Reshuffles allow new GP3 stars to shine
GP3 SERIES SPA (B) AUGUST 25-26 ROUND 6/9 Could the GP3 Series have a pair of new stars on its hands? The Spa weekend certainly proved fruitful for feature race winner David Beckmann (above) and sprint race charger Richard Verschoor.
Beckmann has been in GP3 since the start of the season. But a series of driver moves triggered an open spot at the Trident squad that he filled quickly, replacing Alessio Lorandi – Santino Ferrucci’s Formula 2 replacement – moving from Jenzer Motorsport.
He topped practice on his first outing with the team in Budapest and followed that with a fourth and seventh, before placing his car on pole for the Spa feature race. No Trident car has graced the pole spot for a feature contest this season, let alone won the race.
Would his pole mean that the other drivers took him seriously as a challenger?
“I’ve known all these drivers for many years so I think everyone respects each other,” he said. “I think it’s just very nice to break through and have a very good result. For sure, it’s nice and a mega feeling to finally be in front.”
He was soon challenged at the front of the order. While team-mate Pedro Piquet held up the four ART Grand Prix cars,
Ryan Tveter went from sixth to second at La Source, and the American was on Beckmann’s tail until he outbraked himself at Les Combes on lap nine of the 17. That allowed Beckmann to escape.
Championship leader Anthoine Hubert got a second bad start in a row but only dropped one place and held on to third. As the track dried he came back to Tveter, but was still 0.7s behind at the flag.
It was a first one-two in GP3 for Trident, and Tveter – who would have been forgiven for being angry after missing out on a first win – not only played up his team-mate, but dedicated the result to team manager Giacomo Ricci’s ill father. For that, Tveter must be considered a class act.
The sprint race wasn’t so kind to
Trident, though, and it was an ART attack that Neil Buchanan would be proud of.
Before the race started, Beckmann was out on the formation lap with gearbox trouble. Reversed-grid polesitter Joey Mawson needs a car befitting his ability as he defended mightily but fell back almost immediately. Ferrari Academy driver
Callum Ilott’s shot at victory was ruined with an ill-timed attack around the outside of Les Combes, which was rebuffed by Mawson and allowed Ilott’s team-mates Jake Hughes and Nikita Mazepin through.
Mazepin overtook Hughes on lap four and, although his tyres went away late on, he managed to hold on from a charging Hubert, after the Frenchman had pulled off a vital overtake on Ilott to take second in the closing stages.
It may have been another weekend where he wasn’t the quickest, but Hubert beat his title rival twice to maximise his points at the front of the order. He leads the way by 26 points and looks every bit the championship favourite.
Trident and MP Motorsport on any given weekend are closer to ART than in previous years, and while they are snatching points from the pacesetters, Hubert is making sure he’s Mr Consistent.
Speaking of MP, it has replaced Roberto Merhi’s Formula 2 successor, Dorian Boccolacci, with Formula Renault Eurocup driver Richard Verschoor for the remainder of the season. Traffic ended a top 10 qualifying lap and missing the weighing scales truly was a rookie error. But in the sprint race, he feistily raced from
17th to seventh and into the points in a breathtaking drive. Verschoor was definitely the class of the MP Motorsport stable this weekend on a brilliant debut.