Australian Joey Mawson endured a challenging weekend at Round Four of the 2018 GP Series in England.

For the second round in a row, the PODIUM-backed driver started the weekend off well by setting the fourth fastest time in practice, unfortunately however he wasn’t able to transfer this speed through into qualifying.

After battling with the set-up during qualifying, he would eventually set the 13^th fastest time.

Race One was a positive one for Mawson as he charged his way forward during the opening laps.  Following several safety car interventions, he found his way into eighth spot.

Holding down that position for the majority of the race, Mawson had heavy pressure from Jake Hughes and then Giuliano Alesi, eventually Alesi found a way past him with the use of DRS with a lap to go. Mawson crossed the line ninth and scored some championship points.

In the second race, Mawson again made a strong start to move up into seventh position.  However, at the midway mark in the race his pace deteriorated, and he was unable to hold onto his spot inside the top ten, eventually crossing the line in 13th position.

“It was a tough weekend overall, we showed some pace early on but it wasn’t strong enough in the second half of the race,” said Mawson.

“The first half of both races was very positive as I managed to move forward by positioning myself well and finding some gaps.   However, I just wasn’t able to maintain the pace as the races went on.

“There’s a fair bit of work for us to do in the next three weeks before Hungary, so we’ll be putting in a lot of effort analysing the data and see where we can improve.”
The weekend’s race victories were split between Anthoine Hubert and Pedro Piquet.

After three rounds in consecutive weekends, the Series now takes a short break before returning on July 27-29 in Budapest, Hungary.

Australian Joey Mawson will compete in his third successive weekend of GP3 action when the Series heads to the Silverstone circuit in England this weekend.

Fresh from a podium finish in France two weeks ago, and a sterling drive in Austria last weekend, the PODIUM-backed driver has this weekend got his sights set on more success at one of the world’s most iconic motor racing circuits.

“Silverstone is an amazing circuit. Not only is it an amazing layout but also has some incredible history,” said Mawson.

“I raced there last year in a Formula 3 car and thoroughly enjoyed it, the GP3 car is a couple of seconds faster than an F3 and I can’t wait go get out there.”

With Mawson being based it England for 2019, this weekend’s event is a home race for him and his Arden Motorsport team.

“With it being a home race there will be a lot of people involved in the team from the workshop and other guests who will be in attendance, hopefully we can get a good result for them all,” said Mawson.

“Last week at the Red Bull Ring I had a good practice session but unfortunately in qualifying it didn’t all come together, which is a key point for the weekend.

“The main aim for us this weekend is to be to build on the platform from the past couple of weeks and keep making steps forward while focusing on achieving a pair of race finishes in the points.”

Mawson will take to the circuit for practice on Friday at 8:35am local time before qualifying at 5:05pm. Race one is scheduled for 9:25am on Saturday ahead of Race two on Sunday at 8:05am.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Round 4 – Silverstone

Local Time
Practice – Friday July 6 – 8:35am
Qualifying – Friday July 6 – 5:05pm
Race 1 – Saturday July 7 – 9:25am
Race 2 – Sunday July 8 – 8:05am

Australian Eastern Standard Time
Practice – Friday July 6 – 5:35pm
Qualifying – Saturday July 7 – 2:05am
Race 1 – Saturday July 8 – 6:25pm
Race 2 – Sunday July 8 – 5:05pm

Australian Joey Mawson showed strong speed during Round Three of the 2018 GP3 Series at the Red Bull Ring in Austria on the weekend.

The highlight of the weekend for the PODIUM-backed driver was a hard charging drive in Race Two on Sunday.

After being forced onto the sidelines with a mechanical failure at the start of Race One, Mawson started Sunday’s 18-lap encounter from the rear of the 20-car grid.

Determined to move up the order, Mawson drove a superb race to pass half of the highly competitive field and cross the line in tenth position.

“While the overall result didn’t come our way, I feel as though we made some big steps forward this weekend,” said Mawson.

