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ART GRAND PRIX is pleased to announce the signing of young Argentine driver Facu Regalia in the 2013 GP3 Championship series line up. The twenty one year old made his GP3 debut at the Silverstone circuit in 2012, competing in four races last season. Prior to this he competed in the Italian Formula Three Championship in 2011. Last season he raced in the Auto GP as well as in the European F3 Open Championship where he secured three victories, three pole positions and one fastest lap. Facu Regalia: “I’m really happy. The last three months were pretty busy to close this deal. It´s a pleasure to become an official ART Grand Prix driver, because I know that I´ll have a very good package for fighting for the results what we have in sight. It’s fantastic that ART Grand Prix relies on me. I really want to appreciate the effort coming from my sponsors, Varlion, ACA and of course my own family and other people such as Adrián Campos or Eduardo Ramírez, who make my present and future in racing look nice. We´ve an excellent working team and everything is set to aim for the best possible results. Mr. Rosales - The ACA president- and Mr. García Remohí, CDA President in Argentina, were the other two key people because they really want to have another Argentine driver in Formula 1 in the coming years. GP3 is a very important championship, always racing at the same tracks as Formula 1. Another great novelty is the new car with new aerodynamic kit, more power, new brakes, so this challenge is even greater. I´m looking forward to driving the new GP3/13 at Estoril next week, and I was told this car is quite similar to the first-generation GP2 car.” Frédéric Vasseur: “ART GRAND PRIX has closely followed the evolution of Facu including his performances during GP2 testing. His GP3 debut during the 2012 season was by nature very complicated, but he was instantly knocking on the door of the top 10. This in itself is a sign of quality that never fails to impress. Moreover, Facu is an intelligent and talented young man who is also very mature for his age. He will fit in well with ART GRAND PRIX and in complete harmony with the team’s 2013 GP3 driver line up.”

Since the beginning of the GP2 Series back in 2005, Lotus GP has won multiple titles in both the drivers' battle and the Team Championship. The motivation and talent have always remained the same and to achieve their objectives in 2013, which are to regain top place in the sport, the team will rely on a great combination of two very talented young drivers. Lotus GP is proud to announce that Daniel Abt will team up alongside James Calado for the 2013 Championship season. The young German knows Lotus GP well after defending its colors in the 2012 GP3 Series. In his first year in the discipline, Daniel made a strong impression, only missing out on the title by two points. Promotion to Team Lotus GP2 is a logical progression for both the team’s overall objective and Daniel’s racing career. Daniel Abt: “I cannot tell you how happy I am to have the opportunity to race in GP2 with the best team I can imagine. Already in GP3 we had a really good relationship and worked together well. We finished second in the championship it felt like the right choice for me to go one step higher in my career. Of course it is always a big challenge for the drivers and the team but I am sure we have the perfect package to achieve great results. I want to thank Frederic Vasseur and all my partners for believing in me and offering me the opportunity to do the 2013 season in GP2 together with Lotus GP.” Frédéric Vasseur: “Daniel is the GP3 driver who has improved the most over the course of the last season. He finished either first or second in the last seven races, showing he has what it takes to fight for the title until the final race and that he fully deserved to win. His mind, his raw talent and his ability to adapt and grow convinced Lotus GP to help him take the step up into the GP2 Series where he will have a professional environment that he already knows and which has the culture of winning.”

