Verstappen took another pole in Hockenheim. © FIA F3 Media Service.
Max Verstappen took pole position for the first FIA European Formula 3 race of the weekend at Hockenheim today.
The Dutch racer set a best tour of 1:32.002s; ending the session just 0.018s up on Mücke’s Lucas Auer.
It was Verstappen’s 7th pole of the season, crucially giving the van Amersfoort racer a two-place head start over Tom Blomqvist (Jagonya Ayam Carlin), with whom he is battling for 2nd in the championship.
Of the pole position effort, Verstappen was naturally pleased: “Qualifying went well. It was pretty close between the three of us in front, but my lap time wasn’t so bad and, of course, I am delighted with my pole position.”
The future Toro Rosso star added: “The track is very demanding for the tyres, so you don’t have many laps to set a fast time. For me, it worked out quite well today.”
Blomqvist did run the front row pair close. After heading the times come the halfway mark, his best of 1:32.070s was ultimately just shy of was necessary to depose the Verstappen / Auer duo. It is an all-Jagonya Ayam Carlin second row, with Antonio Giovinazzi set to line-up alongside Blomqvist.
Jordan King (Carlin) slotted into 5th spot, with newly crowned champion Esteban Ocon (Prema Powerteam) taking 6th. Meanwhile Felix Rosenqvist (Mücke Motorsport, 7th) and Sean Gelael (Jagonya Ayam Carlin) grabbing 8th – his first top ten qualifying result of the season.
Felix Serralles (Team West-Tec) and Gustavo Menezes (van Amersfoort) round out the top ten.
There was some frantic action in the Carlin awning prior to the session, as engineers fought against time to change Jake Dennis’ engine. As a result, the Briton will drop ten places for each of this weekend’s races.
Meanwhile, Lucas Auer headed both of this morning’s practice sessions ahead of Felix Rosenqvist and Esteban Ocon respectively. Jules Szymkowiak showed some pace in the opening session when he set the 4th quickest time; however as the circuit rubbered in, the Dutch driver could not quite repeat the feat.
2014 FIA European F3 Championship (Rd 11, Grid Race 1) Pos Driver Team/Engine Time/Gap 1. Max Verstappen van Amersfoort-VW 1:32.002 2. Lucas Auer Mucke-Merc +0.018 3. Tom Blomqvist Jagonya Ayam Carlin-VW +0.074 4. Antonio Giovinazzi Jagonya Ayam Carlin-VW +0.339 5. Jordan King Carlin-VW +0.377 6. Esteban Ocon Prema Powerteam-Merc +0.412 7. Felix Rosenqvist Mucke-Merc +0.483 8. Sean Gelael Jagonya Ayam Carlin-VW +0.533 9. Felix Serralles Team West-Tec-Merc +0.674 10. Gustavo Menezes van Amersfoort-VW +0.758 11. Ed Jones Carlin-VW +0.808 12. Roy Nissany Mucke-Merc +0.813 13. Antonio Fuoco Powerteam-Merc +0.844 14. Tatiana Calderon Zeller/Mucke-Merc +1.029 15. Nick Cassidy T-Sport-NBE +1.042 16. Jules Szymkowiak van Amersfoort-VW +1.150 17. Dennis van de Laar Powerteam-Merc +1.209 18. Jake Dennis Carlin-VW +1.272 19. Santino Ferrucci Fortec-Merc +1.434 20. Stefano Coletti EuroInternational-Merc +1.514 21. Michele Beretta EuroInternational-Merc +1.734 22. Alexander Toril T-Sport-NBE +1.821 23. Spike Goddard T-Sport-NBE +1.895 24. Sandro Zeller Zeller –Merc +2.049 25. Andy Chang Team West-Tec-Merc +2.239
2014 FIA European F3 Championship (Rd 11, Free Practice 1) Pos Driver Team/Engine Time/Gap 1. Lucas Auer Mucke-Merc 1:33.206 2. Felix Rosenqvist Mucke-Merc +0.488 3. Esteban Ocon Prema Powerteam-Merc +0.765 4. Jules Szymkowiak van Amersfoort-VW +0.858 5. Max Verstappen van Amersfoort-VW +0.874 6. Felix Serralles Team West-Tec-Merc +0.902 7. Sean Gelael Jagonya Ayam Carlin-VW +0.979 8. Antonio Giovinazzi Jagonya Ayam Carlin-VW +1.003 9. Jordan King Carlin-VW +1.038 10. Gustavo Menezes van Amersfoort-VW +1.101 11. Roy Nissany Mucke-Merc +1.172 12. Antonio Fuoco Prema Powerteam-Merc +1.231 13. Tom Blomqvist Jagonya Ayam Carlin-VW +1.282 14. Stefano Coletti EuroInternational-Merc +1.363 15. Ed Jones Carlin-VW +1.534 16. Jake Dennis Carlin-VW +1.555 17. Nick Cassidy T-Sport-NBE +1.601 18. Santino Ferrucci Fortec-Merc +1.664 19. Tatiana Calderon Zeller/Mucke-Merc +1.764 20. Spike Goddard T-Sport-NBE +2.055 21. Michele Beretta EuroInternational-Merc +2.311 22. Andy Chang Team West-Tec-Merc +2.403 23. Alexander Toril T-Sport-NBE +2.669 24. Sandro Zeller Zeller –Merc +3.240 25. Dennis van de Laar Prema Powerteam-Merc +6.272 2014 FIA European F3 Championship (Rd 11, Free Practice 2) Pos Driver Team/Engine Time/Gap 1. Lucas Auer Mucke-Merc 1:32.861 2. Esteban Ocon Prema Powerteam-Merc +0.177 3. Max Verstappen van Amersfoort-VW +0.271 4. Tom Blomqvist Jagonya Ayam Carlin-VW +0.297 5. Antonio Fuoco Powerteam-Merc +0.385 6. Felix Serralles Team West-Tec-Merc +0.535 7. Jordan King Carlin-VW +0.580 8. Nick Cassidy T-Sport-NBE +0.645 9. Gustavo Menezes van Amersfoort-VW +0.723 10. Dennis van de Laar Powerteam-Merc +0.725 11. Sean Gelael Jagonya Ayam Carlin-VW +0.932 12. Tatiana Calderon Zeller/Mucke-Merc +0.998 13. Felix Rosenqvist Mucke-Merc +1.006 14. Jules Szymkowiak van Amersfoort-VW +1.065 15. Antonio Giovinazzi Jagonya Ayam Carlin-VW +1.136 16. Roy Nissany Mucke-Merc +1.191 17. Santino Ferrucci Fortec-Merc +1.332 18. Jake Dennis Carlin-VW +1.455 19. Ed Jones Carlin-VW +1.566 20. Spike Goddard T-Sport-NBE +1.583 21. Sandro Zeller Zeller –Merc +1.792 22. Andy Chang Team West-Tec-Merc +1.881 23. Stefano Coletti EuroInternational-Merc +1.962 24. Alexander Toril T-Sport-NBE +2.017 25. Michele Beretta EuroInternational-Merc +3.284
Jolyon Palmer, 2014 GP2 Series champion. © Charles Coates/GP2 Series Media Service.
