The 2010 GP3 Series season was the first season of the
GP3 Series
The GP3 Series, or GP3 for short, was a single-seater motor racing series launched in 2010 as a feeder series for the GP2 Series, introduced by GP2 organiser Bruno Michel. GP3 followed the entire European leg of the Formula One series and the ...
, a feeder series for the
GP2 Series
The GP2 Series was a form of open wheel motor racing introduced in 2005 following the discontinuation of the long-term Formula One feeder series, Formula 3000. The GP2 format was conceived by Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, while Ecc ...
. The championship was contested over sixteen races held at eight rounds, beginning on 8 May at
Circuit de Catalunya and ending on 12 September at
Autodromo Nazionale Monza
The Monza Circuit ( Italian: ; ) is a race track near the city of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. Built in 1922, it was the world's third purpose-built motor racing circuit after Brooklands and Indianapolis and the oldest in mainland Europe ...
. Ten teams were announced, running three cars each.
The inaugural title was claimed by
ART Grand Prix driver
Esteban Gutiérrez, having taken the final pole position of the season at Monza to put him out of reach of title rival
Robert Wickens. Gutiérrez took five race wins during the season, four of which coming in the higher points-rewarding races held on Saturdays. He also took four further podium finishes en route to a 17-point championship win over Wickens. Wickens eventually ended the season with three victories at
Hockenheim
Hockenheim () is a town in northwest Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about 20 km south of Mannheim and 10 km west of Walldorf. It is located in the Upper Rhine Plain, Upper Rhine valley on the tourist theme routes "Baden Asparagus Route" ( ...
,
Spa-Francorchamps – despite spinning in wet conditions and damaging the nose of his
Status Grand Prix car against the pit wall – and Monza, as well as four second-place finishes, two of which being behind Gutiérrez.
Nico Müller finished in third position for
Jenzer Motorsport
Jenzer Motorsport is an auto racing team based in Switzerland. Founded in 1993 by Andreas Jenzer the team is currently competing in FIA Formula 3, Italian F4 and F4 Spanish and has had a number of drivers who would turn out to be successful in ...
, taking victories in
Valencia
Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
and at the
Hungaroring
The Hungaroring is a motorsport racetrack in Mogyoród, Pest County, Hungary where the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix is held. In 1986, it became the location of the first Formula One Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix behind the Iron Curtai ...
. He finished 15 points clear of Gutiérrez's team-mate
Alexander Rossi, who took wins from pole position in the sprint races in Barcelona and at the Hungaroring.
Rio Haryanto was fifth for
Manor Racing
Manor Grand Prix Racing Limited, trading as Manor Racing MRT or Pertamina Manor Racing MRT, was a British Formula One racing team and constructor based in Banbury, Oxfordshire in the United Kingdom. The outfit competed from 2010 to 2016: the te ...
, winning in
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
from a reverse-grid pole position. Other victories were taken by Status Grand Prix's
Daniel Morad at
Silverstone,
Pål Varhaug won the season-opening race in Barcelona and
Adrien Tambay won from 27th on the grid at Spa in a wet/dry race. ART Grand Prix also claimed the teams' championship, having done so at Spa-Francorchamps, finishing 44 points clear of nearest challengers Status Grand Prix, while Jenzer Motorsport finished in third position ahead of Manor Racing.
Teams and drivers
For the first two tests of the season, teams were given numbers in relation to alphabetical order. Thus, Addax were given 1, 2 and 3, with ART receiving 4, 5 and 6, and so forth. However, a "qualifying" session was held at
Circuit Paul Ricard on 1 April 2010, where
Alexander Rossi ended quickest. With this, ART ran cars 1, 2 and 3 during the season.
ART Grand Prix signed
Esteban Gutiérrez, who drove for the team in the
2009 Formula 3 Euro Series. He was joined by
Pedro Nunes, who drove in the same series for
Manor Motorsport, and former
ISR Racing International Formula Master driver
Alexander Rossi.
After missing the 2009 racing season,
Ivan Lukashevich drove for the
Status Grand Prix team. He was joined by the Canadian pairing of
Formula Two
Formula Two (F2) is a type of Open-wheel car, open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship season, 2009 to 2012 FIA Formula Two C ...
runner-up
Robert Wickens and former
Formula BMW USA champion
Daniel Morad, who did not have a drive in 2009.
After a podium in the
2009–10 GP2 Asia Series in
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...
,
James Jakes joined
Manor Racing
Manor Grand Prix Racing Limited, trading as Manor Racing MRT or Pertamina Manor Racing MRT, was a British Formula One racing team and constructor based in Banbury, Oxfordshire in the United Kingdom. The outfit competed from 2010 to 2016: the te ...
