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Lotus GP secured the GP3 team’s championship for the third year running when Daniel Abt took victory in race one at the season finale at the Monza circuit in Italy this weekend. Together with Conor Daly’s points for fourth place in race one, the team wrapped up the team’s title with one race to spare! After qualifying 8th on the grid for race one, Daniel Abt was aiming high with his second win in seven days firmly within his sights. After making yet another of his lightning fast starts where he moved from P3 and then to P1 just a few laps later, his aim was realized and he had set the scene for a thrilling fight to the finish for the drivers crown. Teammate Aaro Vainio, who started 13th on the grid, drove brilliantly to finish third, however, he was later penalized for ignoring yellow flags. The twenty seconds added to his race time saw third place and his dreams of winning the championship disappear. Conor Daly, who started ninth on the grid, also drove a strong race to cross the line in fourth place overall. Race two and Daniel was in the fight for championship honors, however if he wanted to follow in the footsteps of Valtteri Bottas and make it into the GP3 series Hall of Fame, he needed to win the second race while his rival failed to score. Excitement prevailed as he sliced his way through the field from eighth to fourth to second while his rival encountered one problem after the other. With two laps to go, he was leading the race and his rival was out of the points in 20th place, the crown was his, however, with his tyres fading fast, a late charge from another driver snatched the lead and crown out of his hands. Conor Daly and Aaro Vainio finished race two in 11th and 14th places respectively. This round marked the end of yet another thrilling GP3 Championship season. Lotus GP now looks forward to defending their crown for the fourth year running in what is expected to be yet another challenging and hard fought season. Daniel Abt: “I'm at a loss for words to describe the feelings I went through this weekend. First things first, a big thank you to Lotus GP for this incredible season. It's not only the win and the title hunt that was magnificent on Saturday, but the way we did it. I had my share of bad luck at the beginning of the season and to secure two wins in a row was the best way to be paid back. It was a dream scenario in race 2 when I took P1. I fought hard to keep it and we had a great battle together with Ellinas, with a lot of overtaking manoeuvres, but I struggled a lot with my tyres in the last four laps. Well, I missed out the championship by two points but we have to see it in a positive way. I am the best rookie of the season, Lotus and I did had a fantastic relationship and I've shown what I'm capable of. It will take time to sink in but I honestly think we can be proud of what we achieved. Again, thank you all!” Aaro Vainio: "This is obviously not the end to the season that I expected. I arrived at Monza with a real chance for the drivers' title, and even though I was not successful in qualifying, everything was still possible. Lotus GP prepared a perfect race car for me on Saturday and I gave it everything. I worked my way up to third place after an action packed and fun race. Unfortunately, the stewards felt that I had made a mistake in the final corner of the final lap, where there was a yellow flag. The team and I both know that I complied with the yellow flag, as the data telemetry proved. That was it, and so I made the most of Sunday's race, to end the year. I made a good recovery but it was not enough to take 3rd place in the championship. I want to thank Lotus GP because this season has been really rich in both learning and emotion. Thank you also to my sponsors and all those who have supported me this year!" Conor Daly: “It wasn't the way I would have liked to finish the season. I think we had a fantastic race car in race one, the balance was very good and at one point we were close to a Lotus GP 1,2 and 3. Unfortunately contact with another driver damaged the car and we had to settle for 4th. I had another good start in race two but unfortunately went too deep into the parabolica passing for 3rd on lap one and after getting back on track my race was pretty much over. I had a great time working with the team all season and they gave me awesome opportunities to run at the front. We had a lot of bad luck this year with several different things and I also made some mistakes, but to come out of my second season in Europe with a win and several podiums is a nice feeling.” Frédéric Vasseur: “We are the team’s champion for the third time in a row and we can only be happy to make history in this fantastic championship. The downside is Daniel deserved the title and I'm a bit sad for him and for the team because the team effort was splendid. Daniel was just brilliant during the whole weekend, he's smart, fast and talented and I'm sure he has a great career ahead of him. Aaro and Conor were fast and dedicated but they did not grab a few opportunities and you always learn the hard way in a series which is so competitive and complex. Lastly, I want to thank and to congratulate all the team members for their hard work and dedication, our sponsors for a great season. 2013 can come!”

Daniel Abt gave all he had in the title fight but he finishes runner-up in the championship following his second place in today's race 2. Conor Daly and Aaro Vainio didn't score any points today following a moment off track for the american and a penalty for the finn. Aaro finishes 4th in the final championship standings and Conor 6th.

Champions !! Lotus GP clinched a 3rd team title in a row with style today in Monza as Daniel Abt drove brilliantly to the first step of the podium, from 7th on the grid. Conor Daly finished 4th after an action-packed race ! Aaro Vainio also drove his best race of the season but didn't get any points as he received a penalty for improving a sector under a yellow flag in the last lap. Daniel Abt is still in the title chase, he will give it all in tomorrow's race 2 which will start at 9:00.

