Daniil Kvyat took his second GP3 Series win of the season at Monza this afternoon in style.
The Red Bull junior driver took the victory ahead of Carlin’s Nick Yelloly and ART Grand Prix’s Facu Regalia.
From the start, the Russian racer pulled away from pole position with little worry, as chaos reigned in his mirrors.
With Kvyat safely clear, Marussia Manor driver Dino Zamparelli speared across the grass on the approach to the opening turn, eventually slamming into teammate and championship contender Tio Ellinas.
As cars dodged the circus of carbon fibre, the out of control Ellinas was unable to avoid clipping the rear of Carlos Sainz Jr, who dropped to the rear of the order, but continued.
Ellinas and Zamparelli, however, were out on the spot, as was Robert Visoiu, while Conor Daly continued for two corners before pulling aside.
It was enough to give Kvyat a valley of clear space from which he built a 3.4s lead ahead of Yelloly by the end of the opening tour, with the lead growing slowly as Kvyat took care to contain his tyres.
The gap lingered at just under four seconds for much of the duration, but later expanded to 5.3s at the race end as the Russian pushed for the bonus awarded for fastest lap.
Yelloly remained unchallenged for much of the running, with the Englishman holding steady in his Carlin machine, securing a worthy third podium of the season.
A third consecutive podium for Regalia’s means his lead in the series is now 11 points; however Kvyat has emerged as the main protagonist in his mirrors. Regalia’s mirrors were – quite literally – full for much of the race with Lewis Williamson’s Status GP entry.
Starting 10th, the Scot gained some spot amidst the early carnage, but really made his mark when he leapfrogged a battling Alexander Sims and Kevin Korjus on lap five.
Williamson continued on to finish 4th; Sims and Korjus not far behind as they chased. Jack Harvey took Patric Niederhauser and Patrick Kujala early on, before settling into 7th ahead Niederhauser – the latter whom takes the reverse grid pole for tomorrow.
Sainz Jr climbed back up to 9th after a stellar stint that saw him fight past Kujala, Giovanni Venturini (several times as they battled for the top ten), Emanuele Zonzini, David Fumanelli, Jimmy Eriksson and Aaro Vainio.
2013 GP3 Series (Rd 7, Race 1; 17 laps)
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Daniil Kvyat MW Arden 28m10.516s
2. Nick Yelloly Carlin +5.352s
3. Facu Regalia ART +8.084s
4. Lewis Williamson Bamboo +8.694s
5. Alexander Sims Carlin +10.683s
6. Kevin Korjus Koiranen +12.426s
7. Jack Harvey ART +13.557s
8. Patric Niederhauser Jenzer +23.166s
9. Carlos Sainz Jr MW Arden +28.336s
10. Patrick Kujala Koiranen +30.410s
11. Giovanni Venturini Trident +30.779s
12. Melville Mckee Bamboo +31.301s
13. Jimmy Eriksson Status +32.192s
14. Emanuele Zonzini Trident +33.913s
15. David Fumanelli Trident +34.447s
16. Aaro Vainio Koiranen +42.557s
17. Samin Gomez Jenzer +1m10.797s
18. Carmen Jorda Bamboo +1m40.461s
19. Adderly Fong Status +1 lap
20. Ryan Cullen Manor +1 lap
Retirements:
Luis Sa Silva Carlin +13 laps
Alex Fontana Jenzer +15 laps
Robert Visoiu MW Arden +16 laps
Conor Daly ART +16 laps
Josh Webster Status +17 laps
Dino Zamparelli Manor +17 laps
Tio Ellinas Manor +17 laps
