The 2011 GP3 Series season  was the second season of the GP3 Series , a feeder series for the GP2 Series . The season began at Istanbul Park  on 7 May and concluded at Autodromo Nazionale Monza  on 11 September after eight rounds made up of two races each and all in support of European Formula 1  Grands Prix. The 2010 champion Esteban Gutiérrez  graduated to the GP2 Series so did not defend his title. 
After the early rounds, the likes of Mitch Evans , Nigel Melker , Andrea Caldarelli  and Alexander Sims  were fighting for the championship lead. However, Caldarelli had to retire from the series due to failing to raise a sufficient budget for the whole season. Sims then held the lead after consistent podium finishes in both Valencia and Silverstone. This was not to last though, as the Finn Valtteri Bottas  started to find his speed at Nürburgring, taking the top spot after winning the first race at Hungaroring while Sims was disqualified due rear floor height check. Bottas led the championship with 7 points from Sims. Total of 6 drivers were within 13 points from Bottas at that time. 
Bottas was able to secure the title in the first race of Monza . In that race he took the chequered flag and his closest rival and team-mate James Calado  was left to second place. As 7 points is the maximum from Sunday's race and Bottas had more victories than Calado , the 7-point gap between them was enough for Bottas to clinch the title with one race still to go.[ 1]   
   
Teams and drivers  Championship runner-up James Calado    All of the teams used the Dallara GP3/10  chassis with and a Renault four-cylinder 2.0 litre (122 cu in) turbocharged engines order and with tyres supplied by Pirelli .[ 2]   
  
Driver changes  Changed teams    Entering/Re-Entering GP3 Series   Formula Renault MEC  champion Zoël Amberg  joined the series with Atech CRS GP.  Luciano Bacheta , the Formula Renault Eurocup  runner-up, joined the series with RSC Mücke Motorsport.  Valtteri Bottas  joined the championship, having finished third in the Formula 3 Euro Series. He will continue with the Lotus  ART  team that he drove for in the Euro Series.  James Calado  joined the championship, having finished runner-up to Jean-Éric Vergne  in British Formula 3  with Carlin . He will join Bottas at Lotus ART.  Andrea Caldarelli , who finished third in Italian Formula Three , moved into the championship with Tech 1 Racing . Aaro Vainio  joined him, having driven for the French squad in the Formula Renault Eurocup, finishing fourth in the standings.  Gabriel Chaves  stepped up from Italian Formula Three to GP3 with the Addax Team. He was joined by Dominic Storey , who moved over from a one-off drive in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series .  Star Mazda  champion Conor Daly  joined the series for Carlin. He was joined by German Formula Three  champion Tom Dillmann  for the first round of the series in Istanbul Park .  Having competed in Australian Formula Three  and the Toyota Racing Series  since the start of 2010, Mitch Evans  joined MW Arden.  Matias Laine  made his debut in the series with Manor Racing , having competed in the Formula 3 Euro Series for Motopark Academy  in 2010.  Formula Renault UK  race-winners Tamás Pál Kiss , Marlon Stöckinger , Lewis Williamson  and Nick Yelloly  all joined the series. Pál Kiss drove for Tech 1 Racing, Williamson drove for MW Arden while Stöckinger and Yelloly drove for Atech CRS GP.  Alexander Sims  made his debut in the series with Status Grand Prix, having finished fourth in the Formula 3 Euro Series for ART Grand Prix .  Maxim Zimin  joined the series with Jenzer Motorsport, having competed with the team in Formula Abarth .  Leaving GP3 Series    
2011 Schedule  The 2011 calendar was announced on 18 January 2011. The series consisted of eight rounds. A prospective ninth round in Monaco  was dropped on 2 February 2011 due to a lack of paddock space.[ 40]   It supported every other European Formula One event.[ 3]   
  The following rounds were included on the provisional calendars published by the FIA  but were cancelled: 
  
Results   
Championship standings  
 Drivers' Championship           Key     Colour  Result     Gold  Winner     Silver  2nd place     Bronze  3rd place     Green  Other points position     Blue   Other classified position     Not classified, finished (NC)     Purple  Not classified, retired (Ret)     Red   Did not qualify (DNQ)     Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)     Black  Disqualified (DSQ)     White   Did not start (DNS)     Race cancelled (C)     Blank   Did not practice (DNP)     Excluded (EX)     Did not arrive (DNA)     Withdrawn (WD)     Text formatting   Meaning     Bold    Pole position  point(s)    Italics    Fastest lap  point(s)  
   
