Designed by Dave Wass and powered by a BMW straight-4 turbo engine, the Arrows A8 certainly knew how to growl.
Neither a world beater nor even a race winner, the A8 was still monster of a machine.
Competing through the 1985 and 1986 Formula One World Championship seasons (outlasting its disappointing successor, the A9), Arrows managed one podium (Thierry Boutsen at Imola in 1985) and numerous points finishes.
Alas as 1985 aged and development soared, neither Boutsen nor débutante teammate Gerhard Berger could hold pace with the opposition.
Come 1986, the ageing M13 engine was beginning to show some frailties. Admittedly, in the hands of Christian Danner and Marc Surer – capable ad they were – the pairing also marked something of a step down for the Arrows team.
From their podium and four points finishes in 1985 (14 pts), Arrows could manage only a single score in 1986, courtesy of Danner at the mighty and beautiful Oestereichring in Austria.
Arrows took on the Megatron customer engine for 1987 and while A10 chassis, driven by Derek Warrick and Eddie Cheever Jr, took some occasional points finishes, the season remained a struggle overall.
By 1989, the turbos were gone and Formula One became the domain of normally aspirated engines – until now. But for this moment at Goodwood, the Arrows A8 sleeps and while we look upon its technology as aged, one cannot deny the beauty inherent in its voice.
Arrows A8. © Leigh O’Gorman
Since the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday, there has been some talk about the team orders delivered to Williams driver Felipe Massa toward the end of the race.
Massa, along with teammate Valtteri Bottas finished 7th and 8th; however the team believed the latter to be quicker at the time and in a better position to tackle Jenson Button for a top-six position – a position lost to the McLaren driver off the start.
While this might be considered harsh action had it been a race for the lead – à la Hockenheim 2010 – the reality is Massa and Bottas were battling over some of the more minor points paying positions.
However Williams are in a position where they need points and in a situation where points pay big money, each score at this level is critical. If the team had felt that Bottas’ progress – and the potential for further points – had been hampered by Massa, then they are right to feel aggrieved about the Brazilian’s conduct, irrespective of whether Massa believes he was right or not.
Yet at the same time, Williams should have considered this a distinct possibility. Prior to the Australian grand Prix, I noted that this could genuinely be Williams’ year or possibly another false dawn, like in 2009 when they failed to take advantage of the double diffuser.
While no team wishes to publicly (or privately) realise that they are not as far forward as they should be, Williams should have made their drivers understand prior to the race (and maybe prior to the season) that team orders were possible considering the position they were in.
Realistically, each party involved played this very poorly.
In the grand scheme of things, one could also ask if this another case of FOM picking a specific radio message in attempt to grab the attention of the viewers? The answer is quite simply “of course it was.”
Let us not forget that this is “entertainment” and Formula One as an international sporting entity is catering to millions of viewers worldwide and as such, resides very much in the aisle of sporting show business. Entertainment serves little purpose if no one is talking about it afterward and Williams’ radio message certainly did that for a time.
Meanwhile, the team have said the drivers have moved on and maybe, for now, it is time to leave things at that.
German lubricant manufacturer, Ravenol, were today revealed as the official series partner of the FIA European Formula 3 Championship.
The company already have a history with European F3, having acted as technical supporter of Van Amersfoort Racing, while also presenting the series’ live streams every race weekend.
Ravenol’s motorsport director, Martin Huning, said, “As I see it, [FIA F3] represents an important training and education step for future Formula 1 drivers. At the same time, the fact that the 11 events on the calendar will be held in eight different European countries also represents an important aspect for us. We are a company with international orientation.”
Beginning at Silverstone over Easter weekend, the European F3 Championship runs until late October and acts as the main support category for the DTM Series. It also plays the lead in to the FIA World Endurance Championship and the World Touring Car Championship, while also hosting two standalone events at Pau and Imola.
Kevin Giovesi. © Auto GP World Series
Auto GP veteran Kevin Giovesi is to be joined by rookie Loris Spinelli at the Puma 3 / Eurotech team this year.
Giovesi, a former GP2 driver and Cup Class champion in European F3 Open, débuted in Auto GP with Ghinzani Motorsport last year, taking five podiums along the way, despite only entering ten races.
Now going into his second season in the category, Giovesi is eyeing the title. For Spinelli, the task is entirely different. Apart from a single race weekend in Formula Abarth {note 1}, this is set to be Spinelli’s first foray into car racing – a massive promotion for a driver emerging from karts, ensuring the 18-year-old will have a steep learning curve ahead of him.
