Verstappen last raced at the Hungaroring prior to the Monza F3 test. © FIA F3 Media Services.
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.
The Dutch squad ran all three of their drivers at the famed Italian autodromo, as they aim to configure their Dallara-Volkswagen machines for Spa’s high-speed sections.
As slipstreaming is a very real possibility from the opening corner at La Source, through Eau Rouge and onto the Kemmel Straight – with further opportunities to race past fellow competitors along the curving Blanchimont section – understanding how these cars operate in these conditions could prove critical come next weekend.
Running with their compliment of three rookies – Max Verstappen, Gustavo Menezes and Jules Szymkowiak – the team banked 233 laps of Monza on Wednesday, with an additional 150 tours coming the following day.
Verstappen emerged the quickest, setting a time of 1:44.637s during the Thursday morning running, although the Dutch racer lost plenty of time on the second day, as his gearbox gave up. The team sent Verstappen back out with a half-hour remaining, but the onset of rain ended chances of a hard run.
Completing 129 tours, Szymkowiak was the busiest of the trio as he recorded a quickest tour of 1:45.248s; while Menezes’ best was just a few thousandths further off the pace, after completing a “lean run” to end his test.
The test was run alongside a number of 2.0 Formula Renault entrants and several Formula 4 drivers.
Verstappen currently sits 5th in the European Championship standings with one victory and two podiums from eleven races.
© FIA F3 Media Services.
FIA European Formula 3 rookie Max Verstappen has added his name to the list of drivers set to take part in this year’s Zandvoort Masters.
The 16-year-old will race with the Team Motopark squad for the annual Dutch special, switching briefly from his regular seat with van Amersfoort.
The European Championship discontinued its affair with Zandvoort last season when the race fell off the DTM calendar; however Verstappen was keen to race on home soil. “I’m very happy to be able to drive the Zandvoort Masters,” said the teenager on his website this week. “We’ve established a good relationship [with Motopark]. I’m confident that we can put in a good performance in front of my home crowd. Hopefully there’ll be plenty of fans at Zandvoort”
The Motopark team are not without success. Having proven successful in German F3 and ADAC Formula Masters in previous years, the Oschersleben-based squad took the Teams’ Championship in the GP2 Series last year, where they ran cars for RUSSIAN TIME.
Team Principal Timo Rumpfkell believes overall success is possible for his squad. “We definitely want to be in position to win it. It’s going to be though, but that is why we are going there. A podium is the minimum, but the goal is to win it,” with Rumpfkell also noting: “We are hoping to add a little bit to the history of the event when we go to Zandvoort.”
It marks a welcome development for Verstappen’s father, former Formula One driver Jos, who won the famed event in 1993 with the Opel-powered Team WTS; however on the surface, the 42-year-old is wearing a pragmatic face. “Firstly, the Zandvoort Masters are an extra race weekend for Max and thus another good opportunity to gain experience in single-seater racing and Formula 3. Despite it being his first outing at Zandvoort, I hope Max can surpass my results from the past.”
Verstappen Sr is also aware of the importance of Max racing at his “home” track in front of the always fervent Dutch fans. “It’s also a great opportunity for the Dutch to see Max in action. Of course for himself it’s just a great chance to race on this circuit so everyone is very much looking forward to the first weekend in July.”
Although van Amersfoort will be fielding two cars at the F3 classic, the seats were filled long before Verstappen secured his drive.
There is also the added complication of the European Championship’s visit to Moscow Raceway for the seventh round of the series one week later, which prevents the FIA teams from sending cars to Zandvoort.
Following the round at the Norisring at the end of the month, teams will immediately begin forwarding their machines to Russia in anticipation for the championship’s debut at the Moscow Raceway.
These are always the trickiest of situations. Red flags and lights are rarely waved for fun.
In this instance, Loïc Duval’s practice crash in the Porsche Curves at Le Mans today was particularly nasty.
Thankfully news from the medical centre has been positive so far, with the 2013 victor adjudged to have suffered nothing worse than several scrapes across the skin.
And one can breathe a long sigh of relief, especially when a picture of the smashed Audi flashed up on screen.
Alas, with the live broadcast streamed along on the Eurosport Player, there emerged the usual sad traits that stain modern media.
Unprepared to wait for news of Duval’s condition and desperate to be the ‘first’, the sad and socially clueless began playing the game of spreading screengrabs of the wrecked Audi.
Some declared that this is merely sharing information in the modern age, but that is simply bollocks I am afraid is spread by people seeking to excuse poor behaviour.
With no news of Duval’s condition at the time, respect and decency for the Frenchman were jettisoned for a pathetic desire to be digitally popular.
The wreck was only on screen for a very brief few seconds – for a reason. The moment the enormity of the crash was understood, the director immediately switched away and did not show the wreck again.
Those who remember Imola 1994 will know there is a very good reason as to why directors are told to not show wrecks until news of the driver is known or unless he is seen getting out of the car.
It is about having some respect for the driver who may or may not be injured – or worse. As we remember from last year’s tragedy at Le Mans, this crash could have had dire consequences and showing the wreck does nothing, but feed the insatiable desire for car crash perversion.
And yes, it does come down to such difficult concepts as bog standard decency and respect.
© Leigh O’Gorman.
Much has been made over the last few days about the titanic crash between Felipe Massa and Sergio Perez on the last lap of Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix.
Both drivers took to social media to blame the other, but according to the stewards Perez was deemed the guilty party and handed a grid penalty for the next race in Austria.
With the dust now beginning to settle, Williams must face the additional question – should Massa have been that position at all?
—
Six positions and approximately four seconds on lap 15. Then from lap 49 to 58, the next loss was in the region of thirteen seconds and – ultimately – an unknown number of places.
When comparing the total of time spent in the pits to the eventual top three, Massa proved lost 4.7s to Sebastian Vettel, 3.0s to Nico Rosberg and 5.1s to eventual Grand Prix winner Daniel Ricciardo, although a significant portion of this loss came at the first stop.
There is little doubt that errors will occur from time-to-time, but this is a lot to lose while stationary during a Grand Prix; events, which are –for all intents and purposes –, brief stints. These loses become even more pointed during a time when points quite literally mean big prizes.
During Massa’s first stop, a difficult left front wheel change made was an unwelcome cast. Worse still for the Brazilian, the tardy tyre change dropped Massa behind both Red Bull’s and temporarily behind Jean-Eric Vergne, Fernando Alonso.