Earlier this week, Formula Renault 3.5 driver Cameron Twynham contacted me regarding Sunday’s post about the new GP2 Series champion, Jolyon Palmer.
As part of the operating policy of TheMotorsportArchive.com, this website is open to a ‘reply or comment’ from those involved in motorsport.
Cameron Twynham (Formula Renault 3.5; Comtec Racing)
“[Jolyon Palmer] needs to get an opportunity [to drive in Formula One] in my opinion.
Junior championships including GP2 are for learning; some people learn fast, others take more time, but the end result is often better if you learn the correct way rather than accelerated or skipping steps.
His experience in GP2 is not just about winning, he has learnt how to qualify, how to race from the back, the middle and the front of a very aggressive grid and get to the end of the races with maximum points, not easy in GP2!
He has shown incredible pace this season plus amazing overtaking skills, and in a car as he says, is very similar to F1 speeds.
Not that F1 teams are listening to me but I really hope he gets there.”
My thanks to Cameron for submitting his thoughts.
Twynham races for Comtec in FR3.5. © Renault Sport Media.
© Leigh O’Gorman
It was suitably quiet – well, almost. One can not always capture these moments at just the right time, but at least the rustling of the leaves amidst the Autumnal trees could still be held to ear.
Occasionally a car would pass – at speed, of course. This is Imola after all and the youth of the FIA Italian Formula 4 Championship are getting their precious practice runs in. Some of them certainly need it more than others.
It feels strange to think that now almost the entire Italian F4 field was born after Ayrton Senna died following a crash at the infamous Tamburello corner at Imola on May 1st, 1994.
Many of these young drivers idolise the late Senna to some degree or other, having heard so many tales, watched the ‘Senna’ film and, or viewed numerous clips of his high speed exploits on YouTube.
Others still grew to love this sport during the dominant Schumacher years, but soon another generation will emerge who were born after Michael Schumacher’s original run ended. That final Ferrari drive at Interlagos, after all, occurred nearly eight ago already.
It also feels a touch strange that one should idolise a driver whose time passed before one had been born, but to criticise such a thing would merely make me a hypocrite.
As a fan of the great Jim Clark fan, I would know about that – the double World Champion Scot was killed some thirteen years before I was born, but this weekend, I will return to the Hockenheimring and hopefully capture another memorial in some soft silence.
Meanwhile, I held this moment. Around me, a birthday was being celebrated by a party in the park and people ventured out to walk and talk amongst themselves, while other racing fans arrived to capture their moment too.
Only then did a fly decide it was the perfect time to fly directly up my right nostril, sending me into a spluttering fit as I repeatedly swatted myself across the face.
If nothing else, my furious reaction to the winged insect got laughs from the assembled children…
A podium was enough for Ocon to secure the FIA F3 title. © FIA F3 Media.
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.
The trio have been at the top of the championship for virtually its entire run this year, but it was Ocon who would be crowned champion.
And rightly so.
The French teenager has excelled this season and while Verstappen may be about the grab the headlines as Red Bull’s latest protégé in Formula One, there is little doubt that he and Ocon will have a rivalry that will endure for many years to come.
With Formula Renault 3.5 on the horizon for Ocon, it only remains to see whom he will be driving for in the Renault Word Series category. A couple of rounds with Comtec whetted his appetite, but it is unlikely that they will be his ultimate destination.
Blomqvist too has shun bright, but a lack of funding meaning his future is somewhat less clear.
Soon we will know all their futures and declarations of intent, but first there is the matter of the FIA European F3 finale at Hockenheim next week and then the Macau F3 Grand Prix in November and that will be one stellar battleground for these fabulous talents.
Ocon’s Prema Powerteam team boss René Rosin celebrated… © FIA F3 Media.
…as did the rest of the Prema Powerteam squad. © FIA F3 Media.
Ocon is the 2014 FIA F3 champion. © FIA F3 Media.
Max Verstappen won the final FIA European F3 race of the weekend at Imola today, but Esteban Ocon’s 3rd place was enough to secure the championship title.
Verstappen started from pole, but a sluggish getaway after nearly stalling on the grid allowed Prema Powerteam’s Antonio Fuoco to slip into the lead, while Ocon fell to 3rd having started on the outside of the front row.
Thereafter it became a race stuttered by safety car periods, as the Alfa Romeo 4C was needed on three separate occasions.
Fuoco bravely held the lead following two restarts, but there was little he could do to stay ahead of the feisty Verstappen when the race went green on lap nine, with the Dutch racer pushing Fuoco to the limits and passing on the approach to Tamburello.
Verstappen led with ease for two laps, until the race was neutralised for a final time on lap eleven when Felix Rosenqvist locked wheels with Jordan King, pitching the Swede hard and backwards into an exposed section of wall at Tamburello.
Rosenqvist was fine, but it would take a further three laps before the race could restart, at which point Verstappen pulled away from the chasing Fuoco, to win by 2.1s in front of the Fuoco’s band of travelling supporters.