This will also prove an intriguing début for the Puma 3 / Eurotech team, with the Sergio Rinland and Jaime Pintanel run team also set to make their Auto GP at the opening round in Marrakech.
{note 1}
One must, at the appropriate times, take the quality of experience (or lack thereof) into account. Coming from karting to star in a single round of Formula Abarth Italia was a notable effort by Spinelli, but context is also key. Yes, the 18-year-old did score a podium in the final race of the weekend, but it is important to understand the comparative weakness of Formula Abarth’s field last year – a weakness somewhat reflected by Auto GP at the moment. From a personal view, my feeling is this may be too big a jump too soon for the young Spinelli; however I do hope to be proved wrong.
Carlin Motorsport’s Alex Lynn ran quickest in both the morning and afternoon sessions on day two of the first GP3 pre-season test at Estoril.
The Red Bull junior driver settled upon a best lap of 1:28.552 in the latter part of the day, after settling upon a 1:29.2 in the morning.
A heavy downpour the previous night ensured a damp and green surface for the 24 runners, leading to a brief spin for Visoiu as the track slowly dried.
As the slick tyres emerged, some competitive times registered with Yelloly once again heading the pack, before Bernstorff and Marvin Kirchhöfer broke the 1:30s barrier. A brief red flag gave the drivers a quick breather in the lead up to lunch, but not before Lynn lowered the benchmark significantly.
Plenty of red flags interrupted the start of the afternoon session, with Eriksson, Melville McKee and Santiago Urrutia all falling off track at various points. Despite further charges from Bernstorff, Luis Sa Silva and Roman de Beer, Lynn went quicker still to end the first session on top.
The next session runs at Jerez from April 10-11.
Dino Zamparelli and Alex Lynn headed the opening two-test GP3 Series test of the season at Estoril late last week.
The returning Zamparelli proved quickest with ART Grand Prix on Thursday, while Lynn – driving for Carlin in Red Bull colours – topped the sheets on Friday.
Zamparelli’s finest tour – a 1:29.145s – came in the morning. In cool conditions, Lynn shared the peak of the timesheets with Status GP racer Nick Yelloly, before a brief spill of rain curtailed quick tours for a time.
As the sun reappeared, so did Yelloly further quickening his pace; however the Englishman was then deposed by Arden’s Robert Visoiu. Richie Stanaway and Emil Bernstorff also threatened alongside Lynn, until Zamparelli set the quickest at the death.
There was little opportunity of improvement during Thursday afternoon, however, as heavy rain slowed times significantly, but not before Koiranen GPs Jimmy Eriksson set a reasonable pace in the Renault-powered Dallara GP3/13.
Former ADAC Formula Masters driver Beitske Visser has graduated to the Formula Renault 3.5 Series with AVF.
The 19-year-old tested for the Spanish squad at Jerez this week, setting some reasonable times at various points of the three days.
Visser, from Dronten in the Netherlands, will partner FR3.5 veteran Zoël Amberg at the team managed by former racer Adrián Vallés.
Following a tricky spell in German F3, that saw her claim three victories in 41 races over two seasons, Visser was dropped by the Red Bull Junior Driver Programme, leaving the Dutch racer unsure of her 2014 plans.
Despite these difficulties, Visser admits that she has found the current FR3.5 car a good one to drive. “I fell in love with the [Formula Renault] 3.5 car in Monza, and from then on contesting the World Series season became my only aim.”
She added: “I worked hard with the engineers to understand the car and to step-up in terms of driving, and in the meantime I used any spare time I had to work out and build the strength and the stamina needed to master such a car.”
Following her test, a happy Visser realises that there is still to be done if she wishes to progress further up the ladder. “I’m happy with the progress we made in testing and even more happy to know that there’s a lot of room for improvement. I’m really looking forward to the start of the season in Monza.”
Visser will be the first female to drive in the FR3.5 Series since Pippa Mann raced for the now defunct P1 Motorsport squad in 2008.
Draco Racing pilot Pietro Fantin set the fastest time on the final day of Formula Renault 3.5 Series pre-season testing at Jerez.
After a difficult first two days, Fantin settled into a quick pace, holding off rival Sergey Sirotkin, who once again showed a touch of pace.
Pierre Gasly good form continued into day three, as he proved a threat on the timesheets during his quick runs.
