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The team makes it final appearance of the season in the series finale at Monza in Italy over the weekend of 11/12 September.

Atech CRS GP will contest the GP3 Championship this season following a partnership with CRS Racing. Re-branded for the 2010 season, Atech Grand Prix hopes to build on the success already achieved by Team Principal David Hayle. In a career spanning almost 25 years, David has worked with several top motorsport teams and drivers including Prodrive, Ralliart, Heikki Kovalainen, Robert Kubica, Lucas di Grassi, Nelson Piquet Jnr. and Marko Asmer. More recently David set up his own Formula Renault and Superleague Formula teams, scoring numerous race victories and securing the title last year with Adrian Valles and Liverpool FC.

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ATECH CRS GP ENDS SEASON ON A HIGH

Atech CRS Grand Prix ended the 2010 GP3 series on a high with two strong performances by Roberto Merhi to clinch sixth in the drivers’ table. The Spaniard was denied a podium finish in both races after running third in race one and taking the lead at the start of race two.

He went on to finish sixth and fourth while Oli Oakes took another top ten finish in race two and Vittorio Ghirelli was the unlucky victim of an oil spillage in race one and collision in race two.

The final two rounds of the series at Monza, supporting the Italian Formula One Grand Prix, once again proved thrilling from start to finish with Merhi making a superb start in Saturday’s opening race. Starting sixth he jumped into fifth at turn two and was soon in a five-car battle for the lead, passing both Renger van der Zander and new champion Esteban Gutierrez in a stunning move to take third.

Behind Oakes too made a good start to climb to 14th ahead of Ghirelli. On the second lap a rare error from Merhi saw him run wide into the gravel, dropping back to fifth as Gutierrez and Rio Haryanto swept ahead. A lap later Ghirelli spun on some oil dropped by another car, dropping him down the order although he recovered and improved his lap times throughout the remaining laps.

Merhi found a way back past Nico Muller for fourth and was pushing eventual race winner Gutierrez but was retaken by Muller. Then on the penultimate lap he lost fifth to Mirko Bertolotti, going on to claim sixth at the flag.

Another solid drive from Oakes netted the Briton 12th to give him a row six start for Sunday’s race two, with Merhi lining up third and Ghirelli forced to start from the back.

Race two proved as exciting as the previous day’s encounter with drama at the start.  Pole-sitter Nigel Melker was pushed to the back for a false start. This left Merhi with a clear sight into the first corner but at the lights found himself boxed in behind Josef Newgarden allowing Robert Wickens to get a run alongside him.

Merhi held his ground though to lead into the first corner but was squeezed out by Wickens at turn two. Another good start by Oakes allowed him to move up the order into eighth by lap three. A solid drive through the field for Ghirelli allowed him to improve from his starting position.

Up ahead Merhi was struggling to stay ahead of Bortolotti, losing second place on lap three, and then third place to Muller a lap later, holding fourth to the line. Meanwhile Oakes was on a charge, embroiled in a six car-battle for seventh place, eventually crossing the line ninth with Ghirelli finishing 21st after a coming together with Dorien Sechelariu.  

PODIUM FOR MERHI IN SPA

Atech CRS Grand Prix’s Roberto Merhi drove a storming opening GP3 race at Spa on Saturday to take second place from 11th on the grid. Briton Oli Oakes took tenth in race two but there was disappointment for Italian Vittorio Ghirelli who was punted off on the opening lap in both races, after a promising start netted the ninth fastest lap in practice.

Saturday’s opening race saw Merhi make a scintillating start from the sixth row, diving up the inside into the first corner to move into third place. A stalled car on the grid caused problems for Oakes however as he and the pack scattered to avoid a collision, dropping him down the order.

Meanwhile Ghirelli was the unfortunate victim of a first corner collision, the 16 year-old forced out on the spot after contact with Adrien Tambay.  

The typically unpredictable Spa weather soon played its part in the outcome of the race, when torrential rain on lap four caused several cars to spin including the race leader and indeed Merhi. The Spaniard quickly recovered though and when the safety car was deployed he took the chance to pit for wet weather tyres, rejoining in second place, which he held to the flag.

Oakes recovered from his problem at the start to finish fifteenth. With the top eight reversed for race two’s grid, Merhi lined up seventh with Oakes 17th and Ghirelli 26th.

Race two on Sunday morning proved equally chaotic as the changeable weather once again was a major factor in the results. Another good start by Merhi allowed him into fifth on lap one, but the opening lap proved disappointing for Ghirelli, the teenager spinning out and into the barrier at the first corner.

Oakes recovered well from his grid start to make steady progress over the course of the opening laps until another downpour forced the field into the pits for a tyre change. Merhi pitted while in third place but after his stop dropped two places.

Oakes continued his charge through the field, moving into tenth on the final lap as Merhi, desperate to reclaim sixth and the final championship point, fell foul of the tricky conditions and spun off into the barrier.