Meanwhile the non-stopped Lotus of Pastor Maldonado also jumped Massa, but retired shortly afterward, while the yet-to-stop Perez had also claimed a position from the Williams man.
At the first stop during, Massa swapped from used super-softs (helped somewhat by a 7-lap long safety car period) to new softs, yet the Brazilian’s lap times did not spike by any noticeable degree.
With orders to make the tyres last a middle stint of 33 laps, some care was needed for Williams to pull the strategy together. During his time locked behind Vergne (lap 18-22), Massa recorded times in the mid-to-late 1’20s, proving quicker than his Toro Rosso rival by a tenth on four of those laps, before slipping passed the Frenchman.
There was similar progress too behind Alonso, before Massa passed him on lap 26, bringing to the rear of Ricciardo.
As the race developed, Massa maintained a solid pace (in and around the mid-1’19s), allowing the Williams man to draw toward the leading Mercedes as their respective cars began to suffer mechanical gremlins.
With others around him stopping for their final set of tyres, Massa rose up the ranks to and overtook the struggling Rosberg for what became the lead on lap 45 and stayed on track for a further three tours, although his pace was beginning to drop into the 1’20s.
Having already logged 33 laps on the softs and knowing there was no way his tyres would last the final 22 laps, Williams brought Massa in for a second stop on lap 48 – and here was where the race was finally torpedoed by the Didcot team.
Emerging from the pits behind Alonso, Massa made quick work of the Ferrari and latched straight onto the of Bottas; however this is where – for purists – the Williams strategy becomes a touch tricky.
Locked behind a slowing Hulkenberg and beginning to struggle for grip, Bottas started to slip from the late-1’19s and into the early-to-mid-1’20s, allowing Massa to close to the rear of Bottas; however the Brazilian did not have quite enough extra speed to pass his Finnish teammate on track.
As each tour was ticked, Bottas continued to lose speed and it was only when the young racer made a mistake on lap 58 did Massa slip through and within a couple of hundred metres, Massa had passed the hamstrung Hulkenberg as well.
Now one can point to Massa’s inability to pass his teammate as a limiting factor – and they would be correct to a degree – yet it does excuse the Williams a strategic flub.
In sitting behind Bottas and Hulkenberg for eight laps, Massa dropped approximately 13s on what were then reasonably fresh tyres. Although there is no guarantee that Massa would have taken Hulkenberg as easily on lap 50 as opposed to 58; the Williams team should have moved to slot the veteran ahead of younger partner much, much earlier to attack the Force India.
From laps in the mid-to-early-1’20s, Massa immediately increased his pace to the 1’18s, while Rosberg’s and Perez’ laptimes dropped into the 1’21s.
Such was the drop-off in pace of the Rosberg Mercedes out front, the loss of time (and laps) ensured that Massa would have to wait until lap 62 before he pulled to the rear of the battle for the lead.
Crossing the line to start lap 63, Massa was in 5th place just 1.8s off the lead and immediately behind the Perez-Ricciardo-Vettel battle, which was itself in a stalemate.
What happened next is well known. Perez was eventually passed by Ricciardo, with Vettel getting by a few laps later, which opened the door for Massa to attempt a move.
But would Massa even been in the position to need to get by Perez had the strategy been managed by Williams in a better manner? Possibly – there is no doubt the strategy and Massa’s apparent diminished aggressiveness cost teh Brazilian valuable time in his chase, but realistically the mistake during the opening stop did much to destroy Williams’ chances of a big result.
Considering their fight for 4th place in the Constructors’ Championship with Force India and McLaren, these are errors that could cost the British team massively come year end.
Williams entered the Canadian Grand Prix level on points with McLaren and 15 points behind Force India (4th). Following the race, the team lie 6th, some eight points behind McLaren and 19 behind Force India.
This may not seem like huge margins now, but when one takes into account the money spent and speed of development by the bigger teams (including McLaren), it is not inconceivable that big points paydays for Force India and Williams could shrink in the second half of the season.
Time will tell whether Williams regret the lost points that Montreal offered.
Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo swept to his first Grand Prix victory in Montreal yesterday after both Mercedes runners hit trouble.
The Australian made late moves on the Force India of Sergio Perez and championship leader Nico Rosberg to slip into an unlikely lead, eventually claiming the race ahead of Rosberg and his Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel; the latter of whom having passed Perez shortly before the chequered flag.
It marks a popular win amongst supporters of the sport, following an engaging period of domination from the Mercedes pair. On one hand, the race fell into Ricciardo’s, but in another, the Australian’s tenacity during a tricky mid-race stint did much to nail the victory.
For a time, the race was looking like another Mercedes whitewash, with Rosberg holding off an aggressive Lewis Hamilton into the first corner – letting Vettel through into a temporary 2nd – with the wily German emerging at the head of the pack.
An early safety car period, to clear the mangled remains of the Marussia’s of Max Chilton and Jules Bianchi, closed the race for the time, but when unleashed Hamilton retook 2nd spot and began to press for the lead, soon forcing Rosberg into lock-ups and one journey through the escape road at the final chicane on lap 25, for which Rosberg received a warning.
The face of the race changed just before the second stops, when both Mercedes began to report issues with the hybrid units, robbing them of precious top end speed down Montreal’s gently curving straights, bringing the pack into the fray. Despite their hobbled nature, Hamilton continued to press Rosberg, with the former quickly retiring with expired brakes.
With one Mercedes gone, the Williams of Felipe Massa powered into view and after a brief push slipped by Rosberg to accept a brief lead, until Massa himself pitted for the last time with 20 laps remaining, bringing Perez-Ricciardo-Vettel troupe into play, but Perez too was beginning to struggle, although maintained a small gap ahead of the Renault-hamstrung Red Bull of Ricciardo…
So, Ricciardo.
Starting 6th, the Australian held station for much of the running, but stole a march on Vettel during the second sets of stops. Ahead the long stinting Force India’s of Perez and Nico Hulkenberg stopped on lap 35 and 42 respectively; however whereas Perez filtered out still ahead of Ricciardo and Vettel, Hulkenberg dropped in behind and out of contention.
Within a few short tours, the trio had drawn to the rear of Rosberg – this should be easy, right? Yet for all of Ricciardo’s initial pressure, the Mercedes-powered Perez held the gap, but neither could the Mexican make a move on the struggling Rosberg.