Tough session today for Lotus GP in the GP3 Series. The drivers couldn't get the best tow and had to handle cars not suiting at best their driving styles. In the end, Daniel Abt is 8th, followed by Conor Daly 9th while teammate Aaro Vainio couldn't do better than 13th. Race 1 will start at 17:20.

Lotus GP took a good start to the last week-end of the GP3 Series in Monza. Aaro Vainio set the 3rd fastest lap of the session, followed by Daniel ABt, 5th. Conor Daly was a bit more far down in P11 but remains confident for the rest of the week-end.

Conor Daly finished 3rd in today's GP3 Series race in SPa-Francorchamps ! Daniel Abt also brought home some points for Lotus GP as he ended 5th. Aaro Vainio had a more difficult sunday as he had to fight his way up after being pushed out of the track in the first lap. Despite a good race he couldn't come back in the top 10. The titles will be decided in Monza next week.

Daniel Abt will start from the front row, in second position, of the first race of the GP3 Series in Spa-Francorchamps. The german driver was en route for the pole position when he caught traffic in the last chicane. Conor Daly set the 5th fastest lap and will start just in front of teammate Aaro Vainio who couldn’t do better than 7th. The start of the race is scheduled at 17h20.

3rd, 4th and 6th were the positions of the Lotus GP drivers at the end of the practice session of this morning. The rain was falling all session long and it’s Daniel Abt who was the fastest of the team today. He was followed by Conor Daly while Aaro Vainio was 6th. The weather forecast should be better for the rest of the week-end. The qualifying session is scheduled tomorrow at 9h30.

For the first time of the season, there is no Lotus GP car on the podium of the GP3 Series. The three drivers drove a solid race but couldn't keep the pace at the end when the track was fully dry and they had the rain tyres. Aaro Vainio takes the point of P8 while Conor Daly and Daniel Abt ended P10 and P11. Next round will take place in Spa-Francorchamps at the end of August.

New podium for Lotus GP in the GP3 Series : Daniel Abt clinched the second position today after a stunning start from P5 on the grid. Aaro Vainio was less successful at the start as he went down to P5 starting from pole. Conor Daly finished the race in P6. Race 2 will start at 9:35 tomorrow morning.

The week-end has started on a positive note for Lotus GP in GP3 Series as Aaro Vainio topped this morning session. He was followed by teammates Conor Daly, 3rd, and Daniel Abt, 7th. The Lotus GP boys were happy of the balance of the car and now have a lot of datas to analyse to prepare tomorrow’s sessions. The qualifying session will take place tomorrow morning at 9h45 and race 1 at 17h20.

Double podium today for Lotus GP in the second race of the GP3 Series : Daniel Abt clinched the second step while teammate Conor Daly was 3rd. Aaro Vainio couldn’t do better than 6th after a difficult start. The race was largely dominated by the safety car following two big crashes. Next round will be in Budapest next week.

Strong result today for Lotus GP in GP3 Series but with a bitter taste as the team didn’t grab the win. Conor Daly ended 2nd after starting from P3. Aaro Vainio took P6 after starting from the middle of the grid. And Daniel Abt ended P8 while he started on pole. The rain has been hit by a heavy rain at the start with drivers starting on slick tyres (Abt), some other on rain tyres (Daly, Vainio) Then the race has been interrupted by the red flag before to restart behind the safety car. Race 2, tomorrow at 9h35, should take place on a dry track.

Home pole position for Daniel Abt in Hockenheim ! The young german driver fought all session long for it and managed to keep it after a brilliant lap. Conor Daly won't be far from his teammate as he will start on P3. Aaro Vainio will have a more difficult race today after clinching P5 and having to add 10 position due to penalty. Race 1 will start at 17h20.

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.”

Once again, Lotus GP put a car on the podium of the GP3 Series. Conor Daly climbed on the second step of the podium of race 2 in Silverstone. The race took place on a drying track and the slicks tyres were the best possible choice. Daniel Abt and Aaro Vainio, who started the race in rain tyres, had to come to the pits to change to slicks tyres but then both retire after going out of the track.

Lotus GP had its three cars crossing the finish line together during the first race of the GP3 Series : 3rd, 4th and 5th ! On a wet track but with slick tyres, the Lotus GP boys scored big points. It’s Aaro Vainio who was on the podium again after starting on the wet side of the track. The finn is a few hundredths off the fastest lap. Daniel Abt did a strong race to score points of the 4th place. Conor Daly drove a brilliant race, P15 on the grid, the American overtook many competitors to enter the top 5.

