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.