Under the covers of the Force India, Perez was beginning to suffer the first indicators of electrical and rear brake failure. There was little doubt that the Mexican had the straightline speed to hold the Red Bull’s back, but his uncertainty in the braking zones allowed Ricciardo back into the fight, creating a temporary stalemate.
Perez’ hobbling machine eventually gave Ricciardo an opportunity, with the Australian taking 2nd place around the outside of the turn one / two complex with five laps remaining, before clinging to the rear of Rosberg within a tour.
Ricciardo would need three laps to break Rosberg. As the Mercedes continued to drop speed on the straights, the Red Bull racer made use of the DRS zone on the back straight to sling past the points leader and grab the lead to the delight of the assembled Montreal crowd.
And they say timing is everything. There is some truth to it.
As lap 69 became lap 70, Vettel ran by Perez on the exit of the final chicane, which in turn gave Massa a run on the helpless Mexican, with the Brazilian making a move over the line; however where the Brazilian could have offered Perez a little extra room, it is unlikely Massa expected his rival to jink ever-so-slightly to the left.
The resultant accident was huge, as the stewards judged the Force India driver had moved into Massa on the approach to the braking zone, pitching the Williams’ man into the turn one tyre barrier, with Massa recording an impact measuring 27G.
Perez, meanwhile, had his Sauber knocked pointedly to the right and into the beginning of the tyre wall and also receiving a high G-force impact. He would later be given a five-place grid penalty for the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring in two weeks. There was further luck when the out-of-control Massa rocketed past the front of Vettel’s Red Bull, just missing the reigning world champion.
In seconds, the safety car was re-called, bringing the race to an end under yellow and solidifying Ricciardo’s victory, ahead of a relieved Rosberg and Vettel.
The crash marked an end to a significant and rather calamitous final twenty laps for Massa, who arguably lost a race victory due to a Williams team sluggish to issue team orders following his last stop.
Emerging behind former teammate Fernando Alonso, Massa slipped by the unseemly Ferrari for 7th and onto the rear of struggling teammate Valtteri Bottas, after which Massa lost eight laps attempting to line up the Finn who was – in turn – being held up by Hulkenberg.
The Brazilian finally got his way on lap 58 when Bottas ran wide at the hairpin, allowing both Massa and Alonso through, following which the Williams proved his pace by effectively driving straight passed the hobbling Hulkenberg. It took Massa approximately four laps to latch onto the Perez-Ricciardo-Vettel fight, allowing the former Ferrari man to press home only part of his fresh tyre advantage – if only he had been released eight laps earlier…
Amidst the dust of the Massa / Perez crash, an astonished Jenson Button emerged in a lucky 4th for McLaren. Such was Hulkenberg’s lack of pace, the German reversed Alonso toward Button’s lacklustre McLaren in the final laps. Where 8th would have at least been some points, a rare error by Hulkenberg in the hairpin on lap 69 caught Alonso unawares, gifting Button a clear run on both of them to give him 6th – as Massa and Perez melded into a carbon fibre melee, that 6th instantly became 4th.
With McLaren currently battling with Williams and Force India over 4th, 5th and 6th in the Constructors Championship, Button’s late promotion in the order will not go down well at either Didcot or Silverstone. The Woking crew, meanwhile, may allow themselves a wry smile.
Hulkenberg assumed 5th ahead of Alonso as the safety car settled the field, while Bottas took an unspectacular 7th. Jean-Eric Vergne was invisible on his way to 8th, although the Frenchman did manage to take the flag ahead of Kevin Magnussen (9th, McLaren) and Kimi Raikkonen (10th, Ferrari) – the Finn coming home last of the ten finishers.
The race ending safety car was not the sole period of the race, with the Grand Prix having being neutralised early when Chilton and Bianchi collided through the tightening turn three / four chicane, bringing to an end Chilton’s run of twenty-five consecutive race finishes, which began at his Grand Prix debut at Melbourne last year.
A fabulous drive and victory for Daniel Ricciardo, but for the great achievement that it represents, there is an element of flattery in the final outcome. On raw pace, the Milton Keynes-based team are still very much behind the works Mercedes pair.
The Spanish F3 Class was relaunched at Portimão. © FOTOSPEEDY.
The organisers of the Euroformula Open Series, GT Sport, have announced the recreation of the Spanish Formula 3 Championship.
The championship will be made up of the six Iberian races that form part of the Euroformula Open, including the already contested round at Portimão.
Other meetings to feature in this new class include next week’s round at Jerez and the October 18-19 events at Barcelona’s Circuit de Cataluña.
The reinvigoration of the category comes off the back of a desire from the RFEA (Spanish Motorsport Federation) to keep Spanish F3 alive, despite it having been renamed as ‘European F3 Open’ at the end of 2009.
Reflecting upon the choice to revive the Spanish F3, GT Sport CEO, Jesús Pareja commented: “We gladly responded to the wish expressed by RFEA, the Spanish Federation, not to see [Spanish F3], which we launched together in 2001, disappear, following the entry into force of the new rules regarding series using F3 cars.”
Pareja also sees the recreation of the Spanish F3 title as a potential selling point for the Euroformula Open Series, which has been slightly down on entrants from last season. “I think having the possibility to compete for an extra title will be extremely attractive for the Euroformula Open drivers and teams.”
Following the opener at the Algarve, Artur Janosz leads Sandy Stuvik and Alex Palou in the Euroformula Open standings; however in the Palou and Stuvik swap positions come the Spanish F3 standings. Britain’s Cameron Twynham lies 4th in both championship classes.
A small British F3 field raced at Silverstone last month. © Jacob Ebrey.
The British Formula 3 Series is set to see its field grow by up to five cars for its visit to Spa-Francorchamps next month.
According Autosport Magazine, German F3 squads Motopark and van Amersfoort are open to running three and two entries respectively at the Belgian meeting.
Motopark will line up with Indy Dontje, Nabil Jeffri and Andres Mendez, while van Amersfoort are working on entries for Sam MacLeod and Weiron Tan.
It will be a welcome boost for the ailing British championship, which has only seen seven competitors at both of its opening rounds, falling shy of the expected field count following the introduction of new technical regulations in 2013.
The collaboration is now possible following Volkswagen’s decision to drop its heavily boosted Power Engine to help bring it in line with FIA engine regulation allowances. Last year, Performance Racing driver John Bryant-Meisner entered British F3 at Silverstone in his Volkswagen-Power-Boosted German F3 car; however such was his speed advantage, the engine unit was quickly barred from the UK championship.
