01/08/2010
NEWS STORY
ART Grand Prix's Alexander Rossi took a lights to flag victory at the Hungaroring in Race 2 today ensuring the GP3 Series championship battle will continue at Spa.
It was an all-American front row for Race 2 and a determined start from Rossi saw his fellow countryman Newgarden pushed wide, the Carlin driver managing to retain second spot. Mathematically ART's Esteban Gutierrez could have claimed the crown in today's race, with only Status GP's Robert Wickens able to stop him. The Canadian made a good start and was gifted a spot when Antonio Felix Da Costa slipped to the back of the grid after a spin. Carlin's Dean Smith moved up into fourth spot, Stefano Coletti fifth and Gutierrez sixth and into the final points paying position.
The first lap saw the end of the race for Addax Team's Felipe Guimaraes and MW Arden's Michael Christensen, the Brazilian going up the back of the Dane's car. By lap two there were two more casualties - Doru Sechelariu and Pedro Nunes clashed with the latter rolling his No 3 ART car.
After these incidents, Rossi kept pulling away and by mid-way he had built up a two second lead over Newgarden. Gutierrez was pushing hard behind Coletti for fifth but just didn't seem to have the pace to put a move on the Monegasque driver.
As the chequered flag neared Rossi was still out in front, and Josef Newgarden looked like finishing second for an all-American 1-2, but the Carlin driver pulled off track with mechanical gremlins just three laps from the end. Newgarden's bad luck allowed Robert Wickens up into second while Carlin's Dean Smith was promoted into third for the final podium spot. Coletti drove a defensive race to eventually take fourth. Gutierrez added two more points to his tally with fifth place while yesterday's race winner Nico Muller finished in sixth for the final point.
With just two rounds left in the inaugural season and a maximum of 40 points available, Series leader Gutierrez leaves Budapest with 75 points. The ART driver has a 35 point lead in the drivers' standings over Status GP's Robert Wickens. After his win yesterday Jenzer Motorsport's Nico Muller is third with 36 points. ART Grand Prix is now leading the team's standing by 50 points with 110 points ahead of Status GP in second with. Status GP is third with 49 points.