2014 is the fifth season of the GP3 Series, the feeder series of GP2 that is in turn just beneath Formula 1. The idea of GP3 is to give drivers experience of the grand prix environment, with every race (bar one) event in the history of the series on F1 weekends. The racing has been fantastic over the years, with some very good champions, three of which are already plying their trade in F1. 2010 champion Esteban Gutierrez, 2011 champion Valterri Bottas and 2013 champion Daniil Kvyat are already in F1 with Sauber, Williams and Toro Rosso respectively, while 2012 champion Mitch Evans is in GP2 with Russian Time.
Other notable drivers to have gone through GP3 in its four years to date are Americans Josef Newgarden, who races for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing in the IndyCar Series, and Alexander Rossi who races for Caterham in GP2, Canadian Robert Wickens, who is now a DTM driver for Mercedes-Benz, Briton James Calado, who is driving for AF Corse in the World Endurance Championship, and Jean-Eric Vergne, also a Toro Rosso driver in F1 alongside Kvyat.
Here we take a look back at the past champions of the GP3 series, plus a quick look back at the inaugural race weekend back in 2010 when GP3 was born.
Past Driver and Team Champions
YEAR | DRIVERS’ CHAMPION | TEAMS’ CHAMPION |
2010 | Esteban Gutierrez (ART Grand Prix) | ART Grand Prix |
2011 | Valterri Bottas (Lotus ART) | Lotus ART |
2012 | Mitch Evans (MW Arden) | Lotus GP |
2013 | Daniil Kvyat (MW Arden) | ART Grand Prix |
First Race Weekend – 07th-09th May 2010 – Circuit de Catalunya
The first GP3 Series weekend took place over the weekend of May 07-09th 2010 at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain as support to the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix weekend. There were ten teams of three drivers, of which four have disappeared (Tech 1 Racing, RSC Mücke Motorsport, Addax and ATECH CRS GP), and two more have had name changes (Manor Racing are now Marussia Manor Racing, and MW Arden are now Arden International).
There were two future Formula 1 drivers in the field in the form of Esteban Gutierrez and Jean-Eric Vergne, while a third – Alexander Rossi – is a reserve driver for Caterham F1 in 2014.
May 07th – Race 1 Qualifying Results – Top Six
POS | DRIVER | NAT | TEAM | TIME |
1 | Nigel Melker | NED | RSC Mücke Motorsport | 1:52.602 |
2 | Pal Varhaug | NOR | Jenzer Motorsport | 1:52.931 |
3 | Robert Wickens | CAN | Status Grand Prix | 1:52.974 |
4 | Daniel Morad | CAN | Status Grand Prix | 1:53.311 |
5 | James Jakes | GBR | Manor Racing | 1:53.440 |
6 | Dean Smith | GBR | Carlin | 1:53.600 |
May 08th – Race 1 Result – Top Six
POS | DRIVER | NAT | TEAM | TIME |
1 | Pal Varhaug | NOR | Jenzer Motorsport | 26m58.573s |
2 | Robert Wickens | CAN | Status Grand Prix | +1.563s |
3 | Esteban Gutierrez | MEX | ART Grand Prix | +1.958s |
4 | Dean Smith | GBR | Carlin | +3.446s |
5 | Jean-Eric Vergne | FRA | Tech 1 Racing | +6.722s |
6 | Simon Trummer | SWI | Jenzer Motorsport | +8.734s |
Fastest Lap: Adrian Quaife-Hobbs – Britain – Manor Racing – 1:40.299s
May 09th – Race 2 Results – Top Six
POS | DRIVER | NAT | TEAM | TIME |
1 | Alexander Rossi | USA | ART Grand Prix | 27m06.594s |
2 | Lucas Foresti | BRZ | Carlin | +10.535s |
3 | Esteban Gutierrez | MEX | ART Grand Prix | +11.005s |
4 | Robert Wickens | CAN | Status Grand Prix | +11.699s |
5 | Dean Smith | GBR | Carlin | +14.154s |
6 | Pedro Nunes | BRZ | ART Grand Prix | +17.082s |
Fastest Lap: Alexander Rossi – United States – ART Grand Prix – 1:38.501s