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.

Australian Joey Mawson showed glimpses of his potential in the GP3 Series during the opening event of 2018 in Barcelona, Spain on the weekend.

After the PODIUM-backed driver battled to find the perfect set-up aboard his Arden Motorsport Dallara, he then made good progress in the early laps of race two.

While battling for 11th position, contact with Gabriel Aubry unfortunately damaged Mawson’s front wing who was then forced to battle an ill-handling car for the remainder of the 17-lap journey, which was also interrupted by several safety car periods. He would eventually be classified 15th.

“It was a very challenging weekend, we continually battled understeer and while we made progress, the final result didn’t come our way,” said Mawson.

“While the end result was quite disappointing, it was good to make some forward progress in the opening half of the final race to be on the verge of the top ten.

“Unfortunately with the damage to the front wing, it comprimised my speed and I wasn’t able to maintain my position.

“With a few weeks until the next round we’ll be spending a lot of time to look at the data and analyse it all before aiming to make some good steps forward at Paul Ricard.”

The two race wins across the weekend were split between Nikita Mazepin and Giuliano Alesi. After qualifying 17th, Mawson finished 16th in race one and 15th in race two.

Round Two of the 2018 GP3 Series will be contested at the Paul Ricard circuit in France on June 22-24.

Australian Joey Mawson will begin his GP3 Series campaign in Barcelona, Spain this weekend.

The Podium-backed driver will make his debut with the Arden Motorsport team at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with the GP3 Series to be a support race for the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Having completed the three Series tests with his new team, Mawson believes he is coming to grips with the characteristics of the GP3-specification Dallara.

“I’m very excited for the weekend, the first round of a new championship makes you anxious and excited at the same time,” said Mawson.

“I’ve completed three tests in a GP3 car but I haven’t done a race in six months, so it’s very exciting to be back in race mode this weekend.

“Already I’ve learnt a lot in the test days, and then even more in the team simulators. The car and tyres are all new to me but I feel that we’ve made some good progress since the opening test. This year we have DRS (Drag Reduction System) like they do in F1, which is new to me but something I’m looking forward to adapting to.”

Competing on the same schedule as Formula 1 is something that Mawson is looking forward to, as he aims to kick off his 2018 campaign with a solid haul of points

“Sharing the weekend with Formula 1 is going to be something new. While on track it’s going to be great, it’s also good for everyone in Australia as they can watch the races live on Foxtel,” said Mawson.

“My objective is to finish on the podium, that would be a great start to the year. The level of talent in the GP3 Series this year is extremely high, so we’ll have to make the most of our opportunities and hopefully build a good solid base to kickstart our 2018 campaign.”

Mawson will take to the 4.655km Catalunya circuit for the first time at 9:30am Friday morning. He will then contest qualifying later in the day, ahead of two races across the weekend – one each on Saturday (22 laps) and Sunday (17 laps).

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Local Time
Practice – Friday May 11 – 9:30am
Qualifying – Friday May 11 – 5:50pm
Race 1 – Saturday May 12 – 10:15am
Race 2 – Sunday May 13 – 10:25am

AEST
Practice – Friday May 11 – 5:30pm
Qualifying – Friday May 11 – 1:50am
Race 1 – Saturday May 12 – 6:15pm
Race 2 – Sunday May 13 – 6:25pm

TV TIMES (Australia)
Foxtel Channel 506

Saturday May 12
Channel 506
6:10pm – 7:15pm

Sunday May 13
Channel 506
6:20pm – 7:25pm

Australian Joey Mawson will continue his impressive rise through the world motorsport ranks in 2018.

With the continued support of PODIUM, the Sydney native will join the highly successful Arden Motorsport outfit to make the step up into the GP3 Championship. His 2018 campaign will begin on May 11-13 at Barcelona in Spain.

The nine-round Championship is held alongside the Formula One World Championship at selected European events before it concludes in the United Arab Emirates on November 23-25.

For Mawson, the opportunity to compete at the same events as the highest level of motorsport in the world is an exciting one.

“I’m very excited to be joining such a highly regarded team in Arden Motorsport for the 2018 GP3 season. To be able to race on the same schedule as Formula One is something that I’m thoroughly looking forward to,” said Mawson.