Ocon held his nerve to maintain a gap over Nicholas Latifi and Tom Blomqvist – a result that puts him too far ahead of Verstappen and Blomqvist to be caught. Verstappen’s victory puts him back into 2nd in the standings ahead of Blomqvist and into a fight that will be settled next week at Hockenheim.
Latifi jumped from 6th to 4th at the start and maintained that position from there, while Blomqvist could do no better than 5th, although the Carlin racer did spend some time fending off Will Buller after the final green flag.
Buller had a time defending against Jake Dennis and briefly lost the position on lap 11 when Dennis tried for a move into Villeneuve; however Buller forced his Signature machine back ahead.
Dennis would keep 7th, but only just ahead of Lucas Auer, with the Austrian attacking the Englishman having already passed Felix Serralles on the third lap. Serralles continued onward to 9th place, with Gustavo Menezes just one second adrift.
The American Menezes fought a brave race – having started 17th, the van Amersfoort man took five places off the line, before sweeping by Roy Nissany (lap 3) and King (lap 15). Menezes did have a brief battle and position swap with Rosenqvist at the halfway point in the race, prior to the Swede clashing with King.
The two other safety car periods came early on. As the field ran through the exit on Tamburello and on the way to Villeneuve on the opening lap, Ed Jones and King touched, which pitched the latter into Antonio Giovinazzi, shredding Giovinazzi’s right rear tyre and stranding him on the circuit.
The second safety car was called on lap five Sandro Zeller suffered a high speed spin on the entry into Tamburello which briefly pitched his Zeller Racing machine airbourne.
A lap later Tatiana Calderon retired with a broken right front suspension arm.
Blomqvist took another FIA F3 win at Imola. © FIA F3 Media.
Carlin’s Tom Blomqvist took a dominant fifth FIA European F3 victory of the season at Imola this morning.
In the distance, Max Verstappen nabbed a last moment 2nd place from Antonio Giovinazzi when the latter lifted off just before the line.
The 20-year-old Blomqvist led from the start with relative ease, making easy work of the gap to the hard working Giovinazzi.
Immediately, the race was in the hands of the Anglo-Kiwi driver, who had built a 2.01s lead after the opening pair of laps – a lead that extended to 3.8s after seven tours, at which point the race was neutralised under the safety car when Alexander Toril spun and stalled on the lead into Acque Minerali.
When the race resumed on lap eleven, so too did Blomqvist’s dominance, with Jagonya Ayam Carlin racer building a lead of 4.26s over the course of the next nine laps.
For Giovinazzi, while not in Blomqvist’s league today, the Italian did deserve the runner-up spot at least, only to be denied at the final possible moment.
Under pressure from Verstappen from lap fifteen onward, Giovinazzi drove a measured race, until a touch a wheelspin exiting the second part of the Rivazza on the final tour dropped the Carlin man back toward Verstappen as they drew toward the flag.
Whereas Verstappen kept his foot on the throttle, Giovinazzi defended hard initially and then lifted off slightly as they approached the line, with the Italian assuming the finish was earlier on the straight.
As the crossed the actual timing beam, Verstappen had edged ahead of Giovinazzi by just 0.019s of-a-second, leaving the Carlin team somewhat dumbstruck on the pitwall.
It had been a stellar drive from Verstappen, who, despite setting the fastest lap in qualifying, was relegated to 11th on the grid following an engine change penalty left over from the Nürburgring round in August.
From the start, Verstappen took one place, before sweeping by Roy Nissany and Lucas Auer during the opening tour. Thereafter the Dutch teenager took Jake Dennis (lap 3), Will Buller (lap 5), Nicholas Latifi (lap 11) and Esteban Ocon (lap 12) before a pitting Antonio Fuoco gifted Verstappen another position.
Championship leader Ocon drove a quiet race to 4th. As he edges close to the title, the Frenchman peddled around near front, but was passed by Giovinazzi on lap three and then by Verstappen later.
Lucas Auer rounded out the top five. The Austrian made hard work it however – having started 9th, Auer made hard and aggressive moves of Dennis, Buller and Latifi to slot into the lead group.
Latifi could do better than 6th ahead of the Dennis and the quiet Felix Serralles, with Felix Rosenqvist (9th) and Gustavo Menezes (10th) rounding out the points finishes.
With only four races left in the season, Ocon continues to lead by a long way and now has an 84 point lead over Blomqvist and a 96 point advantage over Verstappen.
Only 100 points are left on the table.
© FIA F3 Media.
Jolyon Palmer took the GP2 Series title in emphatic style at Sochi Autodrom on Saturday, to the delight of his DAMS team and former F1 racer father Jonathan.
For Palmer, this title was suitable reward for a year of hard work, consistency and dedication.
Whereas in previous seasons, Palmer’s form had been patchy, the Englishman pulled the year together to firmly beat chief rival Felipe Nasr.
“We fought for every pole and every feature race win,” said Palmer after the race. “We barely made any mistake. It’s been an absolute dream season and to be Champion at the earliest opportunity for me is the icing on the cake.”
Naturally some will look to this champion and comment that after four years in GP2, he should be at the top by sheer virtue of experience, but that would do some disservice to the Briton, whose work ethic has improved greatly since joining the DAMS team.
Palmer continued: “We tested with DAMS and they were very keen to sign me for the year. We went for that option and straight away, on the first day with the team, I realised that the hunger was there for them as well.”
Irrespective of DAMS’ obvious qualities, Palmer was initially wary, but any fears were quickly set aside by the team’s level of performance. “Going to a new team, you never know how that’s going to pan out. The first day of testing in Abu Dhabi, we topped and from there we never looked back really. We took the first pole in Bahrain and we took a win that weekend as well. I’ve gotten so well with the team. They’ve done a really good job all year. The mechanics, the engineers…
“I think the only mistake all year was Monza qualifying. Even so, that weekend turned out great as well. I love working with the team and together we’ve done a very good job.”