Although the British F3 entry list is not expected to grow significantly for the next round at Snetterton (June 21-22), several drivers have shown interest in running in the championship’s August visit to Thruxton. German F3 has also struggled for numbers this season, with only nine and ten entrants for its opening two rounds.
It is reasonable to believe that, somehow, neither the weekend nor the season were not supposed to start quite like this.
Blending from a long back straight into a tight-ish right hand bend, the sequence normally begins with a little too much speed being carried into a corner, followed by a brief burst of smoke as the front tyres lock up and scream beyond the point of reasonable adhesion.
There is little that even the absolute best drivers can do from here, other than go off the road – although might argue the best drivers would be less inclined to make such errors. Admittedly they do happen occasionally, but not often.
In some instances, one can hope that a clear escape road or tarmac run-off area lies ahead – with the latter, at least an opportunity exists to let the brakes breathe a little, allowing the tyre to release slightly, so the car can simply peel off over the white boundary lines and not incur damage.
In this, one might lose a fast lap, but hopefully little else – on this occasion, Porsche Carrera Cup Germany driver Clemens Schmid was not so fortunate.
The Hockenheimring is not some modern white elephant, lost in the vastness of Asia, nor is it the plaything of a Prince or King in the Middle East. As such, there are reasonably fewer tarmac areas and still a number of, what some might now consider, “old school” gravel traps and as Schmid discovered the Hockenheimring does not forgive in the way newer circuits do,
From the initial lock-up, the Lechner Racing Academy driver ran rough through the gravel, causing pain for his car and engineers. One only needs to see to annoyed and slightly crestfallen faces of his engineering crew, when a driver pulls into the pits, gravel spitting from the radiator.
If nothing else for the crews, it means a lengthy session pulling the underside of the car apart, clearing a turgid mixture of dirt, dust, muck and stones from the slightly wounded machine.
After all this on Sunday evening, your engineers may be looking for a drink… and the first round is going to be on you.
© Leigh O’Gorman.
© ITR
Mercedes DTM racer Pascal Wehrlein has been involved in an accident during a promotional event this week that has left two people injured.
During a promotional visit to the German national football team’s training camp in northern Italy, it is believed Wehrlein collided with two people, who had unexpectedly entered the course.
The two individuals were treated following the incident and are understood to still be undergoing medical assessment, although no details have been revealed as to the extent of their injuries.
Wehrlein was uninjured in the accident and is set to race his HWA Mercedes C-Class at the Hungaroring this weekend.
Current Formula One World Championship leader Nico Rosberg was also on track at the time, but is believed to have been ahead of the incident.
Stanaway will race at Spa. © Malcolm Griffiths/GP2 Series Media Service.
New Zealand’s Richie Stanaway is to make a last minute return to the Formula Renault 3.5 Series this weekend with Lotus.
The 22-year-old is to step back in with his former team at Spa-Francorchamps as a replacement for the injured Matthieu Vaxivière.
Vaxivière fractured a vertebra in a crash during the opening lap of the FR3.5 race at Monaco on Sunday. It is believed he will be sidelined for at least six weeks.
See also:
“Time out for Vaxivière”
Following a season in endurance racing with Aston Martin’s GTE-Pro squad, Stanaway made a successful return to single-seater racing this year in GP3 with Status Grand Prix, scoring a 3rd and 4th place at the opening round in Barcelona.
With the GP3 Series one-third way through a six-week gap in the schedule, Stanaway was cleared to rejoin the Lotus team for this weekend.
It marks an interesting return to the Belgian circuit for Stanaway, whose last appearance in a FR3.5 machine at Spa-Francorchamps saw him involved in an accident during which his back broken.
Meanwhile, Vaxivière will also miss the following FR3.5 round at Moscow Raceway (June 27-29); however it is possible that he may be cleared to drive for the July 11-13 visit to the Nürburgring.
The French teenager has also been forced to withdraw from the Le Mans 24 Hour Race, which takes place in just a few weeks.
Also in FR3.5, Óscar Tunjo’s début comes this weekend, when the Colombian steps in for Oliver Webb, who is sliding over to endurance racing for the rest of the season.
© FIA F3.
Ed Jones is to sit out the next three rounds of the FIA European Formula 3 championship after an injury was belatedly discovered after the Pau event.
Jones was involved in a sizeable crash during the first qualifying session on the French streets; however the 19-year-old was found to have suffered a fractured vertebra only after he returned to Dubai.
As a result, the Carlin racer has been advised by doctors to miss the next three rounds at the Hungaroring, Spa-Francorchamps and Norisring, but is expected return for the championship’s first visit to Moscow in mid-July.
The injury would go some way to explaining Jones’ drop off in performance at Pau, following what were two unexpectedly positive opening rounds at Silverstone and the Hockenheimring.
After nine of thirty-three races, the teenager currently sits on the edge of the top ten in the standings, having collected 47 points and two podiums.
Naturally, Jones was dissatisfied with outcome, but also understanding of his predicament. He said, “I’m very disappointed to be missing the upcoming rounds however obviously it is for the best that I look after myself after such a heavy crash.”
Despite this set back, the Carlin man still feels positive about the future and his efforts thus far. “I am however feeling confident about the future and while it’s a shame to miss these three rounds I’m very much looking forward to replicating our early season results when I can resume the championship in Moscow.”
It is believed that Carlin will run five cars at this weekend’s fourth round at the Hungaroring, but it is unclear whether a replacement will be parachuted in for Spa-Francorchamps or Norisring.
Jones raced to two podiums in Hockenheim. © FIA F3.
© Renault Sport Media (Gregory Lenormand / DPPI).
Lotus racer Matthieu Vaxivière may be forced to miss out much of the remaining Formula Renault 3.5 season following an injury sustained during the third round at Monaco.
An incident on the opening lap, unseen by the television director, forced the Frenchman pulled into the pits, where he was thereafter treated for a fractured T5 vertebra.
It has not yet been disclosed how long Vaxivière will be in recovery, but the nature of the injury indicates that it may be some time before the 19-year-old will be fully fit to compete again.
A former French Formula 4 champion, Vaxivière also debuted in this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship, during which he had a full-season deal with the Prospeed Porsche squad, driving a 911 GT3 entry in the GTE-Am category with François Perrodo and Emmanuel Collard.