. He was joined by
Rio Haryanto, the
2009 Formula BMW Pacific champion, and
Adrian Quaife-Hobbs, who abandoned his campaign in the
Formula 3 Euro Series. Jakes was injured at
Hockenheim
Hockenheim () is a town in northwest Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about 20 km south of Mannheim and 10 km west of Walldorf. It is located in the Upper Rhine Plain, Upper Rhine valley on the tourist theme routes "Baden Asparagus Route" ( ...
and was replaced by
Auto GP driver
Adrien Tambay in Hungary and Belgium. Jakes returned for the season finale at Monza.
Nigel Melker, who drove for MP Motorsport in the
2009 Formula Renault Eurocup signed to drive for
RSC Mücke Motorsport. Melker was joined by
Renger van der Zande, who finished third in the
2009 British Formula 3 Championship. The third driver at the team was
Tobias Hegewald
Tobias Hegewald (born 3 August 1989 in Neuwied) is a German Auto racing, racing driver.
Career
Karting
Hegewald spent three seasons racing in professional karting, including a 5th place in the 2002 Junior Monaco Kart Cup at Intercontinental A, ...
, who moves from Formula Two.
Carlin signed
British Formula Renault champion
Dean Smith and
British Formula Ford runner-up
Josef Newgarden to drive full-time for the team.
Lucas Foresti, one of the team's
current British Formula 3 drivers raced for the team in selected rounds of the series. Foresti missed the Turkish round due to prior British Formula 3 commitments, and was replaced by one of the team's
Formula Renault 3.5 drivers,
Mikhail Aleshin. Foresti returned for the rounds from Valencia onwards, but would miss the rounds in Hungary and Belgium due to British Formula 3 racing at
Spa and
Snetterton
Snetterton is a village and civil parish in Norfolk, England. The village is about east-northeast of Thetford and southwest of Norwich. The civil parish has an area of . The United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census recorded a parish population ...
. Formula 3 Euro Series driver
António Félix da Costa stepped in to replace Foresti in Hungary and Belgium.
Pablo Sánchez López stepped up from
Italian Formula Three to compete for the
Addax Team.
Mirko Bortolotti moved across from Formula Two to partner Sánchez López, while
Felipe Guimarães completed the team, having contested selected races in
Indy Lights
Indy NXT (pronounced "Indy Next"), previously Indy Lights, is an American developmental automobile racing series sanctioned by IndyCar, currently known as INDY NXT by Firestone for sponsorship reasons. Indy NXT is the highest step on the Roa ...
.
Michael Christensen, who raced in the
2009 Formula BMW Europe season for
Mücke Motorsport, joined
MW Arden. Christensen was joined by
Miki Monrás, who was fifth in the Formula Renault Eurocup, and
Leonardo Cordeiro, the
2009 Formula Three Sudamericana champion.
Simon Trummer, who raced in 2009 in International Formula Master driver for
Iris Project, joined
Jenzer Motorsport
Jenzer Motorsport is an auto racing team based in Switzerland. Founded in 1993 by Andreas Jenzer the team is currently competing in FIA Formula 3, Italian F4 and F4 Spanish and has had a number of drivers who would turn out to be successful in ...
. He was joined by
Pål Varhaug, who raced for Jenzer in Formula Master in 2009, and
Nico Müller, who raced for Jenzer in the Formula Renault Eurocup and was champion in the
Swiss Formula Renault 2.0 series. Trummer was injured at Hockenheim and was replaced by
European F3 Open championship leader
Marco Barba in Hungary. Trummer returned at Spa.
Doru Sechelariu, 2009 Formula BMW Europe driver for Eifelland Racing drove for
Tech 1 Racing. He was joined in Barcelona by two drivers who were dovetailing GP3 commitments with other series.
Daniel Juncadella
Daniel Juncadella Pérez-Sala (born 7 May 1991) is a Spanish racing driver who currently competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for TF Sport. He is son of Xavier Juncadella and nephew of José María Juncadella, Alex Soler-Roig and Lui ...
contested the first round at Barcelona, but his main focus was a campaign in the Formula 3 Euro Series.
Stefano Coletti combined his Formula Renault 3.5 programme with his GP3 commitments, replacing Juncadella from Turkey onwards.
Jean-Éric Vergne's main focus was to win the British Formula 3 Championship, and with Vergne racing at
Hockenheim
Hockenheim () is a town in northwest Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about 20 km south of Mannheim and 10 km west of Walldorf. It is located in the Upper Rhine Plain, Upper Rhine valley on the tourist theme routes "Baden Asparagus Route" ( ...
in British Formula 3, he was replaced by
ART Grand Prix Formula 3 Euro Series driver
Jim Pla in Turkey. Vergne returned for Valencia, but was replaced by Juncadella for Silverstone, as he signed a deal to complete the season in GP3, as well as Euro Series commitments. With Juncadella missing the round in Hungary due to a guest drive in British Formula 3 at Spa, Tech 1 had wished to field their Eurocup Formula Renault driver
Arthur Pic at the meeting. However, they fielded just two cars, as they have used up their allotment of five drivers for the season, and did not receive total approval from the other teams for Pic to drive. Juncadella returned at Spa.