Follwoing the test, Fantin said: “I’m thrilled to finish the tests like this because we didn’t make a very good start. On Monday, we had a lot of understeer before making good progress yesterday. The changes we made helped us to get back to our true level. Once we had done that, I was able to up my pace and use the new tyres more effectively.”
The afternoon session again led to a series of long runs, as teams prepare for the opening round at Monza in two weeks; however in the final hour, times began to fall as several drivers made the most of qualifying stints. With a change of focus on the final day, Rowland dropped down the timing order, ending up 8th overall in the combined times.
Hilmer Motorsport have confirmed that their new-for-2014 GP3 Series squad will run as part of the Force India junior squad.
The German squad had replaced the defunct RUSSIAN TIME team in GP2, with that deal extending to the GP3 Series entry that Igor Mazepa’ squad was to have originally run.
Like their GP2 counterparts, Hilmer’s three-car team will run in Force India colours and will act as an extension to the programme recently announced by the Formula One team.
Hilmer will join the GP3 Series for the first time at their second test at Jerez on April 10th and 11th.
Fortec proved quickest ahead of DAMS on the second day of Formula Renault 3.5 testing at Jerez in Southern Spain.
Oliver Rowland led teammate Sergey Sirotkin over the course of the morning session, while DAMS duo Carlos Sainz Jr and Norman Nato raised their profile in the afternoon.
The top time from day one was already beaten by Nato in the morning session, with Marlon Stockinger, Jaafar and Pierre Gasly all proving their worth on the clock; however Rowland nabbed the early headlines before the chequered flag flew for the morning. “I did a pretty good lap this morning, but there’s still a bit more to come. This afternoon, our pace on used tyres wasn’t that far off the pace set by the DAMS cars on new tyres. However, it’s testing and things will be different once the season gets underway.”
Rowland continued: “Let’s hope that with the experience of Sergey, I can learn from him and he can do the same and we can improve our performances. Tomorrow I’ll be focussing on doing a race simulation.”
It was a somewhat similar story in the morning, with Sainz Jr, Ellinas and Nikolai Martsenko adding their presence at the top of the time sheets, with Nato eventually slotting in 2nd spot behind his Spanish teammate.
“We tried a different set-up on the car in each session,” noted Sainz. “I was pretty happy this morning so we were able to save tyres for the afternoon. It looks pretty good for the time being, but let’s see what happens tomorrow. The times should be more representative as all the drivers and the teams will have the same basis and objective.”
“Tchaikovsky ‘s First Piano Concerto, like the first pancake, is a flop.”
– Nicolai Soloviev (Novoye Vremya; November 13th, 1875).
Those were the now infamous words of neo-romantic classical composer and music critic Nicolai Soloviev, when he reviewed Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1 in B♭ minor in St Petersburg’s Novoye Vremya newspaper toward the tail end of 1875.
There are contemporary examples too. Following a live show with the Sex Pistols at the Screen on the Green in August 1976, NME journalist Charles Shaar Murray proclaimed that The Clash were “the kind of garage band who should be returned to the garage immediately, preferably with the engine running.”
Even the movie industry is chocked of thoughts and reviews that have not necessarily stood up to the test of time. For example, the Sunday Times’ James Agate thought Citizen Kane was “nothing to write to Moscow about, the acting middling, and the whole thing a little dull…Mr. Welles’s high-brow direction is of that super-clever order which prevents you from seeing what that which is being directed is all about.”
Meanwhile Vincent Canby of The New York Times believed The Godfather, Part II ”a Frankenstein’s monster stitched together from leftover parts. It talks. It moves in fits and starts but it has no mind of its own. Occasionally it repeats a point made in The Godfather, but its insights are fairly lame at this point… …everything of any interest was thoroughly covered in the original film.”
Few nowadays ever speak of Soloviev, Agate or Canby in awe (although Murray did later redeem himself).
Since the running of the 78th Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park last week, a number of the usual crew have been making their own noise, including Chairman of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, Ron Walker.
The Independent (UK) today reported on Walker’s recent complaints regarding the new cars, with the former Lord Mayor of Melbourne announcing that: “The sound is a disgrace. When the car comes down the straight you can’t even hear it. Now you have got every promoter worried that it’s going to turn fans away.” Walker added: “You will find promoters dropping out. They will go and get an IndyCar race or something like that to keep the fans.”
In this instance, Walker has also used the threat of a possible IndyCar race as a replacement for Formula One, but Ron might as well not have a race there at all in that instance. Walker commented; “We may as well go and buy an IndyCar race for $3.5m [£2.2m]. It would be hugely louder.”
