Alex Lynn made a wonderful start to his life in the GP3 championship as the ace from Dunmow wrapped up all the honours in the opening race of the season in Barcelona.

Having made sure he would start in pole position in qualifying earlier in the day, Lynn went on to lead every lap and take the chequered flag in his first-ever race in GP3.

And with the race’s fastest lap under his belt as well, it meant he sealed a coveted Grand Chelem – pole, fastest lap and winning after leading ever lap – to make it a debut to remember for the 20-year-old from Essex.

Lynn, racing for the Carlin team, drove a car decked out in the Red Bull team colours to signify his position as a member of the Formula One outfit’s Junior Driver Programme.

But while the senior team are yet to see action at the head of the F1 field so far this year, there was no doubt who the leader was in GP3.

And watching the up-and-coming driver’s achievement was Red Bull’s motorsport adviser Dr Helmut Marko, who was quick to offer his congratulations as Lynn prepared to mount the podium at the Circuit de Catalunya at the end of the race.

Lynn’s dominance was established in morning qualifying when he made sure he would head the grid by biding his time and setting the quickest lap late on in the 30-minute session.

That gave him pole position and Lynn certainly used it well.

Despite a challenge from ART Grand Prix’s Marvin Kirchhöfer, who had started in second, in the first couple of corners, Lynn held his position.

With rivals busy jostling for places behind him, the Dunmow driver was able to open a gap at the front.

That gave him the opportunity to manage his tyres throughout the 16 laps as he eased to victory and claimed the chequered flag in style.

In his post-race interview Lynn was quick to acknowledge the part his Carlin team had played in his win.

He said: “It wasn’t the finest start I’ve ever made but it was enough to keep the lead.

“From then on, the guys were dicing behind me and that enabled me to open a nice gap, manage my tyres and seal the win.

“The car feels amazing.

“I know it’s a real cliché to thank my team but it is honestly the amount of hours that we’ve put in in the workshop even before we drove the car.

“It’s a real testament to them and I have to say ‘thank you’.”