Indians Abroad
Arjun Maini 8th fastest in Free Practice: GP3 Series
Monza 1 Sept 2017: Indian racer Arjun Maini of Jenzer Motorsport was 8th fastest in the even as Nirei Fukuzumi grabbed the top spot late in the afternoon’s GP3 Series free practice session at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, setting his best lap on the last tour to stop the clocks at 1:38.594 and lead home an ART Grand Prix ahead of George Russell, Anthoine Hubert and Jack Aitken.
The session opened with the circuit bathed in sunshine despite large, ominous looking clouds overhead, with all the field taking straight to the track to get some laps under their belts. Dorian Boccolacci, Leonardo Pulcini and Fukuzumi set the early pace before Hubert grabbed P1 with a 40.009 as most of the field looked for some race run information.
Giuliano Alesi took over the top spot at the 30 minute mark, with teammate Ryan Tveter playing rear gunner in P2 ahead of the ARTs, until it was all change in the final 5 minutes of the session with Hubert, Boccolacci, Fukuzumi, Aitken, Russell and then finally Fukuzumi taking the top spot again as the flag dropped for the end of the session.
There were 14 drivers within a second of P1, with Boccolacci, Steijn Schothorst, Pulcini, Arjun Maini, Alessio Lorandi and new driver Dan Ticktum rounding out the top ten. Qualifying promises to be equally tight: the session starts tomorrow morning at 9.45 local time.
Provisional Free Practice Classification
|
Driver
|
Team
|
Laptime
|
Laps
|
|
|
1.
|
Nirei Fukuzumi
|
ART Grand Prix
|
1:38.594
|
17
|
|
2.
|
George Russell
|
ART Grand Prix
|
1:38.693
|
18
|
|
3.
|
Anthoine Hubert
|
ART Grand Prix
|
1:38.776
|
19
|
|
4.
|
Jack Aitken
|
ART Grand Prix
|
1:38.786
|
19
|
|
5.
|
Dorian Boccolacci
|
Trident
|
1:38.933
|
21
|
|
6.
|
Steijn Schothorst
|
Arden International
|
1:38.963
|
20
|
|
7.
|
Leonardo Pulcini
|
Arden International
|
1:38.971
|
19
|
|
8.
|
Arjun Maini
|
Jenzer Motorsport
|
1:39.033
|
21
|
|
9.
|
Alessio Lorandi
|
Jenzer Motorsport
|
1:39.148
|
17
|
|
10.
|
Daniel Ticktum
|
DAMS
|
1:39.232
|
20
|
|
11.
|
Marcos Siebert
|
Campos Racing
|
1:39.298
|
20
|
|
12.
|
Juan-Manuel Correa
|
Jenzer Motorsport
|
1:39.470
|
20
|
|
13.
|
Giuliano Alesi
|
Trident
|
1:39.518
|
22
|
|
14.
|
Niko Kari
|
Arden International
|
1:39.565
|
18
|
|
15.
|
Raoul Hyman
|
Campos Racing
|
1:39.776
|
20
|
|
16.
|
Bruno Baptista
|
DAMS
|
1:39.860
|
17
|
|
17.
|
Ryan Tveter
|
Trident
|
1:39.923
|
22
|
|
18.
|
Julien Falchero
|
Campos Racing
|
1:39.968
|
19
|
|
19.
|
Tatiana Calderon
|
DAMS
|
1:40.411
|
18
|
|
20.
|
Kevin Jörg
|
Trident
|
1:41.112
|
20
|
eom/GP3 Series press release