Atech CRS GP signed Formula Master graduate
Patrick Reiterer and former British Formula 3 racer
Oliver Oakes to drive two of their cars. The third was driven by
Vittorio Ghirelli, after he stepped down from
Team Ghinzani in
Italian Formula Three. Reiterer was replaced for the round in Valencia by Formula 3 Euro Series racer
Roberto Merhi.
Season
First ever round in
GP3 Series
The GP3 Series, or GP3 for short, was a single-seater motor racing series launched in 2010 as a feeder series for the GP2 Series, introduced by GP2 organiser Bruno Michel. GP3 followed the entire European leg of the Formula One series and the ...
began in
Catalunya. Qualifying was won by
Nigel Melker. Feature race was won by
Pål Varhaug and sprint race was taken in top by American driver
Alexander Rossi.
In the second round, at
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
,
Nigel Melker take again pole position for the feature race. The feature race was won by
Esteban Gutiérrez, and
Rio Haryanto storms to epic Race 2 victory. Third stop, was in
Portimão
Portimão () is a city and a municipality in the district of Faro (district), Faro, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. The population in 2022 was 63,079 in an area of 182.06 km2. It was formerly known as Vila Nova de Portimão. In ...
, taking to 19–20 June, but event was cancelled along with
GP2 Series
The GP2 Series was a form of open wheel motor racing introduced in 2005 following the discontinuation of the long-term Formula One feeder series, Formula 3000. The GP2 format was conceived by Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, while Ecc ...
. Then, the battle was reversed on
Valencia
Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
, and win in Race 1 was taken by Mexican
Esteban Gutiérrez, while
Nico Müller dominates in Race 2. Fourth round was in
Silverstone, second consecutive feature race win for Esteban Gutiérrez.
Daniel Morad take victory Race 2 from 2nd on the grid. Fifth round was in
Hockenheim
Hockenheim () is a town in northwest Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about 20 km south of Mannheim and 10 km west of Walldorf. It is located in the Upper Rhine Plain, Upper Rhine valley on the tourist theme routes "Baden Asparagus Route" ( ...
, first race was won by
Robert Wickens, while
Mexican dominates in Race 2. Sixth stop was at the
Hungaroring
The Hungaroring is a motorsport racetrack in Mogyoród, Pest County, Hungary where the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix is held. In 1986, it became the location of the first Formula One Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix behind the Iron Curtai ...
. For the first time, Esteban Gutiérrez doesn't have win in each races. First race was won by
Nico Müller, and second was dominated by
Alexander Rossi. In seventh stop, at
Spa-Francorchamps, there was a lot of rain in first race and the race would be stopped. The winner was
Robert Wickens, and in second race there was again rain, and all drivers goes to slicks, except
Adrien Tambay, who won from 27th on the grid! Final round, at
Monza there was only two title contenders - Esteban Gutiérrez and
Robert Wickens.
Mexican win in qualifying with victory in Race 1 and fastest lap. He won the title, but in second race, he crashed and the race was over for him.
Robert Wickens set the victory and the fastest lap. He crashed in the pit lane, but comfortably last win of the first ever year of
GP3 Series
The GP3 Series, or GP3 for short, was a single-seater motor racing series launched in 2010 as a feeder series for the GP2 Series, introduced by GP2 organiser Bruno Michel. GP3 followed the entire European leg of the Formula One series and the ...
.
The car
The first chassis used by the GP3 Series was the
GP3/10 built by
Dallara, who also produces cars in the championship's sister series
GP2. It is equipped with a 6-speed
paddle shift gearbox and a four-cylinder 2.0 litre (122 cu in) turbocharged engine with 280 bhp developed by
Renault Sport. The chassis used tyres supplied by
Pirelli
Pirelli & C. S.p.A. is an Italian multinational tyre manufacturer based in the city of Milan, Italy. The company, which has been listed on the Borsa Italiana since 1922, is the 5th-largest tyre manufacturer, and is focused on the consumer pro ...
, who would then go on to be the tyre supplier for
Formula One
Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
and
GP2 from 2011.
2010 Schedule
An eight-round calendar was announced on 18 December 2009. On 30 April 2010, it was announced that the series would increase to nine rounds, with a round in support of the added.
With the cancellation of the round in Portimão, the calendar returned to eight rounds.
The following rounds were included on the provisional calendars published by the
FIA but were cancelled:
Results
Championship standings
Drivers' Championship
Teams' Championship
* Drivers who did not finish the race but were classified are marked with †.
See also
*
2010 Formula Three Euroseries season
*
2010 British Formula 3 season
*
2010 Masters of Formula 3
Footnotes
References
External links
Official website
{{GP2 Seasons
GP3
GP3 Series seasons
GP3
GP3 Series
The GP3 Series, or GP3 for short, was a single-seater motor racing series launched in 2010 as a feeder series for the GP2 Series, introduced by GP2 organiser Bruno Michel. GP3 followed the entire European leg of the Formula One series and the ...