Yet lingering doubts do persist as to Palmer’s ultimate quality. As a driver, he has matured greatly in the past eighteen months, starting with an upturn in form in the second-half of last season and while Palmer rightly deserves his GP2 Series success, it will be interesting to see where the Briton goes next; however Formula One is, quite obviously, high on the agenda.
“I feel ready for it,” says the new champion. “I’m driving at the top of my game right now. I know the tyres thanks to GP2. It is the perfect Series to feed into Formula One: it is the same tyres, the same tracks, the cars are even now a similar speed especially into the corners. I feel absolutely ready for it and I am confident it can happen.”
However it has taken several seasons for the 23-year-old to get to this stage and in that time, his promotion to F1 has not been a subject discussed greatly and has not been part of any junior driver programme.
As the likes of Daniil Kvyat, Kevin Magnussen, Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas have already moved ahead, one wonders if the Formula One paddock has already looked beyond Palmer.
If he is looked over, the DAMS racer will become third consecutive GP2 champion and the fourth since 2008 not to obtain an F1 seat the following season, but Palmer is convinced this title will help his push to the top level. “The first priority was to win GP2 and I was always confident that if I did win GP2 I was going to be in Formula One. Now that’s done and I’m confident I’ll be in Formula One. I’m not saying it is going to be easy, but this title is a big help. We’re going to have to wait for a few weeks and see what happens.”
Palmer’s main rival Felipe Nasr has been rather ineffective at times this season and – this is not a sly remark upon Palmer’s efforts – the Brazilian far too often let his English rival take too many easy points.
Despite holding the position of Williams F1 reserve driver, the former British F3 champion was overlooked – an indication from the famed team that maybe Nasr has not done enough.
Whether the F1 paddock believe Palmer is deserving of a seat is another question and if he does make an appearance, it may prove to be an expensive move for the GP2 Champion.
Ocon took another victory at Imola. © FIA F3
Lotus junior driver Esteban Ocon took one step closer to the FIA European Formula 3 Championship crown this morning.
The French teenager took a lights-to-flag victory ahead of Jordan King (Carlin) and Tom Blomqvist (Jagonya Ayam Carlin) at Imola to extend his lead to 97 points over the championship’s new 2nd place man Blomqvist.
With five races remaining, 125 points remain to play for.
Ocon eased away at the start to lead from pole, while fellow front row man Antonio Giovinazzi endured a horror start to fall to 5th, allowing King, Blomqvist and Felix Rosenqvist to skip ahead.
Thereafter the Prema Powerteam racer kept a narrow lead over King throughout, with the gap consistently hovering between 1.2s and 1.8s.
Whereas King struggled to pressure Ocon, Blomqvist could do little about the Englishman ahead.
Late set-up changes to his car meant Blomqvist took time to feel his way into the machine; however as the race aged, the car came toward the Anglo-Kiwi racer, allowing Blomqvist to close in on King, but not enough to make a difference.
Rosenqvist’s topsy-turvy season continued with a drive to 4th. Although initially involved in a fight for position with King, Blomqvist and the attacking Giovinazzi, the Swede drew away from the 5th place, but lost pace with the podium sitters in the process.
Lucas Auer assumed 6th place, after he aggressively took Jake Dennis on lap 14. On the backfoot from a clash with Max Verstappen several laps earlier, Dennis could do little about the charging Austrian when their battle eventually came to blows.
Auer also fought with an aggressive Verstappen on the sixth lap, when the Dutch teenager barged his way past Auer’s Mücke machine in the Rivazza, following the latter’s attempt to intimidate Verstappen toward the back end of the circuit.
Dennis held a solid 7th over the Indy Lights-bound Felix Serralles (8th) and the ever more consistent Tatiana Calderon (9th), while Sean Gelael rounded out the points scoring finishers.
Verstappen was in the wars for much of the race. Beyond his clashes with Auer and Dennis, the Dutch teenager was crudely punted off by Antonio Fuoco on lap 15 in the Rivazza, only after losing two places with an unrealistic move in Villeneuve, that only served to push Verstappen into the gravel.
He then suffered another off when he made an ill-advised attempt on Roy Nissany around the outside of Tamburello toward the end of the race.
The race was interrupted by a brief safety car period, when on the opening lap Santino Ferrucci and Martin Cao collided, which also took out William Buller.
Blomqvist is now 2nd in points. © FIA F3 Media.
Jules Bianchi scored points for Marussia in Monaco this year. © Marussia F1 Team.
Hindsight and reflection can be both beautiful and cruel things, but it can do much to lend an eye to solutions, while also exposing so many impracticalities.
Indeed hindsight and reflection have been high on the agenda this week in Formula One. Following Marussia driver Jules Bianchi’s horror shunt at the end of the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, there inevitable noises demanding immediate action, which was to be expected.
Realistically however, quick, easy and ill-thought solutions are not the way forward, nor have they ever been. If one is expected immediate alteration in the regulations, then they may be a touch disappointed.
At the moment the FIA Institute are involved in the investigation and not only has footage been pooled from outboard, onboard and fan-shot {note 1}, but numerous pictures of the scene were collated from photographers at the scene.
The FIA also have possession of the car’s “black box”, from which information such as speed, g-force measurements and other key indicators will have been recorded. A statement was taken from Adrian Sutil; however I am unsure as to whether the marshals present were also interviewed following the session.
In yesterday’s Driver Press Conference, when asked whether drivers could contribute to help F1 to learn the lessons of what happened last Sunday, reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel said: “I think it’s very difficult right now to give you the golden answer; […] I think for now we need to first of all digest what happened and then make the right conclusions. I think it would be wrong only a couple of days after, with all the events going on, with all the happenings we’ve had since Sunday, to come out with something that hasn’t been thought through.”
Ferrari pilot Fernando Alonso added: “There is an investigation going on. We don’t have all the details. We don’t have all the information necessary to suggest any change. So we let the people work and whatever idea, whatever things come from the drivers’ point of view we will share it.”
Some may consider their answers “safe”, but realistically they are both correct, for rash action in the name of safety may leave the competitors and trackside personnel open to other risks.