“I was third fastest in practice, then set the fourth fastest time on my first set of tyres in qualifying before being held up on my flying lap – which dropped me to 13th.

“Unfortunately we didn’t get the opportunity to show what we had in Race One but Sunday’s race certainly made up for it. It’s always hard to pass in GP3, so to move up ten places in a race is a very good feeling and keeps everyone very positive towards next weekend.”

The weekend’s race victories were split between Championship leader Callum Ilott and Jake Hughes.

Mawson will be back in action this weekend when the GP3 Series completes it’s ‘triple-header’ alongside the Formula 1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone in England.

Australian Joey Mawson is aiming to continue his momentum when the GP3 Series heads to the Red Bull Ring in Austria this weekend.

Fresh from his maiden GP3 Series podium result last weekend in France, Mawson is high in confidence as he heads to a circuit that he has enjoyed success at previously.

“I’m very much looking forward to this weekend, it’s always a pleasure racing on such a great circuit that has sensational facilities,” said the PODIUM-backed driver.

“I’ve raced there in both a Formula 4 and Formula 3 car, so I’m hoping to put that experience to good use this weekend.

“The circuit itself looks simple on paper but it is one where it’s very easy to lose time on and due to the limited number of corners I’d expect the field to be very close,” said Mawson.

“There is a good mix of slow, medium and high-speed corners – which always makes it interesting. The set-up of your car needs to be very balanced across the variety of corners.”

Coming off a pair of points scoring results at the Paul Ricard circuit, Mawson has set his sights on adding to his points tally this weekend.

“After last weekend’s good result, everyone in the team is on a high but also very focused on continuing to move even further forward,” said Mawson.

“The main aim will be to qualify well again and then set our sights on the podium across the weekend.”

Mawson will take to the 4.318km circuit at 9:35am local time on Friday morning for practice ahead of qualifying later in the day. Saturday’s 24-lap race will begin at 10:25am with Sunday’s 18-lap encounter from 9:45am.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

Schedule (Local Time)
Practice – Friday June 29 – 9:35am
Qualifying – Friday June 29 – 5:50pm
Race 1 – Saturday June 30 – 10:25am
Race 2 – Sunday July 1 – 9:45am

Schedule (AEST)
Practice – Friday June 29 – 5:35pm
Qualifying – Saturday June 30 – 1:50am
Race 1 – Saturday June 30 – 6:25pm
Race 2 – Sunday July 1 – 5:45pm

Australian Joey Mawson secured his first podium in the GP3 Series during Round Two at the Circuit Paul Ricard in France on Sunday.

After qualifying tenth fastest on Friday, Mawson showed his true grit throughout the opening 20-lap encounter. Despite being under intense pressure for the majority of the race, the PODIUM-backed driver held his nerve to cross the line in ninth placing and secure his first Series points.

With two of his competitors later excluded for technical infringements, Mawson was elevated to seventh in the standings.

Given that the grid for Race Two is a reverse of the top eight finishing positions from the opening race, Mawson lined up on the outside of the front row for Sunday’s 15-lap encounter.

Following a hectic opening few turns, Mawson slotted his Arden Motorsport Dallara into third place before challenging Pedro Piquet for the runner-up placing. Unable to make the pass for second, Mawson settled into third place and focused on maintaining his position while edging away from fourth-placed Alessio Lorandi.

As the race continued, Mawson cemented his place on the podium and finished one-second clear of Lorandi. Callum Illot claimed the victory – his first in the Series – ahead of Piquet and Mawson.

“I’m stoked with the results across the weekend. After getting to start the second race on the front row our aim was to finish on the podium and we achieved that goal,” said Mawson.

“We moved forward all weekend with our pace, which puts us in a good position moving onto the next race at the Red Bull Ring in Austria next weekend.

“To get the first Series points of this year for the team on Saturday and then finishing the weekend on the podium on Sunday was a fantastic reward and good motivation for everyone here at Arden Motorsport.”

The Australian dedicated his podium to long-time supporter, and PODIUM co-founder, Tom Warwick who suddenly passed away last month.

