Two days of testing on Thursday and Friday soon gave way to qualifying on Saturday morning during which the Carlin trio pushed hard to set their positions for the opening two races of the weekend. In what was a close field, Faria set the third fastest lap, Voisin qualified fifth and Sagrera eighth – a brilliant all top-10 showing for the team.
An amended grid made for a pre-race shake up and ensured that Faria would start from the front row in second, Voisin fourth and Sagrera sixth. Off the line, Faria made a solid start but there was contact between Sagrera and Voisin as the teammates came together; this meant an instant retirement for Sagrera while Voisin later took a trip into the pit lane for a front wing change – sadly hampering his progress. Meanwhile, Faria kept a hard-charging Matthew Rees behind him over the course of the 14 laps on offer to take a fantastic second place.
The GB3 teams and drivers enjoyed a break for Easter Sunday before racing resumed Monday afternoon with two races in front of fantastic crowds. Race two once again saw Faria push hard off the line and position himself in second overall after just a few corners. Voisin and Sagrera soon found themselves involved in fantastic battles around them; the pair clearly enjoying the close racing action. As the flag fell, Faria took his second podium of the weekend in second, while Sagrera and Voisin took eighth and ninth respectively – racking up good solid points for their championship campaign.
The final race of the weekend, just two short hours later, was a full reverse grid which meant the Carlin trio started in the latter half of the field as they launched off the line. Sagrera, Voisin and Faria all drove well to claim additional points (one for each position gained) and finished ninth, 13th and 14th respectively. The additional points from the final race adding nicely to Faria’s tally to see him walk away from round one in second place overall.
Faria said of the weekend, “The first race weekend with Carlin was really positive overall. We have been fast since the we started testing, even considering we have had just three days of testing with the new car.
“Two podiums and good points in the reverse grid race have put us second overall in the championship; just a few points behind the leader. The team did a great job with the car, and we are confident that we can achieve even better results next round in Silverstone.”
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