There is no doubt the IndyCar’s will cost less to bring to Australia, but with all due respect to what is a fantastic series, one can also wave goodbye to any ticket or commercial sales that Formula One can bring.
Walker also boasted that he may sue for breach of contract, but – without wishing to get too harsh – this is full of shit, but of course we all know Ron doesn’t believe this nonsense. According to the 74-year-old notes: “Legal action would not be very difficult. Bernie is clearly in breach of his contract because this is not what we bought. I didn’t buy a wimp. Originally, I bought a giant with noise.”
One is certain Ron was pointing to the paragraph in the contract that specified a specific decibel output level. What a shame the outline of these technical regulations were known four years. All the parties involved were aware of the oncoming smaller sized engines, turbo units and revised hybrid units. They knew the score and it has given opponents to these regulations plenty of time to hone their party political line.
Finally, Walker also pointedly noted: “We haven’t signed a new contract with Bernie, so this is going to put a lot of pressure on the FIA,” adding, “There will be a meeting of all of the promoters and you will find that an enormous voice will come out of that… to say ‘ Bernie, enough is enough. This is not what we bought.’”
Actually Ron, this is exactly what you bought and like the critics above, he is merely sounding off (and probably playing ditties to someone else’s dance), but that does not – nor should it – make the outcome a certainty.
Will the new sound of Formula One turn off some fans? Possibly.
Are the old monotonous engines that sounded identical and soulless the way forward? Highly unlikely.
Is it up to Formula One to manage its product and how it is sold as it attempts to attract new audiences, while holding onto exiting fans? Certainly – and that is where Formula One is failing desperately.
Admittedly, the thought that a relatively small number of people manage to be so loud, just as the sport has dimmed its volume does raise a smile. Alas, Walker has also announced his retirement from the board and will step down following the 2015 event, but it remains to be seen whether his replacement is ‘RW, Mk II’ or an independent thinking with less tolerance for bullshit.
Maybe it is time new blood did replace the old legs. One can only hope business savvy and product progressive minds prevail, because one of the main things killing Formula One right now are the prevalence of old heads cycling redundant thoughts.
ISR Racer Jazeman Jaafar headed the opening day Formula Renault 3.5 pre-season test at Jerez yesterday.
Jaafar fastest on the first morning on day one, with Fortec’s Oliver Rowland in tow; however the latter would top a competitive afternoon session.
Jaafar noted that: “We made a pretty strong start to the day. I was happy with the set-up, so we very quickly shifted our focus to development of the car. Performance could still be improved, but I was fairly pleased.”
With one field of testing completed, focus changed later in the day. “In the afternoon, we tried something different, but it didn’t really suit my driving style. It was a bit tricky! I like the circuit. The high-speed corners and the abrasiveness of the surface make it a real challenge. You only have a fairly narrow window in which to set a fast time!”
Matias Laine (Strakka), Norman Nato and Carlos Sainz Jr (both DAMS) showed their pace early on, before Jaafar climbed to the top of the rankings. As the session aged, Will Stevens (Strakka) and Matthieu Vaxivière (Lotus) also showed their hands.
After lunch, GP3 veteran Tio Ellinas (Tech-1) was quick, as was German Formula 3 graduate Beitske Visser (AVF) amidst Jaafar, Sainz Jr and Rowland, with Englishman Rowland proving fastest as the day closed.
According to the Englishman, “Today was about getting to know the track. It’s a very technical track and is tough on the tyres. This morning, we didn’t really work on performance; we concentrated on starts and pit-stop practices. In the afternoon, I set the best time but I went off on my last lap. The potential is much greater than the times would suggest. We should be lapping somewhere around one minute twenty-five seconds tomorrow.”
Another story that has been doing the rounds in recent days follows the apparent eviction from hotels of families of the missing Malaysian Airlines flight, MH370, by Formula One teams.
Again this is nonsense, but unlike the Caterham F1 / GP2 story posted earlier this evening, the news regarding the families of the missing Malaysian plane is tragic.
How the story has been treated is truly crass and cruel.
With little information about the missing plane left to mangle or twist, the mainstream media decided upon an angle that showcased F1 teams and media booting out grieving families.
The truth is that these bookings were made a very long time ago and that the families have been moved to another hotel while the search for the plane continues.
The moving of the families was most likely done at the behest if Malaysia Airlines and their hotelier partners.
