The GP3 Series grid guide

The 2012 version of the GP3 Series kicks off at Barcelona this weekend with a near-unrecognisable field compared to a year ago.

With past champions Esteban Gutirrez and Valtteri Bottas having moved onwards and upwards, the stage is set for a talented youngster to put themselves firmly on the F1 radar come September. Here's AUTOSPORT's guide to the runners and riders.

Lotus GP

#1. Daniel Abt (D)
Age: 19
GP3 debut: Barcelona, 2012
2011: 7th in F3 Euro Series, 4th in FIA International F3 Trophy

#2. Conor Daly (USA)
Age: 20
GP3 debut: Istanbul Park, 2011
2011: 17th in GP3, 13th in Indy Lights (5 starts, 1 win)

#3. Aaro Vainio (FIN)
Age: 18
GP3 debut: Istanbul Park, 2011
2011: 15th in GP3

The dominance shown by ART in the second half of 2011 with Valtteri Bottas and James Calado suggests that all three of its drivers - who are running under the Lotus GP banner this year - have a golden opportunity. Returnees Daly and Vainio had middling rookie campaigns. Daly struggled at first to learn the ropes in European racing but looked stronger by the end of the year, while Vainio struggled once Tech 1 lost its lead driver Andrea Caldarelli to Formula Nippon. Abt comes from an eventful, but fruitless, rookie season in the F3 Euro Series, where he never quite made the step up to properly fight at the front.

MW Arden

#4. Mitch Evans (NZ)
Age: 17
GP3 debut: Istanbul Park, 2011
2011: 9th in GP3 (1 win), Toyota Racing Series champion

#5. David Fumanelli (I)
Age: 20
GP3 debut: Barcelona, 2012
2011: 2nd in European F3 Open

#6. Matias Laine (FIN)
Age: 22
GP3 debut: Istanbul Park, 2011
2011: Unclassified in GP3

ART's drivers will be keeping an eye on Mark Webber protege Evans, who starts the year as the championship favourite. The teenager was a factor in the title race as a rookie last season until bad luck and the odd mistake took the wind out of his sails, so with that experience under his belt and all the drivers who finished above him last year moving on, he is very well placed to lead the way. Laine has looked better in testing than his almost anonymous performances in 2011 suggested, while Fumanelli's F3 experience could make him one of the more promising rookies.

Manor Racing

#7. Dmitry Suranovich (RU)
Age: 16
GP3 debut: Barcelona, 2012
2011: 25th in European Formula Abarth

#8. Fabiano Machado (BR)
Age: 25
GP3 debut: Barcelona, 2012
2011: Sud-Am F3 champion (17 wins)

#9. Tio Ellinas (CY)
Age: 20
GP3 debut: Barcelona, 2012
2011: 3rd in Formula Renault UK, 2 starts in Formula Renault NEC (1 win)

For the past two years Ellinas has impressed in the British junior ranks, racing in Formula Ford and then Formula Renault. His CV suggests he is ready to step up, and he should be able to lead the Manor team that proved with Adrian Quaife-Hobbs last year that it has a very good car. Unlike his teenaged team-mate Suranovich, Machado doesn't have time on his side at 25, and GP3 is likely to be a big leap in competitiveness compared with South American F3.

Status Grand Prix

#14. Marlon Stockinger (PHI)
Age:21
GP3 debut: Istanbul Park, 2011
2011: Unclassified in GP3

#15. Kotaro Sakurai (J)
Age: 17
GP3 debut: Barcelona, 2012
2011: British F3 National Class champion

#16. Alice Powell (GB)
Age: 19
GP3 debut: Barcelona, 2012
2011: 9th in Formula Renault UK

Status had a race-winning car at times last season, but on some weekends it lost its way, costing its drivers the consistency required to fight for the championship. It will be a big achievement to match 2011's results with a far more inexperienced line-up this year. Stockinger showed occasional pace over one lap with Atech CRS but never got it together in the races. Sakurai had very little opposition in British F3's National class, while GP3 marks a natural step up for Powell, who has so far cut her teeth in the lower rungs of the UK racing ladder and took the BARC Formula Renault title in 2010.

