Palmer took pole. © Sam Bloxham/GP2 Series Media Service.
Jolyon Palmer rocketed to his third GP2 Series pole on the famed Monaco streets today.
Driving for DAMS, the Englishman set the fastest time over a qualifying session split into two groups to head Rio Haryanto, Mitch Evans and Stéphane Richelmi.
Placed into ‘Group A’, Palmer dominated the opening session. The 22-year-old was the first (and only) driver of the group to break 1’21” barrier and he did so in style, while those behind scrambled for the remaining positions.
As with this morning’s practice, Palmer set a good early pace and although he faced a stiff challenge from Trident’s Johnny Cecotto Jr for a time, the DAMS racer pulled away before anyone could threaten.
With time passing following the opening run, Palmer dropped down the order – as noted by the DAMS man: “We did a lap on the used tyres early on before the new tyres which I think worked quite well. It was a good strategy. And then I was left to watching group B and hope no one would get any quicker.”
However Palmer would soon respond with a perfectly timed lap on new Pirelli’s at 1:20.774, to break his fellow competitors.
Following the session, Palmer was understandably ecstatic. “I’ve always been quick here. It’s probably one of the most exhilarating day to do [qualifying] in Monaco. It’s the most adrenaline you get all year.” He added, “Everything came together really well. The team did a really good job. It’s not been their strongest track before so we did a lot of work and the car was really good today. Everything was in place.”
Evans was 2nd quickest in Group A, with a late effort promoting him above Cecotto Jr, whose best of 1:21.361 was enough for him to cling on to 3rd place, ahead of Daniel Abt and Raffaele Marciello. Caterham’s Alexander Rossi is to line-up on the sixth row for the Feature.
The second group was slow to build pace, with Sergio Canamasas the first to set a representative time some six minutes into the session. Thereafter the times tumbled, as first Stefano Coletti, Julian Leal and then Haryanto, Richelmi and Stoffel Vandoorne made their presence felt.
Coletti was the first of the group to set a truly eye-catching time when he notched up a 1:21.694, only for Vandoorne to pip that by mere thousandths moments later.
With four minutes remaining, Haryanto set the bar too high for the ‘Group B’ competition, when he claimed a 1:21.443 to go top. Richelmi came closest – his best was a mere 0.11s shy of Haryanto; however the Monegasque driver will rue having two fast laps ruined by traffic.
Vandoorne’s best of 1:21.508 was good enough for 3rd in ‘Group B’ and 6th overall. Coletti will have to do what he can from 8th on the grid, when he proved unable to improve on his final two tours.
There was one minor scare during qualifying – that came when Adrian Quaife-Hobbs overshot St Devote halfway through ‘Group B’; however the Englishman survived and will start from 18th tomorrow.
2014 GP2 Series (Rd 3, Qualifying, Monaco) Pos Driver Team Time Session 1. Jolyon Palmer DAMS 1m20.774s Group A 2. Rio Haryanto Caterham 1m21.433s Group B 3. Mitch Evans Russian Time 1m21.188s Group A 4. Stephane Richelmi DAMS 1m21.444s Group B 5. Johnny Cecotto Jr Trident 1m21.361s Group A 6. Stoffel Vandoorne ART 1m21.508s Group B 7. Daniel Abt Hilmer 1m21.760s Group A 8. Stefano Coletti Racing Engineering 1m21.649s Group B 9. Raffaele Marciello Racing Engineering 1m21.917s Group A 10. Julian Leal Carlin 1m21.752s Group B 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. Felipe Nasr Carlin 1m22.381s Group A 16. Rene Binder Arden 1m22.270s Group B 17. Kimiya Sato Campos 1m22.588s Group A 18. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs Rapax 1m22.277s Group B 19. Tio Ellinas MP 1m22.681s Group A 20. Facu Regalia Hilmer 1m22.473s Group B 21. Conor Daly Lazarus 1m22.997s Group A 22. Daniel de Jong MP 1m22.488s Group B 23. Andre Negrao Arden 1m23.178s Group A 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
Palmer was quickest in GP2 FP. © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
DAMS’ Jolyon Palmer headed the sole free GP2 Series practice session on the streets of Monte Carlo today.
The Briton secured the top spot, after he set a dazzling 1:20.707, ensuring he was the only driver to break the 1’21” barrier.
Johnny Cecotto Jr continued his improved form with a lap 2nd spot, ahead of Stéphane Richelmi, who made it two DAMS machines in the top three.
Indeed Palmer also showed his pace when he went out on the soft compound Pirelli tyres and led the way as the field changed to super-softs.
Initially Palmer fended off a confident Felipe Nasr, who is still beaming from his first GP2 victory at Spain two weeks ago. Cecotto Jr also displayed some speedy sectors, but lost out when he hit excessive traffic.
The move to the softer tyres saw the field continue to push; however it was Nasr who stepped out of line when he clattered the barrier on a quick run in the second half of the session.
Embarrassingly for Nathanael Berthon, the Venezuela GP Lazarus driver crashed on his outlap and never set a time.
Today’s qualifying session will be split into two groups – one with odd-numbered cars and another with even numbered cars. The group whose quickest man sets the fastest overall lap will take pole and the “good” side of the grid.
2014 GP2 Series (Rd 3, Free Practice, Monaco)
Pos Driver Team Time Gap
1. Jolyon Palmer DAMS 1m20.707s
2. Johnny Cecotto Jr Trident 1m21.043s +0.336s
3. Stephane Richelmi DAMS 1m21.573s +0.866s
4. Stefano Coletti Racing Engineering 1m21.902s +1.195s
5. Mitch Evans Russian Time 1m21.929s +1.222s
6. Sergio Canamasas Trident 1m21.933s +1.226s
7. Rio Haryanto Caterham 1m21.935s +1.228s
8. Felipe Nasr Carlin 1m21.949s +1.242s
9. Julian Leal Carlin 1m22.132s +1.425s
10. Alexander Rossi Caterham 1m22.183s +1.476s
11. Simon Trummer Rapax 1m22.237s +1.530s
12. Daniel Abt Hilmer 1m22.296s +1.589s
13. Rene Binder Arden 1m22.386s +1.679s
14. Stoffel Vandoorne ART 1m22.442s +1.735s
15. Raffaele Marciello Racing Engineering 1m22.937s +2.230s
16. Andre Negrao Arden 1m23.028s +2.321s
17. Kimiya Sato Campos 1m23.353s +2.646s
18. Arthur Pic Campos 1m23.453s +2.746s
19. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs Rapax 1m23.545s +2.838s
20. Daniel de Jong MP 1m23.605s +2.898s
21. Facu Regalia Hilmer 1m23.821s +3.114s
22. Tio Ellinas MP 1m24.126s +3.419s
23. Takuya Izawa ART 1m24.201s +3.494s
24. Conor Daly Lazarus 1m25.356s +4.649s
25. Artem Markelov Russian Time 1m25.694s +4.987s
26. Nathanael Berthon Lazarus {no time}
There is a sideswiping wind crossing the GP2 Series paddock and media centre this weekend.
Rather than inside a baking tent, within site of the Formula One circus, when it comes to Monaco, GP2 bases itself on the second floor of a carpark about one kilometre down the road.
The half open walls ensure every gust of wind is felt and should it rain again this weekend, cover may need to be taken.
The famed principality was very actually rather cold today, even if it didn’t always look it on screen. A brief mid-afternoon hailstorm merely served to add some water to the proceedings, although it came and went during sessions.
Right now, looking across the last strips of car park space, one takes a lingering look at the TV and timing screen, only to note that none of the Formula One fraternity are venturing outside, in case the dampness causes an unwanted shunt. Shame for them, but also a touch understandable – desperately irritating if one happens to have paid for the privilege to watch an empty track.
Monaco is, without doubt, one of the most absurdly chaotic places that I have ever visited, although one might claim that is the charm. I may have to think about that one.
© Leigh O’Gorman
Dublin Airport can be a dreadfully depressing place on a Sunday evening, especially on a day like today.
As the night draws and rain spills, one can only hope the sky is clearer on the other side in London.
Alas, hope does not always transfer to reality.
This week is all about Monaco. Following escapades in Hockenheim for DTM and Formula 3, trailed a week later by the Pau Grand Prix in the Pyrénées, a rest bite was needed this weekend.
Admittedly, these plans don’t always come to fruition, but sometimes it is nice to not be at a racetrack on a weekend.
There will be a few days in work and then a flight to Nice on Thursday morning, which will (in theory) connect to a short train journey to Monaco, where I hope arrive some time during Formula One practice.
The focus this weekend is, as always GP2 and Formula Renault 3.5, although as this will be my first visit to Monte Carlo, I am intrigued to see how it shapes up compared to the streets of Pau.
