© Malcolm Griffiths/GP3 Media Service.
Conor Daly took his first GP3 pole position at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia this afternoon.
The American jumped to the top of the standings with a 1:22.329, thanks to a late effort, just moments before a spin by Adderly Fong brought out a brief red flag.
“There enough time for guys to do a lap and Carlos [Sainz Jr] was looking quite quick and with the way the tyres were working, you could possibly go out and do an out lap and a quick lap, but thankfully they weren’t able to do it,” said the ebullient ART GP man.
Daly had spent much of the session lingering around the top six, threatening to pinch the pole, but not obtaining until the final moments. “It was OK. The first run was a bit odd, because of the red flag and then we went out on our second set of tyres and got blocked pretty horrendously, but the car was quick. We knew we had a third set of tyres, so bolted them on and went for it. I luckily went out, got a clean lap and went for it.”
Despite earning four points for pole, the ART Grand Prix racer remains 4th in the standings, although he has drawn level with Koiranen GP’s Aaro Vainio.
MW Arden’s Daniil Kvyat finished 2nd, with his quickest effort (1:22.536) coming just before the Fong spin and red.
Nick Yelloly made is three teams represented in the top three positions, although was running on top briefly prior to Kvyat and Daly’s efforts.
Facu Regalia assumed 4tha head of Aaro Vainio (one of relatively few to improve late on). Kevin Korjus finished 6th after topping the times at several points during the session.
Series leader Tio Ellinas will start 7th, ahead of Dino Zamparelli (8th), Carlo Sainz jr (9th), while Robert Visoiu completed the top ten.
Ryan Cullen spun after five minutes bringing out an early red flag.
2013 GP3 Series Round of Valencia (Rd 2, Qualifying) Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Conor Daly ART 1m22.329s 2. Daniil Kvyat MW Arden 1m22.536s + 0.207s 3. Nick Yelloly Carlin 1m22.597s + 0.268s 4. Facu Regalia ART 1m22.603s + 0.274s 5. Aaro Vainio Koiranen 1m22.616s + 0.287s 6. Kevin Korjus Koiranen 1m22.621s + 0.292s 7. Tio Ellinas Manor 1m22.761s + 0.432s 8. Dino Zamparelli Manor 1m22.861s + 0.532s 9. Carlos Sainz Jr MW Arden 1m22.891s + 0.562s 10. Robert Visoiu MW Arden 1m22.893s + 0.564s 11. Jack Harvey ART 1m22.925s + 0.596s 12. David Fumanelli Trident 1m22.936s + 0.607s 13. Lewis Williamson Bamboo 1m22.948s + 0.619s 14. Melville McKee Bamboo 1m22.954s + 0.625s 15. Giovanni Venturini Trident 1m22.993s + 0.664s 16. Patric Niederhauser Jenzer 1m23.000s + 0.671s 17. Alex Fontana Jenzer 1m23.019s + 0.690s 18. Adderly Fong Status 1m23.054s + 0.725s 19. Patrick Kujala Koiranen 1m23.294s + 0.965s 20. Eric Lichtenstein Carlin 1m23.364s + 1.035s 21. Emanuele Zonzini Trident 1m23.524s + 1.195s 22. Josh Webster Status 1m23.559s + 1.230s 23. Luis Sa Silva Carlin 1m23.878s + 1.549s 24. Samin Gomez Jenzer 1m24.322s + 1.993s 25. Jimmy Eriksson Status 1m25.044s + 2.715s 26. Carmen Jorda Bamboo 1m25.103s + 2.774s 27. Ryan Cullen Manor 1m41.349s + 19.020s
Race weekends aren’t always startling events, brimming with excitement.
At this year’s standalone GP3 Series race at Valencia, some of the Marussia Manor and Trident mechanics took time out to catch some drifting in the carpark.
Not that people showed up just to drift – it was, in fact, the weekend support class.
It was interesting, fun and different, although the drivers were hardly world class hands at their machines. Alas one could only smile at one competitor who had applied his own variation on the “Monster” drink logo to the side of his rather beaten car.
But with little else to do, the drifters did tend to grab attention occasionally — and why not…
© Leigh O’Gorman
After running non-championship Grand Prix under sportscar rules for six years at Mosport Park, the Canadian Grand Prix had its bid to become a World Championship event in 1967 accepted.
The race, measuring in at 90 laps, remained at the fast and sweeping Mosport Park; its 2.46 mile length bent and skewered out of shape by hills, dips and crests to test the brave, courageous and mad. But then again, that was the nature of Formula One at the time…
Following the previous round at the Nordschleife, Danny Hulme led the standings with 37 points; 12 clear of reigning champion and team boss Jack Brabham, with Scottish maestro Jim Clark an additional six points adrift.
