British racer Nick Yelloly completes Carlin’s 2013 GP3 Series line up following a switch to the championship after a successful year competing in Formula Renault 3.5 in which he claimed two victories. Yelloly is the third driver to be announced in Carlin’s team and will line up alongside Eric Lichtenstein and Luis Sa Silva.
Yelloly has previous experience in the GP3 Series having competed in the championship during the 2011 season. After moving up from British Formula Renault 2.0, Yelloly took a podium finish in his rookie GP3 season in 2011, as well as competing in the final three rounds of the Formula Renault 3.5 Series.
Switching to Formula Renault 3.5 full time for the 2012 season Yelloly made an impact at the first round of the season taking the opening win of the championship in Motorland, Spain. He then became the first multiple race winner following a great race around the Nurburgring. The British driver took a further two podiums over the course of the season on his way to finishing fifth overall in the championship.
Despite his experience of GP3, the 2013 car will be new challenge for Yelloly. The GP3/13 machine features a 400 bhp engine being the major upgrade, making it up to four seconds a lap quicker than its predecessor. A series of other changes, including a new nose and front wing will see the drivers experience speeds of up to 285 kph.
Speaking about the season ahead Nick Yelloly said, “I’m really looking forward to working with Carlin this year, they’re a team with a great history so I think this will be an extremely exciting season for me. The upgrades to the car have transformed where GP3 is in the motorsport ladder; with so much more power and the combination of the Pirelli tyres and the F1 circuits, GP3 is a great package for me to be part of right now.
“I’m looking forward to the entire season; it’s great to have a home round at Silverstone but I also enjoy racing at the Nurburgring. There’s also Abu Dhabi to look ahead to which will mark the first time I’ve race in Asia, and it’s such a big track with what seems like a great atmosphere around it so it should be a fantastic experience. I just can’t wait for the season to start now, I’m in a good team and I’m aiming to fight for the championship.”
Trevor Carlin added, “I’m delighted that Nick completes our 2013 GP3 line-up. He was one of the stand-out drivers of FR3.5 last year and his experience of a more powerful car will certainly be a big advantage with the new GP3 car. He really does make the most of every opportunity and he’ll be a big asset to our team. With his experience at this level of racing I’m expecting him to be fighting at the front from the start of the season.”
The first official pre-season test gets underway this week with a three day test in Estoril commencing 20th February. Two further tests at Barcelona and Silverstone will follow before the season kicks off in Spain for the first round in May.
Carlin Press Release