As usual, throw out the formbook, because when it comes to Monaco, choosing a winner is quite impossible – these streets are far too unforgiving for such a guess.
I can only hope it stays dry.
Kirchhöfer to race British F3 with Fortec. © Malcolm Griffiths/GP3 Series Media Service
Reigning German Formula 3 champion, Marvin Kirchhöfer, will join Fortec Motorsport for the second round of the British F3 Series at Silverstone next week.
The 20-year-old, who is racing full-time in the GP3 Series this year with ART Grand Prix, replaces Sam MacLeod, who had also just signed up for a single round at Rockingham.
Kirchhöfer will race alongside Fortec regulars Matt Rao and British F3 points leader Martin Cao, although it is unclear as to whether this may extend to additional rounds later in the season.
The German racer impressed the Daventry team during a recent test at the Riccardo Tormo circuit in Valencia.
Fortec team manager Dan Mitchell believes there is no doubt Kirchhöfer can deliver the goods next weekend. “We are very happy to have Marvin on board he is a proven race winner and can hopefully continue this with us at Silverstone,” noted Mitchell, before adding, “With his experience in Formula cars he will be a great benchmark to our drivers and a good asset to British Formula 3”
Kirchhöfer enjoyed a solid opening to his GP3 campaign at Barcelona last weekend with two 5th place finishes, with the pilot keen to display his prowess in the Dallara-Mercedes machine. “It’s a great opportunity for me, getting some experience at Silverstone and try to improve myself with a bit more racing. I’m looking forward to this weekend with Fortec Motorsport!”
The addition of Kirchhöfer brings next week’s field up to six, but more are expected to sign on in the next few days. This event with Fortec will also qualify Kirchhöfer as an entrant for this year’s Macau Grand Prix, which will take place on the third weekend in November.
As the lights flashed and poses posed, cracks began to appear behind Nico Rosberg’s normally faultless smile.
Some days before the Spanish Grand Prix, the German Formula One racer met members of the media at the Hockenheimring, not far outside of Frankfurt.
At the time, Rosberg led the World Championship, but the Mercedes man was under pressure, from teammate Lewis Hamilton no less and the once gleaming façade was beginning to show signs of vulnerability.
While Mercedes are the class of the field, the 28-year-old knows this is one of the few opportunities he will have to ever claim the top prize in motorsport and while the German marque have won all five of the first Grands Prix, Rosberg has been runner-up in four of them.
For all of Rosberg’s undoubted pace and intelligence – he is quite clever indeed – he has failed to take the charge to Hamilton in a straight fight, remembering of course that the German driver’s win came from a race in which Hamilton retired after qualifying on pole…
So Monaco is next – a place where both Mercedes drivers have tasted success, but if this World Championship is to have any life whatsoever, Rosberg needs to take it again, for another Hamilton victory may just break Rosberg’s spirit and concentration.
…and that smile will disappear.
©Leigh O’Gorman.
Rosenqvist claimed the 74rd Grand Prix de Pau with a brilliant display. © FIA F3 Media Services.
One of the unfortunate things about covering motorsport and working a separate full-time job is that Monday’s and Tuesday’s can become something of a blur.
When flights land at 11pm on a Sunday night or even 7am the next morning (leading to an additional two-hour trip home or to an office), it sometimes becomes necessary to cool off for a time.
…which can also be quite useful too.
Rather than bang out and endless mishmash of words for the sake of it, sometimes it is best to kick back, relax and contemplate.
This week has been no different. Returning from Pau (via Bordeaux) on Sunday night / Monday morning (it was a mixture of the two), one could finally appreciate Felix Rosenqvist’s Grand Prix winning drive, following what had been a trying weekend.
Issues during first qualifying for the 73rd Grand Prix de Pau led to a poor starting position in the opening race on Saturday, although the Swede did make up a large number of positions on a circuit where overtaking is considered as difficult as at Monaco.
There followed a duel with FIA European F3 points leader Esteban Ocon, during which Rosenqvist clattered the barrier entering Pont Oscar and was out on the spot.
That the Frenchman was driving an already wounded machine at that point played its part in a collision that looked from the outside like a racing incident on what is little more than a narrow lane that passes under a bridge.
Ocon came closer to crossing the line when got a poor start from pole, allowing Rosenqvist into the lead and giving Max Verstappen an opportunity to attack, during which he clipped his Dutch rival, damaging Verstappen’s machine to the point where he went straight into the barrier on the second lap. The teenage Verstappen had crashed out needlessly during race two – an incident that earned him the ire of some in his van Amersfoort awning – but there was little he could have done about his race three exit.
As has been documented many times over, these things do occur at race starts. Certainly Ocon was aggressive – probably moreso than was expected for a race on such a tight street course, but this is motor racing and it is not, nor should it be the job of the leading driver to simply move aside.
Away from the on track action, the atmosphere over the weekend was a positive one. FIA President Jean Todt visited Pau on Saturday and was – apparently – rather pleased with the event and took note of the development and strengthening of the series, before leaving for the Spanish Grand Prix.
While issues remain in the wider world of Formula 3 with regards to national series’, the FIA Single-seater Commission – headed by Gerhard Berger – can point to their efforts in the European Championship and acknowledge that it has been a success so far. Now the task is to maintain this progression beyond its second season.
The focus of the Single-Seater Commission is now FIA Formula 4, which gets going very shortly in Italy.
Beyond that, there were some positive comments for Dallara, following the huge airborne crash between Alexander Toril and Mitch Gilbert at the beginning race one, with T-Sport team boss Russell Eacott keen to emphasise the strength of the modern chassis design. Such was the violence of the accident; it is not inconceivable that an older design may have wielded a very different result for the drivers involved. That no marshals or photographers were caught up in the incident was also a touch miraculous.
Motorsport is, of course by its very nature, a risky business, but some conditions make it riskier than others. One element that did come as a surprise was when a driver confided just how much weight had become an issue. The new regulations of the series set the new minimum weight of car and driver at 565kg – a figure up from last year due to the heavier engines and other parts in the rear of the machine.
This driver, who weighs in at around 79kg at a height of over six foot, noted that on some occasions, he has emerged from his car at the end of sessions feeling dizzy and light-headed. The driver commented that in order to meet a low weight, he has had to significantly reduce his energy intake since graduating to Formula 3.
Those who considered this a ‘Formula One-only’ problem may need to start looking further afield. One can only hope this does not contribute to an accident in future.
The organisation around the Pau Grand Prix was superb. Throughout the weekend, marshals cleared crashed and broken cars efficiently and quickly, ensuring that disruptions – of which there were many – were kept to a minimum and at a circuit a tight and winding like Pau, that is to be commended. Lastly, the spectacle of the Saturday night Twingo Cup from the the Boulevard des Pyrénées was quite astonishing.
For now though, a weekend off before preparations for the GP2 Series and Formula Renault 3.5 at Monaco begin in earnest. After that, it will be Spa-Francorchamps for the second edition of the World Series by Renault package in 2014.
Maybe one day, I will take a holiday.
Rosenqvist claimed the 73rd Grand Prix du Pau. © FIA.
Felix Rosenqvist claimed the 73rd edition of the Grand Prix de Pau today, following a duel with Esteban Ocon.
The 22-year-old became the first Swede to claim the prestigious race since Reine Wisell in forty-two years ago.
It was also Rosenqvist’s first victory of the FIA European F3 championship season, after what has been an incredibly difficult start for last year’s runner-up.
Realistically, Rosenqvist won the race at the start. From the front row, the Mücke Motorsport man made a fantastic start, while polesitter, Ocon, swung to the right of the track to defend again the aggressive Max Verstappen.
Rosenqvist did not run away from the Ocon by any stretch – if anything, the Frenchman stayed close to Rosenqvist’s tail, but only once – through the Virage du Buisson on lap 14 – could Ocon do anything to disturb the leader’s concentration.
The final third of the race was interrupted by a brief safety car period, but upon the lap 21 restart, Rosenqvist drew away again and held the front of the race to the end, winning by 0.8s after 29 tours.
Apart from losing the lead at the start, Ocon drove another excellent race. The championship leader trailed Rosenqvist for the duration, but despite his best efforts, the lead was always out of his reach.
However, the teenager maintains his run of eight podiums in nine races so far this season and extends his lead over Tom Blomqvist in the standings by a further three points.
Blomqvist had something of a battle for a portion of the race. The winner of this morning’s second race jumped Verstappen at the start and then had to keep Carlin teammate Jake Dennis at bay, only for the latter to drop off slightly when he came under pressure from behind.
From there, Blomqvist eased the car to the final podium place, aware that while he would lose some points to Ocon, it was also necessary to bring his Volkswagen-powered entry home.