Lotus GP is pleased to announce an extension of their current partnership with the Racing Steps Foundation and James Calado. The young, RSF-backed British driver defended the company colours successfully in GP3 and GP2 in 2011 and 2012, making a strong impression in his debut appearances in both disciplines while training for the highest level of motorsport, F1. After a successful year in GP2 last season, where he secured two pole positions and two victories, James Calado, the series 'top rookie', will now take part in his second season in the F1 feeder series with high ambitions. James Calado: “I am absolutely delighted to receive the ongoing backing from the RSF that enables me to take part in this incredibly competitive championship again and even more so to do it with Lotus GP again. I feel privileged to be a part of this project and to have the support of great partners without whom none of this would be possible. In terms of speed, we showed in 2012 that we were right up there with pole positions and a couple of wins. Now I know the car, the tyres, and the team I'm expecting to be fast and to win as many races as possible. I'm looking forward to 2013 and I hope I'll improve after such a good year in 2012.” Frédéric Vasseur: “After an exceptional first year which was part of his continuity from GP3, James is a Lotus GP driver for the third consecutive year. This is a project that fits perfectly with the company, one of the missions being to assist drivers in climbing the motorsport ladder. In 2012, James had several achievements in GP2 and with the support of his environment, which allows us to work together harmoniously and confidently, we approach 2013 with one clear objective, to be champions”

Lotus GP is delighted to announce that Jack Harvey will join their driver line up for the 2013 GP3 Championship season. The newly crowned Racing Steps Foundation-backed British Formula 3 International Series champion took to the wheel of a GP3 car in Estoril for the first time in November and instantly impressed the French squad with his speed, adaptability, approach and great maturity for a 19 year-old. Lotus GP has followed Jack's progression from his debut in single-seaters, firstly in Formula BMW Europe, then in the British Formula 3 International Series. Not only do his records in both disciplines speak for themselves, his personality fits in perfectly with Lotus GP's as well. Jack Harvey: “The relationship with Lotus GP is fantastic and I'm proud to have the opportunity to enter the GP3 Series with them. I would like to follow in the steps of another Racing Steps Foundation-backed Lotus GP driver, my fellow countryman James Calado, who was GP3 runner-up in 2010. We learned a lot during testing and coming to grips with the new tyres will be very important. I am looking forward to the challenge of being in GP3 and especially with Lotus GP, because the team has a great heritage. If I work the right way and have a good approach, I too should be able to climb the ladder like other great drivers who have joined forces with Lotus GP in the past. Our aim has to be to push for the championship.” Frederic Vasseur: “Jack is the latest Racing Steps Foundation driver to join forces with Lotus GP and I have to say our relationship with the RSF is extremely positive and productive and I already know Jack to be a proud representative of this strong partnership. Despite his young age, Jack's achievements and personality convinced us he has all the qualities needed to succeed in the GP3 Series, where our aim in 2013 will be to return to the first place we lost in the drivers’ championship last year after two consecutive titles with Esteban Gutiérrez and Valtteri Bottas.”

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!”

Singapore played host to the 2012 GP2 Championship season finale and despite the best efforts of team and drivers, Lotus narrowly missed out on taking the team’s championship title. Going into the final race on Sunday Lotus GP was just two points away from the lead, however, a second placed finish from Esteban Gutierrez was not quite enough to get the job done. Qualifying third on the grid in a shortened session and finishing a brilliant second in race one and securing his seventh podium finish of the season, Esteban was confident of a strong result in the final race of the season. However, try as hard as he might, he was unable to get past the new 2012 champion, Davide Valsecchi, and crossed the line in sixth place. This finish saw the Mexican racer secure his goal of finishing on the drivers’ championship podium (third). Teammate James Calado was suffering from food poisoning in race one that resulted in a visit to the hospital later in the day, had a tough weekend. Despite a brilliant drive on day two, while still suffering the effects from the day before as well as starting from the back of the grid drove to tenth place at the finish, but his gallant efforts didn’t reward the team with the much deserved points needed to take the coveted 2012 teams championship crown. James finished the season on the fourth rung of the drivers’ championship. This was an extremely complex season for Lotus GP where they had to come to grips with new rules and using two different tire specifications, but as underlined by the final race of the season, where Gutierrez completed the entire race on super soft rubber, the lessons and data collected throughout the year will be put to good use in 2013. Esteban Gutierrez: “I'm delighted to secure a 7th podium and a great deal of points as it was a challenging weekend. Between it being a track we did not know and the rain in practice, we had to go straight in qualifying without knowing where we were set-up wise. It was a bit of a gamble but Lotus GP handled the situation perfectly once again. After a strong strategy that put me in second position, I stayed close to Max Chilton waiting for the opportunity to get past him, but at the same time my priority was to consolidate a good result as my first aim was third position in the championship. This has been the most rewarding season of my career, despite the fact I did not win the title, because this series is extremely competitive and I experienced many ups and downs. But that's what makes you a better driver and stronger driver. Many thanks to all the members of Lotus GP who helped me a lot this year just like they did since we started working together for what has been a fruitful and precious collaboration.” James Calado: “It was certainly not the ideal way to end the championship as I suffered from food poisoning and went to the hospital before the first race to have some fluids. I was so weak that I couldn’t take anymore and I had to throw in the towel after a few interesting battles. It would have been good to get into the points to help Lotus GP lift the team's title but that was just not possible. Towards the end of the sprint race I was struggling with tyre degradation on the super softs but, all things considered, 10th was OK although I lost the chance to be on the podium of the championship.” Frédéric Vasseur: “Lotus GP missed the title, but not by much. James’s deception is shared. Considering his inspirational driving and ability to excel, the end of the story would have been different without his food poisoning. It was one of Esteban’s best weekends and victory was certainly within his reach, but for various reasons he could not grab it. It is always important to finish the season on a high note and Lotus GP can be proud of its achievements in Singapore and throughout the entire season. We will learn from some weekends that were costly to us in order to prepare for next year where our goal is to re-register our name in the history of the GP2 Series.”