“This opportunity is one that has come about pretty quickly over the past few weeks. I can’t thank everyone that is involved with PODIUM enough, they all have a huge amount of belief in me. I’m looking forward to repaying them with success on the biggest stage in the world of motorsport.”

Mawson believes that having contested the FIA Formula 3 European Championship in 2017 will provide him with a perfect springboard to be able to showcase his talent this year.

“Last year was very much a learning year for me. It was a tough one having come off winning the German F4 Championship and then making the big step into F3,” said Mawson.

“I’m very grateful for the experience of last year and thankful to everyone who helped me. Now I’m focused on putting everything that I learnt into practice to assist me in gaining more success in 2018.”

Mawson has joined the Arden Motorsport team this week as a part of the Official GP3 Test Days at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France.

Australian Joey Mawson recorded a strong fourth placing during his debut in the Euroformula Open Series in Barcelona, Spain on Sunday.

After receiving a late call up from the BVM Racing outfit, the PODIUM-backed driver showed tremendous poise throughout the event.

Despite not having worked with the team previously, or driven on the Michelin tyres used in the event, Mawson finished the final race of the weekend in fourth.

“Overall it was a good weekend. It was rounded out with a strong fourth position which was a very good result for the team considering they hadn’t scored any points all year,” said Mawson.

“It has been a great experience as the team was very much an open book and allowed me to engineer the car to ensure that we got the most out of it. I learnt a lot.

“I felt as though I continually improved across the weekend and to end up just off the podium is a very good result with everything considered.”

After posting times consistently inside the top ten during practice, Mawson qualified eighth for the opening race before coming together with Cameron Das on the straight which put a premature end to both of their races.

Mawson qualified fifth for the second race, less than two-tenths behind the fastest qualifier, before slotting into fourth place exiting the opening turn. After challenging for third in the opening laps, he would be forced to fend of challenges from behind in the middle section of the race before crossing the line fourth.

Carlin Motorsport’s Devlin De Francesco and RP Motorsport guest driver Felipe Drugovich won the two races. Drugovich was in the championship-winning car of Harrison Scott who dominated the 2017 Series winning 12 of 14 races.

Australian Joey Mawson has received a last minute call-up to compete at the final round of Euroformula Open in Barcelona, Spain this weekend.

Mawson will climb aboard a car prepared by BVM Racing for the one-off appearance.

“It’s been a very last minute and unexpected drive this weekend.  It’s been a little bit of a different week to what I expected at the start of it but it’s all very exciting,” said the PODIUM-backed driver.

“The team I’m with has had a very tough year, they’ve asked me to come along and help them out at the final round.

“I’ll be aiming to work with the team and my engineer, who I know from when I did the MRF Challenge, to get some points on the board for them.”

The Euroformula Open cars are similar to what Mawson has been competing aboard throughout 2017 in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, however, there are some differences that he will need to adapt quickly to.

“The Euroformula cars have a different tyre and engine package to what I’ve been driving this year, so I will need to adapt to it quickly to ensure that I give myself the best opportunity at a good result,” said Mawson.

“I’ve tested previously at Barcelona but never raced here. I’m really looking forward to the challenge but the main thing is that I’m staying race sharp.”

Mawson will be a part of a private test today (Thursday) ahead of Official Practice tomorrow at 10:05am local time. A qualifying session will be held ahead of a 17-lap race on each day on the weekend.

A full timetable can be found by clicking here with live timing available here.

Australian Joey Mawson recorded his 14th top ten finish in the 2017 FIA Formula 3 European Championship finale at Hockenheim in Germany on Sunday.

The PODIUM-backed driver crossed the line ninth in the final race of the weekend to be classified as the second-placed Rookie driver in the field.

The result ensured that it was the 16th time Mawson enjoyed the spoils on the Rookie podium throughout his 2017 campaign.

“Overall, it was a tough weekend to finish the Championship off with but it was good to get a couple of points in the final race,” said Mawson.

“I had some good speed early in practice but then we didn’t get qualifying right and had to start all three races from outside the top ten. I fought hard all weekend and eventually this paid off with a finish inside the points.”

Mawson paid tribute to the high-level of competition in the Championship and the team at PODIUM who provided him the opportunity to compete in the 2017 Championship.

“To be able to race against such high quality drivers in this amazing Championship has been an incredible experience,” said Mawson.