The Motorsport Archive wishes Matthieu a speedy recovery.
© Renault Sport Media (Gregory Lenormand / DPPI).
© Leigh O’Gorman.
It is incredibly difficult to describe or pinpoint where or how exactly, but I have little doubt that Monaco is an extraordinarily absurd place.
Yet when one hobbles {note 1} around the principality, focus does not necessarily linger upon the beauty of it all as such, but rather the trash that passes for glamour, titillation and exclusivity for five days at the end of May.
On one hand, these famed streets of Monte Carlo play the grande host to Formula One, although from what I am led to believe, only Singapore comes close to the challenge and the glamour – and in recent years, it has been suggested that Marina Bay may be edging ahead in the latter’s stakes.
There is little doubt that the Grand Prix of Monte Carlo is a stunning event where drivers are tested to the limits, with the threshold of physical and mental agility pushed well beyond the norms of a standard Grand Prix weekend.
The entry into the Nouvelle Chicane. © Leigh O’Gorman.
Bobbling along on a breezy Friday evening, a walk from La Rascasse; around the swimming pool section; by Tabac; through the tunnel and up to Portier provided some astonishing sequences as the Mediterranean blends with the harbour, beach and adjoining rocks.
It also becomes abundantly clear for the first time just how narrow these streets genuinely are and brings into further focus the incredible skills on display when the Grand Prix comes to town.
The adrenaline rush and excitement the Monaco Grand Prix is quite unlike any other that I have worked at, but as a venue and a place, it has its drawbacks too.
In part, Monaco feels a touch gaudy, old and worn down. Across many sectors of Monte Carlo there are some scenes that appear to be smothered in layers of tainted gold – so many areas that merely leave one feeling uneasy.
Out on the race track, bars and parties emerge in the evening shadows, as drunks pour yet more excess down already jagged throats.
Along the testing final sector of the lap, unnecessarily large yachts prick the line of the harbour in a manner that represents anything other but beauty. An exercise in showing off, the “captains” may as well be displaying their penises to the world while comparing size and matter – it’s all bollocks, of course, in relative terms.
These are the scenes that transpire when one becomes so wealthy, that chancing upon the back of a boat with a sunburnt leatherette lovely becomes an indicator of success; a trophy upon which to hang one’s dignity – I worry for the people who pine for this empty nonsense.
© Leigh O’Gorman.
Like the precious, dull, soft safety net that is West London, this feels like the kind of place where fat, leery men go to die, poisoned by the strength of their own bullshit.
Never has glamour looked so cheap.
On the far side, one moves up to the Monte Carlo Country Club where the Formula Renault paddock is hosted. This brings a new meaning to plush, which is emphasised further when one noted the servant whose job, it seems, is purely to put cushions under the plump buttocks of the members.
Upon all this wealth, a precious nothing happens, as defined by the intellectualism that is washed away with the hit of every preened tennis ball.
Alas for some, this is a lifestyle. For me, it’s tired and boring – a nothing within the boundaries of a nothing. This is Las Vegas on a shore in Europe and precious little is more tasteless and tat than Las Vegas.
© Leigh O’Gorman.
When wandering around the harbour on Friday, it was difficult to ignore the drooling Jabba the Hutt-alikes and their convulsing loins, as they licked their lips when chancing upon scantily clad promo girls handing out flyers to some party or other in a bar {note 2} that will offer none of the glamour and all of the rip-off.
The sleazy catcalls, pursed kisses and inelegant whispers of “hello darling” only serve to make one feel as if the gates of hell are opening up around thee. There’s not an ounce of exclusivity here – it will be just another bar drawing in sun-blunted punters all too keen to knock back €8 pints of Heineken in the hope said girls will arrive to rough up their red raw purulent flesh.
Were the fetish-like slobbering not so ugly, it would be truly beautiful art. But it is not; it’s just a dim reflection of the vacuous tendencies that litter Monaco during the Grand Prix’s visitation.
A quick train back to Nice and a beer before going to the hotel, passing – along the way – numerous prostitutes looking to score, while the desperate and homeless route through bins for food. This is the other side that you will never see.
Will I do it again? Yes, but then again, I’m a racer. It was simply the most exhausting race weekend that I have ever worked. But give me the cars any day – the rest is merely noise pulverising the senses.
{note 1}
It transpired that I had broken my foot one day before leaving for Monaco, but only found out when in an Accident & Emergency ward six days later, hence the “hobbling” and “bobbling” was quite literal, very real and astonishingly painful.
{note 2}
As someone who spent several years as a live music promoter, the “art” of using scantily clad promo girls to “pump up your night” was a facet of the industry that I hated – and I refused to do it.
Realistically, if your business is so decrepit that one feels it needs sex to sell it, then the business is probably rank to start with, but that is a personal view.
© Leigh O’Gorman.
The finish line at the Circuit de Monte Carlo in Monaco.
For Nico Rosberg, it’s another line crossed, another box ticked, another victory in the principality and the championship lead.
In a season that is becoming oh-so-fascinating, the brooding psychological warfare at Mercedes has seen the battle front shift once again.
Where verbal jabs and nicks were once the game, the tempo has shifted and the pendulum has once again swung toward Rosberg.
On the other side of the garage, the jibes from Lewis Hamilton are becoming more pointed, more deliberate. Once again FOM have played a marvellous game and their talent of plucking just the right radio message or quote to get the media talking is doing much to stir the pot, especially when it comes to the UK media.
That Hamilton’s body language reads that of an unhappy and seething star merely pours more fuel onto the fire.
Soon though, it may go beyond just the teammates. As the season develops, it will also become a game of secrets and war amongst the two Mercedes engineering crews, with each side attempting to outwit the other.
When the get to Canada, Hamilton may well retake the head, but Rosberg comes across as the more confident of the pair — for now.
That Niki Lauda is urging the fight onwards is sweet. That Rosberg and Hamilton are performing superbly week-in, week-out makes it gold.
The finish line at Monaco. © Leigh O’Gorman
Nato was superb in Monaco. © Renault Sport Media. (Photo Gregory Lenormand / DPPI)
Norman Nato took his first Formula Renault 3.5 race win in style at Monaco this morning.
Piloting his DAMS machine, the Frenchman led from start-to-finish, beating Tech 1 racing rival Marco Sørensen, despite the Dane applying pressure for the duration.