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.”

Lotus GP driver Esteban Gutiérrez chalked up another victory for the team’s 2012 GP2 Championship campaign with a first place finish and fastest race lap in nothing short of changeable conditions at the Silverstone circuit in Britain this weekend. This was the team’s third win of the season and cemented their place at the top of the leaderboard. With rain playing a major role in a chaotic free practice session, the circuit was wet and the rain never too far away for the all-important qualifying session a few hours later. Slotting in fifth, Esteban Gutierrez and sixth, James Calado, race one was always going to be a challenge. However, true to form, Esteban delivered a fine performance to secure his second feature victory of 2012, despite the rain sodden track throwing up every possible challenge in his path. The race started behind the safety car and the Mexican driver was the first to change tyres on lap 15, teammate James Calado following suit. However, while Estaban raced onto victory aided by the fact that the leader failed to take his mandatory pit stop, James stopped on track shortly after his stop with a technical failure. The action packed race two almost resulted in another podium for the Mexican driver however, the final push at the end of the race saw a minor incident when Johnny Cecotto forced him wide and off track while Esteban was putting a brilliant overtaking manoeuvre on him. The two collided and Esteban was left to cross the line in fourth place. Teammate James Calado was forced to start from the back of the grid due to his failure in race one, however despite a strong run and lots of positive overtaking manoeuvres, he finished twentieth overall after losing positions at the end. Both Esteban and James were penalized following this round, due to contact with other drivers, and will each lose ten places on the grid in the next event at Hockenheim in two weeks’ time. Esteban Gutiérrez now sits third in the drivers’ championship on 122 points, while James Calado is equal fourth on 95. Lotus GP have stretched their lead in the teams championship to 217, 12 ahead of their nearest challenger. Esteban Gutierrez: “This second win, a fortnight after Valencia, was very special because of the conditions. To start behind the safety car and to clean the line a bit was a good thing because there was lots of aquaplaning in the beginning. Step by step, I got to grips with the track and pushed harder and harder. We pitted early and that was the key because I gained several positions and when the safety car came back we knew the leader, Fabio Leimer, had not pitted. From then on, I made sure that I didn’t make any mistakes but I pushed a bit to clock the fastest lap of the race and get the points that come with it. We came close to climbing on the podium on Sunday, I fought tooth and nail but it did not work our way. I tried to overtake Johnny Cecotto on the outside of Stowe on the final lap but he did not give me enough room and I went over the kerb. Coming back on track, my tyres were dirty and I lost a bit the control of the car and hit Cecotto. P4 is a great reward for the team and I’m happy to leave Silverstone third in the championship.” James Calado: “The car was good, so was I and we could fight for pole. I was third before the session was red flagged and after that I could not better my lap time. But 6th was not so bad, especially with tricky conditions where qualifying does not count as much as on another track. I was comfortable in fifth place, fighting with Esteban who later won the race which gives an idea of what we could have achieved. I had a technical failure that caused the gearbox to fail itself. The outcome of the first race was hard to take after the missed opportunity in Valencia where the win was on the cards. I’m pretty sure I would have been on the podium without the technical glitches. Sunday’s race was always going to be a tough fight starting from the last row and I enjoyed myself a lot, I overtook a lot of cars and came close to securing a point.” Frederic Vasseur: “It is our third victory of the season, the second in a row in a feature race and it is a huge satisfaction. Unfortunately it was marred by technical problem for James that probably deprived him of a fifth podium, something that would have been a remarkable achievement for a beginner. Esteban and James were very fast and performed very highly in what can only be called stressful conditions. We must accept the penalties and the lessons for the future.”