TOP TEN FINISH FOR ATECH CRS GP IN HUNGARY

Silverstone-based Atech CRS Grand Prix secured a top ten finish with Oli Oakes in race two of the GP3 series at Hungaroring this weekend, while 16 year-old Vittorio Ghirelli took his best finish of the year with 15th. The pair was left disappointed after qualifying, after incurring grid drop penalties for yellow flag infringements, which ruined their chances of a higher grid start.

For their team-mate, Roberto Merhi, a comfortable seventh fastest time early in the session was ruined by a lengthy yellow flag situation and the Spaniard was later blocked on the last corner as he attempted to regain his early pace.

Race one kicked off on Saturday afternoon and once again showed immense race pace for all three, Oakes and Ghirelli, both moving up through the order over the course of the race. Oakes gained seven places from his grid position to cross the line 16th with Italian Ghirelli also gaining five places to finish 24th.  Merhi’s early pace saw him record the fourth fastest lap, however his race lasted just seven laps, the former double podium finisher forced into retirement.

Sunday morning’s second race saw the drivers line up in their finishing positions from race one. A lightening start by Oakes was wiped out at the first corner however, as he was blocked and pushed wide dropping him back to 22nd.  A stunning recovery though saw him back up to 16th at the end of the first lap and then a superb drive back through the field netted him tenth place at the flag.

Ghirelli also drove a strong second race as he improved his lap times by 1.3 seconds over the course of the weekend. This allowed the 16 year-old to make up nine places in the race to take 15th, his best finish of the year.

There was further drama for Merhi in race two as he tangled with Oakes on lap four. The resultant collision pitched him into a spin and lost him his front wing, although he struggled on to the flag to finish 22nd.

pic GP3 Media Service/LAT

STRONG PACE FOR ATECH CRS GP IN GERMANY

Atech CRS Grand Prix got its bid for another podium finish off to a great start in Germany at the weekend with Oli Oakes and Roberto Merhi among the pacesetters in testing. Despite driving with a broken wrist, sustained in a crash in Spain, Oakes set the third fastest time with Merhi two places behind.

In the final minutes of qualifying, the top spot was continually changing, and it looked like Merhi was going to claim pole for the team, pipping the previous pole-sitter on his last flying lap. However, by the time the chequered flag fell had dropped to fourth, with Italian teenager Vittorio Ghirelli in 26th. Oakes was one of 21 drivers penalised for free practice yellow and red flag infringements and consequently put to the back of grid.

Saturday afternoon’s opening race proved eventful even before the lights, with the first start aborted. Unfortunately for Merhi, his engine revs dropped at the first start, and as the field retook their positions for the restart, he was pushed to the back of the grid. However a sterling job by the Spaniard allowed him to claw his way back up through the field, taking advantage of two multi-car incidents to get up into the battle for eighth.

A last lap lunge to take the place which would have given him pole for Sunday’s race two however ended when he collided with another car and lost his front wing in the process.  He eventually finished 16th.

Ahead, Oakes had also made a great start and was carving his way up the order with a determined drive by the 23 year-old. With two safety car periods interrupting the 17 lap race, he finished 13th at the flag to give him that start position for race two. Ghirelli meanwhile also improved through the race to gain 13 places at the flag, the 16 year-old crossing the line 15th.

Race two on Sunday morning proved even more eventful for Oakes. Another great start was nearly ended at the first corner as he was hit from behind by another car.  Despite that he held on to the place and got up to 12th place on the penultimate lap. Another incident which resulted in the safety car bringing the race to a conclusion should have seen the whole field slow down. However as they crossed the start finish straight for the last time Oakes was again hit by another car damaging his rear wing and forcing him out.

For Merhi meanwhile, his chances of another strong result ended on lap one when he was also hit from behind, the resultant damage to his rear wing and front left wheel forcing him into the pits and retirement.

This left Ghirelli to uphold team honours, the youngest driver on the GP3 grid recovering well from being pushed off wide at the mid-point to finish 16th.

TOP TEN FINISH FOR ATECH CRS GP AT SILVERSTONE

After a successful double podium result last time out, Atech CRS Grand Prix headed into its home event at Silverstone full of confidence. The event started off well for the locally based team, with Briton Oli Oakes fifth quickest around the Northamptonshire Grand Prix circuit in testing on Friday.

However, the team was frustrated by a lack of pace in official qualifying, resulting in Oakes winding up 15th fastest for race one. Meanwhile, his Spanish team-mate, Roberto Merhi was 24th with Italian teenager Vittorio Ghirelli 27th.  Saturday afternoon’s opening race proved a disaster for Merhi, especially after his debut appearance at the previous round netted him second and third place.

On lap three the youngster was forced into retirement with a holed radiator although both Oakes and Ghirelli fought back from their grid positions and improved through the field to finish 13th and 20th respectively.

Oakes was still suffering from a fractured wrist he sustained in the first-corner accident at the previous round and the injury was still causing the 21 year-old problems around the fast sweeping circuit. With the grid for race two determined by finishing positions from race one, Oli lined up 13th while for 16 year-old Ghirelli, a seven place gain put him on the tenth row, with Merhi on the back row.