Almost as per usual Clark secured pole position with a best of 1:22.4s in his Ford Cosworth-powered Lotus 49 and while it was clear the 49 was super quick – it won on its Grand Prix debut at Zandvoort at the hands of Clark – the unreliability of the DFV power unit rendered Clark’s championship challenge inert at the two-thirds mark of the season.
Clark’s Lotus teammate Graham Hill reminded the assembled of the 49’s prowess by taking 2nd on the grid, ahead of Hulme (Brabham-Repco), Chris Amon (Ferrari) and Dan Gurney (Eagle-Weslake). McLaren and Brabham were next up in their own respective cars, while relative new boys Jochen Rindt (Cooper) and Jackie Stewart (BRM) assumed 8th and 9th respectively.
Mike Spence made it two BRM’s in the top ten, although the British squad – now one year into a dip in form – would not present too much of a threat to the frontrunners. T=Meanwhile the much talented Jo Siffert, driving a Maserati-powered Cooper, failed to qualify.
The host nation was represented by two of its own on the grid – Eppie Wietzes and Al Pease; both of whom were making the Formula One debuts.
Although neither would enjoy large scale international success by any stretch of the imagination, the pair became relatively big names in Canadian motorsport, with Wietzes especially having success in Formula 5000 and Trans-Am.
Beyond the occasional blip in its history, the Canadian Grand Prix remains a permanent fixture on the Grand Prix calendar and today boasts some of the most enthusiastic and knowledgeable fans in Formula One.
1967 Canadian Grand Prix (Rd 6, Qualifying, August 26th)
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Jim Clark Lotus 1:22.4
2. Graham Hill Lotus 1:22.7
3. Denny Hulme Brabham 1:23.2
4. Chris Amon Ferrari 1:23.3
5. Dan Gurney Eagle 1:23.4
6. Bruce McLaren McLaren 1:23.5
7. Jack Brabham Brabham 1:24.7
8. Jochen Rindt Cooper 1:24.9
9. Jackie Stewart BRM 1:25.4
10. Mike Spence BRM 1:25.8
11. Chris Irwin BRM 1:26.0
12. David Hobbs BRM 1:26.2
13. Richard Attwood Cooper 1:27.1
14. Jo Bonnier Cooper 1:27.3
15. Alan Pease Eagle 1:30.1
16. Eppie Wietzes Lotus 1:30.8
17. Mike Fisher Lotus 1:31.9
Did Not Qualify
18. Jo Siffert Cooper 1:26.6
19. Tom Jones Cooper 1:51.9
1967 Canadian Grand Prix (Rd 6, August 27th; 90 laps)
Pos Driver Team Time / Gap
1. Jack Brabham Brabham-Repco 2:40:40.0s
2. Denny Hulme Brabham-Repco +01:01.9s
3. Dan Gurney Eagle-Weslake +1 lap
4. Graham Hill Lotus-Ford +2 laps
5. Mike Spence B.R.M. +3 laps
6. Chris Amon Ferrari +3 laps
7. Bruce McLaren McLaren-B.R.M. +4 laps
8. Jo Bonnier Cooper-Maserati +5 laps
9. David Hobbs B.R.M. +5 laps
10. Richard Attwood Cooper-Maserati +6 laps
11. Mike Fisher Lotus-B.R.M. +9 laps
Not Classified:
Alan Pease Eagle-Climax +43 laps
Disqualified:
Eppie Wietzes Lotus-Ford +21 laps (Disqualified)
Retirements:
Jim Clark Lotus-Ford +21 laps (Ignition)
Jackie Stewart B.R.M. +25 laps (Throttle)
Chris Irwin B.R.M. +72 laps (Spun Out)
Jochen Rindt Cooper-Maserati +86 laps (Ignition)
Fastest Lap:
Jim Clark Lotus 1:23.1 (lap 54)
World Drivers’ Championship points standings (Rd 8) Pos Driver Points 1. Denny Hulme 43 2. Jack Brabham 34 3. Chris Amon 20 4. Jim Clark 19 5. Pedro Rodríguez 14 Constructors’ Championship points standings (Rd 8) Pos Team Points 1. Brabham 51 2. Lotus 22 3. Cooper 21 4. Ferrari 20 5. Eagle 13
Invitational entrants from the ATS Formel 3 Cup are to be denied entrance for the remaining British F3 rounds should they be running the German series’ boosted Volkswagen engines.
Following the success of John Bryant-Meisner at the opening weekend at Silverstone last month, British F3 team association, FOTA, and promoter SRO declared the Volkswagen engine package too dominant a package.
With the British F3 Series still in a state of relative ill health, it was felt that such domination could potentially hamper recovery efforts.