Behind the podium, Dennis faced a huge battle in the second half of the race. As Blomqvist made a gap, Dennis was forced to fight off the intentions of Mitch Gilbert (5th), Lucas Auer (6th), Dennis van de Laar (7th) and John Bryant-Meisner (8th). Such is the nature of the Pau street circuit; the group crossed the line in that order – all covered by 3.6s
For a time Jordan King and Antonio Giovinazzi were attached to the rear of the group, but both dropped slightly behind as the race came to its conclusion, with the Carlin-run pair claiming the final two points finishes, with King leading his teammate by 1.09s.
It was not the cleanest of starts for those toward the rear of the field. On the approach to Pont Oscar on the opening lap, Spike Goddard ran into the rear of Jules Szymkowiak, rendering Goddard too damaged to continue. Goddard’s T-Sport teammate Alexander Toril was out of the running a few corners later, when he clipped Tatiana Calderon entering Lycée.
The struggling Max Verstappen crashed out on lap two, after his already damaged front wing offered no downforce through Pau’s twists and turns. Later Riccardo Agostini crashed out in the Virage de la Gare, while his EuroInternational teammate Michele Beretta spun on the first lap, but continued as far as lap 18 when he crashed Foch bringing out the safety car for three laps.
Blomqvist took a tough victory in race two at Pau. © FIA.
A late move for the lead gave Tom Blomqvist victory in the second FIA European F3 race of the weekend at Pau.
In a race peppered with incidents and two safety car periods on the damp Pyrénées streets, Blomqvist (Jagonya Ayam Carlin) ran 4th in the early stages, before taking advantage of race ending mistakes by van Amersfoort’s Max Verstappen and Felix Rosenqvist (Mucke Motorsport).
Following a clash with Rosenqvist, Ocon (Prema Powerteam) struggled with damage as the Prema man began to lose over three seconds per lap to the promoted Blomqvist. An accident for Carlin’s Ed Jones brought out the second safety car, bringing Blomqvist to the tail of Ocon and offering the Anglo-Kiwi a shot at the victory.
Running back under green for the final two laps, Blomqvist pressed a clearly damaged Esteban Ocon to grab the lead exiting Lycée and take a stunning victory.
Ocon maintained the runner-up spot, but was lucky to do so. The Frenchman had faced pressure from Rosenqvist for the first two-thirds of the race, with the pair continuously swapping fastest laps for several tours.
The battle came to a head on lap 14, when Ocon – having damaged his right rear slightly when bouncing over kerbs – came under intense attack from Rosenqvist. Launched a final attack from the exit of Virage de la Gare and into Pont Oscar, Ocon ran slightly wide leading the pair to collide, sending the Swede into the barrier.
With carnage reigning around him, Jake Dennis (Carlin) held onto to take 3rd place, but could have made it a Carlin 1-2, had the Briton had another lap. On constantly slipping tyres, the rookie was unable to get a good enough run on Ocon during the final tour to make a move, but was delighted with his first Formula 3 podium nonetheless.
Antonio Giovinazzi took a welcome 4th place fort Jagonya Ayam Carlin. The Italian came home several seconds clear of Dennis van de Laar (Prema Powerteam), who in turn led a train across the line. In van de Laar’s wake were Mücke-Motorsport pairing Mitch Gilbert (6th) and Lucas Auer (7th), while West-Tec’s Felix Serralles (8th) held close.
From last on the grid, Roy Nissany scored two points for Mücke Motorsport; just 1.6s clear of Hector Hurst who registered his first top-level Formula 3 score.
Given the conditions, there were accidents aplenty. The race had been started under safety car, but that did not stop T-Sport pairing Spike Goddard and Alexander Toril spinning in unison on lap 8.
Four laps later, Verstappen crashed backwards into the barriers in Foch after initially getting it wrong through Parc Beaumont. An astonishingly unrealistic move by Felipe Guimarães took both he and Tatiana Calderon out of the race on lap 15, before Jones’ crash finally neutralised the race.
As the race restarted, there was a pile-up in the lower points order, as Nicholas Latifi and Jordan King crashed into each other on the apex at Lycée, while behind them Fuoco avoided the incident, but broke his gearbox as he attempted to reverse away from the incident.
John Bryant-Meisner was also caught up in the incident as the wreckage blocked the track, causing the Swede to lose four positions and a handful of points.
2014 FIA European F3 Championship (Rd 3, Race 2, Pau)
Pos Driver Team Time / Gap
1. Tom Blomqvist Jagonya Ayam Carlin-Volkswagen 36:11.933s (22 laps)
2. Esteban Ocon Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +4.551
3. Jake Dennis Carlin-Volkswagen +4.652
4. Antonio Giovinazzi Jagonya Ayam Carlin-Volkswagen +4.910
5. Dennis van de Laar Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +5.419
6. Mitch Gilbert Fortec-Mercedes +9.334
7. Lucas Auer Mucke-Mercedes +9.601
8. Felix Serralles West-Tec-Mercedes +10.089
9. Roy Nissany Mucke-Mercedes +16.847
10. Hector Hurst West-Tec-Mercedes +18.577
11. John Bryant-Meisner Fortec-Mercedes +20.202
12. Michele Beretta EuroInternational-Mercedes +30.469
13. Gustavo Menezes Van Amersfoort-Volkswagen +34.013
14. Riccardo Agostini EuroInternational-Mercedes +34.637
15. Felipe Guimaraes Double R-Mercedes +1 lap
16. Alexander Toril ThreeBond T-Sport-NBE +1 lap
Classified, but not finished:
17. Nicholas Latifi Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +2 laps
18. Jordan King Carlin-Volkswagen +2 laps
19. Antonio Fuoco Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +2 laps
Retirements:
Ed Jones Carlin-Volkswagen +6 laps
Tatiana Calderon Jo Zeller-Mercedes +7 laps
Jules Szymkowiak Van Amersfoort-Volkswagen +7 laps
Felix Rosenqvist Mucke-Mercedes +9 laps
Sean Gelael Jagonya Ayam Carlin-Volkswagen +9 laps
Max Verstappen Van Amersfoort-Volkswagen +11 laps
Spike Goddard ThreeBond T-Sport-NBE +15 laps
The opening two rounds of the FIA European F3 Championship have proved an odd mixture for Antonio Fuoco.
Coming into the third weekend, the Italian teenager sits joint second in the points, albeit some distance adrift of leader and teammate Esteban Ocon.
A win and a podium in the opener at Silverstone with the Prema Powerteam squad gave way to a trickier time in Hockenheim last week, when a 3rd place – his only points finish – provided his score.
Fuoco is a canny driver with plenty of skill and he certainly has youth on his side. The Cosenza native only turns 18 in less than two weeks, so has plenty of time to develop.
Yet there is pressure too, for Fuoco is part of the Ferrari Driver Academy and as such, will have eyes pouring over his results and performances at every outing.
A minor excursion during yesterday morning’s free practice session at the Pau street circuit was the beginning of another troubling weekend. With his practice time cut short, Fuoco struggled to get up to speed for qualifying and it undoubtedly hurt his final performances and results.
This is unlikely to have impressed – but this is part of the learning curve, is it not?
Following Fuoco’s Formula Renault Alps success in 2013, Luca Baldisserri and his FDA team will eventually expect a European F3 title for their time and investment.
Whether Fuoco can learn to deal with such pressures remains to be seen, but the signs at this early stage point to a young man who can be victorious, if given the right amount of space.
Fuoco rounds Pont Oscar at Pau. © Leigh O’Gorman.
Ocon took two more poles at Pau. © FIA.
Prema Powerteam’s Esteban Ocon secured a double-pole series in today’s 2nd qualifying session for the 73rd Pau Grand Prix.
The Frenchman will line up with yet another Mücke Motorsport car alongside him on the front row, with Felix Rosenqvist heading Max Verstappen (van Amersfoort).
As with yesterday, Ocon and Verstappen dominated ‘Group A’ (for cars with even numbers). Where many in the first group registered laps in the 1’11-range, the leading pair were quick to break that barrier, with the French Ocon setting a 1:10.587 after eight minutes. Verstappen immediately improved on that time by two-tenths, only for Ocon to go another tenth faster on his following tour.
Thereafter both drivers continued to improve their pace, but Verstappen was never quite able to topple Ocon – his best of 1:10.192s eventually proved too much for Verstappen who was a mere 0.057s shy of pole.
Ocon was understandably delighted with the result. “Once again, my car was great. I did two good laps that were closer to the limit than in first qualifying. I knew that this was what I had to do, because the track was better for the second group. Eventually, it was really close with Felix Rosenqvist, but it was enough. So far, the weekend has been perfect for me, but there are still two races to go and I have to do my utmost.”
Jake Dennis once again underlined his improvement by clocking up the 3rd fastest time. The Carlin driver spent almost the entire session following Ocon and Verstappen in the times, but was always several tenths shy. The Briton would eventually record a quickest lap of 1:10.647, earning Dennis a two-tenths advantage over Dennis van de Laar.
