Of the drivers competing at this weekend's Portuguese Grand Prix, Lance Stroll, Antonio Giovinazzi, Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Alex Albon all raced there in F3 in early September 2015. Yet despite the nods to it in various record books and websites, none of the above group managed to race on the Grand Prix layout … Continue reading “A Grand Portimão Cop-Out”
Category: FIA European F3 Opinion and News
FIA EUROPEAN FORMULA 3 TECH UPDATE
This piece was initially written in May for a run in a print magazine; however unfortunately was not published at the time. While things have moved on slightly as teams have gathered greater understanding of the aero updates, much of it is still relevant and worthwhile. Without wishing to get too far ahead, I may … Continue reading FIA EUROPEAN FORMULA 3 TECH UPDATE
“Thoughts on Pascal Wehrlein, the Norisring and Weird Regulations”
Pascal Wehrlein is a reasonably tall chap. Maybe not overly so in the grand scheme of the human race, but in the realm of racing drivers, he is quite tall. Upon meeting, he would stand not too far shy of my 6’1” frame, whereas a great many racers fall somewhere in the 5’6”-5’8” region. And … Continue reading “Thoughts on Pascal Wehrlein, the Norisring and Weird Regulations”
“Rewriting the Formula 3 Concept”
Last July, at a small press conference at Spa-Francorchamps, the Director of Racing Activities for the FIA revealed several measures designed to tackle the increasingly thorny issue of rising costs and a perception of a lack of competitiveness in the European Formula 3 Championship
“Costing a Season of European Formula 3”
Something came up during the week that at first I assumed would be pretty simple to throw together. A conversation on Twitter between Sam Collins of Racecar Engineering Magazine and fellow user Davin Sturdivant was brought to my attention when it turned to costs and the nature of the regulations and how their framework affects engineers – or potential engineers. The latter will be addressed in another post, but touch on the former. Admittedly the more I thought about it, the more I realised that I either did not have the answer or did not have up-to-date answers.
“The Little Things”
One of Formula 3's biggest selling points is that its rulebook is one of the few to still possess "open" technical regulations. Although what one can do with the cars is highly restricted, that does not mean the teams are wholly bound following the final chassis homologation, unlike in GP2 or Renault World Series for example.
“FIA F3: Maïsano splits from Prema Powerteam”
French racing driver Brandon Maïsano has split from Prema Powerteam following race one of the eighth round at the Red Bull Ring.
“Life in a Bag”
A laptop, charger, EU plug converter, two pairs of trousers, five pairs of socks, five pairs of underwear, four T-shirts, a shirt and jumper, notepads, hard drive, Dictaphone, pens, pass and season media pass. It was, in a nutshell, my life stuffed inside a bag. To a degree.
“European F3 swaps Moscow for the Algarve”
The FIA European Formula 3 Championship today announced that the planned visit to Moscow has been cancelled, to be replaced by Portimão.
“Drivers of 2014: Max Verstappen”
If Esteban Ocon surprised all-comers with his rookie form in the FIA European Formula 3 Championship, then Max Verstappen’s debut in car racing positively stunned.
“Drivers of 2014: Esteban Ocon”
Max Verstappen may have stolen all the headlines thanks to his quick promotion to Formula One, but there is little doubt that FIA European F3 champion Esteban Ocon was the star of the series this year.
“Smooth Operator”
With his outwardly laconic nature, one might be forgiven for thinking Tom Blomqvist approach ill-suited to the higher reaches of motorsport. Yet when properly supported, the English-born 'Son of Stig' is no slouch behind the wheel.
“FIA European F3 retains 11-round calendar for 2015”
The FIA European F3 Championship has elected to maintain an eleven round campaign for the 2015 season, albeit with slight modifications.
“New date for the Pau Grand Prix?”
The FIA have requested a date change for the 74th edition of the Pau Grand Prix.
“The Fuoco Factor”
Antonio Fuoco was a popular chap on the FIA European F3 Championship trail. The Italian is a favoured youth in red at the moment.
“Ocon joins Race of Champions field”
FIA European Formula 3 champion Esteban Ocon has become the first junior-series level champion to join the field for the Race Of Champions in Barbados this year. Ocon joins a whole host of other champions on the grid, which includes multiple Le Mans 24 Hour race and 2013 WEC titleholder Tom Kristensen; Lotus F1 racer … Continue reading “Ocon joins Race of Champions field”
“Prema Powerteam confirm 2015 competition programme”
Leading European Formula 3 and Formula 4 team Prema Powerteam have revealed a plan to refocus their operation ahead of the 2015 season.
“In Victory and Defeat”
Tom Blomqvist was the big winner of a subdued final weekend of the 2014 FIA European F3 Championship. The 20-year-old ended his stint in the European Championship by securing 2nd in the title race ahead of future star Max Verstappen, but it felt like it never really mattered.
“Esteban Ocon”
There was something poignant about Esteban Ocon, Max Verstappen and Tom Blomqvist all nabbing a victory each at the penultimate FIA European Formula 3 round at Imola this weekend.
“Van Amersfoort complete F3 tests ahead of Spa-Francorchamps”
Van Amersfoort Racing completed a heavy two-day test at Monza this week, as they prepare for the next round of the FIA European F3 Championship at Spa-Francorchamps.