Running an evolution Dallara F310 with Volkswagen’s Power Engine model, Bryant-Meisner powered his way to two poles and victories {note 1}, although the Swede could do no better than 9th in the reverse grid race.
Noting the hugely superior performance during free practice, attempts were made to restrict the power output of Bryant-Meisner’s machine in order to better balance performance.
However even with boost reduction and extra weight, the Performance Racing Dallara proved too much for the opposition, registering a top speed some 6mph faster on the Hangar Straight than his nearest rival.
Peter Briggs, head of FOTA, commented, “The older car has got too much power and too much aero. You can’t penalise it enough to make it a viable thing.”
While one sympathises with the position the British series found itself in at Silverstone, it did come as some surprise that this issue was not considered a possibility prior to the May bank holiday meeting.
Dallara’s F308 chassis – and the various updates that came until it was replaced at the end of 2011 – is a well-known quantity to the International Class teams present. Less tangible for the British F3 squads are the regulations governing the ATS Formel 3 Cup engine package, although one wonders if enough information was available to make a thorough assessment of its potential output.
Meanwhile, it appears Alexander Sims will be returning to Formula 3, albeit temporarily next month. The Blancpain racer is set to race with T-Sport at the Norisring and Nurburgring when the FIA European F3 Championship returns from its summer sojourn.
This follows on from the departure from T-Sport of Will Buller, who joined Fortec following the fourth round at Brands Hatch in May. Toyota Racing Series champion Nick Cassidy also tested with T-Sport earlier this month; however the Kiwi racer’s lack of funds prevented him from joining the team.
It was also reported in Autosport last week {note 2} that Paul Ricard may be dropped from the European F3 calendar due to a fallout with the FFSA regarding track time for the F3 round.
A decision as to what may replace Paul Ricard may be announced at the FIA World Motorsport Council meeting on June 28th.
{note 1}
Bryant-Meisner took pole positions by 0.934s (race one) and 0.837s (race three) over Carlin’s Jordan King at Silverstone. With race two a reverse grid event, no qualifying session was run.
{note 2}
“European F3 set to drop Paul Ricard from calendar” {Autosport.com, June 7th; Jamie O’Leary}
© Formula E Holdings
Williams Advanced Engineering this week announced a new partnership with Spark Racing Technology to design and build batteries to power the new-for-2014 FIA Formula E Championship.
With the dawn of this new series fast approaching, Williams are to produce battery units for 42 Formula E machines, as built by Spark, allowing the Grove company to secure their first series-wide hybrid project.
This deal sees the legendary company join the likes of McLaren, Renault, Michelin and Dallara in delivering products and expertise for the new category.
As part of the company’s growing portfolio, Williams Advanced Engineering have been developing a number of battery and hybrid units for both motorsport and non-motorsport applications, with Williams’ success in this arena reached new heights in 2012, when the Audi R18 E-tron Quattro won the coveted Le Mans 24 Hour Race, while using the company’s much lauded flywheel system.
Outside of motor racing, Williams also supply flywheel systems for London’s bus network as well as a battery hybrid system for the Jaguar C-X75 supercar.
“We are delighted to be partnering with Spark Racing Technology to introduce our battery technology into their cars for next year’s FIA Formula E Championship,” noted Williams founder and Team Principal Sir Frank Williams. He continued, “This is an exciting new racing series that will play a key role in highlighting the growing relevance of technologies originally developed for motorsport to the wider world.”
Kirsty Andrew, Head of Communications at Williams Advanced Engineering added, “Energy efficiency is an important issue for Williams and whilst our work in this field is now spanning a number of market sectors beyond racing, motorsport will always be the ultimate proving ground for our technologies. Electric vehicles are becoming an increasingly important part of the automotive industry and Formula E is the perfect opportunity for Williams to validate the latest developments in battery technology.”
Frédéric Vasseur President of Spark Racing Technology also believes this is to be an incredibly positive step for the burgeoning series. “Spark Racing Technology is extremely proud to bring together some of the biggest names in motorsport and expects no less from Williams as they accompany us in the highest level of the first championship for electric cars. The vast experience from Williams and especially from Williams Advanced Engineering in the field of hybrid systems and electric engine power, guarantees quality.”
It is with great sadness that Jeremy Lord, affectionately known as “The F3 Guru”, passed away on Sunday following a brief battle with cancer. He was 74.
A key member of the British Formula 3 teams association (FOTA) for many years, Lord was a solicitor by profession, yet he had also developed a taste for club racing, proving himself to be a dab hand in GTs in the early-70s.
Following his racing exploits, Lord was asked to become chairman of FOTA by team owner Dave Price, helping to guide British F3 through some difficult periods during the 1980s, while also overseeing the category at its height in the mid-to-late 90s.
