[caption id="attachment_32499" align="alignleft" width="1024"]
Kevin Joerg[/caption]
What a debut from newcomers DAMS: The French squad locked out the front row in this morning’s opening qualifying session of the 2016 GP3 Series season. Brit Jake Hughes pocketed his maiden pole in the category and lapped 0.140s faster than teammate and Renault Academy’s Kevin Jörg. ART Grand Prix’s and Ferrari Driver Academy’s Charles Leclerc was third.
GP3 – DAMS record one-two in qualifying with Jake Hughes and Kevin Joerg
The thirty minute session commenced under glorious blue skies in warm conditions. Alexander Albon was the early pace setter before the Arden International duo of Jake Dennis and Jack Aitken took turns to lead the pack.
As many of the drivers filtered back into the pitlane ; Jörg took advantage of a quiet track to shoot into P1 after lighting sectors one and two in purple. With less than seven minutes remaining, Jörg remained in control ahead of Aitken, Dennis, Matthew Parry, Santino Ferrucci, Albon an Tatiana Calderon.
Local hero Alex Palou suffered bad luck as his Campos Racing car had technical gremlins. The Spaniard will start from last after winning the final GP3 race of the 2015 season.
ART Grand Prix held the top three positions when Nirei Fukuzumi flew to the top of the timesheet before Leclerc displaced the Japanese driver with Albon in third. With three minutes left on the clock, Hughes set a flier and was first to lap into the 1m34s. Jörg found some extra place in the dying moments to join his teammate on the front row as the chequered flag was waved.
Behind the DAMS duo of Hughes and Jörg were Leclerc, Fukuzumi, Dennis, Oscar Tunjo, Antonio Fuoco, Albon, Ralph Boschung and Aitken.
The opening race of the season takes place today 17.20 local time (GMT+2) Make sure you don’t miss the third generation car make its debut in race action!
Qualifying
[caption id="attachment_32498" align="alignright" width="300"]
Ralph Boschung[/caption]
Ralph Boschung[/caption]
|
Driver
|
Team
|
Laptime
|
Laps
|
|
|
1.
|
Jake Hughes
|
DAMS
|
1:34.632
|
11
|
|
2.
|
Kevin Jörg
|
DAMS
|
1:34.772
|
13
|
|
3.
|
Charles Leclerc
|
ART Grand Prix
|
1:34.949
|
13
|
|
4.
|
Nirei Fukuzumi
|
ART Grand Prix
|
1:35.048
|
13
|
|
5.
|
Jake Dennis
|
Arden International
|
1:35.117
|
15
|
|
6.
|
Oscar Tunjo
|
Jenzer Motorsport
|
1:35.160
|
12
|
|
7.
|
Antonio Fuoco
|
Trident
|
1:35.201
|
12
|
|
8.
|
Alexander Albon
|
ART Grand Prix
|
1:35.207
|
12
|
|
9.
|
Ralph Boschung
|
Koiranen GP
|
1:35.344
|
13
|
|
10.
|
Jack Aitken
|
Arden International
|
1:35.415
|
13
|
|
11.
|
Nyck de Vries
|
ART Grand Prix
|
1:35.463
|
13
|
|
12.
|
Tatiana Calderon
|
Arden International
|
1:35.469
|
14
|
|
13.
|
Richard Gonda
|
Jenzer Motorsport
|
1:35.594
|
12
|
|
14.
|
Steijn Schothorst
|
Campos Racing
|
1:35.598
|
12
|
|
15.
|
Giuliano Alesi
|
Trident
|
1:35.656
|
12
|
|
16.
|
Matevos Isaakyan
|
Koiranen GP
|
1:35.693
|
10
|
|
17.
|
Matthew Parry
|
Koiranen GP
|
1:35.746
|
10
|
|
18.
|
Santino Ferrucci
|
DAMS
|
1:35.792
|
12
|
|
19.
|
Konstantin Tereshchenko
|
Campos Racing
|
1:36.070
|
10
|
|
20.
|
Akash Nandy
|
Jenzer Motorsport
|
1:36.157
|
13
|
|
21.
|
Artur Janosz
|
Trident
|
1:36.215
|
12
|
|
22.
|
Sandy Stuvik
|
Trident
|
1:36.282
|
13
|
|
23.
|
Mahaveer Raghunathan
|
Koiranen GP
|
1:37.222
|
13
|
|
24.
|
Alex Palou
|
Campos Racing
|
1:37.248
|
8
|
Press release GP3
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