While not perfect, Dennis knows places can be gained in the race itself. “It’s alright for us, we started fifth this morning for the first race and we gained a position so I know we can do something from there. I have a better set of tyres for tomorrow too so that’s a positive and although overtaking is very hard here I think we can move forward and get a podium. We can definitely be pleased because it’s another solid qualifying and we’re closing the gap to those ahead.”
John Bryant-Meisner, Ed Jones and Gustavo Menezes were the next fastest in ‘Group A’, while Tatiana Calderon assumed the 8th quickest time; however her session ended with four minutes remaining, when he clipped the barrier going through Foch.
The temperatures dipped slightly for the second session. Both Rosenqvist and teammate Lucas Auer were immediately on the pace, with the former heading the times after eight minutes after registering a best of 1:10.767.
Auer beat that effort by one-tenth moments later, only for Rosenqvist to pull together a tour two-tenths quicker upon his next tour. Rosenqvist went quicker still on his next lap, clocking up a circuit in 1:10.197; a time some three-and-a-half tenths up on the next quickest driver come the chequered flag.
In the end, that would not be Auer. The Austrian hit a brick wall of pace in the final third of qualifying and could not improve on his top lap of 1:10.615; dropping Auer down to 6th in the group. Instead Tom Blomqvist (Jagonya Ayam Carlin) was the next man on the time sheets, following a late qualifying battle with Antonio Giovinazzi, Mitch Gilbert and Jordan King; all of whom jumped Auer before the flag.
Like his Carlin stablemate Dennis, Blomqvist is well aware that he needs to capitalise from the line. “I’m hoping to get a good start as that is really the best place that you can gain and lose positions. We’re looking to capitalise from there and see how it goes. We have a little bit of time still to find but I think if we stay out of trouble and make no mistakes we can have another good race.”
Following a good performance in the first qualifying session, Latifi could do not better than 7th, placing him above Felix Serralles and Antonio Fuoco in the order.
Spike Goddard showed some positive improvements in this session and was running in the top-sic for a time; however a late session crash at Foch curtailed his running, giving the T-Sport mechanics much to do on a Saturday night.
At this time, Ocon is on pole for race three, with Rosenqvist and Verstappen once again lining up behind the Frenchman.
FIA President Jean Todt visited with FIA Single-Seater Commission President Gerhard Berger. © FIA.
2014 FIA European F3 Championship (Rd 3, Provisional Grid Race 2, Pau) Pos Driver Team Time / Gap 1. Esteban Ocon Prema Powerteam-Mercedes 1:10.192 2. Felix Rosenqvist Mucke-Mercedes 1:10.197 3. Max Verstappen Van Amersfoort-Volkswagen 1:10.249 4. Tom Blomqvist Jagonya Ayam Carlin-Volkswagen 1:10.547 5. Jake Dennis Carlin-Volkswagen 1:10.647 6. Antonio Giovinazzi Jagonya Ayam Carlin-Volkswagen 1:10.561 7. Dennis van de Laar Prema Powerteam-Mercedes 1:10.841 8. Mitch Gilbert Fortec-Mercedes 1:10.579 9. John Bryant-Meisner Fortec-Mercedes 1:11.141 10. Jordan King Carlin-Volkswagen 1:10.599 11. Ed Jones Carlin-Volkswagen 1:11.242 12. Lucas Auer Mucke-Mercedes 1:10.613 13. Sean Gelael Jagonya Ayam Carlin-Volkswagen 1:11.244 14. Nicholas Latifi Prema Powerteam-Mercedes 1:10.667 15. Gustavo Menezes Van Amersfoort-Volkswagen 1:11.289 16. Felix Serralles West-Tec-Mercedes 1:10.758 17. Tatiana Calderon Jo Zeller-Mercedes 1:11.407 18. Antonio Fuoco Prema Powerteam-Mercedes 1:10.806 19. Felipe Guimaraes Double R-Mercedes 1:11.458 20. Riccardo Agostini EuroInternational-Mercedes 1:10.808 21. Alexander Toril ThreeBond T-Sport-NBE 1:11.839 22. Spike Goddard ThreeBond T-Sport-NBE 1:10.826 23. Michele Beretta EuroInternational-Mercedes 1:12.062 24. Jules Szymkowiak Van Amersfoort-Volkswagen 1:11.379 25. Hector Hurst West-Tec-Mercedes 1:12.287 26. Roy Nissany Mucke-Mercedes 1:12.617
2014 FIA European F3 Championship (Rd 3, Provisional Grid Race 3, Pau) Pos Driver Team Time / Gap 1. Esteban Ocon Prema Powerteam-Mercedes 1:10.265 2. Felix Rosenqvist Mucke-Mercedes 1:10.300 3. Max Verstappen Van Amersfoort-Volkswagen 1:10.315 4. Tom Blomqvist Jagonya Ayam Carlin-Volkswagen 1:10.603 5. Jake Dennis Carlin-Volkswagen 1:10.828 6. Mitch Gilbert Fortec-Mercedes 1:10.614 7. Dennis van de Laar Prema Powerteam-Mercedes 1:10.930 8. Lucas Auer Mucke-Mercedes 1:10.639 9. John Bryant-Meisner Fortec-Mercedes 1:11.251 10. Antonio Giovinazzi Jagonya Ayam Carlin-Volkswagen 1:10.691 11. Gustavo Menezes Van Amersfoort-Volkswagen 1:11.289 12. Jordan King Carlin-Volkswagen 1:10.722 13. Ed Jones Carlin-Volkswagen 1:11.400 14. Nicholas Latifi Prema Powerteam-Mercedes 1:10.801 15. Sean Gelael Jagonya Ayam Carlin-Volkswagen 1:11.437 16. Riccardo Agostini EuroInternational-Mercedes 1:10.959 17. Felipe Guimaraes Double R-Mercedes 1:11.574 18. Antonio Fuoco Prema Powerteam-Mercedes 1:10.092 19. Tatiana Calderon Jo Zeller-Mercedes 1:11.624 20. Felix Serralles West-Tec-Mercedes 1:10.423 21. Alexander Toril ThreeBond T-Sport-NBE 1:11.916 22. Spike Goddard ThreeBond T-Sport-NBE 1:10.425 23. Michele Beretta EuroInternational-Mercedes 1:12.138 24. Jules Szymkowiak Van Amersfoort-Volkswagen 1:11.780 25. Hector Hurst West-Tec-Mercedes 1:12.400 26. Roy Nissany Mucke-Mercedes 1:12.639
Ocon won the Pau F3 opener. © FIA
Prema Powerteam’s Esteban Ocon drove a startling race to take victory in race one of the Pau F3 Grand Prix weekend.
The Frenchman led every lap of the race ahead of rivals Lucas Auer (Mucke Motorsport) and Max Verstappen (van Amersfoort); surviving two safety car restarts in the process.
Although Ocon rarely extended his gap at the front beyond 2.5s, the truth is he never needed to; such was his prowess on the circuit.
It was not the best of starts for Ocon and for a time the aggressive Auer challenged for the lead. Sensing the threat, Ocon squeezed Auer slightly through the Tribunes and even moreso on the approach to the Virage de la Gare, securing the lead come the end of sector one.
Auer recovered from the press to hold 2nd place ahead of Verstappen on the way up the hill; however the charge came to a halt thanks to the first safety car period on the opening lap.
Lower in the pack, Spain’s Alexander Toril was collected by Michele Beretta, which launched Toril into and over Mitch Gilbert as the field closed up into Pont Oscar. Once over the rear wing of Gilbert, Toril barrel rolled and landed hard by the barrier. Both cars were out on the spot, with Toril T-Sport machine receiving particularly excessive damage.
Upon the lap four restart, the front trio again pulled away and were each setting fastest sectors each tour around. After seven tours, Ocon began to bridge a significant gap over Auer, with the Austrian defending hard against the feisty Verstappen.
The Dutch driver did get one opportunity to pass for 2nd, when Auer made a mistake through Gare, allowing Verstappen to get alongside with two wheels on the kerbs; however as noted by the Dutch racer: “I wanted to overtake him, so I just had to try something, but because I was on the outside in the next corner, I let him go. I wanted to avoid an accident, because third place also is a good result and gives me valuable points.”
The manoeuvre left the van Amersfoort on the outside of Auer coming through the next series of bends, ensuring the positions remained unchanged.
While the battle for 2nd raged on, Ocon built a lead of 2.5sm until another safety car period was flagged to remove the crashed car of Michele Beretta from Foch.
Restarting on lap 17, Ocon again pulled almost one second clear of the next pair and eventually extended the gap to 2.9s over the final ten circulations, completing an astounding performance. “I am really happy to have won a race in my home event in France,” Ocon said. “My start wasn’t too good, but I still managed to take the lead. After the two restarts, I succeeded in holding on to first place and I tried to pull a gap right after that. After that, I could control the race.”