Nato had much of the start pressure removed from his shoulders when fellow front row man Jaafar pulled slowly away from the line. With the Malaysian adrift in 3rd, Sørensen slipped into 2nd spot and immediately began to pressurise Nato for the lead.
The 21-year-old held his nerve however and, apart from the occasional blip, the gap stayed between 1.1s and 1.8s for much of the running. As happens at Monaco, lapses of concentration resulted in brief losses – both Sørensen and Nato suffered these on laps 10 and 11 respectively and again on laps 20 and 21 – yet neither ever looked so lairy that the could throw their machines off the road.
With each tour, the gaps held and Sørensen discovered – as many have before him – that overtaking at Monaco is as close to impossible as you can get in motorsport.
It was a stellar drive and deserved victory for Nato and one that may finally lift his season out of the doldrums.
Jazeman Jaafar led a three-car battle with Carlos Sainz Jr and Oliver Rowland to secure his second Monte Carlo podium in the category.
Meanwhile, behind the leading pair Jaafar did have a touch of luck on his side. Despite his sluggish start, the ISR man was unchallenged once Sørensen had slipped through.
In Jaafar’s mirrors, Sainz Jr and Rowland were side-by-side in St Devote, with Rowland momentarily gaining the upper hand; however with Sainz Jr’s wheel encroaching upon the Fortec machine, Rowland pulled slightly wide on the exit, allowing Sainz Jr back through. The pair continued to tussle through Massenet and through Casino Square, but as the racing line evened out toward Mirabeau, Sainz Jr solidified his advantage.
Thereafter the trio played a game of Ping-Pong with the gaps, but – as with the battle for the lead – finding a useable space to pass was rare. Remaining close to the finish, Jaafar headed Sainz Jr and Rowland, with the 3rd, 4th and 5th place battle covered by a mere 1.7s at the line.
Zoël Amberg (AVF) continued his steady improvement with his fourth points finish in five races. The Swiss racer battled hard to keep Pierre Gasly (Arden International) at bay, with the latter unable to force a way through into 6th place.
Will Stevens drove a lonely race to 8th position for Strakka Racing on a day when he desperately needed to better championship leader Sainz Jr. Roberto Merhi took 9th place; both unchallenged from behind and unable to challenge ahead, unlike Meindert van Buuren who fought over 10th place and the final point with Pietro Fantin until the final lap, when a mistake by the Brazilian dropped him out of contention.
On a day when all his main title rivals finished behind him, Sainz Jr managed to open up his points lead even further. With a tally of 74 points from five races, the Spaniard now leads Rowland by 15 points, with Gasly an addition eight adrift and Stevens another seven behind Gasly.
They will not have to wait long to do battle again. In a series of extremes, the Formula Renault 3.5 series moves to Spa-Francorchamps next week, where the battle will reconvene in the forests of the Ardennes.
© Renault Sport Media. (Florent Gooden / DPPI)
2014 Formula Renault 3.5 Series (Rd 3, Monaco)
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Norman Nato DAMS 30 laps
2. Marco Sorensen Tech 1 +0.790s
3. Jazeman Jaafar ISR +12.228s
4. Carlos Sainz Jr DAMS +13.268s
5. Oliver Rowland Fortec +13.960s
6. Zoel Amberg AV Formula +20.962s
7. Pierre Gasly Arden +21.395s
8. Will Stevens Strakka +31.911s
9. Robert Merhi Zeta Corse +38.853s
10. Meindert van Buuren Pons Racing +50.019s
11. Marlon Stockinger Lotus +55.954s
12. Oliver Webb Pons Racing +1m00.594s
13. Matias Laine Strakka +1m00.803s
14. Luca Ghiotto Draco +1m00.874s
15. Pietro Fantin Draco +1m03.676s
16. Will Buller Arden +1m04.448s
17. Beitske Visser AV Formula +1m14.137s
18. Andrea Roda Comtec Racing +1 lap
19. Roman Mavlanov Zeta Corse +1 lap
Retirements:
Sergey Sirotkin Fortec +24 laps
Matthieu Vaxiviere Lotus +29 laps
Nato took pole in Monaco. © Renault Sport Media (Photo Florent Gooden / DPPI)
DAMS racer Norman Nato took his second pole position in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series at Monaco today.
Nato headed Group B, but only just from ISR man Jazeman Jaafar, while Marco Sørensen (Tech 1) claimed 3rd on the grid.
Carlos Sainz Jr topped the ‘Group A’ qualifying session, but was later penalised two positions for impeding fellow Red Bull junior driver Pierre Gasly.
In the faster ‘Group B’ session, Nato grabbed the top spot by just 0.092s with a late fast tour.
The 21-year-old battled throughout the running with Jaafar and Fortec’s Oliver Rowland; however only Jaafar could push harder as the time ticked down, only to be beaten by Nato’s best of 1:23.209s.
However, Nato came very close to losing it all early on. “At Monaco, speed is necessary, but there is a bit of luck involved. I made it difficult for myself in tapping the Armco barrier on my first run.” Adding later, the Frenchman said: “This pole position is a sigh of relief and I am thrilled. The team did an excellent job after that. 50% of the work is done, but the race will be quite complicated!”
Rowland could do no better than 3rd in the group, as he failed to improve with the leading pair in the final minutes. Zoel Amberg (AVF) took 4th and Will Stevens (Strakka) 5th.
Sainz Jr utterly dominated ‘Group A’. The Spaniard led after the first run and significantly improved that time to 1:23.873s on fresh tyres before the chequered flag.
It came to naught however, as Sainz Jr was given a two-place grid drop for blocking, although he was adamant that he had slowed for Roman Mavlanov’s damaged Zeta Corse machine.
Sergey Sirotkin was the 3rd place driver in ‘Group A’; however the Russian lost time in traffic on his fast lap, while Gasly maintained 4th by the end of the session.
