GP3 Series 2016 - Round 08 - Sepang
Day1 : Unsually started on Thursday the Penultimate Round of GP3 Series put the 3 Jenzer Motorsport Drivers on track for 30 minutes of Free Practice. Learning the track (and the car for the new comer, Alessio Lorandi) was the target for the day. At the end of the session, with 15 laps performed, Arjun Maini finished P6 at 0,3 sec from the fastest while Akash Nandy ended up P10 and Alessio Lorandi P17.
Day 2 : Qualifying Day ! After having spent 30 min yesterday on track to adapt to the new circuit, a new challenge was awaiting our 3 drivers for this qualifying : from a green track they had in Free Practice, they will have to adapt quickly to a different grip level after 2 sessions of F1, GP2 and other series present at the track in the same week end. Hot Conditions for the drivers with 34° in the air and 55° on the track. Global great job from the 3 Jenzer Boys as Arjun Maini qualified his car in P5, Akash Nandy made his second best performance of the season qualifying his car in P11 and Alessio Lorandi for his first qualifying with a GP3 car managed to be able to start the Race tomorrow in P14.
Day 3 : Race 1. Another day in Sepang and some more action on the track with the first race of the week-end. Arjun was starting P5, he made an ok start and was already P3 by the exit of Turn 4 in front of the Championship Leader. On lap 2, he lost his position and was then standing P4, holding the pace on the first 10 laps with the leaders. After a little mistake which made him lose 2 sec to the group, Arjun put his head down and started the charge back, being the fastest on track and even establishing the fastest lap of the race on Lap 16, closing the gap on Aitken and Leclerc, unfortunately the race was not long enough to allow him to make a move and had to take the chequered flag in P4, in the gearbox of Leclerc - definitively showing the field that the Jenzer Car has one of the best pace in racing conditions. Great race for Alessio Lorandi for his first-ever race in GP3, he finished 0,7sec away from the points zone, finishing P11 and showing good and promising performance for the future. Akash Nandy had a good start and was fighting in the points zone when a technical gremlins prevented him converting his good start of the race.
Day 4 : Race 2. A lot of actions in the Sunday morning Race and only a few points collected. Jenzer Boys were starting P5 (Arjun), P11 (Alessio) and P19 (Akash). Not an ideal start and first lap for Arjun who was P8 at the end of the first lap. Despite the great pace (once again, fastest car on the track on the second half of the race, and 4th fastest lap of the race), Arjun had hard battles and recovered only one position to finish P7. Alessio had again a great race but finished just outside the points in P9 : it didn't reward his great week end but he will be with more experience and confidence for the next Round to be able to score some points. Akash had a difficult race, starting from the back of the grid and a few mistakes didn't allow him to go through the field and finished P18. A long pause now, as the last Round of the Championship will be in Abu Dhabi at the end of November..