He eventually stepped down at the end of 2008.
Jeremy was lovely chap; a gentleman who cared deeply about motorsport and the people therein and while I only knew him in his later years, his passion for the sport was infectious and clear to see. Always delighted to offer a helping hand and advice, Jeremy possessed an intelligent, quiet charm and cheerful nature that will be greatly missed.
My deepest condolences to his family and friends.
Formula One Canadian Grand Prix (Round 7, Montreal)
Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel cruised to his third win of the season and his first Canadian Grand Prix victory at Montreal yesterday. The reigning champion led almost the entire running in what amounted to little more than a demonstration ahead of nearest rivals Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.
Vettel was barely seen on screen as he drew away from fellow front row man Hamilton in the early stages, with the Red Bull racer only relinquishing the lead when he stopped for new tyres before the one-third mark. From there, he kept a gap at the front, winning easily from Alonso’s charging Ferrari.
Alonso took Hamilton late in the race, but he also had to fight his way through Valtteri Bottas, Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg in the initial stages. Once Hamilton’s Mercedes began to cook his tyres, Alonso caught the former McLaren man, but was made to work for it, eventually passing on lap 63, finishing just 1.5s up on Hamilton.
Webber finished 4th after he was caught behind Rosberg during the first half of the race and later lost part of his front wing in a collision while lapping Giedo van der Garde. Rosberg came home 5th, nearly 70s shy of Vettel.
Jean-Eric Vergne took a brilliant 6th for Toro Rosso – the highest position for the Italian team since 2008, while Paul di Resta claimed 7th from 17th after running a startling 57 laps on the Pirelli mediums. Felipe Massa ended up 8th, ahead of a quiet Kimi Raikkonen, while Adrian Sutil nabbed 10th, despite an early spin and a drive through penalty.
McLaren missed out on the points for the first time since the 2009 British Grand Prix, while the reality of Williams caught up with Bottas, as he finished 14th from 3rd on the grid. The race was marred by the death of Mark Robinson in an incident clearing Esteban Gutierrez’ stricken Sauber after the Grand Prix had finished.
GP3 Series (In-season test; Hungaroring)
Kevin Korjus and Facu Regalia topped the GP3 Series in-season test at the Hungaroring toward the end of last week.
Korjus (Koiranen GP) headed Lewis Williamson on an opening day tempered by mixed weather conditions – not ideal considering the poor weather that hampered much of the pre-season running.
Patric Niederhauser was the first to set a representative time, before Daniil Kvyat broke into the 1’33” barrier; however it was Williamson who set the first true benchmark with 1:32.781 in the morning, only for the Scot to be pipped at the top before lunch. Rain made the afternoon tricky, especially for spinners Adderly Fong, Dino Zamparelli and finally Niederhauser. Williamson set the quickest time in the afternoon.
The final day’s running also saw some heavy rain, but that did little to deter Regalia. The Argentine racer set the fastest time of the tow days with a best of 1:32.341, once again topping the steady Williamson. Aaro Vainio headed the afternoon session in his Koiranen GP entry.
Amidst overcast and humid conditions, Emanuele Zonzini was first out, although his initial times were brushed aside by the confident Korjus, before Melville McKee topped the sheets as the rain drew in. The track dried not long before lunch giving drivers an opportunity to put on slicks and go for it with Nick Yelloly and Williamson going quick until they were pipped to the head of the sheets by Regalia. The afternoon session was mostly a washout, ensuring numerous red flags.
—-
Earlier this evening, I was made aware of several publications and websites that felt the need and desire to publish shots of the aftermath of the tragic accident.
Such crass folly, the publishers should be ashamed of themselves. Completely unnecessary tripe from those who care more about their statistics and web hits than the people involved in this tragic incident.
—-
A track marshal, Mark Robinson, has died following injuries sustained during an incident toward the end of yesterday’s Canadian Grand Prix.
Robinson was busy helping with the removal of Esteban Gutierrez’ stricken Sauber following the conclusion of the race, when, according to an FIA statement, “The recovery vehicle had lifted the car to return it to the pits and while doing this the worker dropped his radio and attempted to pick it up. As he did this, he stumbled and was hit and run over by the recovery vehicle.”
A member of the Notre Dame Automobile Club, Robinson was taken to Sacre-Coeur hospital in Montreal; where his injuries were treated by traumatology department of Dr Ronald Denis, Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Dr Jacques Bouchard, Chief Medical Officer of the Grand Prix; however he would not survive.
His is the first death of track worker at a Formula One Grand Prix since Graham Beveridge was killed following an accident at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix.
This evening FIA President, Jean Todt, made the following statement: “I would like to share my profound sadness, and that of the whole FIA community, following the tragic death of Mark Robinson, who was working as a volunteer marshal at the Canadian Grand Prix.