“While standing on the podium, all I could think of was how proud Tom (Warwick) would be right now. He and Geoff Morgan have been so influential in getting me to where I am today while leading the way for everyone involved in PODIUM,” said Mawson.

“This one’s for you Tom! Here’s to many more throughout the year.”

Mawson’s points haul from the weekend’s two races moved him to ninth place in the standings.

The next race on the schedule is this weekend at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.

Australian Joey Mawson will begin three successive weekends of GP3 Series racing when he lines up at the Paul Ricard circuit in France this weekend.

Following a challenging opening round last month, the PODIUM-backed driver has worked closely with his Arden Motorsport team to provide them with the best possible opportunity at success in France.

“I’m really excited for the weekend, it has been a decent break since the last event,” said Mawson.

“While it has been good to be able to really study what we need to improve on from the opening round, it’s now time to put all of our theories into practice this weekend.”

For Mawson, it will be the first time since he was racing karts that he has competed on consecutive weekends, something that he is very much looking forward to.

“It’s the first time in a long time that I’ve raced on consecutive weekends, I’m really looking forward to it. The aim will be to get some solid results this weekend, which starts with qualifying inside the top ten, then scoring some points throughout the two races,” said Mawson.

With the French Grand Prix making a return to the Formula 1 Calendar for the first time in ten years, a large crowd is anticipated for this weekend’s event.

Mawson will climb aboard his Arden Motorsport Dallara for practice on Friday morning ahead of qualifying in the afternoon. He will then contest a 20-lap race on Saturday and line up for a 15-lap contest on Sunday morning.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

Local Time
Practice – Friday June 22 – 10:25am
Qualifying – Friday June 22 – 6:50pm
Race 1 – Saturday June 23 – 11:30am
Race 2 – Sunday June 24 – 10:50am

AEST
Practice – Friday June 22 – 6:25pm
Qualifying – Saturday June 23 – 2:50am
Race 1 – Saturday June 23 – 7:30pm
Race 2 – Sunday June 24 – 6:50pm

The Australian Sports Foundation has endorsed Australian GP3 Series driver Joey Mawson.

The Australian Sports Foundation was set up in 1986 to enable Australian sport and athletes to receive philanthropic funding from donors.

The Foundation is a Federal Government Company and is written into Tax law and classified as a Recipient.

Whilst Joey has the support of the PODIUM group to run the GP3 car, it is expensive to travel to the events across the globe. This year, Mawson will need to travel from his base in England to Spain, France, Austria, Hungary, Belgium, Italy, Russia and the United Arab Emirates to compete in the Series.

Joey also requires a new helmet each year, along with other driving equipment – this is where the assistance of the donations through the Australian Sports Foundation is valuable.

All donations are tax deductable and with the End of Financial Year only a few weeks away now is a perfect time to donate. Your receipt will be emailed to you once the transaction is finalised.

To view Joey’s page on the Australian Sports Foundation please click on the following link https://asf.org.au/athletes/joey-mawson/

Further information on the Australian Sports Foundation can be found on their website asf.org.au.

Australian Joey Mawson showed glimpses of his potential in the GP3 Series during the opening event of 2018 in Barcelona, Spain on the weekend.

After the PODIUM-backed driver battled to find the perfect set-up aboard his Arden Motorsport Dallara, he then made good progress in the early laps of race two.

While battling for 11th position, contact with Gabriel Aubry unfortunately damaged Mawson’s front wing who was then forced to battle an ill-handling car for the remainder of the 17-lap journey, which was also interrupted by several safety car periods. He would eventually be classified 15th.

“It was a very challenging weekend, we continually battled understeer and while we made progress, the final result didn’t come our way,” said Mawson.

“While the end result was quite disappointing, it was good to make some forward progress in the opening half of the final race to be on the verge of the top ten.

“Unfortunately with the damage to the front wing, it comprimised my speed and I wasn’t able to maintain my position.

“With a few weeks until the next round we’ll be spending a lot of time to look at the data and analyse it all before aiming to make some good steps forward at Paul Ricard.”