Although Ocon has raced on streets before, when he debuted in F3 at Macau last year, the Frenchman was keen to note Pau’s twisty nature, adding: “The experience I gained at Macau last year helped me, although the two tracks really aren’t identical.”
Verstappen did not keep quite as close to Auer following the final restart, with the Dutch teenager opting to save the podium and points on offer.
With the runner-up spot in the bag, Auer commented, “My start was good, but not good enough to take the lead. At the start of the race, I wasn’t really fast, so that Max was able to follow me. The battle with him was nice and fortunately, we decided to leave each other enough room.”
Jake Dennis took a brilliant 4th for Carlin. The Racing Steps Foundation driver spent much of the race keeping Jordan King (Carlin), Felix Serralles (West-Tec) and Antonio Giovinazzi (Jagonya Ayam Carlin) at bay.
Despite the efforts of the chasing trio, Dennis crossed the line in 4th, pipping his attackers, with the group covered by a mere 4.4s come the flag. It proved a very good drive by the rookie Dennis, as he continues to establish his presence in F3.
Ed Jones had something of a quiet race to finish 8th. The Dubai native came home ahead of the quick starting Spike Goddard, who had jumped from 12th to 10th at the start, before taking Sean Geleal for 9th on lap 14.
It was a disappointing day for title contenders Felix Rosenqvist and Antonio Fuoco. Starting 22nd, Rosenqvist had climbed four places on the opening tour, before entering a long battle with Fuoco and Felipe Guimaraes, which finally drew to a close on lap 20.
As the threesome fought, Guimaraes passed Fuoco, bringing both wide through Lycée and allowing Rosenqvist to slip through into 16th. Rosenqvist took Riccardo Agostini (lap 21) and Gustavo Menezes (lap 26) to finish 14th. Fuoco could do no better than 17th after Agostini retired on the final lap.
2014 FIA European F3 Championship (Rd 3, Race 1, Pau)
Pos Driver Team Time / Gap
1. Esteban Ocon Prema Powerteam-Mercedes 35:36.291s (27 laps)
2. Lucas Auer Mucke-Mercedes +2.922
3. Max Verstappen Van Amersfoort-Volkswagen +5.951
4. Jake Dennis Carlin-Volkswagen +11.368
5. Jordan King Carlin-Volkswagen +12.673
6. Felix Serralles West-Tec-Mercedes +14.710
7. Antonio Giovinazzi Jagonya Ayam Carlin-Volkswagen +15.797
8. Ed Jones Carlin-Volkswagen +21.196
9. Spike Goddard ThreeBond T-Sport-NBE +24.022
10. Sean Gelael Jagonya Ayam Carlin-Volkswagen +24.864
11. Tom Blomqvist Jagonya Ayam Carlin-Volkswagen +26.059
12. John Bryant-Meisner Fortec-Mercedes +26.510
13. Dennis van de Laar Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +26.715
14. Felix Rosenqvist Mucke-Mercedes +28.113
15. Gustavo Menezes Van Amersfoort-Volkswagen +29.548
16. Felipe Guimaraes Double R-Mercedes +29.672
17. Antonio Fuoco Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +30.443
18. Tatiana Calderon Jo Zeller-Mercedes +34.853
19. Jules Szymkowiak Van Amersfoort-Volkswagen +35.525
20. Roy Nissany Mucke-Mercedes +42.210
21. Hector Hurst West-Tec-Mercedes +45.011
22. Riccardo Agostini EuroInternational-Mercedes +1 lap
Retirements:
Michele Beretta EuroInternational-Mercedes +14 laps
Nicholas Latifi Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +27 laps
Mitch Gilbert Fortec-Mercedes +27 laps
Alexander Toril ThreeBond T-Sport-NBE +27 laps
An assured Esteban Ocon took pole at Pau. © FIA.
Prema Powerteam’s Esteban Ocon took a stunning pole position for tomorrow’s first FIA European F3 race at Pau.
With the field split into two groups, the Frenchman secured the top spot in ‘Group B’ (for odd-numbered cars) with a stunning lap at 1:10.072s, just 0.024s ahead of Max Verstappen who will start on the second row.
After taking the lead in ‘Group A’ (for even-numbered cars), Lucas Auer will assume the 2nd spot on the grid.
Ocon was peerless for the duration of qualifying, with the teenager jumping straight into the 1’10s in his first serious attempt in the session.
Heading the field at the halfway point, Ocon initially faced challenges from Carlin duo Ed Jones and Jake Dennis; however the session was soon red flagged when Roy Nissany crashed into the barriers at the exit of Pont Oscar.
Following the restart, Verstappen also jumped up the order, just 0.014s shy of Ocon, before the Dutch racer went top with a two-tenths improvement on the 14-minute mark. Ocon responded moments later with another fastest lap (1:10.435), just before Verstappen recorded another lap, a mere 0.003s shy of the leading French racer.
Just as the Ocon / Verstappen battle began to hot up, Jones crashed going into Foch, bringing out a second red flag. The Dubai-native climbed the kerb upon entry, which unkindly flicked his Carlin machine toward the unforgiving barrier.
By this stage, Ocon was hoping the session would be drawn to a close. “When the red flags were out for the second time, I hoped that the session wouldn’t be restarted because I was already first in my group. However, the action resumed and I did my utmost to remain on top.”
With the session restarting four minutes from the end, Ocon and Verstappen continued their fight; however both took their battle far beyond the rest of the pack as, first across the line, Ocon recorded the eventual pole time, followed by Verstappen several seconds later.
“Especially here, being on pole position is great, I feel fantastic,” Ocon stated emphatically. He continued, “The final lap then was my best and was enough to claim pole position, which is particularly nice in my home race. The track here is great and a lot of fun to drive.”
Behind the leading pair, Jake Dennis showed his burgeoning grit by setting the 3rd fastest time, admittedly some half-a-second shy of Ocon. Despite the gap, Dennis was pleased with his efforts. “Qualifying was pretty good; however there were two red flags which came out just as I was about to set my laps so I spent a couple more laps on my tyres more than I had hoped. We had two laps at the end to put it together and we were able to. Tomorrow morning, we’re aiming for the podium which is definitely achievable from 5th.”
Dennis van de Laar showed improved form in his Prema machine to assume the 4th quickest lap, while the crashed Jones will have to settle for the fifth row.
Meanwhile, Auer (Mucke Motorsport) took the top spot in ‘Group A’ closely ahead of Nicholas Latifi (Prema Powerteam) and Tom Blomqvist (Jagonya Ayam Carlin); however Blomqvist must take a 10-place grid penalty for changing an engine at the Hockenheimring last week.
The Austrian jumped to the lead pack at the halfway mark of the 20 minutes, perching his orange-and-blue liveried machine just two-tenths shy of early leader Blomqvist; however Auer would better that significantly as the session aged.
A lap at 1:10.699 brought Auer to the head of times after 12 minutes, with the Mücke racer tearing another quarter-of-a-second off of that on the next tour around.
Auer’s final fast lap knocked Latifi (1:10.559) off the top, but the Canadian remained in 2nd place until the flag, while Blomqvist’s late effort (1:10.748) propelled the Anglo-Kiwi to 3rd place, mere hundredths ahead of teammate Jordan King. Felix Serralles was placed in the top three for a time; however the Puerto Rican crashed on his final run and dropped to 5th as a result.
Neither Antonio Fuoco nor Felix Rosenqvist could take any advantage from the session. Following his practice crash that cost him nearly an hour of practice time, Fuoco could manage a 10th best time (1:11:097s), while an engine issue for Rosenqvist kept the Swede in the pits until the final minutes; however Rosenqvist could only set one representative lap, giving him 11th in the order.
As an aside, Nissany unwisely tackled the marshal’s as they removed his wounded Mücke machine. It was a silly action from an experienced driver who should know far better by now, but with the Israelite already starting last, how many other ways are there to punish him?