 
 Teams' Championship        Pos   Team   Car No.   IST     CAT     VAL     SIL     NÜR     HUN     SPA     MNZ     Points     1     Lotus  ART    1   22   26†   15   26†   Ret   15   Ret   17   23   Ret   18   14   8   1   10   19   124     2   4   8   10    7   7   3   15   12   3   1   1    2   1    19   1   17     3   17   13   2   21   8   1    6   5   4   6   25   3   2    2    2   14     2     MW  Arden    26   6   7   1    5   3   4   9   Ret   19    22   Ret   24†   11   Ret   8   Ret   69     27   19   21   27   25†   Ret   Ret   12   10   9   16   16   12   19   5   5   4     28   Ret   20   14   9   2    6   7   1   2    14   6   Ret   9   DNS   18   10     3     Marussia  Manor Racing    10   24   16   11   23   1    8   4    15   5   Ret   3   10   4   Ret   Ret    6   67     11   26†   10   20   11   19   22†   10   4   1   10   9   1   12   9   3    2     12   18   Ret   19   24   17   Ret   Ret   Ret   14   23   14   21   18   Ret   20   Ret     4     RSC  Mücke Motorsport    29   Ret   19   22   16   18   10   5   19   25   25   17   Ret   Ret   17   15   15   61     30   7   2   18   12   Ret   Ret   Ret   13   26†   12   2    13   15   4   12   11     31   1   3   6   2   Ret   19   Ret   8   10   3    8   4    3   Ret   9   Ret     5     Status Grand Prix    4   8   1    Ret   Ret   6   2   2    3   12   2   DSQ   9   Ret   Ret   21†   Ret   50     5   5   4   12   17   Ret   20†   19   9   28   Ret   11   6   Ret   11   7   1     6   14   24   17   13   Ret   Ret   18   24   11   18   28   23   10   8   Ret   Ret     6     Tech 1 Racing    17   15   Ret   3   20   Ret   Ret   11   18   7   13   5   7   13   Ret   22†   8   43     18   2    5   4   4    Ret   Ret   20   21   18   24†   27   Ret   22   21   14   Ret     19   16   18   8   1   16   13   Ret   20   8   4   10   20   17   14   Ret   12     7     Jenzer Motorsport    7   11   15   5   Ret   Ret   14   1   11   15   7   4   5   7   3   4   3   37     8   23   17   Ret   19   Ret   21†   DSQ   EX   20   15   19   8   Ret   15   Ret   16     9   25   Ret   9   8   13   9   14   22   13   11   22   Ret   14   6   16   20     8     Addax Team    23   20   Ret   Ret   27†   20   Ret   Ret   25†   22   5   7   22   6   Ret   Ret   9   33     24   10   12   13   6   4   5   Ret   14   27†   17   23   Ret   16   16   17   7     25   9   6   7   3   5   11   8   2    24   Ret   24   19   20   20   Ret   18     9     Carlin    14   21   25   21   22   12   7   13   7   6   8   13   11   5   7   6   Ret   21     15   3    9   24   14   15   Ret   DNS   DNS   29   21   26   18   Ret   Ret   11   5     16   Ret   22   23   15   10   17   17   23   17   19   20   15   21   18   13   Ret     10     Atech  CRS GP    20   Ret   23   26   Ret   14   16   16   Ret   Ret   DNS   12   17   Ret   10   19   13   7     21   13   11   25   18   9   12   3   6   16   9   21   Ret   Ret   13   Ret   Ret     22   12   14   16   10   11   18   Ret   16   21   20   15   16   Ret   12   Ret   Ret     Pos   Team   Car No.   IST     CAT     VAL     SIL     NÜR     HUN     SPA     MNZ     Points     Sources:[ 46] [ 47]    
      Key     Colour  Result     Gold  Winner     Silver  2nd place     Bronze  3rd place     Green  Other points position     Blue   Other classified position     Not classified, finished (NC)     Purple  Not classified, retired (Ret)     Red   Did not qualify (DNQ)     Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)     Black  Disqualified (DSQ)     White   Did not start (DNS)     Race cancelled (C)     Blank   Did not practice (DNP)     Excluded (EX)     Did not arrive (DNA)     Withdrawn (WD)     Text formatting   Meaning     Bold    Pole position  point(s)    Italics    Fastest lap  point(s)  
   
 Drivers who did not finish the race but were classified are marked with †.   
   ^   Status Grand Prix competed under a Ireland license.    ^   Arden International competed under a Australia license.    ^   Adrian Quaife-Hobbs  set the fastest lap, but did not finish in the top 10, so was ineligible to be the point-scorer for the fastest lap. Dean Smith  was the point-scorer instead for setting the fastest lap of those finishing in the top 10.    ^   Valtteri Bottas  set the fastest lap, but did not finish in the top 10, so was ineligible to be the point-scorer for the fastest lap. Callum MacLeod  was the point-scorer instead for setting the fastest lap of those finishing in the top 10.       
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