Trident Racing took on Monaco challenge

For the first time in its so far short history, the GP3 Series lined-up at the historical Monte Carlo track. As a welcomed and prestigious addition to the 2012 calendar, the event provided the drivers with an exciting time between the streets of the Principality. The weekend proved really valuable for Trident Racing and the team's two young drivers, Vicky Piria and Antonio Spavone.

After a chaotic start, typical of Monte Carlo, the first race didn't feature major dramas. Spavone and Piria had a tough time in expressing their potential due to their position at the start, but they manage to complete the full distance and come to the checkered flag unscattered.

The second race came to an early end following to a massive crash involving two cars at the chicane with four to go. Both Piria and Spavone improved their positions and were able to manage some tough situations, and kept their nose clean in a pretty eventful race. Vicky finished in 12th, while Antonio ended up in 14th.

The GP3 Series schedule will now be leaving teams and drivers a 3-week stop. The cars will be back from June 22 to 24 at the Valencia streetcourse for the third round of 2012.

Antonio Spavone

"Even though the overall results haven't been brilliant, I'm happy with my first time at Monte Carlo. I hoped to clinch a better result in qualifying, but despite that, I made no mistakes during the whole weekend. In race 1 there were a lot of contacts after the start, and I lost ground in order to avoid the melee. When I managed to overtake the slower cars I had in front my laptimes dropped of about 2 seconds, but at that time the race was almost over. In the second race I overtook many cars at the start, but then in the first-lap chaos several cars cut the chicane and I was laying again in the mid pack. I'm doing my best to prepare for the round at Valencia, as it won't be a new racetrack for me…"

Vicky Piria

“The time at Monte Carlo has been really exciting. The most positive aspects were, of course, the fact to have raced on a legendary racetrack, and having made another big step compared to the race at Barcelona. The only regret is the little touch to the barriers with three laps to go in qualifying. The damage was almost non existent, but I lost time in trying to figure out if something was wrong. The loss of these few laps cost me several positions. I made no mistakes during the races, although there aren't big chances to overtake at Monte Carlo. Overall, it's been a positive weekend and I'm looking forward to the next rounds with confidence."