That it was the Formula One circus showing merely offered an insensitive media corp an opportunity to lay further kicks into a sport that has taken much criticism in recent times.
There is no story here; merely crass opportunism.
Sad.
There was plenty of talk this week that Rio Haryanto’s day two time in GP2 Series testing was quicker than what Marcus Ericsson achieved in the Caterham F1 car at Bahrain few weeks ago.
That is, in a sense, quite true. In a sense. But it is also playing games with the truth and reality.
The comparisons surrounding Haryanto’s best lap of 1:39.129s, as opposed to Ericsson’s best lap of the third day of the opening Bahrain F1 test which came in at 1:42.130s
While on the face of things, it may seem farcical that the GP2 runner was so much faster that it’s F1 counterpart, but the comparison fails to take into account several points.
With all due respect to Haryanto, he set his time on soft tyres in a well-known and understood car during a qualifying run in reasonably cool weather.
Ericsson meanwhile – who at this stage had yet to secure his super licence – was concentrating on longer stints on harder compound tyres, in a brand new car, under totally new technical regulations.
Come the end of the second test at Bahrain, the Caterham F1 was running comfortably quicker than the GP2 machine – alas this fact appeared to escape those angling for a cheap story.
Few commentators have used this comparison as yet another stick with which it can use to bash Formula One, but in reality, it is a lazy approach that does well to serve a skewered point of view.
And quite frankly, it’s also full of crap.
Tamas P’âl Kiss and Sergio Campana have signed with Austrian squad Zele Racing to keep them in the Auto GP World Series this season.
Campana, who finished 3rd in the Auto GP points standings last year, moves over from Ibiza Racing, while P’âl Kiss returns to Zele following a partial campaign with the in 2013.
This will not be Campana’s first race with Zele – the 27-year-old Campana stepped into the team for one round in 2012, emerging with a podium and a 4th place at Sonoma.
The Italian is under no illusions that this could prove his best shot at a title, having last triumphed in the Italian Formula 3 Series three years ago. “I have known Michael for some time and we work along the same lines,” said Campana.
“When I did a guest start for them at the US race in 2012, I finished on the podium off the cuff. It clicked immediately,” he added.
Campana won three races last year with Ibiza and is keen to add to that tally. “Since then, both I and the team have developed further and we started talking about 2014 at the official testing in Jerez last year.”
Meanwhile P’âl Kiss assumed 5th in the standings last year, despite missing four of the sixteen races.
Hailing from Miskolc in the Northeastern section of Hungary, the 22-year-old has garnered plenty of experience in junior categories since he began car racing in 2007.
A move from the GP3 Series brought P’âl Kiss to Auto GP, via Team MLR71, Zele Racing and Ibiza Racing, before returning to Zele once again. A full season with the Austrian team could go a long way to turning P’âl Kiss into a regular podium and race winner.
“It’s good to be back at a place with people you know,” commented P’âl Kiss. “My expectations are high, because the cooperation with the team was already very good last year. And from what Michael (Zele) told me, they have gained more experience and won several technical partnerships. So everything seems ready for us to battle at the front.”
While both Campana and P’âl Kiss represent two good signings, it is noticeable that with just over one week until the first test, only six drivers have been confirmed for the series.
The opening race of the season takes place on April 12th in the Moroccan city of Marrakech and supports the WTCC.
Rio Haryanto and Jon Lancaster claimed the top spots in the final two days of GP2 Series testing at Bahrain this week.
Following on from a successful run in the opening test in Abu Dhabi, Haryanto and Lancaster showed their worth once again, as the season opener – also at the Bahrain International Circuit – closes in.
Under cool conditions and overcast skies, Haryanto pipped Caterham teammate Alexander Rossi on Thursday, with a superb lap at 1:39.129s – some 1.5s quicker than the opening day and easily the best time of the week.
Indeed both Caterham’s timed quicker than last year’s GP2 pole time at the circuit, indicating that the Caterham team may feature rather strongly in qualifying this season.
Times slowed in the afternoon, as the field switched to long runs. Daniel de Jong and Johnny Cecotto Jr headed the timesheets in the afternoon, with their quick laps registered on the soft Pirelli tyres; however Colombian racer Julian Leal placed his Carlin in 3rd spot on the hard compound tyres.
Rossi was also present near the top of the order on the final day, as he trailed Lancaster by 0.046s at the chequered flag. The Briton initially swapped the top spot with McLaren junior and ART GP racer Stoffel Vandoorne, before the Belgian was shuffled down to 4th by Rossi and Carlin’s Felipe Nasr.