The GP3 Series qualifying session took place on a dry track this morning. Aaro Vainio ended just a few tenths off the pole and will start second. Conor Daly did the fifth fastest lap of the session but will start from the middle of the grid following his 10 place grid penalty he received after the accident of the race 2 in Valencia. Daniel Abt did the sixth fastest lap but will start fifth thanks to Conor’s penalty. The start of the race is scheduled at 16:20.

Lotus GP had a complicated wet GP3 practice this morning in Silverstone : Aaro Vainio had a gear change problem due to an electronic issue. The team had to change the steering column before the finn can join the track to finaly ending P5. In the meantime Daniel Abt had turbo issues which prevented him to have a normal run. He finished P13. Conor Daly was the only one not to have any problem and finished in P6. The team is now working to prepare tomorrow’s qualifying at best.

Lotus GP secured another 2 podium finishes at the third round of the 2012 GP3 Championship when Aaro Vainio and Daniel Abt delivered second place finishes in race one and two respectively around the streets of Valencia in Spain. After topping the free practice session, two and half tenths faster than his second placed Lotus teammate, Conor Daly, Vainio qualified third on the grid with Daly in seventh and Abt in tenth. However, a ten placed grid drop for Daly saw Daniel Abt start from ninth place. Right from the start of race one, Vainio was on a mission and snatched P2 off the lights and never looked back. Daly’s woes continued when after lining up 16th due to his ten place grid drop, he received yet another penalty for jumping the start. He was up to 13th at the time. However thanks to some strong racing and an eventful race, he crossed the line in 11th. Daniel Abt had a battle of his own as he fought tooth and nail for his sixth place finish, the victor of a major tussle with Kevin Ceccon. While the ORT driver managed to actually get past on several occasions, he would then out-brake himself and give Daniel back the position. Sunny conditions continued for race two where Abt made a brilliant start from third on the grid and he was in the lead down the straight, however Niederhauser squeezed back past to regain his position as head of the race and Daniel drove a brilliant race to cross the line close behind him in second place. Sadly, there were more problems for Conor Daly as he was mixed up in a first lap incident involving two other drivers, putting all three out of the race. As a result of the confusion, Vainio lost a place to Mitch Evans but he reclaimed the place only to lose it again when he overshot his braking point. He crossed the line in seventh place overall. As the series heads to the home of Motorsport, Silverstone, Vainio is second in the drivers’ championship, four points behind first on 74 while Daniel Abt moves into third with 42 and Daly drops to 11th with 23 points to his name. Lotus GP is second in the team standings on 139 points, just 12 shy of first place. Daniel Abt: I am really happy with my second place after a very difficult start to the weekend with speed problems on the straight that made me really slow. But everyone in the team really gave their best to help and try and fix the problem. which is fine now I believe. On Saturday, I had a tough race defending 6th place every lap. In race 2 I had a really good start which nearly put me into the lead. In the end it was P2, which is still good and being P3 in the championship makes me really happy. More points to take in the next races! Conor Daly: Well, this is definitely a weekend to forget between the penalty and my mistakes. I qualified P7 but saved a set of new tyres. Alas, I stalled and got a drive through penalty because of a jump start. I am so thankful that I am driving for the Lotus GP team. All the guys work so hard and give me such a great car to drive. I am learning from my mistakes and things will be much better at Silverstone! Aaro Vainio: P3 was not too bad in qualifying even though we had good pace on Friday. We changed our strategy a little bit for qualifying and the good thing was that I was on the clean side of the track. I had a good start and it was quite close on the first lap but then we pulled away. I was really quick in the first and middle part of the race but I made a mistake and lost a second and a half. From then on, I tried to cool down so I could secure the fastest lap but I made another small mistake and backed off because to finish second was a very good result. Unfortunately I did not finish in front of Evans on Sunday but I'm just 4 points behind him in the championship, which will be long. We have to stay focused and be consistently in the points. Frederic Vasseur: All in all we've been competitive with our three drivers and we got it right with the car and the tyres. Having said that we missed a bit of performance to fight for both wins but the overall result is good with Aaro and Daniel 2nd and 3rd in the championship. They've been strong and in control. Conor was very fast but it was always going to be tough starting so far back on the grid in the first race.

Daniel Abt took 2nd place in today's race 2 of the GP3 Series in Valencia. Aaro Vainio added some more points to his total after finishing 7th. Conor Daly had to retire after a contact during the first lap.

Lotus GP had a good overall result in the first race of the GP3 Series in Valencia. Aaro Vainio climbed on the second step of the podium while he started 3rd. Daniel Abt put some good defensive moves to keep his 6th place. Conor Daly ended 11th after starting 16th and having received a penalty for jump start.

