After failing to score a point during the 2013 GP3 Series season, Swedish driver Jimmy Eriksson switched teams from Status Grand Prix to Koiranen GP, and has stepped up his performance. He has scored points in every race so far in 2014, and has taken three podium finishes.
In Spain at the Circuit de Catalunya, the 2012 German Formula 3 Champion qualified fourth on the grid, and took second in the race for his first podium. It was a confidence boosting result for Eriksson after the disappointment of 2013.
“I see my first two rounds of the GP3 very good,” said Eriksson to The Checkered Flag. “I’ve been somewhere close to the front all the races and had really good pace so overall I’m very happy to start the season like this.
“It was a very very big relief for me to score a podium already in the first race of the season after my disappointing 2013. It did really give me a self-confidence boost.”
Eriksson feels the move to Koiranen GP has been a big part of his improved performance in 2014, and is quick to praise his new employers. The relaxed environment within the team has meant he is more comfortable and confident behind the wheel of his car.
“I think the difference this year is that I’m in much better balance and can perform maximum of my own performance,” said the twenty-three-year-old Swede. “Also I feel very comfortable in Koiranen, which helps me.
“The atmosphere in Koiranen is just fantastic. Everybody is just working very hard to achieve our goals and the teamwork is really good.”
In Austria, Eriksson once again qualified in the top six, and race hard and fair with Status Grand Prix’s Richie Stanaway in both the Saturday and Sunday races, ultimately winning both battles and taking third on Saturday and second on Sunday, and moving into second place in the Drivers’ Championship behind Alex Lynn of Carlin.
“My Austrian weekend was in the end very good,” said Eriksson. “Qualifying didn’t work really good for us but we managed to work our way up in the races and score important points.
“I think my battles with Richie were really fun and fair. It was very tight but we still gave each other enough space, just like it should be.”
In the long break between Spain and Austria, the Swede participated in Formula Acceleration 1 at the Nurburgring, representing his homeland. He took eighth in race one and finished sixth in race two, but admitted he struggled to find the right driving style quick enough to enable him to challenge for a better result.
“I was asked to drive the Swedish car to represent the Swedish national team,” said Eriksson. “It was good fun but a bit difficult to find the right driving style quick enough during the weekend because it was my first time in the car. Result was not so good but i was not so disappointed of that because of the circumstances.”