“My thoughts, and those of the FIA members, are with Mark’s family and friends and we all wish to extend our sincerest condolences, as well as our support, in these most tragic of circumstances. This tragedy has affected us deeply, and the whole of motor sport is profoundly touched by it.”
He added: “In volunteering to be a marshal, Mark had made the choice to give his time, his knowledge and passion in the service of motor sport. All over the world, it is men and women like Mark who make possible the organisation of motor sport events. Without these thousands of volunteers who give their all selflessly, motor sport would simply not get off the starting line. I and the FIA want to share with each and every one of the pain resulting from Mark’s death, a hurt that unites us all today.”
This is an all too tragic reminder about just how dangerous a motorsport facility can be, whether trackside or otherwise. Without the assistance of marshals, motorsport cannot exist and these wonderful people rightly deserve our praise and thanks for each meeting they attend.
My deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Mark Robinson. My thoughts also to the Notre Dame Automobile Club, its members and Robinson’s trackside colleagues.
Years ago (around August 1998, I think), I remember being taken to Mondello Park by my Dad for what was then my first solo race weekend.
The previous week I came across a leaflet advertising some Formula Ford racing alongside a couple of other categories and thinking it might be good to have a look.
Meanwhile, Dad dropped me at the gate, gave me a little extra pocket money to cover double-priced chips and a burger and left me to it for the day. It was still about 9am as I walked up to the gate, where upon I dug into my pockets for a few quid for the entry.
“Morning lad,” says the chap at the gate with a nod. “You’re 15, aren’t you?”
At this point I was about 16-and-a-half and making sure the world knew about it (maaaaann) – all grown up and that nonsense, y’see.
In fact, I was so grown up, my stubble had about two weeks growth and if you looked hard enough you could almost see it – almost.
(Oh the naivety. Anyhoo, I digress.)
“No, actually I’m 16,” comes the defiant teenage retort, filled with youthful vigour and unabashed snottiness.
Lingering behind, some half-baked wit was no doubt lying in wait… a lesson for teenage folks – if something sounds clever in your head, it probably won’t sound to hot in open air where someone can answer back.
(Anyhoo, I digress – again. This is all rather frightful.)
Rolling his eyes somewhat, the gate man presses again, “Are you sure you’re not 15?”
“I’m definitely 16.” At this point my preferred leg is arched, one arm is on my hip and I may as well be thumping my chest in teenage turbo-powered pseudo-macho-ism and false bravado.
Meanwhile Dad is breaking himself laughing over the steering wheel.
The gate man rubs two of his fingers along his forehead and sighs a little, before to a large sign with big letters that read: ’15yo and under – half price.’
(… pause, wait for it, wait for it, wait for it… the penny drops… round about – nnnow !!)
“Oh yeah, I’m 15.”
“That will be £4 please.”
“Uh – yeah, cheers.”
August in Ireland is either bloody freezing, or stupidly hot. In this instance, it was the former and so memories of getting utterly windswept in the open grandstand across from the pits throughout the day were burned into my head.
Good weekend though. It was still very much a ‘Dads and lads’ shindig then, although it was plain to see money was tight.
Now, I just wrote words about; however, I do hope my light bulb is switched on a bit more often nowadays. With luck and pressing, someone might read them.
DTM (Rd 3, Red Bull Ring)
Schnitzer BMW racer Bruno Spengler’s DTM title defence kicked into gear on Sunday thanks to a dominant display at the Red Bull Ring, finishing ahead MTEK BMW paring Marco Wittmann and Timo Glock.
Starting on Hankook soft tyres, Spengler held a small, but safe lead over Wittmann and Edoardo Mortara in the opening stages, extending his lead gradually until finally making his first stop on lap 29. He regained the lead four tours later as the remaining few ahead pitted; a pattern that repeated itself following his final tyre change five laps from the end. Throughout the race, Spengler controlled the pace and with it the race, finishing 1.5 seconds clear of Wittmann.
Indeed Wittmann had to fight for it early on, having been passed by Mortara at the start; however the MTEK racer retook the spot two tours later whereupon Wittmann ran Spengler close for much of the duration, but rarely seemed to be in a position to trouble the champion. His stop on lap 23 initially put Wittmann behind teammate Glock, only for the positions to reverse during the final tyre changes.
For Glock, a lap 5 visit to the pits garnered the ex-F1 driver clean air to run through during the early portion of the race. Steady pace and healthy tyre conservation allowed Glock to run as high as 2nd (despite a brief, but time-consuming mid-race battle with Miguel Molina) before his final visit to the pits, where he rejoined just behind Wittmann. As traffic fell away, Glock slipped into 3rd to earn his first DTM podium.