Lotus GP put all its cars in the Top 10 during the GP3 qualifying session. Aaro Vainio fought for the pole position during the whole session but ultimately ended 3rd, less than a tenth off the top spot. Conor Daly did the 7th fastest lap but he will be at the back of the grid following his 10 place grid penalty. Daniel Abt ended 10th and will start 9th as Daly will move back. The race will start at 17h20.

Lotus GP took a good start to its Valencia week-end having two out of its three cars at the top of the time sheet. Aaro Vainio signed the best time followed by teammate Conor Daly. However, the american took a 10 place grid penalty for Race 1 following his accident in Monaco. Daniel Abt couldn't do better than 13th this morning but he remains confident for the week-end.

GP3’s debut at the famous twisty Monaco street circuit was a huge success for the Lotus GP team with two podium finishes from two races, including a win in race one, courtesy of Aaro Vainio. This means they have had a car on the podium in every race so far this season. After taking his maiden pole position in the series, a session that was cut into two groups just like GP2, with a stunning lap that was almost a second faster than second placed ma Aaro went one step better by winning taking his debut GP3 career win at the prestigious event, a perfect start to the history making weekend. He finished it off with a seventh placed finish in the shortened action packed race two to leave the Principality at the top of the championship with 54 points. Meanwhile, the season race two was cut short was due to the fence being damaged too much after Aaro’s teammate, Conor Daly, had the biggest crash of his motor racing career. Earlier in the race Conor touched the rear of another car and while he continued on after that, he then hit the rear of his opponent’s car, who no longer had a rear wing and was extremely slow. Despite this, he moved across the track several times defend his position and Conor had nowhere to go and hit him exiting the tunnel. This added to his woes from race one, where, starting from row four on the grid he was deemed to have made a jump start, invoking a drive through penalty. But despite his early getaway he didn’t get far as his Lotus actually stalled on the grid, the penalty adding insult to injury and he finished last, despite showing great race pace. The third member of the team, Daniel Abt, didn’t have a very good qualifying session, and also started race one from the fourth of the grid. He had a brilliant drive to finish sixth after winning a superb fight with Antonio Felix Da Costa who was trying everything in his power to outmanoeuvre him. This meant he started third on the grid in race two, the perfect position to secure the teams second podium finish of the weekend and the first of his GP3 career. Aaro Vaino sits first in the championship on 54 points with Conor Daly fifth on 23 and Daniel Abt seventh on 22. The team sits in first int eh teams championship with 99 points, 16 ahead of second place. Daniel Abt: My qualifying was definitely not a source of satisfaction and I have to work on this part of the weekend. I had a good start in race 1, but after that not much happened as it is really hard to overtake here. Once in 6th position I made sure I kept it and defended from da Costa’s attack because I knew it would give me the opportunity to start from the top 3 on Saturday for the reverse grid race. The second race didn’t last long but anyway, it was all about the start and I think mine was good. Unfortunately the guys ahead of me did a good job too and I kept third. I am really happy to get my first podium in GP3, especially in Monaco which is my favourite track. In all honesty, I don’t think we had the start to the season we were expecting but the team is great, I feel confident and we must build on this podium to be sure to finish higher in the next races. Conor Daly: It was definitely the biggest crash I have ever had. I feel bad for the team because the car they gave me was just mega and I was having a lot of fun, overtaking on this track is such a challenge, and of course the track itself is already an incredible challenge. But I can’t help it when people do stupid moves and Monaco did not land the results we should have got, partly because of me when I jump started the first race and suffered a drive through penalty. How ironic, after a slight move on the grid I could not getaway and lost a lot of positions already. Anyway, this is past, time to move on and to focus on the next round. Aaro Vainio: To achieve pole and to win in Monaco is so amazing. I was very comfortable in practice and qualifying was sensational thanks to the car Lotus prepared. Sometimes you put everything together and that was the case in qualifying then in the race. I had a great start and managed to open a gap in the first few laps and then I was controlling the race. It is my first ever win in singleseater and it feels great. I wanted to leave Monaco leading the points and that’s what we achieved. But the season is long, I can’t wait for the next challenge on another street track, bring Valencia on! Frédéric Vasseur: On one hand there is the great satisfaction of securing a second win and to put a car on the podium at each race so far, Aaro was outstanding all weekend long, Daniel and Conor were on par but did not get the best out of the qualifying session. On the other hand, there was this scary crash that should have never happened. Conor was so much faster than Suranovich who was slowing the pack 7 seconds per lap. But he just would not get out of the way, moved two or three times under the tunnel and Conor had nowhere to go. This is a lucky escape in the end because Conor is safe but I hope this is a lesson everyone will learn, teams, drivers and race direction, to make the championship better.