Cypriot racer Tio Ellinas staked his claim for a place in F1 this weekend after storming to victory in the final GP3 Series race of the season at Monza in Italy.
The GP3 series is a feeder to the GP2 series and is essentially two divisions below F1 which has always been a long-time dream for the Larnaca 20-year-old.
On Sunday, Ellinas raced to victory in the final day of the season at Monza although the overall championship title went to Australia’s Mitch Evans who finished with 151.5 points. Ellinas took seventh place out of 31 drivers in the overall standings to end the season on 97 points. His previous best finish this season was fourth place which he secured in Hungary and Great Britain.
Upon joining Marussia Manor Racing Team at the start of the season, Ellinas said, “I am very happy to join Marussia Manor Racing. It’s a winning team and I am really looking forward to building on the progress made during the two tests. I felt immediately at home in the team and now I can’t wait to get back in the car again and race in my first GP3 season.”

According to his racing team, Ellinas had impressed in winter testing running with Marussia Manor Racing in Valencia and Jerez, showing strong pace in all conditions. He adapted quickly to the, category underlining his potential and marking him out as one to watch in 2012.
Nicknamed “The Flying Cypriot”, he began his career in karting. From 2001 to 2009 he won 101 of the 131 races he competed in. He won the Cyprus ICA Junior Class three times as well as the Cyprus KF2 Karting Championship and the KZ2 Bridgestone Cup in 2009. That same year he also won the inaugural Grand Prix Shootout competition in the United Kingdom.
Tio stepped up to single-seater racing in 2010, competing in the British Formula Ford and winning three races on his way to fourth place and top rookie in the championship. In 2011, he switched to the Formula Renault UK Championship, winning two races and finishing in third position.

Cyprus Weekly