Mike Rockenfeller also enjoyed a positive day, using strategy to climb from 13th to 4th by the end. The Phoenix Audi racer also took an early stop, but fell away from Glock as mid-race traffic split them. It was a similar tale for Mattias Ekstrom in the Abt Audi whose early stop set him up for a speedy first stint, allowing him to climb to 5th at the end. Augusto Farfus claimed 6th, just 0.6s ahead of Christian Vietoris, with the pairing guiding a log jam that contained Dirk Werner (8th), Gary Paffett (9th – who took a stop-go penalty for clipping Martin Tomczyk) and Pascal Wehrlein (10th).
European F3 Championship (Rd 5, Red Bull Ring)
Felix Rosenqvist played himself back into title contention at the weekend with three wins in a round where Raffaele Marciello stumbled. At the halfway point in the season, Rosenqvist narrowed the points gap at the top to just 27.5, taking 50 off of Marciello.
The Swede raced away from poleman Daniil Kvyat in race one, with Rosenqvist enjoying a 14.3 second lead come the flag. It was a smooth drive by the Mücke man, who seemed at ease with the Red Bull Ring’s sloping hills and crests. Kvyat, too, had a quiet run as he initially extended himself over Lucas Wolf; before Jordan King took the 3rd place spot for keeps on lap 17. Starting 13th Marciello enjoyed a good first lap breaching the top eight in short order. Contact between Lucas Auer and Sven Muller allowed Marciello to gain further places, while passes on the struggling Wolf and Latifi solidified a credible points finish. Latifi came home 5th, ahead of Muller (6th), while Alex Lynn, Eddie Cheever, Michael Lewis and Auer completed the top ten. Wolf would eventually fall to 16th.
Rosenqvist took his second win of the weekend in style on Saturday afternoon, following a truncated run to the flag. The Swede dropped behind Wolf and Kvyat off the line, only to take both around the outside of the Audi Ultra corner, as they fought amongst themselves. From there Rosenqvist drew away from Kvyat, eventually winning by 7.7s while the Russian extended a safe gap to the inexperienced Wolf.
Unlike race one, Wolf held his pace steady bringing his car home for his first European F3 podium, while Auer took 4th after he capitalised on a clumsy accident between Muller and Latifi. Josh Hill and King initially battled with the Auer / Latifi / Muller group before falling back slightly to the clutches of Harry Tincknell; however the trio would take the finish in that order. Tom Blomqvist, Cheever and Lewis were running 8th, 9th and 10th respectively when the race was red flagged on lap 20 following a crash between Pipo Derani and Lynn on the approach to Schlossgold – both drivers were fine; their cars were not.
Rosenqvist completed the rout on Sunday with another top drive – winning again in front of Kvyat. The Mücke racer started 3rd, but scythed passed front row pairing Kvyat and Marciello as the battled through Schlossgold, although a safety car on the second lap halted any chance of Rosenqvist pulling away.
Upon the restart on lap 9, the Swede enjoyed a slender but confident lead, edging 2.6s up on Kvyat when the clock ran down on lap 20. A poor first few laps after the safety car dropped Marciello down the order, with Auer, Latifi, King, Tincknell and Derani all slipping by within a tour. As Auer escaped, Latifi also went off losing several positions, allowing Tincknell, King and the recovering Marciello to fight it out for 4th, 5th and 6th respectively. Latifi eventually secured a distant 7th, just under a second ahead of Lynn (8th), while Derani fell backwards to 9th as the race aged. Roy Nissany completed the top ten. A long safety car period interrupted proceedings when a blindsided Mans Grenhagen hit the spun Jann Mardenborough, before the former was then rear-ended heavily by Dennis van der Laar. Blomqvist could do little to avoid the spun Mardenborough, sideswiping the Welshman, while Mitch Gilbert also retired with damage.
© Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
The GP3 Series has – in conjunction with control tyre supplier Pirelli – decided to adjust the control tyre compounds for the rest of the season.
Following an opening round that saw overly excessive tyre wear early on in the Barcelona races, the series has opted for a harder tyre range for the duration of the season.
Although tyre conservation is still considered a deeply important module in a driver’s education, the series acted in order to encourage driver skill amidst hard racing. Changes to the compound allocation will begin from the next round in Valencia.
The series has introduced a new chassis and engine combination for the 2013 season, increasing power output from 280bhp to 400bhp, yet the tyre compounds have remained virtually unchanged.
Testing the new package took place in rather cold conditions, due to Europe’s never ending winter, masking the true level of drop off that come into play in warmer climes.
Indeed the new combination saw the fastest time in qualifying – set by Koiranen GP’s Kevin Korjus {note 1} – beat Antonio Felix da Costa’s 2012 effort by some 4.4 seconds.
