The Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit De Catalunya-Barcelona was the setting of Sandy Stuvik's first ever race-weekend in the competitive GP3 series. Racing alongside Formula 1, the GP3 series is one of the top feeder-series to the pinnacle of motorsport.

Being in the same paddock as the Formula 1 teams, all the young drivers get a sniff of what life would be like as an F1 driver. “Being this close to F1 is a really special feeling. You feel that this is the real-deal and you are closer than ever to the life-long dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver,” says Stuvik, the 20 year old driver from Thailand.

On Friday afternoon the GP3 cars get their first taste of the circuit for the weekend. The final GP3 series pre-season test took place at this circuit just 2 weeks ago. Sandy felt quite pleased with the car's balance in the session. “During the race we will have to conserve our tires as this compound has a peculiar way of degrading. We can’t simply put the foot to the floor and push every lap like it was qualifying because the tires would overheat and once your tyres have overheated you have no chance of defending your position as you will be 5-10 seconds per lap slower than others that have not overheated their tires,” explains Stuvik. The drivers will have to work with their teammates and engineers to figure out the best possible set-up and strategy to ensure a top spot for the qualifying and eventually, the race.

Early on Saturday morning, the rumble of the GP3 cars woke up the circuit and are the first cars on track for what will be a busy day. Sandy qualified in 18th place, with a lap time of 1.36.534. Pole position was by Luca Ghiotto with a 1.35.469, just over a second ahead. “I felt I could have done a bit better, but I'm learning every lap with these Pirelli tires and how to maximize their grip in the quali. We've had some good race-runs in pre-season testing so I'm excited to see how the race will unfold.” The Thai driver will start his first GP3 race after Formula 1 qualifying in the afternoon.

With Formula 1 qualifying finished the GP3 cars took to the circuit Saturday afternoon, and at 17.20 Spanish local time, the race began. Sandy had an exciting time for the first few laps with lots of position changes. After a couple of laps the race settled down as everyone began to focus on tire management for the end of the race. This being something completely new for the Thai driver, he was pleased to finish the race in 10th place. “Definitely a new experience for me, but it's great to be racing again. I tried to conserve my tires for the end and it worked out well. I could pick off drivers one-by-one so I’m quite satisfied with how the race unfolded.” Unfortunately Sandy received a post-race penalty for overtaking under safety car, “I had no chance of seeing the lights as they came on right as I was making my overtake. It’s a shame that my first point goes away like that after such a good race,” the Thai driver says.

The second race of the weekend would take place the next morning. The Thai driver had a long debrief with the team and his teammates to best prepare for the next race.

Come Sunday morning it was race day for Formula 1 at the Spanish Grand Prix, however, for Stuvik in GP3, Sunday would be the second race of the weekend. Sandy and the team examined yesterdays race lap-by-lap to ensure that they had a competitive car for Sunday's race. Starting from 18th on the grid after the penalty, Sandy was aiming for a good start and a steady race, in order to fight for position at the end. The race began and Sandy immediately got to work to secure a higher position. Much the same as in the first race, the drivers had to conserve their resources in the middle of the race to make sure they were in a fighting position at the end of the race. Sandy did the same, but this time got the tire management wrong and tire grip started dropping off towards the end, finishing the race with a 17th position. “First weekend over and I've really had a great experience learning how to properly use the car and the tires to my advantage. It's not easy to come into this highly-competitive series but I aim to improve for the next race. I’m glad that I could be up there finishing just behind my teammate Alex Fontana but there is clearly a lot of room for us as a team to improve. I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity Singha Corporation, The Pizza Company, Dacon Inspection Services, and Tourism Authority of Thailand have given me.”

The next race for the Thai driver will be at Red Bull Ring in Austria from the 19th - 21st of July. Before then, Stuvik will have a simulator session with his team Status GP in order to be fully prepared for this race. Sandy Stuvik races for The Royal Automobile Association of Thailand, Singha Corporation, The Pizza Company, Dacon Inspection Services, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and the Sports Authority of Thailand.