With only a few weeks until the season start, Lancaster has still yet to secure a seat.
As with the previous day, attention switched to race stints and hard compound tyres in the afternoon with Jolyon Palmer, Mitch Evans, Adrian Quaife-Hobbs and Cecotto Jr showing their hands.
Uruguayan racer Santiago Urrutia has signed with Koiranen GP, taking him to the GP3 Series for the 2014 season.
The 17-year-old comes from the European F3 Open Series where he scored two victories on his way to 4th in the championship.
Urrutia tested a GP3 car for the first time in last year’s post-season sessions in Abu Dhabi. According to Koiranen GP team manager Afa Heikkinen: “Santiago is a talented rookie and after the tests we did in Abu Dhabi, I am confident he will be improving quickly. This year will be a learning one and we will go step by step with a common goal we will define together. We will do our best to help him to reach our target.”
Urrutia will partner Swedish racer Jimmy Eriksson with the Finnish squad.
Meanwhile, Angola driver Luis Sa Silva has re-signed with Carlin Motorsport for his second helping of GP3 competition. Sa Silva scored no points during his début GP3 season; however the 23-year-old expects better results this time around. “We had a solid season in 2013 so I’m glad to be back with Carlin for another season so we can build on our previous year. I have two new team mates who I’m looking forward to working with and I’m excited to be back in the car next week at Estoril for Official testing.”
GP3 Series team Marussia Manor completed their line-up this week, as they added Dean Stoneman and Patrick Kujala to the re-signed Ryan Cullen.
Stoneman scored a podium upon his return to single-seater competition at the final GP3 Series round in Abu Dhabi last year, following his treatment for testicular cancer in 2011.
Kujala, who made his GP3 début with Koiranen GP last year, scored five points during a tricky campaign; however the Finn will be lokoing to make a big step up now that he has garnered some experience.
Cullen, meanwhile, returns to the Marussia Manor fold after a difficult 2013 campaign, where he failed to score points; however much of the Irish racer’s struggles may have stemmed from his extremely limited experience behind the wheel.
Caterham racer Alexander Rossi topped the timesheets on the opening day of the final pre-season GP2 Series test in Bahrain.
The American had notched a top six placing in the morning, before launching himself to the top of the standings as the final half-hour drew.
Rossi’s time of 1:40.604s placed him just 0.012s ahead of Hilmer Motorsport driver Daniel Abt, after the latter ran quickest during the morning session.
The Caterham driver only recorded thirteen laps in the opening part of the day, before solidly laying down another 30 tours before the chequered flag made its final appearance.
For Abt, it was a strong day with 43 laps – a solid distance as he settles into his new surroundings at Hilmer.
Jolyon Palmer was an early pacesetter on a dusty Sakhir circuit, with the Englishman sharing the top spot with Kimiya Sato, Daniel de Jong, Julian Leal, Facu Regalia and Mitch Evans all sharing the top spot, before Rio Haryanto and Felipe Nasr broke into the early 1:41s.
As the clock ran down, Arthur Pic made a dash for the top spot, only to be denied by the speedy Abt.
The competitive nature of the test continued into the afternoon, with Stoffel Vandoorne, Stephane Richelmi, Nasr and Raffaele Marciello all setting a fast pace.
As the PM session continued, drivers began to break the 1:41 margin, with Venezuela GP Lazarus driver Conor Daly making his presence felt with a 1:40.734 lap. Eventually Rossi climbed to the top of the order, with Abt just shy of the American and Evans in 3rd fronting Daly.
Both Takuya Izawa and Simon Trummer brought out red flags during the morning.
F3 Open race winner Hector Hurst is to move up to the FIA European F3 Championship this season with Team West-Tec.
Hurst’s confirmation with West-Tec continues a relationship that began toward the end of last season, when they competed together in the final round of the F3 Open season.
The 21-year-old finished the season 7th in points after taking a win and an additional podium, but while this new challenge is a step up, Hurst is keen. “This is a great opportunity for me. I was able to work with Team West-Tec towards the end of 2013 and really enjoyed it. The chance to compete in the FIA F3 with Team West-Tec is huge. I can’t wait to get in the car and start testing and for the season to begin.”
Hurst will be partnering Puerto Rico’s Felix Serralles and will be powered by Mercedes-Benz units.
With 29 entries confirmed for the European Championship, only Jo Zeller Racing has still to announce its driver for the season.
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