However with wear diminishing rapidly as early as the fourth tour in both races, laptimes and speed rapidly fell away as grip became scarce, causing drivers to lift off through medium and high downforce bends.
While undesirable from a competition vantage, the severe drop off in speed through what were normally reasonably quick corners also raised the question of competitor safety.
Having pushed hard in the early running of race one in Barcelona, MW Arden racer Daniil Kvyat was lapping over 12 seconds off his initial pace at the chequered flag. Much of the rest of the order suffered a drop off of around 8-10 seconds per lap, as the cars scuttled nervously through corners.
GP3 Series CEO Bruno Michel considers the moves to the harder compounds a positive step for the championship. “We are very pleased with how Pirelli work and react to any given situation. The GP3/13 is a new car – one that’s proven to be reliable and competitive. GP3 races have always showcased drivers giving maximum attack whilst starting to learn how to manage the tyre degradation.” Michel also commented that, “After Barcelona, we analysed that we had to fine-tune our compound selection to a harder range in order to keep that balance intact. Pirelli have been quick to adapt to the situation in terms of production too.”
Mario Isola, Racing Manager with Pirelli added, “Following the first two races we analysed the data and together with the Series organizers we have decided to revise some of the initial choices, which turned out to be slightly too performance-orientated, considering some of the greatly increased forces that the brand new GP3 car is putting on the tyres.
“In pre-season testing the teams had the opportunity to run the new car on our new tyres, but due to the temperatures at that time of year, the track conditions were not completely representative and the full potential of the car-tyre package could not be exploited,” said Isola. He concluded that, “Now that we are four to five seconds per lap quicker than last year, and with a good amount of representative data from Barcelona, we have decided to make more use of the harder compounds for the GP3 races so that the drivers can push their cars closer to the limit but still learn about tyre management.”
{note 1}
Although Korjus set the quickest lap time in qualifying in Barcelona, the Estonian assumed a penalty for an infringement in free practice, dropping him to 10th. Korjus’ penalty promoted eventual race one winner Tio Ellinas to the pole position spot.
Formula One’s improved US TV ratings for the Monaco GP (1.45 million viewers on NBC) and the possibility of more Northern / Central American Grands Prix appearing on the calendar in the next few years have had a number of people speculating about F1’s potential in the Americas.
Yet while Monaco was an apparent success, numbers for the Indy 500 took another dive, while numbers for both the IZOD IndyCar Series and F1 as a whole remain relatively small on NBC Sports (approximately 200,000-300,000 viewers).
So, my question for today is:
“For Formula One to build a foundation for success in the US, does it need a strong localised series (IndyCar), or can growth be achieved alone, albeit with no American drivers or teams therein?”
As always, any thoughts, opinions and comments are more than welcome.
Formula One Monaco Grand Prix (Rd 6)
Nico Rosberg took the 2013 Monaco GP in style with a commanding win over Red Bull pairing Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. From pole, Rosberg led from lights-to-flag in a race interrupted by two safety cars and a red flag period.
The German racer initially held teammate Lewis Hamilton at bay, until the Englishman dropped back to 4th in the pits during the first safety car stint, following Felipe Massa’s suspension failure and resultant smash into St Devote on lap 28. Thereafter Rosberg controlled the race, until a violent crash on lap 44, involving Pastor Maldonado and Max Chilton, destroyed the Tech-Pro barrier, initiating a 25-minute stoppage.
Another safety car period commenced after Romain Grosjean mindlessly punted the rear of Daniel Ricciardo in the Nouvelle chicane on lap 61; however amidst all the chaos, Rosberg kept his head, maintaining the lead on the way to his second Grand Prix victory.
Vettel and Webber completed the podium, while Hamilton struggled to challenge the Red Bull duo. Adrian Sutil drove a stellar race to 5th, marked up by forceful, but intelligent moves on Jenson Button and an unusually sedate Fernando Alonso at Loews. Button would eventually take 6th ahead of Alonso.
Jean-Eric Vergne enjoyed an impressive race to assume 8th just clear of Paul di Resta, while Kimi Raikkonen recovered from a late race assault from Sergio Perez to close out the top ten.
Raikkonen and Alonso’s relatively poor results allow Vettel to increase his championship lead to 21 points, while Red Bull are now 41 up on Ferrari. As noted in a previous entry, the race was overshadowed by the emerging FIA / Mercedes / Pirelli row involving secret tyre tests.
IZOD IndyCar Series (Indianapolis 500, Rd 5)
Tony Kanaan overcame twelve years of heartache to finally claim his first Indy 500 victory. In what may be recognised as one of the greatest “500’s” ever run, the Brazilian powered ahead of Carlos Munoz and Ryan Hunter-Reay at the final restart on lap 196, grabbing the lead into turn 1, only for Dario Franchitti to hit the wall, bringing the curtain down on the race.