In Sunday morning’s race two, a strong drive through the field netted Oakes ninth place while both Merhi and Ghirelli also improved from their grid positions to finish 19th and 21st.

“It was a frustrating weekend for us on our home circuit,” said David Hayle, Team Principal. “After the weekend we had in Spain, we were confident of a good result here and in testing things were looking good for Oli, despite the fact that he had a fractured wrist. Unfortunately in qualifying we couldn’t match the pace of testing and it ended up rather disappointing for all of them.

“However once again they all drove exceptionally well in difficult conditions but unfortunately it’s all about qualifying and getting a good result in race one. We need to look ahead to the next rounds and work on that aspect as we head to the second half of the season.”

DOUBLE PODIUM JOY FOR ATECH CRS GP IN SPAIN

In just its third race weekend, the new Atech CRS Grand Prix team took its first podium of the GP3 season with a superb third place by Roberto Merhi in Valencia on Saturday.  The Spaniard followed that up with second place in Sunday’s second race, after starting sixth, and with it posted successive fastest laps to gain a vital extra point.

In Saturday morning’s qualifying, Merhi set the second fastest lap to earn him a front row start for the opening race. Oli Oakes was left frustrated with a red flag situation which prevented him from repeating his superb form in testing when he was fifth quickest, the young Briton winding up 14th.

Italian Vittorio Ghirelli struggled slightly on the fast sweeping circuit around the streets of Valencia, the 16 year-old ending up 29th fastest.

In the opening race late on Saturday, Merhi made the perfect getaway but was boxed in going into the first corner, dropping from third to fourth as they exited. It wasn’t long before the youngster found his way up to third however, and thereafter didn’t put a wheel wrong as he went on to record his maiden podium finish in the series, first time out.

For Oakes, his chances of showing a repeat of his pre-race form took a knock, quite literally, as he was taken out at the first corner, injuring his wrist in the process. Ghirelli recovered from his low grid start to get up to 20th the pair set to start near the back for the second race on Sunday.

With the top eight reversed for the grid, Merhi took up his spot on the third row and a superb start allowed him up into fourth into the first corner with a brave move around the outside. With the battle for second place heating up, Merhi was able to close the gap to the duo, and quickly disposed of the third placed driver Rio Haryanto on lap seven.

Now running third, Merhi began applying pressure to James Jakes ahead, and when he made a mistake, the Spaniard nipped through and into second place.

Behind, the unfortunate Oakes was struggling with the wrist injury sustained in race one and around the demanding, 25-corner circuit, was unable to make much progress through the field, running just inside the top 20. Ghirelli made up several places from his grid slot and finished 22nd.

But at the front, Merhi was enjoying his first ever GP3 outing, reunited with Team Principal David Hayle, with whom he starred at the Macau Grand Prix street race two years ago, to post a string of fastest laps en route to second place.

“What a fantastic result for Roberto, on his first ever race in GP3,” said David. “Oli was very unlucky in the opening race to sustain quite a serious wrist injury which ultimately cost him any chance of moving through the field on Sunday.

“Vittorio drove two more solid races and at just 16 years-old, with so little experience, he is improving every race.” 

ATECH CRS GP PICKS UP PACE IN TURKEY

Atech CRS GP’s Oli Oakes led the team’s trio of drivers in the latest rounds of the GP3 Series at Istanbul this weekend. The young Briton set a strong pace in practice on Friday and came home 12^th in the opening race ahead of Patrick Reiterer in 14^th and Vittorio Ghirelli in 17^th.

The weekend started well for the team with Oakes posting the fifth quickest time in practice, his highest placing in the Friday test. However in qualifying he was disappointed to wind up 20^th fastest after being unable to get a clear lap to give him a tenth row start for race one. Reiterer was next up of the Atech runners, six places behind with Ghirelli 28^th.

In the race, a storming drive by Oakes allowed him to claw his way up through the field, enjoying a strong battle with Robert Wickens along the way to finish in 12^th place.  Starting race two from that position, Oli was in determined mood and confident of gaining even more places and hoping for a top six finish.

Another lightening getaway allowed him to rocket away at the start and get up to seventh place before his electrics went on the fifth lap, depriving him of gears and power and  ending his race on the spot.

For Patrick the opening race also proved his most successful, the Italian making up 12 places from his start position to bring his car home in 14^th place. There was also disappointment for him in race two however after a collision with another car at the first corner pitched him into a spin, dropping him down the order and resulting in 25^th place at the finish.

After missing the opening races due to illness, this weekend marked Vittorio’s first GP3 races, the young Italian driving a strong opening race to progress through the field and in to 17^th. However his bid for a top ten finish in race two ended on the green flag lap when he stalled, getting away last. 

After retaking his original grid position for the start of the race he was later awarded a drive through penalty costing him valuable time. A further pit stop later in the race dropped him further down the order and at the flag he crossed the line in 26^th place.

Team Principal David Hayle: “If we can nail qualifying we will fight for race wins.  Our test pace is good and our race pace is very good and now we are confident we know the problem of our qualifying pace.”