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.

Lotus GP added another win and second place to their 2012 GP2 Championship stats with Mexican racer Esteban Gutierrez securing victory in the feature race at the Valencia street circuit in Spain this weekend and teammate James Calado finishing second in the sprint race. Round six was help under hot and sunny conditions, however while the sun shone off track, action and chaos prevailed on track. Starting fifth on the grid after a penalty, Gutierrez persevered through three safety cars to secure his first feature race victory. The extreme heat took its toll on everyone with one after the other being affected in some way. While battling for second place, the Mexican driver had an incident with van der Garde at the hairpin, causing both to run wide and lose places. The chaos continued, in the pit lane and on the circuit but Gutierrez kept his head, however at the restart he attempted to make a move on Leimer just before the start/finish line, they touched, ran wide, but thankfully resumed his race with no damage done. With chaos continuing behind him, Gutierrez finally took first place from his teammate to secure the win. Unfortunately, a trip into the barriers saw his second race of the weekend come to a very premature end. Meanwhile, teammate James Calado, was on course for the victory but was forced to give it away in the final laps. After securing a brilliant pole position and driving a brilliantly controlled race, leading the event almost from start to finish, he was forced to pit under the final safety car and hand the win to his teammate. Due to driver penalties from race one, James was promoted to eighth and pole position for the second race. Once again he led almost all the way, only to have the victory snatched away once again in the final laps due to his tyres degrading, leaving him to finish a close second. James is now third int eh championship with 95 points while Esteban sits in sixth with 87. Lotus GP is leading the team’s championship with 182 points. Esteban Gutierrez: After a couple of tough races, my main goal was to get back the feeling I had in the car this winter and to fight for pole was a little win in itself. I respected the steward decisions to hand me a grid penalty. P5 was not so bad and I had a good start from the clean side of the track. I tried to enjoy myself, the car, the work with the team and the race. I gave it my all and overtook some guys with a bit of a risk but sometimes you just have to go for it if you want to win. I feel sorry for James because he deserved to win but it's a great momentum for me personally and for the team too. We have to use this positive energy to fight at the front for the next races. James Calado: Pole position was great but a bit unexpected as most of the drivers set their fastest laps with the harder compound. I think it's fair to say that I dominated the weekend from qualifying up to the safety car. It destroyed a 16 or something second gap I opened up and there was not one but three safety cars and I still had to make my compulsory pit stop. We lost a well-deserved win but that’s racing. Afterwards the good news was that I was promoted to pole position in the second race. On Sunday, I led most of the race but ran out of tyres at the end. Haryanto and I came side by side and I gave him enough room but he locked his brakes and crashed into me. Fortunately I could go on and this podium is a decent recovery after the disappointment of the first race. Frederic Vasseur: On one hand there's the satisfaction of a win and a podium, on the other the frustration for James as he got unlucky. We were much faster than the others and it was good to keep him on track to widen the gap, but the safety car ruined his race because it entered the track when he was in the last corner before making his pit stop. He did great with what was not the best set of tyres on Sunday and his podium is well deserved. Esteban fought hard and well, he was extremely fast and for once he was a bit lucky on Saturday. Bad luck was back on Sunday when he could do nothing to avoid a car that had just crashed into the wall ahead of him.

