Fil-Swiss Stockinger places second in Barcelona GP3 opener

Marlon Stockinger became the first Filipino with a podium finish at a Formula 1 race event when he finished second in the first round of the 2012 Catalunya GP3 Series, Saturday (Sunday, PHL time) in Montmelo, Spain.   Racing for the Status Grand Prix team, Stockinger logged a time of 1:38.867 in the qualifier, good for fifth on the racing grid. He then worked his way up the ladder, snagging second place after two of the cars in front of him drew false start penalties.   The Fil-Swiss ultimately finished second behind Australian Mitch Evans of MW Arden with a time of 30:989,738, less than three seconds back of Evans.   "When you start in the top five everything is always possible," Stockinger said after the race. "The boys worked hard to give me a good car and it's great that I finished on podium in the first race of the season.   "There was a bit of chaos at the start with the jump-starting cars, but after that it wasn't too hectic for me."   His second-place finish was good for 18 points.   Unfortunately, Stockinger was unable to continue his success in the second race of the event, placing 19th out of the 21 racers who finished, Sunday (Monday, PHL time). He finished with a time of +38.449, compared to the winner, Conor Daly of Lotus GP. - Adrian Dy/RSJ, GMA News