The GP3 Series will visit Monaco for the first time this year, after missing out on the event since the championship’s inception in 2010.
The addition of Monaco brings the number of rounds in this year’s GP3 Series to eight, with the prestigious support event slotting between the first and third rounds at Barcelona and Valencia respectively.
With the weekend also set to hold GP2, Formula Renault 3.5 and Porsche Supercup alongside its Formula 1 lead, the smallest paddock on the Grand Prix calendar will now be even tighter as it accommodates yet another field.
However, GP3 Series CEO Bruno Michel is confident there will be enough room for up to thirty extra cars.
“It was quite a task to study all logistic options to fit our paddock in an already busy environment. Thanks to Automobile Club de Monaco and Formula One Management it’s all come together fine.
”This is a fantastic exposure opportunity for the Series and for the drivers to showcase their talent around the challenging streets of Monaco and to provide, as usual, a great show.”
Lack of space in the Principality over a Grand Prix weekend have hindered GP3’s attempts to race at Monaco the past two seasons, although the organisers have found a way to circumvent those difficulties.
2012 GP3 calendar: Date Venue Test 21-22 Feb Estoril, Portugal 12-13 March Barcelona, Spain 11-12 April Silverstone, Great Britain 14-15 June Valencia, Spain Championship 11-13 May Barcelona, Spain 24-27 May Monte-Carlo, Monaco 22-24 June Valencia, Spain 6-8 July Silverstone, Great Britain 20-22 July Hockenheim, Germany 27-29 July Budapest, Hungary 31 Aug-2 Sept Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium 7-9 Sept Monza, Italy