This week there has been some discussion as to whether recovery vehicles can be modified to “deflect” an out of control machine, but like everything else, this requires time to be investigated.
Other elements such as race start times have also come into focus, with FOM (Formula One Management) dictating in recent seasons that Grand Prix in Japan, Australia and Malaysia start later in the afternoon local time, in order to accommodate European television schedules.
Following the investigation, there may be a reappraisal of safety car and yellow flag procedures in light of this incident – and the timing for that may be right. Although certain aspects of safety car regulations have altered through the years, they have largely remained unchanged through an era where the safety regulations of cars and circuits have changed beyond recognition.
Yesterday, Force India’s Sergio Perez commented that if “there is a tractor coming out to pick up the car we need a safety car no matter what conditions,” which is a rather reasonable assumption, but one wonders if a middle ground can be found.
Several years ago, Creventic – organisers of the 24 Hour Series – pioneered a strategy called “Code 60” (alternatively “Code Purple”), whereby races are neutralised “in the event of an accident or other safety issue, without having to put a safety car on circuit.”
The Code 60 was so named because the regulation requires drivers to stick to a speed limit of 60kph; while track workers clear whatever malady they are presented with.
It has since been adopted by the ACO for the 24 Hours of Le Mans; however the French special uses it in a slightly different manner. Under the banner of “Slow Zone”, localised areas of a circuit can be kept at a strict speed limit (80kph in the case of Le Mans), while corner workers are operating.
Whether a Slow Zone concept could be applied to Formula One is something the regulators would need to work out. Like any other potential solution or alteration, this is not as simple as it sounds.
A Slow Zone would require a high enough speed limit to help keep tyre pressures high, but also low enough to make the environment as safe as possible, while deceleration zones might require additional analysis to accommodate individual circuits and corners.
As always, thoughts are with Bianchi, his family, friends and colleagues.
For now, the investigation continues. Let it do so.
{note 1}
As an aside, claims of the FIA’s attempts to avoid culpability, because FOM are sending takedown notices pretty much ignores the fact that FOM always send out takedown notices for everything F1 (from 1981-onward). It’s their job.
Jules Bianchi scored points for Marussia in Monaco this year. © Marussia F1 Team.
Mercedes racer Lewis Hamilton may have won this morning’s Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, but the accident suffered by the Marussia of Jules Bianchi on lap 43 prior to Dunlop Curve rendered that mute.
Dampened celebrations – if they could be called celebrations – followed, as Hamilton with runner-up Nico Rosberg and 3rd place man Sebastian Vettel solemnly went through the motions upon a brightly lit stage.
As news spread, so did the strain upon the faces of those underneath the podium – the reality of the situation etched in line and brow.
The seriousness of Bianchi’s predicament was not immediately known; such was the positioning of the Adrian Sutil’s already stricken Sauber and location of the camera crew.
According reports from the on site media, Bianchi suffered a serious head injury when he went off track and collided with a tractor. Thereafter he was transferred to Mie General Hospital not far from the circuit, but has since come out of surgery and is breathing on his own.
Throughout his extraction, the Frenchman was said to have remained unconscious.
The reappearance of the red flag was a relief – it had already been an exhausting race by this point, but as more solid information began to filter through from the scene, a lifetime caught up with Formula One.
Such moments make a mockery of sport’s self importance, bringing to the fore the triviality of the pursuits of fast men in fast machines – these matters hold little standing of import now and amidst all of the chatter and debate, what stands out the most is the silence of it all.
Naturally there will be analysis; there will be accusations; there will theories; there may be answers, but for the moment, there is just waiting.
At this point, my only thoughts are with Jules Bianchi, his family, friends and colleagues at this difficult time.
Carlos Sainz Jr. © Renault Sport Media (Antonin Grenier / DPPI)
Saturday morning’s surprise move by Red Bull to announce Sebastian Vettel’s departure, as well as the promotion of Daniil Kvyat to the “first team” may have closed doors for one famous Spaniard.
But Vettel’s defection to Ferrari – all but shutting out Fernando Alonso – may also have saved the Formula One career of another Spaniard, who is tantalisingly close to tasting his own success in Formula Renault 3.5 Series.
At the Hungaroring a few weeks ago, Carlos Sainz Jr was far from happy. Despite attempts to disguise feelings, there was no doubt the 20-year-old was an extremely disappointed young man, having only weeks beforehand being overlooked by Red Bull for the Toro Rosso seat in favour of Formula 3 wunderkind Max Verstappen.
While he held no malice toward Verstappen, Sainz Jr gave the impression of a young man driving hard, only to be faced down by a hefty brick wall in the middle of a fast straight. That the Hungarian round ended up becoming one of the most disappointing of the season, temporarily allowing Roberto Merhi back into the FR3.5 title hunt merely added to the weight on Sainz Jr’s shoulders.
Often when speaking, his eyes were fixed downward, with deep, heavy breathes shuffling between gaps, serving merely to break sentences.
With Merhi leaning, there was only conceivable answer and two victories at the next round at Paul Ricard brightened his resolve and improved Sainz Jr’s position considerably. Yet with a 44-point lead over Merhi and only 50 on the table, Sainz Jr’s dream remained a long distance away, unless a seat at Caterham emerged.
But when Vettel informed the Red Bull team on Friday that he was moving to Ferrari, one of Sainz Jr’s major roadblocks disappeared. With Toro Rosso member Jean-Éric Vergne denied a promotion once, it was always highly unlikely that he would be receive another opportunity to join the Red Bull top team.
So it transpired that young Russian – and Sainz Jr’s former GP3 Series teammate – Daniil Kvyat has been promoted to Red Bull in place of Vettel, opening up a position for Sainz Jr at Toro Rosso.
Kvyat’s move is a highly logical from Red Bull’s point of view; however circumstances have meant the team’s hand has been played earlier than they would have originally wished.
Had Vettel hung around until the end of 2015 before moving to Ferrari – a timeframe widely accepted as the most likely – it would have at least given Kvyat an additional year’s experience, before the move up; however Vettel’s impending has inadvertently accelerated Red Bull’s entire programme.
