Williamson wins home race

Williamson celebrates

MW Arden’s Lewis Williamson won his first GP3 Series race today in front of his home crowd at Silverstone Circuit. The Scot finished ahead of Addax team’s Dean Smith and Status Grand Prix’s Alexander Sims to lead an all British podium, and was the eighth different winner this season.

The dry conditions for race two this morning were a far cry from yesterday’s pre-race downpour. Poleman Smith held onto his lead when the light went off, whilst Williamson made a bad start off the line dropping to fifth allowing James Calado up into second and Nick Yelloly into third. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs’ weekend went from bad to worse when a mechanical problem prevented him from pulling away from fifth on the formation lap and starting from the pitlane.

Williamson recovered from his slow getaway brilliantly, and after a three-way battle and a couple of good overtaking maneuvers to pass Calado and Smith, the Scotsman was back into the lead by the end of lap one. Yelloly and Alexander Sims were running in fourth and fifth respectively, but it was Rio Haryanto who was on a mission – the Marussia Manor Racing driver started the race from tenth, and by the end of lap two had passed yesterday’s race winner Nico Müller to take sixth spot.

A fight then ensued between Sims, Haryanto and Muller, with the Brit and the Indonesian both finding a way passed Muller on lap 6. Sims then set his sights on Calado and the final podium position, whilst still defending hard from a charging Haryanto. Williamson meanwhile was 3.5 seconds ahead of the pack.

As the race came to a close, Calado was doing everything in his power to hold back Sims, but the Status driver was unstoppable finding a way past the Lotus ART driver with two laps remaining. Calado then went wide loosing another spot to Hayanto. Williamson drove a faultless race to claim his first victory ahead of Smith and Sims. Haryanto, Calado and Yelloly took the remaining available. Third place man in the standings Nigel Melker had a great race moving up from twenty-seventh to eighth, but leaves Silverstone point-less. Series leader Mitch Evans’ weekend went from bad to worse after a first lap retirement meant the Kiwi also leaves Silverstone with no points.

Sims has now moved into the lead of the Series by three points. MW Arden continues to lead the teams’ standing with forty-five points after becoming the first team this season to win more than one race.

Race 2 result: