Felix Rosenqvist has closed to within 9.5 points of FIA European F3 Championship leader Raffaele Marciello today, following another win by the Swede.
Rosenqvist led the final race of the weekend from lights-to-flag, although the Mucke racer struggled to escape from the clutches of Jordan King, who took an excellent 2nd place.
Alex Lynn made it three podiums from three this weekend, taking him clear of Lucas Auer for 3rd place in the points standings.
It was a steady start by Rosenqvist, with the Mucke man pulling into a respectable lead from the fast starting King. With everything to lose, Rosenqvist played the race perfectly, as he managed a narrow gap over King for the duration.
Admittedly King rarely appeared to cloud Rosenqvist’s mirrors too much, but the glimmer of his Volkswagen-powered Carlin machine was enough to keep the title challenger on his toes.
Like the other two races of the weekend, the safety car interrupted proceedings, but on this occasion there were massive championship implications when title leader Raffaele Marciello went hard into the barriers at Masters corner,
The Italian had, up until that point, being chasing Daniil Kvyat for 4th place, but ran wide and onto the grass through the long bend, pitching his Prema Powerteam machine hard into the Armco.
It was a disaster for young Italian, who – under the watchful eye of Ferrari Driver Academy boss, Luca Baldisseri – has loss 63 points to his main rival.
The wreckage was cleared shortly afterward, but it left only a single lap to complete – a task that presented Rosenqvist with no real issue. This win – his eighth of the season – puts real pressure on Marciello; however as the next round is at Prema’s home track of Vallelunga, the championship may take another turn.
From 3rd, King made a great start to slip by Kvyat, with the ever-steady Lynn following through into 3rd, while the Russian – a race winner yesterday – fell to 4th ahead of Marciello’s Prema entry.
Marciello’s accident promoted Pipo Derani to 5th, ahead of Harry Tincknell (6th) – a duel that has developed throughout the weekend. After a race long battle, Lucas Auer finally grabbed 7th place from Tom Blomqvist on the final lap, when the EuroInternational driver was ran wide through Tarzan corner.
A close Alexander Sims failed to punish Blomqvist further, with the T-Sport racer maintaining 9th position in front of Mitchell Gilbert (10th, Mucke) and Antonio Giovinazzi (11th, Double R).
With Kvyat not registered to score points, Giovinazzi was allowed to take the final score of the weekend, denying Roy Nissany with a clever move on the final lap.
Felix Rosenqvist (Mucke) © FIA.
Felix Rosenqvist took the second FIA European Formula 3 race of the weekend at Zandvoort this evening.
Like the opening event of the day, the race was twice interrupted by the safety car; however unlike this morning’s contest Rosenqvist could not pull too far away from the chasing Alex Lynn.
Following the final restart, Rosenqvist quickly built a 1.8s lead over Lynn, only to fall back to toward the Englishman in the final tours, as his already used rears aged further. Across the chequered flag, Rosenqvist held just 0.7s over his Prema Powerteam rival.
It could have been much easier for Rosenqvist. A fantastic opening half lap gave the Mucke racer a significant lead, only for that to be wiped out when an overambitious Antonio Giovinazzi attempted to overtake Eddie Cheever III by driving over the top of him while exiting Tarzan.
With the wounded cars stuck trackside, the race was neutralised while the broken machines were removed.
Of course, it was not a completely perfect performance by Rosenqvist, as underlined by a mistake as the first safety car pulled in. Exiting the Audi S corner, Rosenqvist put just a touch too much throttle in, half-losing his rear-end over the kerbs as a result.
The sudden plume of dust and the desperately spinning wheels gave Lynn the briefest of opportunities, but the Fortec racer was too close to Rosenqvist to take advantage – a slight lift to avoid the Mucke entry killed Lynn’s momentum and saved Rosenqvist’s lead.
It would be three laps before the safety car returned, this time to allow marshals to clear the stricken Lucas Wolf, but thereafter Rosenqvist was clear – his escape from Lynn more confident – his lead confirmed – yet in the action, grip fell by the wayside, allowing Lynn – on fresher Hankook’s – to close in.
For Lynn, it was another successful run to the podium – his tenth of the season – and it gives the Prema racer an enviable advantage over his rival for 3rd in the championship, Lucas Auer.
Daniil Kvyat completed the podium following a solid drive. From the front row, the Russian – like Rosenqvist, also on old tyres – dropped behind Lynn into Tarzan, but maintained that position for the duration.
In his mirrors, Jordan King threatened politely, but was never in a serious enough position to push Kvyat over the edge, allowing the Russian to score his sixth podium of the season.
King’s 4th place finish means he has jumped Tom Blomqvist in the points. The new British F3 champion led a Pipo Derani / Harry Tincknell battle for the duration, with the fighting pair doing more to take time off of each other, rather than claw into King’s advantage.
And it was feisty. Derani clouted the rear of Tincknell in race one, but on this occasion, the Brazilian led and even expertly shoved Tincknell’s turn one challenge aside in the early tours.
Sven Muller and Blomqvist spent the event tussling over 7th and 8th places, with Muller winning out thanks to a move after the first safety car. Thereafter, Blomqvist kept close, but not enough to overly worry Muller and his van Amersfoort entry.
There were more points for Mitchell Gilbert who took 9th, just 0.4s ahead of Alexander Sims. Gilbert initially dealt with an attack from Michel Lewis; however an off by the American on lap ten dropped him to 13th and out of contention.
With Kvyat guest listing meaning he doesn’t score points, Nicholas Latifi took a solid 11th thanks to a twelfth lap pass on Auer, when the Austrian was displaced by an aggressive Sims.
Latifi’s position was helped by Lewis’ off and a clumsy crash by Felix Serralles (lap 9).
Latifi’s rookie teammate Jann Mardenborough endured a difficult race. Starting 11th, the Nissan GT Academy winner fell behind Sims after the first restart, with Latifi passing after the next stoppage.
Mardenborough was ragged thereafter and suffered two offs, the second of which took him out of the race on the final lap.
One of the biggest stories of the race concerned championship leader Raffaele Marciello. From 7th on the grid, the Prema partially stalled, dropping to 19th, but could only recover to 15th place by the end of the race.
Interestingly, Marciello’s pace appeared fragile when in the pack as he attempted to work his way around Alfonso Celis; however once passed the F3 rookie, Marciello could nothing about Roy Nissany and Dennis van de Laar. Marciello would benefit a few positions from the retirement of others, but the Italian’s race was a relatively quiet event.
It means his lead over Rosenqvist has now been chopped to 34.5 points, with Rosenqvist starting on pole tomorrow; four spots ahead of the Swiss-Italian racer.
Suddenly, the European championship has life once again.
2013 FIA European F3 Championship (Rd 8, Race 2; 18 laps)
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Felix Rosenqvist Mucke Dallara-Mercedes 30m52.010s
2. Alex Lynn Prema Dallara-Mercedes +0.723s
3. Daniil Kvyat Carlin Dallara-Volkswagen +5.708s
4. Jordan King Carlin Dallara-Volkswagen +6.236s
5. Pipo Derani Fortec Dallara-Mercedes +7.046s
6. Harry Tincknell Carlin Dallara-Volkswagen +7.223s
7. Sven Muller Van Amersfoort Dallara-Volkswagen +8.247s
8. Tom Blomqvist Eurointernational Dallara-Mercedes +9.782s
9. Mitchell Gilbert Mucke Dallara-Mercedes +10.609s
10. Alexander Sims T-Sport Dallara-Nissan +11.090s
11. Nicholas Latifi Carlin Dallara-Volkswagen +11.738s
12. Lucas Auer Prema Dallara-Mercedes +13.718s
13. Michael Lewis Mucke Dallara-Mercedes +17.363s
14. Roy Nissany Mucke Dallara-Mercedes +18.782s
15. Dennis van de Laar Van Amersfoort Dallara-Volkswagen +19.469s
16. Raffaele Marciello Prema Dallara-Mercedes +20.658s
17. Alfonso Celis Fortec Dallara-Mercedes +23.295s
18. Spike Goddard T-Sport Dallara-Nissan +24.055s
19. Sandro Zeller Zeller Dallara-Mercedes +36.343s
20. Sean Gelael Double R Dallara-Mercedes +36.378s
21. Andre Rudersdorf Ma-con Dallara-Volkswagen +36.745s
22. Tatiana Calderon Double R Dallara-Mercedes +37.299s
23. Jann Mardenborough Carlin Dallara-Volkswagen + 1 lap
24. Lucas Wolf Dallara-Mercedes + 1 lap
Retirements:
Felix Serralles Fortec Dallara-Mercedes +9 laps
Eddie Cheever Prema Dallara-Mercedes +18 laps
Antonio Giovinazzi Double R Dallara-Mercedes +18 laps
Daniil Kvyat (Carlin). © FIA
Daniil Kvyat drove a masterful race to claim to claim his first FIA European Formula 3 Championship win at Zandvoort today.
The Russian survived early attacks from title contender Felix Rosenqvist and two safety car periods to take the top sport for his Carlin team.
Kvyat – who is not entered into the championship and therefore scores no points – built a narrow, but safe lead in the second half of the race, gradually pulling 2.8s clear of Rosenqvist.
Alex Lynn came home 3rd behind Rosenqvist’s Mucke-Mercedes challenger.
It was something of a messy race through the field. The first safety car period began when Lucas Wolf stopped on track toward the end of the parade lap; however the race was underway when it was finally not neutralised.
There were five laps behind the safety car, as difficulties removing Wolf’s URD Rennsport machine ensured the event could not run at full tilt.
The second safety car period began on lap 7, when Felix Serralles suffered an accident on the back end of the circuit, wiping out much of his Fortec’s left hand side.
In every instance, Kvyat pulled away from the pack – just enough to escape from a rearguard attack each time around. It was a perfectly executed drive and well deserving victory
Rosenqvist grabbed 2nd from Lynn after the first restart. On older Hankook tyres, the Mucke racer timed his attack with sublime accuracy, sweeping around the outside of Lynn into Tarzan and edging ever-so-slightly as they rounded the long apex.
As the corner unraveled from a long right into a left hand bend, Rosenqvist went from being on the outside to assuming the new inside line, solidifying the move – a top move.
From there, Lynn held a solid 3rd place ahead of Jordan King, who spent much of his race being half-threatened by points’ leader Raffaele Marciello – although the Prema man seemed happy enough to collect solid points rather than risk a move and come away with nothing.
Harry Tincknell was hit in the rear by Pipo Derani on the opening tour, with Derani losing his front wing in the process; however it did not destabilise Tincknell, who managed to hold 6th place to the flag.
A poor start by Lucas Auer dropped him to 10th by Tarzan, although that became 9th following Derani’s mishap. Once the first safety car had peeled off, the Austrian made a move on the fast starting Nicholas Latifi for 8th, which eventually became 7th when Michael Lewis crashed out on lap ten.
Latifi held on for 8th – a considerable effort considering his 14th place starting position, while Tom Blomqvist headed Sven Muller home for 9th and 10th respectively. As Kvyat is not registered for points, Dennis van de Laar grabbed a solitary score after a tidy drive from 18th on the grid.
There were further incidents down the order. Unfortunately for young Mexican racer Alfonso Celis, his first FIA European F3 race ended in the gravel trap. Both Alexander Sims and Andre Rudersdorf had offs through the final corner, with the former losing his front wing in the process.
2013 FIA European F3 Championship (Rd 8, Race 1, 20 laps)
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Daniil Kvyat Carlin Dallara-Volkswagen 35m35.636s
2. Felix Rosenqvist Mucke Dallara-Mercedes +2.859s
3. Alex Lynn Prema Dallara-Mercedes +3.482s
4. Jordan King Carlin Dallara-Volkswagen +6.828s
5. Raffaele Marciello Prema Dallara-Mercedes +7.431s
6. Harry Tincknell Carlin Dallara-Volkswagen +8.022s
7. Lucas Auer Prema Dallara-Mercedes +8.516s
8. Nicholas Latifi Carlin Dallara-Volkswagen +9.559s
9. Tom Blomqvist Eurointernational Dallara-Mercedes +10.304s
10. Sven Muller Van Amersfoort Dallara-Volkswagen +12.030s
11. Dennis van de Laar Van Amersfoort Dallara-Volkswagen +17.188s
12. Mitchell Gilbert Mucke Dallara-Mercedes +18.308s
13. Eddie Cheever Prema Dallara-Mercedes +18.826s
14. Antonio Giovinazzi Double R Dallara-Mercedes +19.271s
15. Roy Nissany Mucke Dallara-Mercedes +21.520s
16. Jann Mardenborough Carlin Dallara-Volkswagen +21.955s
17. Sean Gelael Double R Dallara-Mercedes +27.736s
18. Spike Goddard T-Sport Dallara-Nissan +27.967s
19. Pipo Derani Fortec Dallara-Mercedes +28.884s
20. Sandro Zeller Zeller Dallara-Mercedes +35.964s
21. Tatiana Calderon Double R Dallara-Mercedes +37.511s
22. Andre Rudersdorf Ma-con Dallara-Volkswagen +44.332s
Retirements:
Alexander Sims T-Sport Dallara-Nissan +4 laps
Michael Lewis Mucke Dallara-Mercedes +11 laps
Alfonso Celis Fortec Dallara-Mercedes +11 laps
Felix Serralles Fortec Dallara-Mercedes +14 laps
@GP3 Media Services.
RUSSIAN TIME will enter the GP3 Series from next season, replacing the departing Bamboo Engineering.
The Russian squad have joined the third tier category for the 2014 and 2015 seasons, holding the field at 27 cars.
Although relatively new to junior formula motorsport, RUSSIAN TIME have enjoyed success in GP2 this year, having collected five wins with Sam Bird. They currently lead the Teams’ Championship, while Bird holds 2nd place in the GP2 Drivers’ Championship.
Team Principal Igor Mazepa is hoping for similar success when RUSSIAN TIME join the field next year, commenting that: “We’ve had a very successful first season in GP2 Series in 2013. Our objective was to be fighting for the Teams’ title and that’s what we will be doing in Abu Dhabi next month. We’re looking forward to that same kind of success in GP3 in 2014 and 2015.”
The team’s first GP3 test will come following the end of the season at Abu Dhabi. “We will be working hard towards that starting with the post-season tests at Yas Marina Circuit.” While it is still far too early to announce drivers, it is believed German Formula 3 racer Artem Markelov will take one of the seats.
Bamboo Engineering, who entered the GP3 category at the start of this season, will bow out of GP3 following the final round in Abu Dhabi in five weeks time, but will continue their various touring car commitments.
Ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, former Formula One drivers Martin Brundle and Karun Chandhok took part in the filming of a special pre-race piece for Sky Sports F1.
At a grey and greasy Snetterton circuit in Norfolk, the pair spent a day driving vintage Formula One cars — but not just any old cars.
With the film ‘Rush’ – the story of the James Hunt / Niki Lauda 1976 world championship rivalry – hitting cinema screens worldwide, Brundle and Chandhok got to try their hands with Lauda’s 1974 Ferrari 312B3 chassis (the Austrian’s first GP winning car) and Hunt’s 1977 McLaren M26 machine (Hunt’s last GP winning car).
The cars are owned and prepared by Zak Brown’s United Autosports and their Race Cars of Distinction team from their base in Leeds, with Brown himself joining Brundle on track during the morning, while Chandhok partook in the activities later that afternoon.
This feature, the longer version of which is to be broadcast, will run during Sunday’s Sky Sports F1 race show.
Jordan King took the 2013 British Formula 3 Series today thanks to a victory and 5th place at the Nürburgring.
With only one race remaining, the Carlin racer has pulled too far ahead of rivals Antonio Giovinazzi and Will Buller.
Coming into the second race of the day, King only required a top-five placing to taking the tally beyond then-2nd place man Buller; however a calamitous weekend for the latter effectively rendered his chances mute early on.
An engine fire at the beginning of race one and a crash in race two, ensures Buller has now fallen to 3rd in the standings behind Giovinazzi, who claimed 2nd and 6th places in races one and two respectively.
Following his triumph, King declared: “I had a good start, I could see some gaps but they weren’t quite big enough to take a risk; I didn’t want to lose a front wing or doing anything to jeopardise my race. That was a bit frustrating not pushing as hard as I would normally and I wanted to attack but I had to think it through as well.”
King, however, was a little disappointed to have not won the title in a straight fight, but still hopes for great things in tomorrow’s finale, where he starts from pole position.
“Will [Buller] was clearly on a mission (in race two) and wasn’t taking any prisoners and as he started pulling away I knew I had to catch him so the gap wasn’t too big. Then he went off, and that was enough to take the title,” noted the delighted King. He added: “It feels a little bit strange that I didn’t win it on the road in a straight battle, but it still feels fantastic. I can relax now and enjoy race three tomorrow and hopefully get the win from pole.”
It was a good day for Carlin team boss, Trevor Carlin, who had also seen his GP2 Series team achieve a 1-2 in the Feature Race supporting the Singapore Grand Prix.
According to Carlin, “Jordan has done a fantastic job this year. Although this year’s series has been condensed there are still some talented drivers here and Jordan has come in as an F3 rookie and driven maturely from the start and is a very deserving champion. I’m delighted for the team as well who have worked so hard and proved themselves to be unbeatable for the past six seasons in British F3. Thanks also to Volkswagen who had delivered once again a great package to take us to our fifth title together.”
This will be far from the last F3 action for King and Carlin this year. Both return to the track with their Dallara F312’s in one week’s time for the eighth round of the FIA European F3 Championship at Zandvoort.
Leading up to the fourth round of the 1982 Formula One World Championship, the political battles between the FISA-affiliated teams and the FOCA entities finally exploded into all-out war.
The formal exclusion of Nelson Piquet and Keke Rosberg from the Brazilian Grand Prix prompted four of the FOCA teams – Brabham, Lotus, Williams and McLaren – to withdraw from the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, leaving only 14 cars on track for the race.
The remaining four FOCA squads – ATS, Osella, Tyrrell and Toleman – attended the event, but were virtual non-entities against the manufacturer might of Ferrari, Renault and to a lesser extend Alfa Romeo.
Following the race, former World Champion and then BBC F1 commentator James Hunt had this to say:
“There are three factions involved now in the running of the sport. The Formula One Constructors Association have split with the major manufacturing teams – that’s mainly Renault and Ferrari, including Alfa Romeo and some of the smaller teams and they’re at loggerheads with each other. In the middle of it all, between them, sits FISA – which is the governing body – which at the moment is not strong enough or well enough run or good enough in its ideas to control the other two parties […] who are fighting.
“So we have a three-way fight which is developing. This is the last nail into a coffin that’s already got quite a few in it and I can’t see any really way out of this. They’re always going to fight; they’re going to use everything they can, because the governing body has proved consistently that they cannot control them and won’t and I think that all the parties should at this stage seek a new way to run the sport, because it has proved that it won’t work like this.”
When asked whether an upcoming motorsport council meeting in Casablanca could do anything solve the crisis in Formula One, Hunt commented:
“We’ve got to the point where we have threats, counter-threats, threats being carried out. We’ve ended up with only half a field here and I think what the sport needs to do is to go the lines of American-type sports where they are run professionally by one strong dictator who dictates the whole thing with the benefit of all parties concerned, as best he can.
“You will always get some conflicts of interest, but at that stage, you always need someone who can put their foot down. We need a professional governing body – FISA as it is structured now, as it was structured previously – has not been able to control these people. We have big financial vested interests and I really think the only way is if they sit down and devise a new way to administer the sport properly.”
When the Formula One circus arrived in Zolder two weeks later for the following Grand Prix, the field had returned to full strength; however tragedy lurked around the corner…
Saturday morning at Monza and for the GP2 drivers, life is quiet.
With qualifying done and dusted late Friday afternoon and the Feature Race not going live until after the Formula One has completed their qualifying session, drivers are few and far between – for now.
The mechanics are out and about though, as always, running through their own preparations, final checks and practicing pitstops. Much happens behind closed doors within a race team, but when it comes to pitstops, the lights shine ever so briefly upon these fellows.
And it begins. Scores of cars throughout the GP2 paddock, are rolled from their garages on used wet Pirelli’s as pitstop practice begins in earnest.
This is no ‘tick the box’ scenario by any stretch of the imagination. The drivers are paying top money for the privilege of a shot at success and the mechanics lining each pitbox need to get their job’s done right – not just once, but every time.
One only needed to hear the annoyance in Sam Bird’s voice following Saturday’s Feature Race, when he lost out to Fabio Leimer – a slow tyre change, y’see.
But these things do happen to everyone from time-to-time. The key is to make sure botched pitstops do not become habitual. And with that, the practices begin and they do not stop until every member nails the operation again and again.
Mechanics stand over Mitch Evans’ Arden car, practicing stops. © Leigh O’Gorman
Just a few notes from Monza. © Leigh O’Gorman
Every so often, there are odd glares from people wondering what on Earth it is I am doing when they see me jotting rows of numbers and notes during a race.
This is lap charting. It is considered to be an old school way of mapping the development of a race and while it works for some, for others, it can be a distraction.
Dotted with a series car numbers, ticks, strokes, dots and annotations that indicate such things as pitstops, overtakes, crashes, retirements, penalties (etc…), the lap chart has played an important role with regards to how I have worked over the past few seasons.
These handwritten notes do much to help weave the story of a race, especially in the lower reaches of the order, where details are often missed by television coverage and commentators, whose concentration is naturally geared toward the front of the field.
In this instance, the lap chart for last week’s GP2 Series Feature Race at Monza (first picture below) may – to the uninitiated – look like a random blur of numbers; however they do reveal a pattern throughout the 30-lap event.
Very little actual passing took place in this race – if I remember correctly, at the time I described the race as “strategic and tense” (or something like that) – leaving much of the action dependent upon pitstops and strategic differences.
For example in this race, James Calado (car #3) started 7th, dropped to 12th, but began to rise up the order as others took their pitstops, with the Englishman eventually climbing as high as 5th.
Post-race the GP2 Series media officer, Alexa Quintin, provides several documents, one of which presents lap-by-lap times and gaps (second picture below), which showed Calado maintaining a steady and positive pace in the high 1’34s and low 1’35s as the road ahead cleared of traffic. When the Art Grand Prix driver finally stopped at the beginning of lap 20 – marked by a “p” alongside his car number – he slotted into 6th, where he would eventually finish.
Following his stop, Calado’s lap-by-lap pace increased considerably, thanks to a fresh set of Pirelli’s and a vastly reduced fuel load. One might consider this something of a positive result for Calado considering the slow start; however one might also argue a podium went a begging for the Englishman.
This is not to say the strategy would have remained the same had he enjoyed a good start, but that is something for a different day.
From these documents – and additional notes taken (final picture below) – a basic race report is formed, while the lapcharts remain on hand as an instant back up should it be needed to clarify a position or a piece of mid-race information that may otherwise may have been missed.
Beyond that, should any race points require clarification, one can always ask the driver for further details. Of course, this works very well in the lower formulae, where the profiles are somewhat less restrictive; however it is unlikely one would have as much luck finding a driver or a team member in the Formula One paddock.
Lap chart of the GP2 Feature Race at Monza. © Leigh O’Gorman
© FOWC.
A few pages of notes from Monza. © Leigh O’Gorman
Helmet on and HANS device been strapped in, Caterham Racing driver Alexander Rossi prepares for last weekend’s GP2 Series Feature Race at Monza.
Meanwhile series photographer Alastair Staley zooms in on the American, closely capturing Rossi’s gaze, before pulling his visor down and stepping – right foot first – into the cockpit of his Dallara GP2/11 chassis.
It’s been something of an up-and-down season for Rossi. A solid 8th place in the Feature would help him to pole position and an eventual 2nd place in the Sprint Race, but top results have been a touch scarce at times.
There have been two other podium finishes – both 3rd, in Bahrain and Spa-Francorchamps – but his season has mostly borne solid points scores, leaving Rossi just outside the top ten in the standings.
No doubt at all that Rossi was probably looking for more from this season, but the again, all drivers race to win and anything less will always be a disappointment to some degree.
Like everyone else, the 21-year-old has two more GP2 Series rounds to prove himself in 2013 and the dusk race at Singapore is next.
© Leigh O’Gorman
Adrian Quaife-Hobbs took his first and Hilmer Motorsport’s fourth GP2 Series win of the season at Monza this morning.
The 22-year-old grabbed the victory ahead of a recovering Alexander Rossi and Julian Leal.
As with the rest of the field, Quaife-Hobbs also had to deal with a very brief rani shower on the ninth lap of the race; however all but James Calado – who had stalled on the grid – stayed out on the greasy surface, as the surface quickly dried.
The Englishman jumped straight into the lead when the polesitter Rossi stalled briefly off the line; however Quaife-Hobbs did not have it all his own way as he held a narrow lead for much of the race
Yet Quaife-Hobbs rarely looked under real threat from behind as Leal and Rossi battled amongst themselves and Sam Bird in order to displace the Hilmer runner.
The improving Leal kept a tight clasp of the runner-up spot until the tenth tour, when in holding off Bird, he ran wide at the Roggia chicane, allowing Rossi through to take both.
From there Rossi kept pushing, but Quaife-Hobbs had an answer for every challenge, ensuring a gap of 1.8s across the line at the end of 21 laps.
For Leal, 3rd became more secure as the laps ticked over and Bird began to struggle for grip. Yet Bird too was also not threatened by a rearguard action as teammate Tom Dillmann placed his RUSSIAN TIME machine 5th.
Bird may be somewhat disappointed that points leader Fabio Leimer claimed both 6th place and the bonus points for fastest lap. The Swiss racer enjoys a six point lead over Bird going into the penultimate round in Singapore in two weeks.
Rio Haryanto and Johnny Cecotto Jr – both of whom drove relatively quiet races – finished 7th and 8th respectively to claim the final points paying positions.
Former championship contenders Stefano Coletti and Felipe rounded out their nightmare weekends by finishing 12th and 13th, although they did manage a rather entertaining battle amongst themselves during the event.
2013 GP2 Series Round of Monza (Rd 9, Sprint Race; 21 laps) Pos Driver Team Time/Gap 1. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs Hilmer 32m51.149s 2. Alexander Rossi Caterham +1.849s 3. Julian Leal Racing Engineering +4.335s 4. Sam Bird Russian Time +5.468s 5. Tom Dillmann Russian Time +8.636s 6. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering +12.037s 7. Rio Haryanto Addax +14.899s 8. Johnny Cecotto Jr. Arden +17.338s 9. Dani Clos MP Motorsport +17.842s 10. Jolyon Palmer Carlin +23.973s 11. Sergio Canamasas Caterham +25.646s 12. Felipe Nasr Carlin +26.088s 13. Stefano Coletti Rapax +26.553s 14. Rene Binder Lazarus +28.119s 15. Mitchell Evans Arden +28.504s 16. Simon Trummer Rapax +29.004s 17. Jon Lancaster Hilmer +29.588s 18. Jake Rosenzweig Addax +36.746s 19. Daniel de Jong MP Motorsport +43.458s 20. Vittorio Ghirelli Lazarus +47.238s 21. Nathanael Berthon Trident +50.257s 22. Daniel Abt ART +1m12.318s 23. Marcus Ericsson DAMS +1 lap 24. Sergio Campana Trident +1 lap 25. Stefano Richelmi DAMS +1 lap 26. James Calado ART +2 laps
© GP3 Media Services
Jack Harvey took his second GP3 race win of the season at Monza, in a race marked out by several accidents.
The Englishman took a keen victory ahead of championship contender Daniil Kvyat and the revitalised Lewis Williamson.
Harvey assumed the lead immediately when polesitter Patric Niederhauser stalled from his top spot. His lead rarely stretched beyond one second and his mirrors mostly full, yet the Art Grand Prix held his nerve to take an impressive win ahead of a feisty Kvyat.
An early safety car period following two separate crashes prior to the Rettifilo chicane ensured the field was clasped together in the initial running. It also gave Williamson an opportunity to jump up to the top four, with a mistake by Alexander Sims promoting the Scot into 3rd place on lap 3.
That became 2nd place when Williamson fought his way past series leader Facu Regalia three tours later; however Williamson could not hold the pace to Harvey for the duration, allowing the charging Kvyat to swing around the outside and into 2nd place three laps from the end.
Kvyat had an indifferent start, but made the most of the running when the safety car pulled in at the start of lap three. From there, the Russian drew past Sims, Kevin Korjus and Melville McKee.
Korjus retook Kvyat on lap four, starting a five lap ding-dong from which Kvyat would eventually prove victorious. Moves on Regalia (lap 13) and Williamson brought the MW Arden racer close to Harvey, but the Russian ran out of laps to pressure the race winner.
Regalia eventually assumed 4th spot, after several laps holding Korjus, Carlos Sainz Jr and Sims at bay. As the pack mixed amongst themselves, Regalia eased to the line, with Korjus (5th) in arrears, while Sims nabbed 6th from Sainz Jr two laps from the end following an error by the Spaniard.
It also allowed Melville McKee through in to 7th, while Conor Daly came through to claim the final point after a monster drive from the back.
The race was peppered with some huge – and rather worrying crashes – most notably a penultimate lap smash between Samin Gomez and Adderly Fong, which saw the former move in the braking zone squeeze Fong to the wall on the start finish straight initiated a huge shunt that ended with the Status destroyed and minus a wheel at the Rettifilo chicane.
There was much carbon fibre debris following the opening lap, when a stalled Niederhauser was collected heavily by Alex Fontana. In a separate incident moments later, Ryan Cullen ran over the top of David Fumanelli, before also collecting Emanuele Zonzini.
Also a rear wingless Jimmy Eriksson collected Nick Yelloly on lap three, pitching the Englishman into a shut at the Parabolica.
2013 GP3 Series of Round of Monza (Rd 7, Race 2; 17 laps)
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Jack Harvey ART 29m24.152s
2. Daniil Kvyat MW Arden +0.915s
3. Lewis Williamson Bamboo +1.559s
4. Facu Regalia ART +3.144s
5. Kevin Korjus Koiranen GP +4.691s
6. Alexander Sims Carlin +5.332s
7. Melville Mckee Bamboo +6.742s
8. Conor Daly ART +7.466s
9. Carlos Sainz Jr. MW Arden +8.000s
10. Robert Visoiu MW Arden +13.426s
11. Tio Ellinas Manor +13.673s
12. Patrick Kujala Koiranen GP +17.479s
13. Aaro Vainio Koiranen GP +17.896s
14. Emanuele Zonzini Trident +21.467s
15. Samin Gómez Jenzer +38.077s
16. Josh Webster Status +42.320s
17. Carmen Jorda Bamboo +49.997s
18. David Fumanelli Trident +1m19.459s
19. Luis Sa Silva Carlin +1 lap
20. Adderly Fong Status +2 laps
Retirements:
Nick Yelloly Carlin +15 laps
Jimmy Eriksson Status +15 laps
Patric Niederhauser Jenzer +17 laps
Giovanni Venturini Trident +17 laps
Ryan Cullen Manor +17 laps
Alex Fontana Jenzer +17 laps
Dino Zamparelli has been suspended from the second GP3 Series race this weekend, following an opening lap in yesterday’s opening race.
Approaching the first chicane, Zamparelli took to the grass, losing control and eventually hitting teammate Tio Ellinas.
In the smash Conor Daly and Robert Visoiu also received race-ending damage, while the spun Carlos Sainz Jr dropped to last, but would salvage 9th place in the final running.
Reviewing the incident, the stewards deemed that Zamparelli had “made a serious breach of the Regulations which had the potential to cause injury to others.” In their verdict, the stewards also came to the conclusion that “Zamparelli had left the track deliberately and re-joined the track, colliding with another three cars.”
Carlin’s Luis Sa Silva was also penalised post-race for a collision with Ryan Cullen. As such, Sa Silva will now start race two from 26th position.
Daniil Kvyat took his second GP3 Series win of the season at Monza this afternoon in style.
The Red Bull junior driver took the victory ahead of Carlin’s Nick Yelloly and ART Grand Prix’s Facu Regalia.
From the start, the Russian racer pulled away from pole position with little worry, as chaos reigned in his mirrors.
With Kvyat safely clear, Marussia Manor driver Dino Zamparelli speared across the grass on the approach to the opening turn, eventually slamming into teammate and championship contender Tio Ellinas.
As cars dodged the circus of carbon fibre, the out of control Ellinas was unable to avoid clipping the rear of Carlos Sainz Jr, who dropped to the rear of the order, but continued.
Ellinas and Zamparelli, however, were out on the spot, as was Robert Visoiu, while Conor Daly continued for two corners before pulling aside.
It was enough to give Kvyat a valley of clear space from which he built a 3.4s lead ahead of Yelloly by the end of the opening tour, with the lead growing slowly as Kvyat took care to contain his tyres.
The gap lingered at just under four seconds for much of the duration, but later expanded to 5.3s at the race end as the Russian pushed for the bonus awarded for fastest lap.
Yelloly remained unchallenged for much of the running, with the Englishman holding steady in his Carlin machine, securing a worthy third podium of the season.
A third consecutive podium for Regalia’s means his lead in the series is now 11 points; however Kvyat has emerged as the main protagonist in his mirrors. Regalia’s mirrors were – quite literally – full for much of the race with Lewis Williamson’s Status GP entry.
Starting 10th, the Scot gained some spot amidst the early carnage, but really made his mark when he leapfrogged a battling Alexander Sims and Kevin Korjus on lap five.
Williamson continued on to finish 4th; Sims and Korjus not far behind as they chased. Jack Harvey took Patric Niederhauser and Patrick Kujala early on, before settling into 7th ahead Niederhauser – the latter whom takes the reverse grid pole for tomorrow.
Sainz Jr climbed back up to 9th after a stellar stint that saw him fight past Kujala, Giovanni Venturini (several times as they battled for the top ten), Emanuele Zonzini, David Fumanelli, Jimmy Eriksson and Aaro Vainio.
2013 GP3 Series (Rd 7, Race 1; 17 laps)
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Daniil Kvyat MW Arden 28m10.516s
2. Nick Yelloly Carlin +5.352s
3. Facu Regalia ART +8.084s
4. Lewis Williamson Bamboo +8.694s
5. Alexander Sims Carlin +10.683s
6. Kevin Korjus Koiranen +12.426s
7. Jack Harvey ART +13.557s
8. Patric Niederhauser Jenzer +23.166s
9. Carlos Sainz Jr MW Arden +28.336s
10. Patrick Kujala Koiranen +30.410s
11. Giovanni Venturini Trident +30.779s
12. Melville Mckee Bamboo +31.301s
13. Jimmy Eriksson Status +32.192s
14. Emanuele Zonzini Trident +33.913s
15. David Fumanelli Trident +34.447s
16. Aaro Vainio Koiranen +42.557s
17. Samin Gomez Jenzer +1m10.797s
18. Carmen Jorda Bamboo +1m40.461s
19. Adderly Fong Status +1 lap
20. Ryan Cullen Manor +1 lap
Retirements:
Luis Sa Silva Carlin +13 laps
Alex Fontana Jenzer +15 laps
Robert Visoiu MW Arden +16 laps
Conor Daly ART +16 laps
Josh Webster Status +17 laps
Dino Zamparelli Manor +17 laps
Tio Ellinas Manor +17 laps
© GP2 Media Services
Fabio Leimer kept a charging Sam Bird at bay to win the GP2 Series Feature Race at Monza this evening.
The Swiss racer jumped poleman Bird off the line to assume an early lead, until his stop for aging tyres on lap 13, allowing Bird back to the front.
Building a lead of over half-a-minute, Bird ran his first set of hard tyres long, only pitting on lap 20; however a slow change of the right rear dropped the Englishman back behind his Swiss rival.
From there, Leimer held a narrow lead, but Bird swept in on the Racing Engineering pilot, closing the gap 2.1s to 0.5s with three laps to go. That was as close as Bird got, as dirty air put pay to a late challenge.
Strategy worked in favour for Tom Dillmann, with the Frenchman taking 3rd for RUSSIAN TIME, despite early contact with Jake Rosenzweig, which ended the latter’s race. Dillmann was shadowed by Stephane Richelmi for much of the race, but the 24-year-old maintaining the edge over his DAMS rival.
Julian Leal drove another encouraging race to claim 5th ahead of James Calado – the latter of whom endured a horror start, dropping from five places to 12th off the line. The patient Calado stayed out until lap 19, maintaining solid pace and picking off spots from other drivers who stopped for a change of Pirelli’s.
Adrian Quaife-Hobbs assumed 7th, recording a solid result for his Hilmer Motorsport squad, while Caterham’s Alexander Rossi finished 8th to confirm the reverse grid pole for tomorrow morning’s Sprint Race.
Sergio Canamasas survived an early race battle with Johnny Cecotto Jr to claim both 9th and his first points of the year, while Vittorio Ghirelli drove a quiet, but determined race to close out the top ten, also scoring his first GP2 point of the season.
It was a bad day for title contenders Stefano Coletti and Felipe Nasr – both of whom retired with suspected mechanical issues, leaving both quite a distance adrift of new championship leaders Leimer and Bird.
Jolyon Palmer also retired with a loose left rear wheel, while Marcus Ericsson also failed to finish. The race only lasted one lap for Simon Trummer and Mitch Evans – both of whom collided at turn one of the second lap.
2013 GP2 Series (Rd 9, Feature Race; 30 laps)
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering 47m48.311s
2. Sam Bird Russian Time +0.806s
3. Tom Dillmann Russian Time +6.137s
4. Stephane Richelmi DAMS +9.902s
5. Julian Leal Racing Engineering +15.400s
6. James Calado ART +18.748s
7. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs Hilmer +24.007s
8. Alexander Rossi Caterham +30.276s
9. Sergio Canamasas Caterham +40.272s
10. Vittorio Ghirelli Lazarus +44.906s
11. Daniel de Jong MP +46.540s
12. Johnny Cecotto Jr Arden +47.382s
13. Jon Lancaster Hilmer +47.635s
14. Rio Haryanto Addax +48.003s
15. Sergio Campana Trident +50.194s
16. Rene Binder Lazarus +1m02.186s
17. Daniel Abt ART +1 lap
18. Dani Clos MP +1 lap
Retirements:
Stefano Coletti Rapax +6 laps
Felipe Nasr Carlin +12 laps
Marcus Ericsson DAMS +14 laps
Jolyon Palmer Carlin +19 laps
Jake Rosenzweig Addax +26 laps
Mitch Evans Arden +29 lap
Simon Trummer Rapax +29 lap
Nathanael Berthon Trident +30 laps
© GP3 Media Services
MW Arden racer Daniil Kvyat took a masterful pole position at Monza this morning – half-a-second clear of his nearest rival, Robert Visoiu.
The Russian Red Bull youngster powered his way to the top of the order four minutes from time with a staggering lap of 1:36.933.
Kvyat’s pole position earns the Russian an extra four points, bringing him to within 23 points of series leader, Facu Regalia.
Meanwhile Visoiu – sitting on Kvyat’s rear wing at the crucial moment – crossed the line some 0.511s down on his MW Arden stablemate to assume the second front row spot.
The final moments of the session were rendered mute by several yellow flags due to spins by Carlin duo Alexander Sims and Nick Yelloly. David Fumanelli’s broken Trident machine ground to a halt on the exit of the Rettifilo chicane, neutralizing any fast runs through there.
As such, Tio Ellinas took 3rd place with what would turn out to be one of the final improvements of the session. The Cypriot displaced Sims and Yelloly in the order to 4th and 5th respectively, with Carlos Sainz Jr rounding out the top six in the third MW Arden machine.
Championship contenders Conor Daly and Regalia registered 7th and 8th positions, heading Kevin Korjus by mere thousandths come the chequered flag. Lewis Williamson closed out the top ten for Bamboo Engineering.
Two penalties have been applied for today’s opening race. Aaro Vainio has a five-place grid penalty left over from the round at Spa-Francorchamps, while Carmen Jorda takes a – somewhat irrelevant – ten-place grid penalty, as she had qualified last regardless.
2013 GP3 Series (Rd 7, Qualifying) Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Daniil Kvyat MW Arden 1m36.933s 2. Robert Visoiu MW Arden 1m37.444s +0.511s 3. Tio Ellinas Manor 1m37.526s +0.593s 4. Alexander Sims Carlin 1m37.580s +0.647s 5. Nick Yelloly Carlin 1m37.602s +0.669s 6. Carlos Sainz MW Arden 1m37.619s +0.686s 7. Conor Daly ART 1m37.708s +0.775s 8. Facu Regalia ART 1m37.715s +0.782s 9. Kevin Korjus Koiranen 1m37.723s +0.790s 10. Lewis Williamson Bamboo 1m37.942s +1.009s 11. Dino Zamparelli Mano 1m37.991s +1.058s 12. Jack Harvey ART 1m38.111s +1.178s 13. Patric Niederhauser Jenzer 1m38.113s +1.180s 14. Adderly Fong Status 1m38.141s +1.208s 15. Patrick Kujala Koiranen 1m38.388s +1.455s 16. Giovanni Venturini Trident 1m38.419s +1.486s 17. Melville McKee Bamboo 1m38.450s +1.517s 18. Luis Sa Silva Carlin 1m38.495s +1.562s 19. Alex Fontana Jenzer 1m38.522s +1.589s 20. David Fumanelli Trident 1m38.566s +1.633s 21. Jimmy Eriksson Status 1m38.615s +1.682s 22. Josh Webster Status 1m38.660s +1.727s 23. Emanuele Zonzini Trident 1m38.934s +2.001s 24. Ryan Cullen Manor 1m39.312s +2.379s 25. Samin Gomez Jenzer 1m39.474s +2.541s 26. Aaro Vainio Koiranen 1m38.606s +1.673s* 27. Carmen Jorda Bamboo 1m40.218s +3.285s**
Notes:
Penalties
Aaro Vainio takes grid penalty from Spa-Francorchamps round.
Carmen Jorda received grid penalty following Free Practice.
Daniil Kvyat took to the top of the timing sheets for the GP3 Series practice at Monza this evening.
Setting a best lap of 1:37.715, the Russian headed MW Arden teammate Carlos Sainz Jr, while Carlin pairing Alexander Sims and Nick Yelloly followed up in 3rd and 4th respectively.
Robert Visoiu made sure all three MW Arden cars were in the top five at least – an impressive effort from the Horner / Webber alliance – while avid Fumanelli, Alex Fontana and Lewis Williamson falling within half-a-second of Visoiu.
Melville McKee scored 9th place in his Bamboo Engineering entry, while Giovanni Venturini rounded out the top ten. Dino Zamparelli suffered a severe off at Parabolica mid-session; however the Marussia Manor man recovered to complete the session, albeit with time good enough for 13th position.
2013 GP3 Series (Rd 7, Monza, Free Practice) Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Daniil Kvyat MW Arden 1m37.715s 2. Carlos Sainz Jr MW Arden 1m37.872s +0.157s 3. Alexander Sims Carlin 1m37.941s +0.226s 4. Nick Yelloly Carlin 1m38.073s +0.358s 5. Robert Visoiu MW Arden 1m38.201s +0.486s 6. David Fumanelli Trident 1m38.427s +0.712s 7. Alex Fontana Jenzer 1m38.686s +0.971s 8. Lewis Williamson Bamboo 1m38.760s +1.045s 9. Melville McKee Bamboo 1m38.815s +1.100s 10. Giovanni Venturini Trident 1m38.866s +1.151s 11. Tio Ellinas Manor 1m38.875s +1.160s 12. Facu Regalia ART 1m38.937s +1.222s 13. Dino Zamparelli Manor 1m39.045s +1.330s 14. Luis Sa Silva Carlin 1m39.055s +1.340s 15. Conor Daly ART 1m39.095s +1.380s 16. Kevin Korjus Koiranen 1m39.169s +1.454s 17. Patric Niederhauser Jenzer 1m39.177s +1.462s 18. Emanuele Zonzini Trident 1m39.231s +1.516s 19. Aaro Vainio Koiranen 1m39.254s +1.539s 20. Jack Harvey ART 1m39.355s +1.640s 21. Josh Webster Status 1m39.431s +1.716s 22. Samin Gomez Jenzer 1m39.566s +1.851s 23. Jimmy Eriksson Status 1m39.595s +1.880s 24. Patrick Kujala Koiranen 1m39.931s +2.216s 25. Adderly Fong Status 1m39.972s +2.257s 26. Carmen Jorda Bamboo 1m41.156s +3.441s 27. Ryan Cullen Manor 1m41.204s +3.489s
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