2014 Formula Renault 3.5 Series (Rd 3, Qualifying, Monaco) Pos Driver Team Time 1. Norman Nato DAMS 1m23.209s Group B 2. Jazeman Jaafar ISR 1m23.301s Group B 3. Marco Sorensen Tech 1 1m24.262s Group A 4. Carlos Sainz DAMS 1m23.873s Group A 5. Oliver Rowland Fortec 1m23.666s Group B 6. Sergey Sirotkin Fortec 1m24.675s Group A 7. Zoel Amberg AVF 1m23.702s Group B 8. Pierre Gasly Arden 1m24.828s Group A 9. Will Stevens Strakka 1m23.924s Group B 10. Roberto Merhi Zeta 1m24.925s Group A 11. Pietro Fantin Draco 1m23.944s Group B 12. Meindert van Buuren Pons 1m25.107s Group A 13. Marlon Stockinger Lotus 1m24.328s Group B 14. Roman Mavlanov Zeta 1m25.714s Group A 15. William Buller Arden 1m24.365s Group B 16. Matias Laine Strakka 1m25.834s Group A 17. Oliver Webb Pons 1m24.776s Group B 18. Matthieu Vaxiviere Lotus 1m26.072s Group A 19. Beitske Visser AVF 1m25.469s Group B 20. Luca Ghiotto Draco 1m26.153s Group A 21. Andrea Roda Comtec 1m29.698s Group A
Richelmi won at his Monaco home. © Sam Bloxham/GP2 Series Media Service
Stéphane Richelmi secured his first GP2 Series victory on the streets of Monte Carlo this afternoon.
The Monegasque racer held Sergio Canamasas at bay for the thirty-lap duration, with a stellar display.
On pre-used Pirelli tyres, Richelmi made an unremarkable start, as Caterham’s Rio Haryanto attempted a move around the outside of St Devote; however Richelmi held his line solidly, edging Haryanto wide and allowing Canamasas into 2nd spot.
From there, Canamasas pushed his DAMS rival hard, with the gap lingering around half-a-second for much of the running, although it did close to 0.2s come the end of lap seven; however despite his presence, Richelmi rarely ever looked like giving up the lead.
The leading pair had a little breather at the halfway point, when Artem Markelov (RUSSIAN TIME) smashed into the barrier at St Devote, bringing out a brief safety car.
When the race restarted on lap 17, Richelmi continued to hold the lead out front, yet Canamasas continued to push until three laps from the end, when a small error gave the leader a two second advantage, effectively killing the competition.
In the final few tours, Richelmi maintained his advantage, eventually taking the victory by 2.1s from a delighted Canamasas – a breakthrough result for both.
Haryanto kept the 3rd position he dropped to at the start; however for a time, it appeared as if the Indonesian had fallen away from the leading pair. By the one-third distance, Haryanto was some five seconds adrift of Canamsas, but pulled that back to just over one second when the safety car emerged.
When the race restarted, Haryanto held a reasonable pace, but considering the form of Canamasas and Richelmi, a better result than 3rd was not likely. Still, a very good effort.
Johnny Cecotto Jr held off a sixteen-car train to assume 4th place for Trident. The Colombian had very little pace during the sprint and was some two seconds per lap slower than the leaders during the final third of the race.
Behind Cecotto Jr, Arthur Pic pushed in the Campos Racing entry, but could not find a way passed the determined Cecotto Jr. In the mirrors of Cecotto Jr and Pic, RUSSIAN TIME’s Mitch Evans assumed 6th, ahead of points Jolyon Palmer (DAMS, 7th) and Adrian Quaife-Hobbs (Rapax) who took the final point in 8th.
Stefano Coletti (Racing Engineering) grabbed 9th from Conor Daly (Venezuela GP Lazarus) with four laps remaining, marking one of the few overtaking maneuvers on the famed Monte Carlo streets.
It was a poor day for championship contender Felipe Nasr (Carlin), who suffered a lap one puncture, sending the Brazilian down the run-off area at Mirabeau, while Markelov backed into the innocent Tio Ellinas through Massenet. Raffaele Marciello also made an uncharacteristic mistake on lap five, when he climbed the kerbs at Leows and ran into the side of Daniel de Jong as a result – both Markelove and Marciello received drive through penalties for their woes.
After three rounds, Palmer now takes a 46 point lead over Nasr, while Cecotto Jr and Julian Leal linger less than ten points further back.
2014 GP2 Series (Rd 3, Sprint Race, Monaco)
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Stephane Richelmi DAMS 43m17.087s (30 laps)
2. Sergio Canamasas Trident +2.179s
3. Rio Haryanto Caterham +8.295s
4. Johnny Cecotto Jr Trident +25.320s
5. Arthur Pic Campos +25.753s
6. Mitch Evans Russian Time +25.973s
7. Jolyon Palmer DAMS +26.587s
8. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs Rapax +26.956s
9. Stefano Coletti Racing Engineering +28.473s
10. Conor Daly Lazarus +28.721s
11. Alexander Rossi Caterham +29.987s
12. Nathanael Berthon Lazarus +30.105s
13. Stoffel Vandoorne ART +30.604s
14. Kimiya Sato Campos +31.228s
15. Andre Negrao Arden +31.657s
16. Julian Leal Carlin +32.085s
17. Daniel Abt Hilmer +32.582s
18. Simon Trummer Rapax +33.458s
19. Raffaele Marciello Racing Engineering +34.328s
20. Rene Binder Arden +35.417s
21. Facu Regalia Hilmer +36.078s
22. Tio Ellinas MP Motorsport +1 lap
Retirements:
Artem Markelov Russian Time +18 laps
Takuya Izawa ART +19 laps
Daniel de Jong MP Motorsport +28 laps
Felipe Nasr Carlin +30 laps
Palmer victorious in Monaco. © Sam Bloxham/GP2 Series Media Service.
Jolyon Palmer claimed his second GP2 Series win of the season in a chaotic Feature Race at Monaco today.
In a 40- lap tussle, the Englishman won out over Mitch Evans and Felipe Nasr, with the top three covered by just 0.6s at the flag.
Poleman Palmer lost the lead to Evans when he bogged down at the start, but the 22-year-old regained both his composure and the lead, as Evans began to slow dramatically after several laps.
Palmer made the decisive move on lap eleven, when he slid down the inside of a defenceless Evans to retake the lead.
From there, the DAMS man pulled a gap of 3.6s over Evans, only for the red flag to emerge on lap 13, as a result of a pile-up at Loews hairpin.
The accident – the first of a few instigated by Arden’s Rene Binder – came to be when the Austrian attempted a gloriously unrealistic move on teammate Andre Negrao at the ultra tight bend. With a number of cars in close proximity to the Negrao / Binder fight, the field came to halt, blocking the track.
After almost forty minutes, the race restarted with Palmer setting a devastating pace at the front of the field. Within twelve laps, the Englishman had pulled out a 9.3s gap over the increasingly pressurised Evans, when the safety car made an appearance to clear away Julian Leal, who had thrown his Carlin machine into the barriers at the Nouvelle chicane.
