Pirelli extends its support to the GP3 champion

In 2012, Pirelli committed to financially supporting the GP3 champion if they decide to continue their progression in GP2. The Italian manufacturer fully intends to continue this commitment in the coming years.

This week, the GP2 MW Arden team (partially owned by Mark Webber) officially announced what was more than likely: New Zealander Mitch Evans, the 2012 GP3 champion, is now appointed in GP2. This will trigger the payment of 200,000 euros promised by Pirelli.

The driver thus highlighted the support he received to make this progression possible: « First of all, I would like to thank Arden for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to drive for them in GP2, after two great years in GP3. I want to thank Mark Webber and Ann Neal and everyone behind the scenes who made this possible. »

Pirelli is obviously one of those behind-the-scenes players that allows the 18-year-old driver to gather the necessary budget for his progression. It is an approach that the company’s leaders wish to extend, as confirmed by Mario Isola, Pirelli’s GP2/GP3 manager, to Racingbusiness: « Pirelli has always been involved not only at the top of global motorsports but also within smaller disciplines around the world. Currently, we support about 150 national and international series. We have been the exclusive tire suppliers for GP3 since its inception in 2010, and we supply its sister series, GP2, since we returned to Formula One the following year. »

However, being just a supplier was not exactly the ultimate goal of Pirelli, which has therefore wanted to do more for the future of motorsports: From the start, we wanted to offer young and talented drivers that little extra and we are delighted to be closely involved in the development of future Formula 1 champions. The GP3 reward goes in this direction as it offers a significant sum of money to the GP3 champion if they move up to GP2 the following year, where tire management is essential. Additionally, Pirelli is committed to working with organizers and teams and we will continue to support drivers in these highly competitive championships, particularly in GP3. Although it has existed for a short time, it has already proven to be an important step on the motorsport ladder.

The GP3 can, in fact, take pride in the fact that out of its three champions, two will be full-time Formula 1 drivers in 2013 since Esteban Gutierrez has been promoted to Sauber and Valtteri Bottas also becomes a full-time driver at Williams. The path is thus clearly laid out for Mitch Evans, and this should be an additional motivating factor for all the contenders for the GP3 throne.