“Many people have said that the talent in this year’s Championship is the highest they’ve seen for a number of years and I’ve been privileged to be a part of it.

“None of this would have been possible without the support of the team at PODIUM, to everyone involved – a heartfelt thank you.”

McLaren Formula 1 Junior driver Lando Norris won the Championship ahead of Joel Eriksson and Maximilian Günther.

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
(After Round 10 of 10)
1. Lando Norris – 441 points
2. Joel Eriksson – 388
3. Maximilian Günther – 383
4. Callum Ilott – 344
5. Jake Hughes – 207
6. Jehan Daruvala – 191
7. Ferdinand Habsburg – 186
8. Guanyu Zhou – 149
9. Ralf Aron – 123
10. Nikita Mazepin – 108
13. Joey Mawson – 83

Australian Joey Mawson will aim to finish his 2017 campaign on a high when he takes to the Hockenheim circuit in Germany for the final round of the FIA European Formula 3 Championship.

The PODIUM-backed driver has showed some impressive speed over the recent events – a trend that Mawson is focused on continuing this weekend.

Having enjoyed success at Hockenheim previously, coupled with the impressive results by Van Amersfoort Racing’s in the past, Mawson is ready for the final challenge of his 2017 Championship campaign.

“I’ve had another really good preparation for this weekend and I really can’t wait to get on the track at Hockenheim,” said Mawson.

“The year has gone so fast and I’ve learnt so much in my first year in the Formula 3 Championship. I’m really focused on taking everything I’ve learnt and get a good result to sign the season off.

“As for the circuit itself, it is one that I really enjoy and has also been good for the Van Amersfoort team in the past. It has got a good combination of fast, medium and slow speed corners which makes passing very possible – this should create some good racing.”

In a slight change to the schedule from the previous rounds, Mawson will contest practice and qualifying for all three races on Friday. He’ll then line up for a pair of races on Saturday ahead of the final race of the year on Sunday at 10:55am.  This weekend’s round is once again held alongside the popular DTM Championship.

Australian Joey Mawson showed true fighting spirit during the penultimate round of the 2017 FIA European Formula 3 Championship at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.

After being among the pacesetters in the two practice sessions (2nd and 4th fastest), qualifying didn’t quite hit the marks leaving the PODIUM-backed driver starting mid-pack for all three races.

In the opening race Mawson got shuffled wide on the opening lap, a few laps later he ran wide causing a large amount of grass to be lodged in his front wing. After being forced to pit to change his front wing, Mawson returned to the circuit only to be hit by Petru Florescu causing a puncture on the last lap. He was classified 18th.

Starting from 13th for Race Two, Mawson made a solid start to be move into tenth place on the opening lap. He then pressured Maximilian Gunther, who is currently second in the Championship, throughout the journey.

When two drivers ahead of him made mistakes on the last lap, Mawson took advantage and was classified eighth in the final standings.

Race Three was the highlight of the weekend for Mawson and where he showed his true class. After starting 11th, the Van Amersfoort Racing pilot scythed his way through the field to find himself in sixth spot by mid race.

When Championship leader Lando Norris and Ralf Aron crashed out on the final lap, Mawson crossed the line fourth.

Unfortunately, Mawson was one of three drivers that Officials elected to penalise for exceeding track limits while attempting to avoid contact at turn one on the opening lap – a post-race penalty that is rarely applied. He was eventually classified seventh.

“Overall, it was a solid weekend, I’m really happy with the way it ended in the final race crossing the line fourth,” said Mawson.

“I made a fantastic start and then focused on putting in some good lap times while making some overtaking moves. I feel as though it was probably one of my best races of the year.

“From the practice onwards I was always the fastest VAR car, so that was another positive. It is nice to head into the final round with another good result under our belt, now we’ll look to finish on a high at Hockenheim.”

The final event in the 10-round Championship will be held in three weeks time (Oct 13-15) at Hockenheim in Germany.

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
(After Round 9 of 10)
1. Lando Norris – 411 points
2. Maximilian Günther – 339
3. Joel Eriksson – 333
4. Callum Ilott – 297
5. Jake Hughes – 193
6. Jehan Daruvala – 177
7. Ferdinand Habsburg – 171
8. Guanyu Zhou – 119
9. Ralf Aron – 118
10. Harrison Newey – 106
13. Joey Mawson – 81