Should he now get the call to Toro Rosso for 2015, Sainz Jr will slot in alongside Verstappen. There are other candidates in the Red Bull programme of course, but while Pierre Gasly has been impressive in his first season of FR3.5, the French teenager has not yet won a single race, despite claiming eight podiums. There is no doubt that while eight podiums is a fantastic achievement, questions relating to Gasly’s inability to turn any of those eight into a win will linger in the Red Bull offices.
Alex Lynn meanwhile is confidently leading the GP3 Series this year with Carlin, but there are no signs at this point that he will be promoted any further than FR3.5 or GP2 level.
Bringing former Red Bull junior and current BMW Team MTEK DTM racer António Félix da Costa back into the fold would be a shot from leftfield – probably too far leftfield for Red Bull to consider and when one considers da Costa has already been overlooked in favour of Kvyat, why would they look to the Portuguese driver again?
Realistically once a driver is dispatched from the junior team, Red Bull rarely look back and for a good reason. Some call that cold; for Red Bull, they are in the business of winning.
At the beginning of this year, Red Bull reduced the size of their junior driver programme, with the aim of managing a smaller team, in order to focus their efforts in a far more efficient way.
Criticism had been laid at the door of the programme, with many in the motorsport industry claiming that it was throwing away talent too readily. Admittedly from the outside, it gave the impression of a programme that was becoming unwieldy and difficult to manage, with some junior programme contracts lasting only as long as eight months to one year before being dropped altogether.
In addition, Sainz Jr confirmed to me earlier this year that his biggest relief was not just that he had joined with the successful DAMS team, but rather he had just FR3.5 to concentrate on, as opposed to competing in two series’ simultaneously as he had in previous years. For once, his own focus was completely undisturbed – until Verstappen was awarded the 2015 Toro Rosso seat just prior to the Belgian Grand Prix.
But now, that door may have creaked open once again. Nothing else has changed – Red Bull still demand success and having already broken the record for most race wins in a single FR3.5 season, at Jerez in two weeks time Sainz Jr will be just one 6th place finish away from becoming the first Red Bull junior to win the World Series by Renault.
In the eyes of this writer, Red Bull would be mad not to promote Sainz Jr to the Toro Rosso seat for the 2015 Formula One season.
Sainz Jr took two key wins at Paul Ricard. © Renault Sport Media (Photo Vincent Curutchet / DPPI)
The Parc Fermé Podcast returns for the first time in almost two years with an edition that is all about Formula One.
For episode 8, I’ll be chatting to one of the category’s young, modern and up-and-coming journalists, Luke Smith.
For those of you who may be unfamiliar with Luke and his work, Luke is the creator, owner and editor of one of Formula One’s newer websites in recent years RichlandF1.com.
Luke is also a regular news and feature contributor for NBC Sport’s Formula One web portal – motorsportstalk.nbc.com.
In a chat recorded earlier this week, Luke and I will muse over the current F1 season, what’s happening at Mercedes and Red Bull, the driver market and all things tricky at the lower end of the championship.
Seb Morris (right) celebrates with Aurélien Panis (left). © Renault Sport Media.
Rising British racer Seb Morris has confirmed that he will make his GP3 Series test debut with Status Grand Prix following the final round at Abu Dhabi next month.
Morris, who finished 3rd in this year’s Formula Renault 2.0 NEC category this year, will step up to the GP2 feeder category for the three-day session at the Yas Marina circuit from November 27th-29th.
The 18-year-old from Wrexham is eyeing up a potential move to GP3, as he continues to shape a path up the motorsport ladder, and he wasted little time in announcing his intentions. “Now that my 2014 race season is over, our focus has immediately turned to on and off track preparations for 2015 and we are delighted to be going to Abu Dhabi with Status,” said the bouyant teenager.
He added: “The challenge of learning to drive the more complex and powerful GP3 car is one I am relishing and I aim to make a good impression.”
Following his karting days, Morris did not take the most typical route into car racing, when the then 14-year-old took to the Ginetta Junior Championship, taking the Winter Series in 2010, before claiming the overall title in 2011.
From there, Morris finally moved into Formula Renault with Fortec in 2012, taking the Winter Series crown in early that year and then 3rd overall in the BARC Championship that same year.
A switch to the BRDC Formula 4 Championship with Hillspeed followed in 2013, rewarding Morris with the runner-up position, before he returned to Formula Renault this year – this time the 2.0 NEC – again with Fortec where he claimed his 3rd overall result.
Morris’ progress in recent seasons was more than enough to interest Status GP team principal, Teddy Yip Jr. “Status has been keeping a close eye on his progress this year and, alongside his wins, his three pole positions have clearly demonstrated real speed.”
According to Yip Jr, Status are already outlining Morris’ programme for the session. “Over the three test days he will have chance to learn GP3’s Pirelli P Zero tyre, the car and the track, and then really go about setting some impressive times.”
Status GP are in the midst of a resurgence. After an awful 2013 season, where the team were bottom of the table in the Teams’ Championship, Status have bounced back with Richie Stanaway and Nick Yelloly, with the former currently 2nd in the championship having taken two wins and three podiums. Yelloly is 6th in the standings with three podiums.
Alfonso Celis Jr also drives for the team.
Meanwhile Morris is also set to undergo some intense preparations prior to the test, which include heat acclimatisation, alongside his usual fitness routines and simulator sessions. For the teenager, the goal is clear. “We aim to leave no stone unturned in maximising this opportunity and I can’t wait to get started.”
© Leigh O’Gorman
It is a moment all drivers treasure deeply. Having crossed the finish line victorious, the winning pilot will take to the slow down lap, collecting discarded tyre rubber and swathes of dirt along the way.
Once this task is complete, the racer will pull into a separate Parc Fermé, housed specifically for the top three.
As the victor ascends from the cockpit of the machine, arms rise aloft for patient photographers and TV cameramen, before throwing his weight – and joy – upon the delighted mechanics, engineers and assorted team personnel.
In this instance, it was Frenchman Norman Nato who took the plaudits for the DAMS team. Yet Nato’s season has been a picture of inconsistencies, plagued by anonymous runs and technical maladies.