The two race wins across the weekend were split between Nikita Mazepin and Giuliano Alesi. After qualifying 17th, Mawson finished 16th in race one and 15th in race two.

Round Two of the 2018 GP3 Series will be contested at the Paul Ricard circuit in France on June 22-24.

Australian Joey Mawson will begin his GP3 Series campaign in Barcelona, Spain this weekend.

The Podium-backed driver will make his debut with the Arden Motorsport team at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with the GP3 Series to be a support race for the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Having completed the three Series tests with his new team, Mawson believes he is coming to grips with the characteristics of the GP3-specification Dallara.

“I’m very excited for the weekend, the first round of a new championship makes you anxious and excited at the same time,” said Mawson.

“I’ve completed three tests in a GP3 car but I haven’t done a race in six months, so it’s very exciting to be back in race mode this weekend.

“Already I’ve learnt a lot in the test days, and then even more in the team simulators. The car and tyres are all new to me but I feel that we’ve made some good progress since the opening test. This year we have DRS (Drag Reduction System) like they do in F1, which is new to me but something I’m looking forward to adapting to.”

Competing on the same schedule as Formula 1 is something that Mawson is looking forward to, as he aims to kick off his 2018 campaign with a solid haul of points

“Sharing the weekend with Formula 1 is going to be something new. While on track it’s going to be great, it’s also good for everyone in Australia as they can watch the races live on Foxtel,” said Mawson.

“My objective is to finish on the podium, that would be a great start to the year. The level of talent in the GP3 Series this year is extremely high, so we’ll have to make the most of our opportunities and hopefully build a good solid base to kickstart our 2018 campaign.”

Mawson will take to the 4.655km Catalunya circuit for the first time at 9:30am Friday morning. He will then contest qualifying later in the day, ahead of two races across the weekend – one each on Saturday (22 laps) and Sunday (17 laps).

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Local Time
Practice – Friday May 11 – 9:30am
Qualifying – Friday May 11 – 5:50pm
Race 1 – Saturday May 12 – 10:15am
Race 2 – Sunday May 13 – 10:25am

AEST
Practice – Friday May 11 – 5:30pm
Qualifying – Friday May 11 – 1:50am
Race 1 – Saturday May 12 – 6:15pm
Race 2 – Sunday May 13 – 6:25pm

TV TIMES (Australia)
Foxtel Channel 506

Saturday May 12
Channel 506
6:10pm – 7:15pm

Sunday May 13
Channel 506
6:20pm – 7:25pm

Australian Joey Mawson will continue his impressive rise through the world motorsport ranks in 2018.

With the continued support of PODIUM, the Sydney native will join the highly successful Arden Motorsport outfit to make the step up into the GP3 Championship. His 2018 campaign will begin on May 11-13 at Barcelona in Spain.

The nine-round Championship is held alongside the Formula One World Championship at selected European events before it concludes in the United Arab Emirates on November 23-25.

For Mawson, the opportunity to compete at the same events as the highest level of motorsport in the world is an exciting one.

“I’m very excited to be joining such a highly regarded team in Arden Motorsport for the 2018 GP3 season. To be able to race on the same schedule as Formula One is something that I’m thoroughly looking forward to,” said Mawson.

“This opportunity is one that has come about pretty quickly over the past few weeks. I can’t thank everyone that is involved with PODIUM enough, they all have a huge amount of belief in me. I’m looking forward to repaying them with success on the biggest stage in the world of motorsport.”

Mawson believes that having contested the FIA Formula 3 European Championship in 2017 will provide him with a perfect springboard to be able to showcase his talent this year.

“Last year was very much a learning year for me. It was a tough one having come off winning the German F4 Championship and then making the big step into F3,” said Mawson.

“I’m very grateful for the experience of last year and thankful to everyone who helped me. Now I’m focused on putting everything that I learnt into practice to assist me in gaining more success in 2018.”

Mawson has joined the Arden Motorsport team this week as a part of the Official GP3 Test Days at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France.