Auer headed ‘Group A’ in qualifying 1. © FIA
2014 FIA European F3 Championship (Rd 3, Provisional Grid Race 1, Pau) Pos Driver Team Time / Gap 1. Esteban Ocon Prema Powerteam-Mercedes 1:10.072 2. Lucas Auer Mucke-Mercedes 1:10.429 3. Max Verstappen Van Amersfoort-Volkswagen 1:10.096 4. Nicholas Latifi Prema Powerteam-Mercedes 1:10.559 5. Jake Dennis Carlin-Volkswagen 1:10.570 6. Dennis van de Laar Prema Powerteam-Mercedes 1:10.664 7. Jordan King Carlin-Volkswagen 1:10.714 8. Ed Jones Carlin-Volkswagen 1:10.887 9. Felix Serralles West-Tec-Mercedes 1:10.769 10. Sean Gelael Jagonya Ayam Carlin-Volkswagen 1:11.078 11. Antonio Giovinazzi Jagonya Ayam Carlin-Volkswagen 1:10.840 12. John Bryant-Meisner Fortec-Mercedes 1:11.519 13. Spike Goddard ThreeBond T-Sport-NBE 1:10.930 14. Gustavo Menezes Van Amersfoort-Volkswagen 1:11.577 15. Riccardo Agostini EuroInternational-Mercedes 1:10.960 16. Tom Blomqvist Jagonya Ayam Carlin-Volkswagen 1:10.634* 17. Felipe Guimaraes Double R-Mercedes 1:11.583 18. Mitch Gilbert Fortec-Mercedes 1:11.035 19. Alexander Toril ThreeBond T-Sport-NBE 1:11.654 20. Antonio Fuoco Prema Powerteam-Mercedes 1:11.097 21. Tatiana Calderon Jo Zeller-Mercedes 1:11.826 22. Felix Rosenqvist Mucke-Mercedes 1:11.137 23. Michele Beretta EuroInternational-Mercedes 1:11.931 24. Jules Szymkowiak Van Amersfoort-Volkswagen 1:11.571 25. Hector Hurst West-Tec-Mercedes 1:12.693 26. Roy Nissany Mucke-Mercedes 1:13.066
Notes:
Penalty
Blomqvist receives 10-place grid penalty for engine change at Hockenheim.
Ocon (Prema Powerteam) was fastest in FP2. © FIA.
Max Verstappen (van Amersfoort Racing) and Esteban Ocon (Prema Powerteam) headed the two FIA European F3 practice sessions at Pau today.
Verstappen emerged on top of the morning session, with Ocon giving close company. With precious little useful rubber down on the greasy track, Verstappen secured a best of 1:11.298 – just over one-tenth clear of his French rival, although it was Ocon who spent much of the timed session on top.
It all began to change in the latter part of practice one. As temperatures rose and more Hankook rubber papered the temporary circuit, times began to fall, allowing Mucke’s Felix Rosenqvist to head the table for a period.
Thereafter both Ocon and Verstappen increased their pace, with the Dutch teenager heading the field as the chequered flag drew. Eventually Rosenqvist fell to 3rd, followed by Tom Blomqvist (Jagonya Ayam / Carlin).
Thinking upon the session, Rosenqvist noted: ‘It’s less about the car here and more about the driver. I think we’re all running much softer suspension and higher downforce, so it evens out.’
Lucas Auer’s (Mucke Motorsport) best of 1:11.904 brought the Austrian into the top five, with Mitch Gilbert (Fortec) braking into the top six.
Ocon jumped Verstappen in the times for the second session with a best of 1:10.686, with the Prema man proving 0.171s quicker than his van Amersfoort rival.
Like the morning, Ocon and Verstappen clung to the peak for much of the session; however fewer laps were registered due to a red flag when Michele Beretta planted his EuroInternational machine into the barriers hard at Pont Oscar. ‘It’s getting better race-by-race,’ said Beretta. He continued: ‘I have a good teammate in Riccardo [Agostini], so the information is good. I went well in P1, but then made a mistake in P2…’
Rosenqvist maintained his 3rd place in the standings, but this time Auer took 4th ahead of Carlin dup Jake Dennis and Blomqvist.
It was a difficult opening session for Antonio Fuoco (Prema Powerteam) and Roy Nissany (Mücke Motorsport), both of whom crashed out; Fuoco at the slow Pont Oscar corner and Nissany after he got loose at the Virage de la Gare. Neither took part in the afternoon running.
…while Verstappen topped the morning times. © FIA.
2014 FIA European F3 Championship (Rd 3, Free Practice 1, Pau) Pos Driver Team Time / Gap 1. Max Verstappen Van Amersfoort-Volkswagen 1:11.298 2. Esteban Ocon Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +0.125 3. Felix Rosenqvist Mucke-Mercedes +0.289 4. Tom Blomqvist Jagonya Ayam Carlin-Volkswagen +0.365 5. Lucas Auer Mucke-Mercedes +0.606 6. Mitch Gilbert Fortec-Mercedes +0.779 7. Jordan King Carlin-Volkswagen +0.799 8. Antonio Giovinazzi Jagonya Ayam Carlin-Volkswagen +0.936 9. Dennis van de Laar Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +0.952 10. Nicholas Latifi Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +0.990 11. Jake Dennis Carlin-Volkswagen +1.023 12. Ed Jones Carlin-Volkswagen +1.040 13. Riccardo Agostini EuroInternational-Mercedes +1.201 14. Felipe Guimaraes Double R-Mercedes +1.333 15. Spike Goddard ThreeBond T-Sport-NBE +1.374 16. Jules Szymkowiak Van Amersfoort-Volkswagen +1.591 17. John Bryant-Meisner Fortec-Mercedes +1.605 18. Alexander Toril ThreeBond T-Sport-NBE +1.685 19. Sean Gelael Jagonya Ayam Carlin-Volkswagen +1.711 20. Gustavo Menezes Van Amersfoort-Volkswagen +1.747 21. Roy Nissany Mucke-Mercedes +1.750 22. Michele Beretta EuroInternational-Mercedes +1.868 23. Felix Serralles West-Tec-Mercedes +1.973 24. Antonio Fuoco Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +2.270 25. Hector Hurst West-Tec-Mercedes +2.535 26. Tatiana Calderon Jo Zeller-Mercedes +2.639
2014 FIA European F3 Championship (Rd 3, Free Practice 2, Pau)
Pos Driver Team Time / Gap
1. Esteban Ocon Prema Powerteam-Mercedes 1:10.688
2. Max Verstappen Van Amersfoort-Volkswagen +0.171
3. Felix Rosenqvist Mucke-Mercedes +0.262
4. Lucas Auer Mucke-Mercedes +0.395
5. Jake Dennis Carlin-Volkswagen +0.604
6. Tom Blomqvist Jagonya Ayam Carlin-Volkswagen +0.697
7. Ed Jones Carlin-Volkswagen +0.746
8. Jordan King Carlin-Volkswagen +0.766
9. Riccardo Agostini EuroInternational-Mercedes +0.773
10. Mitch Gilbert Fortec-Mercedes +0.806
11. Felix Serralles West-Tec-Mercedes +0.924
12. Antonio Giovinazzi Jagonya Ayam Carlin-Volkswagen +1.025
13. Nicholas Latifi Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +1.040
14. Dennis van de Laar Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +1.041
15. Felipe Guimaraes Double R-Mercedes +1.186
16. Sean Gelael Jagonya Ayam Carlin-Volkswagen +1.314
17. Gustavo Menezes Van Amersfoort-Volkswagen +1.365
18. Spike Goddard ThreeBond T-Sport-NBE +1.425
19. John Bryant-Meisner Fortec-Mercedes +1.440
20. Tatiana Calderon Jo Zeller-Mercedes +1.760
21. Jules Szymkowiak Van Amersfoort-Volkswagen +1.818
22. Alexander Toril ThreeBond T-Sport-NBE +1.851
23. Michele Beretta EuroInternational-Mercedes +2.812
24. Hector Hurst West-Tec-Mercedes +2.985
25. Antonio Fuoco Prema Powerteam-Mercedes {no time}
26. Roy Nissany Mucke-Mercedes {no time}
Varhaug returns to GP3. © Malcolm Griffiths/GP2 Series Media Service.
Several drivers confirmed their involvement in the GP3 Series this week, as the opening round at the Circuit de Cataluña closes in, ensuring the series begins with a compliment of 27 c.
In recent days, former GP2 Series driver and Auto GP race winner Pål Varhaug announced he was stepping back to GP3 with the Swiss Jenzer Motorsport outfit.
Following a season in GP3 in 2010, Varhaug moved up a year later and was teammate to Romain Grosjean at DAMS during his GP2 title campaign. However while Grosjean dominated much of the season, the Norwegian Varhaug failed to score a single point.
A move to the Auto GP World Series saw the Jenzer man finish runner-up in points, where he lost out to Adrian Quaife-Hobbs. Varhaug returned to GP2 last year with Hilmer Motorsport, but a lack of funding saw him replaced after just two rounds.
Varhaug holds the distinction of being the driver who won the first ever GP3 Series race in Barcelona in 2010.
Also with Jenzer Motorsport are former Formula 2 driver Mathéo Tuscher and GP3 veteran Adderly Fong. After finishing runner-up in F2 in 2012, the 17-year-old Tuscher struggled to find a drive last year, eventually only competing in two races in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series with Zeta Corse.
Following stints in British Formula 3 and the Audi R8 LMS Cup, Fong raced with Status Grand Prix in 2013, scoring just two points courtesy of a 9th place finish at Silverstone.
