall.

Race two saw Conor Daly claiming his maiden victory after a flawless drive, despite the thunder clouds looming overhead and a four car crash on the opening lap. Conor enjoyed a close battle in the first few laps before finally taking the lead and charging to the finish, 3.2 seconds in the lead. Lotus GP teammate Aaro Vainio finished fourth and Daniel Abt crossed the line in 7th.

Conor Daly and Aaro Vainio both have 23 points apiece heading into Monaco in two week’s time for the series’ first visit to the principality while Daniel Abt has four. Lotus leaves Spain at the top of the team’s championship with 50 points.

Daniel Abt:

For me it was definitely a tough first weekend. Already in qualifying I was not able to reach a better place because of traffic and a mistake on my fastest lap. In the first race I made a jump start, which destroyed a good position of the weekend. The positive part is that I was able to show a good race pace and did some good overtaking from P22 in race one to P6 in Race 2 which is not that easy in Barcelona. Now I have to focus on Monaco which will be really exciting and I will give everything to be in front there!

Conor Daly:

I must first say I'm so happy to be a part of the Lotus GP team. They work so hard at getting the best out of the car and the driver and they are so driven to win! I have learned so much through the pre-season testing and I was able to take advantage of that over the weekend in Barcelona. This is a fantastic way to start a long championship. The goal is now to keep scoring points consistently and be in a position to challenge for wins on a regular basis and I'm very confident the team will give me the ability to do so. We win as a team and it was great to celebrate with the guys on the first weekend of the season!

Aaro Vainio:

Third position in qualifying was a great way to start the season but my start was not the best of my career on Saturday. I made a few mistakes and I have to work on them. We have to learn to manage the tyres and that was the trickiest part of the race for me and I know where we can improve so that's no so bad. A podium and 23 points, just two points shy the leader, it is definitely a good start. The season is long and it is important to secure good points at each meeting. Now we have to take it to the next step and to fight for the win.

Frédéric Vasseur:

Lotus GP was able to benefit from the dynamics of an exceptional season in 2011 to start 2012 off on a good foot. We worked well this winter and our three drivers adapted quickly to the team, the first great satisfaction. Our hard work was rewarded with very good performances; together with an excellent performance level. Conor was brilliant, as much in his attitude as in his driving and he was rewarded with a great victory. Aaro and Daniel also showed their potential but both with different successes. Aaro was powerful and constant during the entire weekend and his second place in the general classification is greatly deserved. A perfect weekend is rare and Daniel had some bad luck because he anticipated the start of the race a tenth of a second too quick. That made a strong impact on his two race results but that doesn’t take away any of his potential, which is that of a winner. On to Monaco!