It signaled the best opportunity for the leading group to make their mandatory pitstop, with only Stoffel Vandoorne (ART Grand Prix) and Simon Trummer (Rapax) staying out.
Palmer slotted in between the pair, but retook the front of the pack when Vandoorne stopped for tyres on lap 33. It was not the ideal time for a stop by Vandoorne; however the ART squad took the chance when Vandoorne’s ART teammate Takuya Izawa crashed, followed by a clumsy collision between Stefano Coletti and Trummer at Anthony Noghes.
Palmer led the rest of the running, but had to face down Evans who closed to within 0.4s at the flag; however there was not enough time for the Kiwi to make a move for the win.
Nasr’s climb to 3rd place was a startling one. The Brazilian started 18th on the grid, but a startling getaway took him to 12th by the end of lap one. From there, Nasr held a solid pace and pitted on lap 7 and was able to slowly climb the order after the red flag as the field one-by-one changed their tyres.
His biggest gain came on lap 27, when the safety car for Leal’s moment propelled the Brazilian from 13th to 5th in one foul swoop. That became 3rd when the overly aggressive Coletti removed both himself and Trummer from the action.
Nasr closed in on the leading pair in the final tours, but there was never going to be enough time to make more of it.
Johnny Cecotto Jr drove a mature race to 4th, while his Trident teammate Sergio Canamasas stopped one lap after Nasr and claimed positions en masse under the Leal safety car period.
Arthur Pic assumed 6th spot Rio Haryanto, Stéphane Richelmi took 8th and reverse grid pole for DAMS. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs ended his day in 9th spot, while Tio Ellinas grabbed the final point for 10th place.
It was not a good day if you were Binder though. Aside from the Loews error, the 22-year-old was caught up in two other incidents: first he pummelled into the side of Artem Markelov at the Nouvelle Chicane on lap 35 and when he had been pushed away by the marshals, the Austrian crashed into the barrier three corners later, final ending his day.
Facu Regalia retired on the opening lap with an electrical failure. His car which had stopped near Tabac brought out a safety car on lap two, signaling a brief neutralisation of the race.
2014 GP2 Series (Rd 3, Feature Race, Monaco)
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Jolyon Palmer DAMS 1h38m31.193s (40 laps)
2. Mitch Evans Russian Time +0.427s
3. Felipe Nasr Carlin +0.653s
4. Johnny Cecotto Jr Trident +2.175s
5. Sergio Canamasas Trident +2.884s
6. Arthur Pic Campos +6.187s
7. Rio Haryanto Caterham +8.718s
8. Stephane Richelmi DAMS +9.594s
9. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs Rapax +9.785s
10. Tio Ellinas MP +10.187s
11. Daniel de Jong MP +10.689s
12. Raffaele Marciello Racing Engineering +11.727s
13. Conor Daly Lazarus +12.291s
14. Stoffel Vandoorne ART +12.705s
15. Kimiya Sato Campos +26.761s
16. Alexander Rossi Caterham +29.166s
17. Nathanael Berthon Lazarus +56.107s
Retirements:
Artem Markelov Russian Time +5 laps
Rene Binder Arden +5 laps
Simon Trummer Rapax +9 laps
Stefano Coletti Racing Engineering +9 laps
Takuya Izawa ART +9 laps
Julian Leal Carlin +16 laps
Andre Negrao Arden +29 laps
Daniel Abt Hilmer +31 laps
Facu Regalia Hilmer +40 laps
Haryanto penalised after qualifying. © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service.
Indonesian racer Rio Haryanto lost his coveted front row position for the Monaco GP2 Feature Race yesterday evening.
Following the session, it was determined the Caterham racer had impeded DAMS’ Stéphane Richelmi during the ‘ Group B’ session, as the latter was on a quick run.
The penalty drops Haryanto to 5th and promotes Richelmi to 3rd, just behind his teammate polesitter Jolyon Palmer. Mitch Evans now starts from Haryanto’s 2nd place, while Johnny Cecotto Jr moves up to 4th on the grid.
Both Hilmer drivers were also penalised for impeding other drivers during qualifying. Daniel Abt got in the way of a speedy Cecotto Jr, while Facu Regalia blocked Sergio Canamasas – Abt and Regalia will start 10th and 23rd respectively.
Finally, recent GP2 victor Felipe Nasr also received a penalty for getting in the way of Cecotto Jr. The Brazilian will drop to 18th on the grid, essentially killing off any lingering hopes for a second race victory.
2014 GP2 Series (Rd 3, Qualifying, Monaco) Pos Driver Team Time Session 1. Jolyon Palmer DAMS 1m20.774s Group A 2. Mitch Evans Russian Time 1m21.188s Group A 3. Stephane Richelmi DAMS 1m21.444s Group B 4. Johnny Cecotto Jr Trident 1m21.361s Group A 5. Rio Haryanto Caterham 1m21.433s Group B* 6. Stoffel Vandoorne ART 1m21.508s Group B 7. Stefano Coletti Racing Engineering 1m21.649s Group B 8. Raffaele Marciello Racing Engineering 1m21.917s Group A 9. Julian Leal Carlin 1m21.752s Group B 10. Daniel Abt Hilmer 1m21.760s Group A* 11. Alexander Rossi Caterham 1m22.146s Group A 12. Sergio Canamasas Trident 1m21.926s Group B 13. Simon Trummer Rapax 1m22.296s Group A 14. Arthur Pic Campos 1m22.207s Group B 15. Rene Binder Arden 1m22.270s Group B 16. Kimiya Sato Campos 1m22.588s Group A 17. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs Rapax 1m22.277s Group B 18. Felipe Nasr Carlin 1m22.381s Group A* 19. Tio Ellinas MP 1m22.681s Group A 20. Conor Daly Lazarus 1m22.997s Group A 21. Daniel de Jong MP 1m22.488s Group B 22. Andre Negrao Arden 1m23.178s Group A 23. Facu Regalia Hilmer 1m22.473s Group B* 24. Nathanael Berthon Lazarus 1m22.632s Group B 25. Takuya Izawa ART 1m23.259s Group A 26. Artem Markelov Russian Time 1m23.347s Group B
Notes:
Penalties:
*Haryanto, Abt, Nasr and Fegalia handed 5-place penalties for blocking in qualifying.
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