Reigning GP3 Series champion team ART have announced that Brazilian driver Pedro Nunes will remain with the team in 2011.
The announcement means the French squad have now confirmed their full lineup for the 2011 GP3 Series, with Valtteri Bottas and James Calado moving from F3 to join Nunes in the three-car team.
Nunes himself switched from F3 to GP3 for the inaugural season of the feeder series in 2010 with ART. He struggled to match the results of his teammates Esteban Gutierrez and Alexander Rossi, finishing 24th in the final standings with just four points.
However, he has impressed the team's bosses enough to be given a second season with the team. Nunes is looking forward to working with ART for another season.
“It is a great privilege for me stay for another season with Lotus ART in GP3,” he said. Nicolas [Todt] and Frederic [Vasseur, team owners] are giving me a great opportunity and I am very happy about it. We worked hard this year and for 2011, our goal will be to continue our hard work and look forward to the results that are sure to come.
“I'd like to thank my sponsors, particularly the OGX company, for their confidence in my work. We've had good results and great development in GP3, one of the most competitive series in the world. For next year we'll have 30 cars on the grid, and after one year's work, the performance of the teams is supposed to be even closer. The season starts with no favourites and because of that the goals will be further apart. The first pre-season testing showed a lot of competitiveness and reinforced the importance of focusing on the details.”
Vasseur believes that Nunes's experience will help him to get better results in 2011. “Pedro is a driver who is showing solid progress and is a very well put together person,” he said. “His first season in GP3 is promising as his various performances on very complex circuits underlines. Beside Valtteri Bottas and James Calado, Pedro will bring his experience of the discipline and we are confident that we will be able to capitalize on his qualities and if he allies consistency to his natural speed he will be an asset for Lotus ART in 2011.”
