Silverstone

Lotus GP added another two podium finishes to their 2012 GP3 Championship tally with a third place finish in race one and a second place in race two at the famous Silverstone circuit in Britain, putting them into the lead of the teams’ championship.

Round four got underway in typical British style with rain making its presence felt from the start. Under very poor conditions where visibility was at a minimum, the teams’ three drivers managed to keep their contenders on the wet and slippery track in free practice to finish 5th, 6th and 13th fastest.

Thankfully qualifying was held in cool but dry conditions with Aaro Vainio secured a front row start by placing his Lotus in second place with teammates Conor Daly and Daniel Abt finishing fifth and sixth fastest overall respectively.

After a delayed start due to rain, fans were treated to a cracker of a race, however, Aaro Vainio struggled to get off the grid and lost his second place to Felix Da Costa, eventually crossing the finish line in third.

Meanwhile, teammate Daniel Abt fought gallantly to make up two places to cross the line close behind in fourth. For Conor Daly, who was hit with a grid penalty from Valencia and started from 14th on the grid, a brilliant charge through the field to finish right behind his teammates in fifth.

Race two was excitement from start to finish with the rain sprinkling just as drivers prepared to leave the grid. Aaro and Daniel opted for wet rubber, Conor for drys, and the track dried out little by little with the expected rain failing to appear.

The Lotus GP drivers put up a good fight however, but Aaro and Daniel had to pit to switch to slicks tyres. Daniel ended in the gravel trap just moments before being joined by another driver, who hit his Lotus before he had the chance to climb to safety. Thankfully, he was uninjured in the incident.

Soon afterward Aaro Vainio collided with the rear of Matias lane sending him into the air and out of the race. This incident will also cost him a ten place grid demotion in the next round. Conor Daly was left to fly the team flag and he did so quite well by crossing the line in a strong second place.

Aaro Vainio is now second in the drivers’ championship with 89 points, Daniel Abt is fourth on 54 and Conor Daly is 6th on 45 points. Meanwhile, LotusGP is first in the team standings.

Teams now head to Germany for the fifth round in the 2012 GP3 Championship season.

Daniel Abt:

“This weekend was definitely not good. With P4 in race 1, I was at least able to score some important points but I was not quick enough. Race 2 was a gamble which I failed to play right because slicks were a better choice. In the end we have to forget this weekend and look forward to my home race in Hockenheim. I will try to put it all together so I can to secure my first GP3 win there.”

Aaro Vainio:

“I was a bit disappointed in not getting pole because I had to abort my second attempt due to yellows. I reacted well at the start of the race, but I got too much wheelspin right after I took off and Antonio da Costa got past me. I managed to keep Laine and Abt at bay and started to push, However, I made a few little mistakes here and there which prevented me to close the gap to the two leaders. Sunday was a bit of a gamble, it worked fine at the beginning but it did not last long as the track dried out and we were on rain tyres. We lost a lot of positions and time when we had to pit for slicks tyres. I had nothing to lose and pushed as hard as I could to get a few points but hit Laine when I slid on a patch of water. I’m sorry for him and for the team, this is a disappointing end to the weekend but I know the pace is there.”

Conor Daly:

“It was a great weekend for me overall. We were able to overcome the grid penalty on Saturday and get a strong 5th place finish which gave us a good grid position for race two. The team did an incredible job all weekend and really showed they're professionalism today making the call to go with dry tyres before the start of the race. I really wanted to go with the wet tyres but I'm glad I didn't make the choice! I just had to make it through the first few laps and then the track came to us. The car was extremely fast but just didn't have enough time to get the win. Overall, a fantastic points weekend for me and the team and I can't wait for Germany!”

Frederic Vasseur:

“The level of performance from Lotus GP and its three drivers is excellent, moving us into first place in the Team Championship. The second race did not turn out to Aaro and Daniel’s advantage, who up until then, had a remarkable weekend. Conor was also remarkable, driving flawlessly in perilous conditions. But we also have to learn from our mistakes that are expensive at the time and have an unfortunate impact on the sequence of events.”