Victory in Formula Renault 3.5 at the Hungaroring (pictured) and Monaco have been brilliant stand-outs; however much of the rest of the season has been one frustrating struggle after another.
Yes, his performances in those two race wins were notable, but he all too often disappeared over a race weekend, rendering moments like these few and far between.
And while his Red Bull backed teammate, Carlos Sainz Jr., is busy leading the championship, Nato may need to face the possibility that Formula One may not be what lies ahead for him.
© Sam Bloxham/GP3 Series Media Service.
GP3 Series regular Luís Sá Silva is set to make his Auto GP debut at season finale at Estoril next month.
The Angolan born racer has spent this season competing with Carlin in the GP2 Series feeder; however despite showing signs of improvement Sá Silva has yet to score a point this year.
Sá Silva has signed a one-round deal with Zele Racing, marking a move to the highest-powered single-seater he will have competed with yet. “I’m happy to drive such a powerful racecar like the Auto GP one. It will be a tough challenge but I’m happy that it will happen at Estoril. It’s one of the tracks I know better as I turned lot of laps there.”
The weekend will mark a move home of sorts for the driver who has spent much time based in the Iberian country, a pointed noted by the 24-year-old. “I also consider it my home circuit, because I live in my second house not too far away from it”.
Sá Silva will next compete in the GP3 Series in Russia in a week-and-a-half.
© GulfSport Racing.
Leading Spanish squad Campos Racing have announced a collaboration with the Formula Gulf 1000 Series, due to begin this coming season.
The project comes as GulfSport Racing continue their push to build and solidify a foundation for formula racing in the Middle East.
Run by former Formula One driver Adrián Campos, the team has enjoyed plenty of success on track since its inception in 1997. Teams’ champions in the GP2 Series, Euro Open by Nissan {note 1}, European F3 Open and Spanish F3 have proved their metal in tough competition
As part of the collaboration, the next champion of Formula Gulf 1000 will earn a test with Campos Racing’s Formula 3 outfit as well as a day in the team’s simulator at their factory in Alzira. The link will also see selected drivers from the championship offered more reasonable rates for Formula 3 testing and GP2 simulator work.
GulfSport Technical Director Martin Hope believes this initiative could go some way to developing single-seater talent in the Middle East – an area of untapped talent. “This is clearly a big step forward for our young drivers and our vision for single seater racing in the UAE,” says Hope.
“Campos Racing is now actively recommending their own young drivers do Formula Gulf 1000 before they race with Campos in F3 cars in the EuroFormula Open which visits some of the most demanding circuits in Europe.”
Campos, meanwhile, also foresees a big future with GulfSport. “We are delighted to be working with GulfSport and Formula Gulf 1000 as they clearly provide the sort of development capability required by young drivers before they can move into Formula 3 cars.” The former Minardi driver also commented, ”We look forward to having them as our guest at GP2 events and working with them in future seasons.”
Campos returned to the GP2 Series this year following a break of five seasons and have already made a mark on the category thanks to a victory and 2nd place for Arthur Pic at the Hungaroring and Monza.
As part of a widening portfolio, Campos also run the Team China Racing entry in the new-for-2014 FIA Formula E Championship and are also currently racing in their second season of the World Touring Car Championship.
{note 1}
The Euro Open by Nissan was a forerunner to the World Series by Renault category. Primarily concentrating in Spain at the time, Campos took Marc Gené and Fernando Alonso to their respective titles, with both graduating to Formula One shortly thereafter.
Kimiya Sato took teh Auto GP title in August. © Auto GP Organization.
One of the more undersold elements of the Auto GP World Series has been the manner in which the category offers prize money to successful drivers.
From an overall pot of €300,000, approximately €250,000 has been awarded, with new series champion Kimiya Sato – unsurprisingly – leading the prize money standings.
Six victories, four other podium finishes, one pole position and seven fastest laps has ensured Sato claims at least €80,000, with series 2nd place man, Tamás P’âl Kiss, next up €50,000.
Although this may not mean much in the grand scheme of motorsport, this is the type of prize that could prove crucial for some of the young drivers determined to the make the move into professional motorsport away from single-seaters.
However for drivers such as Sato and Markus Pommer, who also compete in GP2 and German F3 respectively, this extra funding will go some small way to leveling out the costs over the course of the season.
Albeit, not by much…
Auto GP prize money awards: Kimiya Sato (€80,000 / £62,450) Tamás P’âl Kiss (€50,000 / £39,000) Markus Pommer (€42,500 / £33,200) Andrea Roda (€37,500 / £29,250) Kevin Giovesi (€20,000 / £15,600) Michele La Rosa, Michela Cerruti (€5,000 / £3,900)
Jordan King to test GP2 and FR3.5 this year with Arden. © JGP Images for Carlin
It was emerged today that British racing hopeful Jordan King is set to test GP2 and Formula Renault 3.5 machinery with Arden International.
King, who is 7th in his second season of the FIA European Formula 3 Championship, is keen to take the next step on the motorsport ladder.
However like many young drivers on the rise, the choice between Formula One support category GP2 and Formula Renault 3.5 – which headlines the World Series by Renault package – is proving a tricky one.
The 20-year-old has tasted both machines in tests last year and appears to already be leaning toward the former. “I would say my current preference is towards GP2; I really clicked with that last year and enjoyed driving it the most, plus one of its major trump cards is that it races on the support package to F1, so it’s a direct shop window,” said the former British F3 champion.
Indeed only last week, the GP2 Series announced that it is to introduce a DRS device from next season, bringing the technical package closer to Formula One. The current FR3.5 already possesses a DRS activated rear wing; however it operates to different sporting regulations.
For King, the many similarities make the choice an interesting one. “When I tested last year, it’s fair to say that both cars were a sizeable step-up in terms of power, downforce and braking capability, but neither was a shock.
“Both produce more than 500bhp, feature carbon brakes and extremely high levels of downforce and will run DRS in 2015, so they represent the logical next step on the ladder towards F1, which is my ultimate goal.”
