Huertas and costa test for carlin in gp3

24 October 2011

Carlin’s GP3 squad will be testing two cars in Barcelona this week with Carlos Huertas and Nicolas Costa behind the wheel. The South American duo will both participate in the official test at the Catalan circuit where they will get their first taste of the GP3 machinery.

As the 2011 season came to an end over a month ago, the Barcelona test is a welcome return to the track for the GP3 teams. Carlin’s two South American drivers Huertas and Costa will both get their first experience of GP3 this week, having competed in British F3 and Formula Abarth respectively this year.

Colombian racer Huertas is already familiar with the British squad, having competed with Carlin in the Cooper Tires British F3 Series this year. Huertas was one of the most consistent racers of the season, racking up eight podiums in total to finish the season third overall. The 20 year-old ended his season on a high with a dominant race win over team mate Kevin Magnussen at Silverstone earlier this month.

Joining Huertas at the GP3 test will be 19 year-old Brazilian driver Costa. Costa is part of the Ferrari Young Driver Academy which supports talented young drivers throughout the ranks of motorsport. Having won the inaugural 2010 Formula Future championship, backed by F1 driver Felipe Massa, he then spent the 2011 season competing in the Formula Abarth Italian championship where he finished the season 5th.

Huertas has previous experience of the Catalan track having just completed a Formula Renault 3.5 test there earlier this month, and also having raced in support of the Spanish Grand Prix in Formula BMW Europe in 2008. Costa meanwhile has just one day’s experience of the circuit under his belt, having completed a short Formula Abarth test at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Speaking about the test, Huertas said, “The team asked me and it was an easy decision to say yes as I know the guys well and it will be a different experience and good to test another type of car. It’s good that I know the circuit. I can help the team try a few things and hopefully make it a good test for myself as well.”

Costa added, “I’ve been in Europe for just eight or nine months now and I didn’t expect to have my first experience of a GP3 car so soon! To be getting this experience and to be with Carlin which is a team with such a good reputation is really special for me and I’m very excited. Everything will be different for me over the next few days; the team, the car, the tyres. I’m expecting the difference in power and aerodynamics to be the biggest change for me. I just want to start slowly and build up the speed. I can’t wait to get on track for my first taste of the car”.

The official two day test will take place from 25 – 26 October.

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