Meanwhile at Hilmer Motorsport, Ivan Taranov has been joined by European F3 Open race winner Nelson Mason in a full-season drive. The 26-year-old Canadian finished 3rd in the Open series (now known as EuroFormula), behind Ed Jones and Sandy Stuvik.
Formula Renault 3.5 Series regular Beitske Visser also joins Hilmer for this weekend’s events, although there is no indication yet as to whether Visser will feature more prominently later in the year.
Mason (centre) with teammates Visser and Taranov. © Malcolm Griffiths/GP2 Series Media Service.
Wittmann won in Hockenheim, but can he repeat? © ITR
Sitting in the departure lounge of an airport, waiting, gives one plenty of time to mull over the weekend’s racing events.
For all intents and purposes, the paddock had all but departed from Hockenheim by the end of last night – some happy with their efforts, others less so.
From the DTM arena, Marco Wittmann and BMW will be reasonably delighted having dominated the opening round, earning maiden victories for both himself and his Team RMG squad.
That it was BMW’s 60th DTM race win merely served to embellish the celebrations for the German marque.
Yet question marks remain as to whether the 24-year-old Wittmann can maintain that pace and consistency – but there is no doubt that Wittmann has grown since his debut in the category last year.
A year of testing with BMW in 2012 gave Wittmann the opportunity to learn the machinery and the techniques of DTM, but nothing could take away from his performance yesterday.
It was Wittmann who made the decisive move passed Tambay in the early laps and Wittmann who built the race winning lead prior to the stops, but this was all part of the BMW strategy.
Team RMG knew that if Wittmann got ahead of Tambay early enough, then the race could be delivered to them. That he never even lost the lead during the mid-race pitstops – with a little help from the struggling Bruno Spengler in 6th place – is a telling statistic.
Alas, we will learn more in Oschersleben in two weeks. If this is a one-off performance for Wittmann, then it may place the onus on another BMW racer to take the point for the manufacturer.
Thankfully, the 5th of May is a bank holiday in the UK (and many other countries) and so Monday is a day of relaxation – see reading, drinking tea and catching up with weekend events of the World Endurance Championship in Spa-Francorchamps.
Sato celebrates another victory. © Auto GP WS.
Kimiya Sato took his third Auto GP win of the season and his second of the weekend as he rounded off a near perfect weekend with Euronova Racing.
Starting 8th, the Japanese racer utilised strategy and a stellar pace to climb the order and win by 7.2s ahead of returning champion Vittoria Ghirelli (Super Nova)
Meanwhile Sam Dejonghe hung on to claim his first podium for Virtuosi, several seconds ahead of the battling Kevin Giovesi (Eutotech) and Andrea Roda (Virtuosi).
Marcus Pommer edged out Tamas P’al Kiss to take 6th, leaving the latter disappointed at what is effectively his “home race”. Loris Spinelli took a lonely 8th position, finishing well ahead of the battling Michele La Rosa (9th) and Michela Cerruti. Yoshitaka Kuroda came home 11th and was the sole non-points scorer following the retirement of Giuseppe Cipriani after nine laps.
Sato now goes into the next round at Monza (at the end of this month) with 114 points; some 39 points clear of the next driver P’al Kiss; however there are no signs at this point of Sato giving up his advantage any time soon.
Sato commanded from the start. © Auto GP WS.
2014 Auto GP World Series (Rd 3, Race 2, 18 laps)
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Kimiya Sato Euronova 29m41.627s
2. Vittorio Ghirelli Super Nova +7.220s
3. Sam Dejonghe Virtuosi +10.668s
4. Kevin Giovesi Eurotech +14.546s
5. Andrea Roda Virtuosi +15.129s
6. Markus Pommer Super Nova +21.235s
7. Tamas Pal Kiss Zele +21.511s
8. Loris Spinelli Eurotech +34.861s
9. Michele La Rosa MLR 71/Euronova +38.489s
10. Michela Cerruti Super Nova +39.275s
11. Yoshitaka Kuroda Zele +59.009s
Retirements:
Giuseppe Cipriani Ibiza +10 laps
2014 Auto GP World Series (Rd 3) Pos Driver Pts 1. Kimiya Sato 114 2. Tamas P'al Kiss 75 3. Markus Pommer 65 4. Kevin Giovesi 58 5. Andrea Roda 53
Verstappen takes the flag for his first F3 win. © FIA.
Young Dutch racer Max Verstappen took his maiden FIA European F3 win of the season at the Hockenheimring this afternoon.
The 16-year-old van Amersfoort racer headed the second all-rookie podium of the season – and of series history – to finish ahead of Prema Powerteam duo Esteban Ocon and Antonio Fuoco.
Verstappen rarely appeared troubled during the 22-lap stint. The Dutch racer drove a magnificent opening lap to clear Ocon by 1.5s, as the Prema racer busied himself keeping Felix Rosenqvist at bay.
As Ocon solidified his 2nd place, the French teenager closed in on Verstappen by a few tenths, but could do little to pressure the van Amersfoort man.
There was an extra opportunity for Ocon however. Halfway around the third lap, the safety car emerged when matting, based on the exit of turn two, had been ripped up by various drivers, proving a possible threat.
It mattered little. When the race restarted on lap five, Verstappen pulled some seven-tenths ahead of Ocon, nullifying the Prema man’s chance of reeling in the lead.
By the halfway point, Verstappen’s lead had grown to 1.2s and it would rarely extend a tenth further than that, but such are the peculiarities of the Hockenheimring, Ocon could not get close enough to threaten. Come 22 tours, Verstappen crossed the line a winner, with Ocon just 0.8s in arrears.
While Ocon attempted to cling to Verstappen, Fuoco shadowed Ocon, but like his teammate ahead, the Ferrari Driver Academy man could do nothing to close in on 2nd place.
It had been a reasonable race for Fuoco, who had endured a tricky weekend up until the final race. Having started 5th, the Italian blasted past Antonio Giovinazzi (Jagonya Ayam Carlin) on lap 3, before a mechanical problem for Felix Rosenqvist gave Fuoco the podium place.
Lucas Auer boosted his early title credentials with a drive to 4th spot following moves on Ed Jones (Carlin) and Giovinazzi. The Italian Giovinazzi held 5th come the flag to add to his earlier podium, while Jake Dennis scored his best position of the season so far with a 6th place (which included a stunning pass around the outside of Jones in turn two).
A stunning start by Jordan King saw him jump from 19th to 12th on the opening; however the Briton was greatly helped when he slipped by Sean Geleal, Mitch Gilbert and Nicholas Latifi on the fifth lap. That became 8th when Rosenqvist slipped by the wayside and then 7th when Ed Jones became one of five drivers to receive a drive through penalty for breaching track limits.
Roy Nissany, Gustavo Menezes and Riccardo Agostini all picked up their first points of the year when they finished 8th, 9th and 10th respectively – partially because they drove steady races and partially because (like Jones) Mitch Gilbert and Tatiana Calderon picked up drive through penalties for repeatedly going over the track limits.
Alexander Toril and Michele Beretta also received drive through penalties for off circuit excursions, while John Bryant-Meisner was given a drive through for taking out Tom Blomqvist and Felix Serralles on the opening lap.
With sis of the thirty races in the books, Ocon enjoys a commanding lead of 36 points over Fuoco and Blomqvist, while Auer resides a further four adrift. Verstappen’s win leaves him 5th in the standings, ten points shy of Auer.
Ocon leads the standings after round 2. © FIA.
Wittmann took BMW’s 60th DTM victory. © BMW AG (05/2014)
BMW Team RMG racer Marco Wittmann grabbed his first DTM victory in style at the Hockenheimring today, thanks to a stellar and forceful drive.
It was also BMW’s 60th victory in the DTM category.
The 24-year-old started on option tyres on the front row of the grid and initially trailed poleman Adrien Tambay, eventually passing his Audi rival on the third tour.
From there, Wittmann extended his gap incrementally, before changing to the harder tyres on lap 20, after which his lead over Tambay grew significantly.
Such was Wittmann’s advantage, the RMG man never gave up the lead during his stop and he emerged ahead of the pack following his brief pit visit.
Behind Wittmann, Tambay – who also pitted on lap 20 – began to drop off, as he struggled on the harder compound Hankook’s. From laps in the 1’34s-1’35s, Tambay’s laptimes dropped to the 1’37s, allowing Timo Scheider to close in on the Frenchman.
Unfortunately for Scheider, his shot at the runner-up position was short-lived. As he drew in toward the rear of Tambay, the former champion was also under attack from DTM rookie Antonio Felix da Costa.
Unfortunately for both, da Costa launched a miscalculated attack into the hairpin on lap 34, causing Scheider to half-spin and lose two positions. Da Costa, however, received damage and was then assigned a drive through penalty, only to pit again shortly after to retire.