Yet despite their similarities, both machines deliver their times in quite different ways, with the GP2 machine high on power and low on downforce, compared to the FR3.5 design, which is downforce intensive, but lower on power.
“They have advantages in different areas, but their level of performance is actually very similar to one another – it’s just delivered in a different manner due to their individual characteristics,” added the Warwick-born racer.
The outlook on tyres is also markedly different in both championships. Pirelli bringing high-degradation tyres to the GP2 programme that allows driver’s to tap into alternate strategies and changing tyre conditions, while the FR3.5 Michelin tyre is a much harder and longer lasting compound, allowing competitors to push to the limit for far longer periods in a race.
With so many factors coming into play, King believes taking a test programme with just one team will play to his advantage. “Arden is a professional outfit that has achieved a lot of success in both GP2 and World Series, which offers us a good benchmark from which to judge the two championships.”
King will be testing with Arden’s FR3.5 machine at Jerez first, before moving to their GP2 programme at Abu Dhabi in December.
Richelmi won at his Monaco home. © Sam Bloxham/GP2 Series Media Service
GP2 Series regular Stéphane Richelmi joined the Belgian Audi Club WRT team for the final rounds of the Blancpain Endurance Series at the Nurburgring this weekend.
He will also race in its sister championship, the Blancpain Sprint Series, later in the year.
Driving in the Audi R8 LMS Ultra, Richelmi partnered Jean-Luc Blanchemain and Christian Kelders for the 1000km race in the Pro-Am Cup category. He will contest the penultimate Sprint Series round at Zolder alongside GT veteran Stéphane Ortelli, before moving on to the Baku World Challenge finale in early November.
Richelmi has spent four years at the Formula Renault 3.5 / GP2 Series level, with the Monegasque racer switching to the Formula One support category at the tail end of 2011.
Having moved fro Trident to DAMS for the start of 2013, Richelmi’s form has been inconsistent at best, with the 24-year-old securing two podiums, before finally taking a Sprint Race win at Monaco earlier this year; however many of his other results have left him lingering toward the bottom end of the points finishes.
It has left Richelmi a distant 9th in the GP2 points standings, while teammate Jolyon Palmer leads the series. Despite this new deal with the WRT Team, Richelmi remains committed to the final pair of GP2 rounds in Russia and Abu Dhabi respectively.
With Formula One an unrealistic proposition, Richelmi is looking further afield in order to continue his career. “For the 2015 season, I am considering new opportunities. You must be able to launch new goals and this could be an interesting one,” said the DAMS racer.
He added, “I remain totally focussed on the end of the GP2 season, but with an eye toward the other doors that can be opened in front of me.”
© Renault Sport Media (Eric Vargiolu / DPPI)
DAMS racer Norman Nato took his second Formula Renault 3.5 Series victory of the season at the Hungaroring today.
In an assured and confident fashion, Nato held a charging Roberto Merhi home for the duration, with Red Bull junior Pierre Gasly less than three seconds down the road.
It was Nato’s first top result since taking the chequered flag first at Monte Carlo in May – a result reflected in both the joy and relief of his post-race celebrations with his crew in Parc Fermé.
In one sense, Nato made a wonderful start from 3rd on the grid, but in another way he made the most of the conditions, with the Frenchman launching between front row pairing Merhi and Carlos Sainz Jr.
This was also the first dry start of the weekend and while Sainz Jr’s side of the grid was not wet, the conditions were far from optimum. Signs of growing pressure may also beginning to tell on the championship leader.
Out front, the Cannes-born Nato drew ahead of Merhi, whose start, while good, was no match for the Nato juggernaut, ensuring the Spaniard could do no better than slip into 2nd place as turn one unraveled.
Almost as the race had started, it was neutralised again following a clash between Oscar Tunjo, Will Buller, Sergey Sirotkin and Nicholas Latifi which brought out the safety car.
As the quartet filtered into the first corner, Latifi was squeezed between Buller and Sirotkin, which in turn pushed Buller into Tunjo, turning the Colombian over onto his lid. Both Sirotkin and Buller were damaged in the collision, causing both to retire, while Latifi recovered to drive around at the rear of the field.
Nato immediately forged a gap of one second after the lap seven restart, only for Merhi to close back to within half-a-second as the pitstops began in earnest. With Merhi stopping on lap ten, Nato reacted immediately, emerging just ahead of the Zeta Corse driver as strategies filtered out.
Thereafter Merhi continued to push, but Nato was back in his Monte Carlo prime – on this occasion, there was no chance for Merhi to force a way by his French rival. Nato was able to build a gap of two seconds to Merhi as the final tours elapsed, but let this elapse somewhat on the final lap as he cruised to the chequered flag.
For Merhi, the runner-up position remained a positive one, as he closes to with 16 points of championship leader Sainz Jr with only four races remaining.
Gasly drew to within three seconds of the lead, but was realistically not looking at the top two positions. It did mark a solid improvement for the Red Bull man, who was 6th following the opening lap, having started on the fourth row.
Stopping almost straight away proved to be pivotal, as it allowed Gasly to jump Oliver Rowland and Meindert van Buuren; however the big move was when Gasly took Sainz Jr when the Spaniard made a mistake into the first turn on lap nine. Thereafter Gasly drove away from Rowland, securing his sixth podium of the season, bringing to a clear 3rd in the championship.
Rowland secured another 4th ahead of the surprising van Buuren (5th) – the latter of whom securing what was by far his best result of the season, with the Dutch racer having even led a lap as the stops unraveled.
Sainz Jr came home a disappointing 6th having held Matthieu Vaxivière (7th) at bay for much of the second half of the race. Although starting slowly, Sainz Jr lost out badly as the few corners blended outward, dropping to 5th when the safety car emerged.
Jazeman Jaafar took more points with an 8th place finish, while Marco Sørensen and Will Stevens rounded out the top ten.
Esteban Ocon did not start the race following a heavy crash during the morning qualifying session that destroyed the front end of his Comtec machine. The teenager is, however, fine, if a little sore.
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