22nd May 2006

Two excellent podium results in Oschersleben over the weekend have seen Manor Motorsport’s Esteban Guerrieri move into the lead of the 2006 Formula 3 Euroseries Championship; his performances also helping the Dinnington squad extend its advantage in the team standings by a very healthy 15 points.

The Argentinean sensation started his weekend at the German venue in grand style, scorching to pole position for the first race with a lap time of 1m 18.445 seconds right at the end of the qualifying session.

Japanese team-mate Kohei Hirate set the fourth fastest time with fellow Toyota Driver Development Programme member, Kazuki Nakajima, at the head of row three to see all of Manor’s cars within the first five places on the grid for Saturday’s encounter.

Unfortunately for Guerrieri, he wasn’t able to convert his second career pole position into the race victory after losing out on the start but he drove well to second place, crossing the line after 30 laps a mere half a second adrift of race-winner Paul Di Resta. Hirate held on to fourth position while Nakajima ended the race in sixth.

Sunday’s race would see greater success for Manor with Nakajima the best placed of the team’s stars lining up in third spot on the grid. His countryman Hirate headed row three while Guerrieri would have even more work to do in, starting the second race from seventh position courtesy of the reversed grid order.

While Nakajima would retain fourth position in the driver standings after finishing fifth in the second of the weekend’s races, both Hirate and Guerrieri made inroads in the championship battle – the latter driving superbly to claim his second podium of the weekend and a deserved, if slender, one point lead in the title chase.

If Guerrieri’s inspired drive from seventh on the grid gave Manor plenty to cheer, there was also excellent news for Hirate who moved up from fifth in the championship to third overall, following a welcome second place finish behind race-winner Sebastien Buemi.

Speaking on his climb back up the driver standings, Hirate said: “I am very happy with second place in the race and to have also moved back up the championship. The hard work the team did overnight to my car paid off as it was significantly better than during Saturday’s race.”

For Guerrieri, meanwhile, Oschersleben may not have seen him return to the top step of the podium but it was still an incredibly successful weekend and the whole Manor team now heads to the British round of the series, the first ever, at Brands Hatch in six weeks time on a deserved high.

“Third place on the podium and the championship lead is a great way to finish the weekend”, commented the delighted Argentinean following race two. “Here, the start was decisive and after already making up two positions at the first corner I then benefited from some mistakes which others made.

“In Saturday’s race I was happy to have scored important points with second place but I was a bit annoyed with myself as I messed up at the start. It’s been a good weekend though and the whole team is now looking forward to Brands Hatch.”

With Manor’s trio of stars all within the top four of the championship, the team standings also make fantastic reading as the squad has opened up a 15-point cushion over reigning champion ASM. The British team has added 22 points to its total, giving Manor 66 points overall.

An extended six-week break now faces Manor’s F3 Euroseries operation ahead of the fourth race meeting of the season which will be held at the world-famous Brands Hatch Circuit in Kent on 1st/2nd July.