Lynn and Hughes end Pirelli-supplied series on a high in Abu DhabiBefore Lewis Hamilton’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix victory on Sunday, fellow British racers Alex Lynn and Jake Hughes rounded out their respective GP2 and GP3 campaigns with wins.
Lynn led the GP2 sprint race from start to finish for his third win of the year and fifth in total in the Pirelli-supported series. The win lifted him to sixth in the standings, above compatriots Jordan King and Oliver Rowland, who had tough weekends in Abu Dhabi.
“What a great way to bow out,” Lynn said about what was his final GP2 appearance. “I won the last race of the season, pretty much untroubled at the front, and was delighted to finish on a high note after two years with the DAMS team.” He also congratulated former team-mate Pierre Gasly on winning the title.
Hughes had started the first GP3 race from the pits after a penalty, but fought his way through to seventh by the finish. This put him on the front row for race two, in which he scored his second win of the season.
Anglo-Thai driver Alex Albon battled Charles Leclerc for the GP3 crown, but lost out after a collision with fellow Briton Jack Aitken as they fought for the race one lead. Aitken still made the podium in third behind Jake Dennis, and was second to Hughes in race two.
First McLaren customer for Pirelli-equipped British GT revealedTolman Motorsport has become the first team to enter a customer McLaren 570S GT4 in the Pirelli-equipped British GT Championship.
The 570S GT4 was developed in the series this year in association with Black Bull Ecurie Ecosse, who claimed race wins at the final two rounds of the season.
Tolman will be returning to the GT4 class after campaigning Ginetta GT3s in 2016. David Pattison will remain with the team, with his racing coach Joe Osborne coming on board as his team-mate.
“I’m delighted to be finally racing with ‘coach’ Joe,” said Pattison. “I came to racing very late, fulfilling a lifetime ambition. Joe has been instrumental in my progress, and I am hungry to learn more. Having driven the McLaren I feel confident that we have a very good car.”
Osborne added: “Working with Tolman and David will be great. He’s another one of my pupils that I’ve worked with since they first began racing. All of the gent drivers do this as a hobby, so my job is to make them consistent and perform well – David has shown he’s capable of more already and we should be in for a good year.”
Stars of Pirelli-backed British GT crowned at Tower of LondonThe Tower of London played host on Sunday evening to the SRO Night of the Champions end-of-season awards ceremony for the Pirelli-equipped British GT Championship and other categories promoted by the SRO Motorsports Group.
TF Sport Aston Martin drivers Derek Johnston and Jonny Adam received their trophies for winning the GT3 championship, as well as the Blancpain Gentleman Trophy and Sunoco GT3 Fastest Driver of the Year honours respectively.
Having been denied the title at the final round, the efforts of Phil Keen aboard the Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Huracan were recognised with the prestigious Allan Simonsen Award.
Scottish teenagers Ciaran Haggerty and Sandy Mitchell shared the Rookie of the Year award for their performances aboard the brand new McLaren 570S GT4 in its development year. Mitchell was named Fastest Driver of the Year in GT4.
Bentley outfit Team Parker Racing received the inaugural PMW Expo Team of the Year prize, having twice been tasked with major rebuilds during the season.
Pull to contest full season of Pirelli-supported BRDC British F3James Pull has finalised a full season in the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship next year.
The 17-year-old Singapore-born Briton made his debut at the final round of 2015 at Donington Park with Carlin, then contested the Autumn Trophy at Snetterton last month with the outfit, with whom he will continue in 2017. He steps up to F3 after two seasons in British F4, the latter with Carlin featuring two victories and fourth place in the final standings.
“I can’t wait for the upcoming season racing in a higher category,” said Pull. “Last year with the Carlin F4 team was a fantastic experience and they are a great group of people to work with so I’m looking forward to building on this in BRDC British Formula 3 and on their success.”
Carlin’s Racing Director Trevor Carlin added: “We are delighted to welcome James back for a second season with us here at Carlin. We had a great season together this year in the F4 British Championship which has given us a great platform as we head in to the 2017 season in BRDC British Formula 3. James has consistently shown his speed throughout the year and we’re pleased to welcome him back to the fold for the upcoming season following two solid outings in the Formula 3 car earlier in the year.”
Coming up next week: More news and views from British motorsport
