Spa Francorchamps

Lotus ART took its second consecutive teams’ title in the GP3 Series this weekend at Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps circuit. The circuit, located in the Belgian Ardennes forest kept up with tradition, with alternating showers and sunshine throughout the weekend, but Lotus ART and its drivers managed to make the right choices at the right times.

James Calado and Valtteri Bottas monopolized the front row of the starting grid in the first race and crossed the finish line in the reverse order, while newcomer Richie Stanaway climbed from 18th position to finish in 8th place.

After the first double of the season, Lotus ART was looking for a triple in the second race until Valtteri was struck by a rival. Richy Stanaway led the second race from start to finish, by managing his tyres and track conditions to perfection, despite his lack of experience with the series. By moving up to 2nd place, James moved to within 5 point of Valtteri in the overall ranking. The season finale in Monza two weeks from now will be decisive for the crowning of the drivers' title.

VALTTERI BOTTAS

“Make it three in a row in qualifying after my pole positions in Hungary and Germany was my goal.  In my best lap, I lost a bit of time here and there and it was not easy to push hard all the time, as there were still some damp patches. It would have been easy to ruin the weekend in one lap and I was looking at the big picture. I preferred to insure a 2nd place and to think of the championship. I had a very good start on Saturday and overtook James at the first corner. I pushed hard to open a gap and I was 3 seconds ahead of James at the end of the first lap. Our car is so much more competitive than at the beginning of the season. I have to thank Lotus ART for their hard work. The rest of the race was not easy but I could manage the tyres and it was the key to cruising to the win. The following day, I had a decent start and gained some positions. A podium was in the cards until Melker hit me. Alas, the engine was damaged and it cut off from time to time. I'm still leading the championship but I know I can't rest on my laurels. Monza will be pretty exciting, I can't wait!”

JAMES CALADO:

“Qualifying was quite good. We decided to go with the slick tyres early in the session in order to get some good tyre temperature and to bank a time before the last lap. That was the right decision in the end because I could carry a lot of speed in fast corners in the last lap which was decisive. I had too much wheelspin at the start of the race and Valterri got past me. The car was not ideal for whatever reason, maybe the tyre pressure. But the points of the second position were good. On Sunday, I had a very good start, I overtook two cars and the level of grip was much better than on Saturday. The car was flying thanks to Lotus ART’s technical options. 16 points is a great result and I can't be disappointed! I'm just 5 points down from Valterri and there will be a lot of pressure in Monza. I'm taking it race by race, every point will count, it's going to be a close fight down to the end and I think a lot will depend on qualifying.”

RICHIE STANAWAY:

“I had little time to get to grips with the car and the team and I was not that lucky in qualifying, but I was optimistic for the race thanks to the great help and work Lotus ART provided me. Obviously, there's a bit of pressure when you're a rookie and that P8 in the first race is within your reach. I kept calm, the team radioed me to give me all the information I needed and we made it. Starting from the pole, I did not have enough experience with the hand clutch and Nico Muller got me. I did not panic, I was close to him on the exit from La Source but I made sure I lifted a little before Eau Rouge so we had a bit of a gap and I was in the right place for a slip stream. I was just close enough then to get a good run on him and regained the lead. Then I just pushed as hard as I could on the first few laps to build up a lead and worked on keeping it. I just wanted to bring the car home. I'm glad and honored I played my role in Lotus ART’s title in the teams’ championship.”

FREDERIC VASSEUR:

“We've been close to perfection right from the start and the only regret is that we did not secure the 1-2-3 we deserved in race 2. Having said that, the whole team did a fantastic job and the team's title is a well-deserved reward. Valterri and James could hardly do better and Richie was just awesome for his first meeting in a very competitive series. We have to stay focused as the drivers' title is not in the bag yet and we know our rivals can be very strong.”