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.

The fifth round of the 2012 GP2 season took place under beautiful blue skies in Monaco this week-end, however it wasn’t a weekend to remember for the Lotus GP team. The jewel in the crown on the F1 calendar definitely wasn’t the nicest so far for Esteban Gutierrez. The Mexican’s weekend got off to a bad start after he lost the rear of his Lotus and slammed into the wall just out of St Devote, bringing his practice session to a premature end. With an new qualifying format in place for the first time in GP2 history where the cars were split into two groups, odd and even numbers, Esteban qualified fifth in his group, but that meant he lined up fifth from the front with odds down one side of the grid and evens down the other. Race one was difficult and after losing out in the pits, Gutiérrez was running 9th until he came up to lap a backmarker and ran too deep, bounced over the kerbs and into the wall, forcing him back into the pits to retire with a broken front wing. Race two was one to remember however with a brilliant drive up through the field in a race littered with accidents and a safety car intervention to eventually cross the finish line in eighth place. With 2 sets of each tyre, and a shortened qualifying session teammate James Calado was seventh fastest in his group, meaning he started the feature race from row seven, his strategy was to pit early, coming in on lap 11 in an attempt to make up some ground. His strategy paid off and he eventually crossed the line in seventh place. Starting from the front two in the sprint race, the young Englishman was swamped at the start by polesitter, Stephane Richelmi leaving him nowhere to go except into the back of him, damaging his front wing in the process. He was eventually shown the black and orange flag due to the damage and his chance of scoring points was over. Heading into the next round in Valencia in three weeks time, Calado is now fifth in the championship with 75 points while Gutierrez is sixth on 60 points. Lotus GP remains in second place in the teams classification on 135 points. Esteban Gutierrez: Well, it was the worst track to drastically curtail track time in practice and it more or less dictated the rest of the weekend. I caught up a bit in qualifying as my lap time was not bad but I suffered from the lack of preparation to go grab the last tenths. I had a good start and gained positions right away which is always pleasing in Monaco. A good pitstop and a great car helped us fight for more and we were 7th when I found a lapped car acting weird in front of me. I tried to avoid him at the chicane but I did not have enough space, I went on the kerb and straight into the wall. I have to say the second race was very positive after a very tough weekend mentally speaking. A point finish was somewhat unconceivable starting from 23rd on the grid in Monaco but with a pile up in first lap and a strong race we manage to grab 1 point. Now we have to work hard to make sure we finally get the results the car and the team deserve. James Calado: After my first pole a fortnight ago, 13th position on the grid in the feature race was certainly not what I was expecting. It was a disappointment not to be able to string three quick sectors together. The plan was to pit early to get rid of traffic and aim for 8th place and the reverse pole. It worked out perfectly! I lost 3 positions at the start but then I peeled off a lot of fast laps and after the pit stop our goal was achieved. We used to stay the start is crucial in Monaco and it was for me, but in a bad way. I had a good start and was fighting with the polesitter when he left me no room; I had nowhere to go but in the back of his car and it destroyed my front wing and nose. I had to go back to the pits to change it and from then on scoring points was out of reach. Frédéric Vasseur: This is our worst weekend so far on the points scoring level but the performance and potential of both James and Esteban were very good and the team did their best to prepare a fast car. In Monaco more than anywhere else, the smallest delay in preparation costs you dearly and that’s what hampered our progress with Esteban hitting the barriers after a few laps in practice while James struggled to put his three best sector times together. They both recovered really well in the race and did not get the results they deserved because of external issues we could not do anything about.