Ocean Racing Technology

#17. Kevin Ceccon (I)
Age: 18
GP3 debut: Barcelona, 2012
2011: Auto GP champion (1 win), unclassified in GP2 (8 races)

#18. Carmen Jorda (E)
Age: 23
GP3 debut: Barcelona, 2012
2011: 29th in Lamborghini Super Trofeo

#19. Robert Cregan (IRL)
Age: 23
GP3 debut: Barcelona, 2012
2011: 12th in Australian V8 Development Series

Tiago Monteiro's GP2 outfit expands into GP3 this year, and if it can get a handle on the smaller car quickly then Auto GP champion Ceccon should be able to fight at the front. The Italian's step down to this level came as a surprise over the winter - after races in GP2 and taking part at the F1 young driver test last year he was known to be chasing teams in both championships for this year. Jorda returns to single-seaters after a year away, so she will be calling on her Spanish F3 and Indy Lights experience to hit the ground running. Cregan also moves across after racing with a roof over his head last year, and his form in the competitive second tier of V8 Supercars is not to be dismissed.

Jenzer Motorsport

#20. Robert Visoiu (RO)
Age: 15
GP3 debut: Barcelona, 2012
2011: 4th in European Formula Abarth (2 wins), 6th in Italian Formula Abarth (1 win)

#21. Patric Niederhauser (CH)
Age: 20
GP3 debut: Barcelona, 2012
2011: Italian Formula Abarth champion (6 wins), 2nd in European Formula Abarth (5 wins)

#22. Jakub Klasterka (CZ)
Age: 18
GP3 debut: Barcelona, 2012
2011: No racing

Nico Muller single-handedly dragged Jenzer into competitiveness last year, after it struggled at the start of the season with two rookie team-mates. The fact that the team needed to rely on its 2010 driver so heavily suggests that it could be in for a tough year with three newcomers this season. But Niederhauser and Visoiu come from the Formula Abarth arena, which has been growing in competitiveness. Late signing Klasterka will have his work cut out, having not raced anything of note for three years.

Trident Racing

#23. Vicky Piria (I)
Age: 18
GP3 debut: Barcelona, 2012
2011: 15th in Italian Formula Abarth, 18th in European Formula Abarth

#24. Antonio Spavone (I)
Age: 17
GP3 debut: Barcelona, 2012
2011: 13th in Italian Formula Abarth, 14th in European Formula Abarth

Series bosses changed the rules for 2012 to allow teams to run two-car outfits without penalty, but as the season kicks off only Trident, another GP2 team expanding its portfolio, has taken advantage of this. Its Italian driver line-up is going to have a tough time stepping up from the Formula Abarth midfield.

Carlin

#26. Alex Brundle (GN)
Age: 21
GP3 debut: Barcelona, 2012
2011: 7th in Formula 2

#27. Antonio Felix da Costa (P)
Age: 20
GP3 debut: Istanbul Park, 2011
2011: 13th in GP3 (1 win), 13th in British F3 (6 races), 9th in GP2 Finals

#28. Will Buller (GB)
Age: 19
GP3 debut: Barcelona, 2012
2011: 4th in British F3 (1 win)

Given its form elsewhere in junior racing, Carlin's GP3 achievements have been relatively low-key. But towards the end of last year there were signs that the car was getting stronger and stronger, and the team enters the third season of the series with a line-up capable of fighting for the title. Da Costa has never been a fan of the GP3 car's driving style, but with his experience he should be over that by now. Buller has been recruited after he was the top non-Carlin runner in British F3 last year, while Alex Brundle will combine a maiden GP3 campaign with some sportscar outings, including the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Atech CRS GP

#29. Tamas Pal Kiss (H)
Age: 20
GP3 debut: Istanbul Park, 2011
2011: 16th in GP3 (1 win)

#30. John Wartique (B)
Age: 21
GP3 debut: Barcelona, 2012
2011: Unclassified in Renault Clio Eurocup (2 races)

#31. Ethan Ringel (USA)
Age: 17
GP3 debut: Barcelona, 2012
2011: 26th in USF2000

Atech had a tough 2011, and the form of ex-driver Nick Yelloly in last weekend's Formula Renault 3.5 season opener suggests that it wasn't getting the best out of the GP3 car last year (Yelloly was only 21st in the GP3 standings, but won the first FR 3.5 race). Kiss started his rookie season well with Tech 1, picking up a reversed-grid victory early in the season. But the French team lost its way once lead driver Andrea Caldarelli parted for Japan, so as was the case for now Lotus/ART driver Vainio, Kiss struggled to find any form over the rest of the season. Ringel and Wartique come into GP3 with very little experience, but at least the American was racing single-seaters last year.