Scheider was not best pleased with the affair. “Unfortunately, António Félix da Costa hit my car in the hairpin turn during a yellow period, which easily cost me ten seconds.”
Da Costa, meanwhile, was quick to hold his hand up to the error. “Three quarters of today’s race were fantastic for me, but then I made a big mistake. It was not very clear, as the yellow flags had just disappeared again, and I had the impression that Timo Scheider had gone a bit wide in the corner. Therefore, I saw the opportunity for an attack – but I should not have done. I would like to apologise to Timo and Audi. That sort of thing should not happen.”
All this let Ekström through into 3rd, where he ate into the gap to Tambay, before launching into a successful attack for 2nd spot toward the end of lap 38, eventually taking the struggling Audi as the crossed the start / finish line.
From there Ekström held a steady 12 second gap to the leading Wittmann, but realistically, there was little the Swede could have done to catch the BMW racer in four short laps.
It marks a significant start to Wittmann’s campaign, although it should be interesting to judge whether he can repeat this throughout the year, but for now, the celebrations will take hold.
“I am overjoyed with my maiden DTM win,” said Wittmann. “The tests went very well for me. However, I did not reckon on making quite such a fantastic start to the season. My start was not ideal, but I was still able to hang on to my position after the first lap. I overtook the leader on lap three and was able to open up a big enough gap to allow me to remain in the lead after the pit stop. I was then able to maintain my lead and seal the win.”
Considering Wittmann’s early season prowess, Ekström was reasonably delighted with the result. “Finishing the race and then mounting the podium to top it off is obviously a successful start of the season.” However the Swede remained cautious for the future: “Before the next race we’ve still got a bit of work to do though in order to make the car even faster because we could tell that the BMW in particular were running really well too – but all in all, I’m very pleased.”
The victor added: “It was very important to qualify second on the grid, and then to pass Adrien Tambay as early in the race as possible, thus giving me a clear track. That allowed me to make the most of the softer option tyres. I did not lose any time out on the track. That was crucial, and the reason I crossed the finish line with such a big lead.”
Tambay too was reasonably happy, despite the Frenchman having dropped just over two seconds behind Ekström on his way to claiming the final podium place; a further two-seconds clear of reigning champion Mike Rockenfeller. “A very good weekend: the first pole position and the second podium in my DTM career. Starting the season like this is a nice reward for the guys who had a lot of work to do in the winter and often toiled away late into the night. The season could hardly have started any better.”
For Rockenfeller, it was a positive result from a tricky qualifying. Starting 10th, the Audi Team Phoenix man made a decent start, climbing to 9th, only to lose two spots to Mercedes duo Robert Wickens (lap 8) and Christian Vietoris (lap 10), before reclaiming 10th with a move on Bruno Spengler (lap 13).
Rockenfeller held his pace and stayed out until lap 22 and then began a charge during which he repassed the now tyre-hampered Wickens (lap 26) and Vietoris (lap 28).
Rockenfeller claimed two positions when Edoardo Mortara retired and da Costa had his Scheider-shuffle, before taking a easy place from Augusta Farfus (lap 39) and then Timo Glock (lap 40) to bring Rockenfeller into the top four. The champion maintained some happiness with the result. “Tenth place wasn’t an optimal starting base. Finishing in 4th place, I think, was the maximum that could be achieved from that grid position. These are important points for the overall classification.”
Glock ran much of the race in 4th place, as he battled initially da Costa and later Scheider, before reclaiming the advantage over da Costa after the pitstops; however the ex-Formula One driver could not do much to hold on to 4th when Rockenfeller pushed through.
“I had a few problems with the front-left tyre, which meant I had to let António Félix da Costa and Timo Scheider past,” commented the 32-year-old Glock. “The key on the hard tyres,” he continued, “was to drive at a decent enough pace to be in a good position later on in the fight against those drivers on options. I couldn’t do anything to stop Mattias Ekström and Mike Rockenfeller passing, but eventually picked up a nice amount of points for finishing fifth. Precisely that was our goal.”
Spengler assumed 6th after a late race clash between Farfus and Scheider in the Mercedes complex. As Scheider attempted a move passed last year’s championship runner-up, both ran wide, resulting in Farfus falling to 9th and Scheider dropping to 8th. The bumping allowed former champion Martin Tomczyk through into 7th place.
Behind them Joey Hand drove a steady race to claim a single point. The American drove hard from the eighth row of the grid, where he finished ahead of the highest Mercedes finisher, Pascal Wehrlein (11th).
Wittmann starred at Hockenheim. © ITR
2014 DTM Series (Rd 1, 42 laps)
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Marco Wittmann RMG BMW 1h06m40.548s
2. Mattias Ekstrom Abt Audi +12.869s
3. Adrien Tambay Abt Audi +14.879s
4. Mike Rockenfeller Phoenix Audi +17.593s
5. Timo Glock MTEK BMW +21.780s
6. Bruno Spengler Schnitzer BMW +23.513s
7. Martin Tomczyk Schnitzer BMW +24.082s
8. Augusto Farfus RBM BMW +24.913s
9. Timo Scheider Phoenix Audi +26.138s
10. Joey Hand RBM BMW +34.759s
11. Pascal Wehrlein HWA Mercedes +53.857s
12. Gary Paffett HWA Mercedes +57.264s
13. Miguel Molina Abt Audi +59.161s
14. Paul di Resta HWA Mercedes +1m00.858s
15. Christian Vietoris HWA Mercedes +1m02.062s
16. Nico Muller Rosberg Audi +1m02.479s
17. Vitaly Petrov Mucke Mercedes +1m06.591s
18. Robert Wickens HWA Mercedes +1m11.152s
19. Daniel Juncadella Mucke Mercedes +1 lap
20. Maxime Martin RMG BMW +1 lap
Retirements:
Antonio Felix da Costa MTEK BMW +4 laps
Edoardo Mortara Abt Audi +11 laps
Jamie Green Rosberg Audi +40 laps
Another win for Ocon. © FIA.
Prema Powerteam racer Esteban Ocon took a stylish victory in the second FIA European F3 race at the Hockenheimring today.
Following yesterday’s late race disappointment, where a fuel pump issue lost him a podium, Ocon responded in style to stay ahead for the duration; however Antonio Giovinazzi (Jagonya Ayam Carlin) refused to let the Frenchman cruise to the flag.
While not directly threatening the leader, Giovinazzi maintained a gap of 0.7s-1.0s for much of the running, occasionally appearing in the mirrors of his leading rival.
Ocon had an easier start than normal. Original poleman Max Verstappen stopped on the way to the grid with a mechanical issue, while Tom Blomqvist – the fastest man in qualifying yesterday – lost ten places due to an engine change. At the start proper, a feisty Ed Jones kept Giovinazzi honest through the opening few turns, allowing Ocon to settle into an early advantage.
For a time, Giovinazzi held the gap to Ocon at 0.7s of a second, but as the race entered its middle phase, the gap opened by a few more tenths. Come the halfway point, Giovinazzi began to close back in on the leader, plying more pressure on the young Frenchman; however Ocon had the lead covered.
A brief safety car toward the end of the race (to remove a stranded Michele Beretta) neutralized the gap, but with only two further laps under green, Ocon held the front of the field to take his second win of the season.
Giovinazzi managed the gap to 3rd place Ed Jones in the final two laps, although it was more of a close run thing going into turn one, when the Italian cut across his quick starting teammate.
Knowing that Giovinazzi had a slight advantage, Jones played a softer hand to keep the podium place. The Dubai racer eased away from West-Tec’s Felix Serralles in the opening half of the race, only to come under pressure when Lucas Auer (Mucke) and Blomqvist (Jagonya Ayam Carlin) passed the ailing Puerto Rican.
As Jones defended supremely, neither Auer nor Blomqvist could force the issue, allowing the F3 Open champion to claim his second podium of the weekend and season.
Auer edged Blomqvist over the line for 4th and 5th places, with the latter making quite a save from the sixth row. Both had passed Nicholas Latifi (Prema Powerteam) on laps 6 and 7 respectively, after Latifi had made a storming start from 9th on the grid.
The Italian-Canadian racer was responsible for one of the most spectacular moments of the race, when both he and Serralles battled side-by-side for 6th and 7th places for half-a-lap through the 18th tour. From the hairpin through to the Sachkurve, the pair were linked to each other, before Latifi finally edged ahead.
Eventually Serralles would fall further behind, as Mucke’s Felix Rosenqvist passed for 7th. Jordan King enjoyed a stellar race, as he climbed from 19th on the grid to 12th on lap one, before taking Gustavo Menezes (lap 4), Jake Dennis (lap 12) and Mitch Gilbert (lap 22) to claim 9th.
Dennis would follow his fellow Brit to close out the top-ten.
Giovinazzi scored his first FIA F3 podium in Hockenheim. © FIA.
[results to follow…]
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