It had been a frantic event up until that point; with a dramatic 68 lead changes between 14 drivers recorded. The battle at the front was largely contested by Kanaan, Hunter-Reay and Marco Andretti, while Munoz, AJ Allmendinger – and for a time – Ed Carpenter and EJ Viso threatened. The race was also the fastest Indy 500 on record, with Kanaan averaging 187.433mph across the 500 miles.
At the flag, Kanaan headed the rookie Munoz and Hunter-Reay, while Andretti fended off a late charge from Justin Wilson before the final yellow fell. Penske pairing Helio Castroneves (6th) and Allmendinger (7th) were next up, heading the impressive Simon Pagenaud (8th) and Charlie Kimball (9th), while poleman Carpenter fell to 10th as the race aged.
There was some sadness for Oriol Servia – the Spaniard enjoyed a good run, losing out in the final burst, to come 11th; however it appears his Dreyer & Reinbold seat has evaporated for the rest of the season due to a lack of funding.
In the championship stakes, Andretti now leads from Takuma Sato with 168 points to 157, with Castroneves an addition five adrift of Sato. The next round is the Detroit double-header coming this weekend.
GP2 Series (Monaco, Rd 4)
Stefano Coletti extended his at the top of the GP2 Series from Felipe Nasr to 24 points, following another encouraging display at Monte Carlo. Coletti took yet another Sprint Race win to make it three victories, while Nasr simply had to make do with another pair of 4th places – the Brazilian has still yet to win in GP2. Sam Bird grabbed a second win for new boys Russian Time to jump ahead of Fabio Leimer in the championship table.
Bird’s Feature Race drive was imperious, his victory deserved. After a lengthy red flag period following a first turn pile-up, Bird restarted 2nd behind Mitch Evans, sitting under his rear wing until the first stops. Once Evans had stopped, Bird immediately set times some two seconds faster than the Kiwi, maintaining his pace for a further four laps before pitting. Emerging some eight seconds clear of the long stinting Rene Binder (with the rest of the pack another few seconds adrift), Bird brought his Russian Time machine home to score an emphatic win.
Evans also missed out on the runner-up spot. Having pitted one lap prior, Trident’s Kevin Ceccon jumped Evans for what would eventually become 2nd, but could not escape the Kiwi’s intentions for the duration. Joining Ceccon and Evans in battle were Nasr and James Calado, who would press hard for the podium, but could make no inroads, ensuring positions remained static to the flag.
Coletti stopped early, with several quick laps in clear air bringing him to 6th, while Binder took in 7th after finally stopping on lap 30 – a good result considering he started 15th and held his own while running near the front on aging tyres. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs nabbed 8th and reverse grid pole from Stephane Richelmi on the final lap, while Daniel de Jong assumed 10th and the final point, despite a long stop and a drive through penalty.
The race was suspended on the opening lap when a mistake by Johnny Cecotto Jr inadvertently caused a 16-car pile-up. The incident saw Cecotto Jr, Leimer, Jolyon Palmer, Julian Leal, Robin Frijns, Marcus Ericsson, Alexander Rossi, Nathanael Berthon and Kevin Giovesi unable to take the restart – Cecotto Jr was excluded from the Sprint Race for causing the accident. Bird’s rear wing was broken in the melee, but was repaired during the red flag.
Coletti forced passed Quaife-Hobbs on lap 3 of the Sunday morning Sprint Race to become the first Monegasque driver to win in Monaco since 1931. The Rapax man passed a slow starting Binder at the line, before pressurising his way into the lead at the Nouvelle Chicane two tours later. The points leader did not run away. Indeed Coletti held back, setting fastest laps occasionally, before dropping back again toward Quaife-Hobbs. His lead would remain unthreatened however, with Coletti victorious by 1.87 seconds after 30 tours.
Quaife-Hobbs would lead a train home to claim his first GP2 podium. The Englishman held his nerve, despite race long pressure from Evans, Nasr and Calado to assume a worthy 2nd spot. After his poor start, Binder took 6th place for Venezuela GP Lazarus, but the Austrian had to face off both Bird and Ceccon to be certain of it. Bird initially pushed Binder until lap 12, when a mistake at the Nouvelle chicane allowed Ceccon through; however destroyed tyres would soon drop him out of contention. Ceccon pressed, but was also under pressure from Richelmi and de Jong until the flag, where upon they crossed the line 7th, 8th and 9th respectively.
Firestone Indy Lights Series (Freedom 100, Indianapolis, Rd 4)
An astonishing final half-lap from Peter Dempsey saw the Irishman jump from 4th to the lead on the final straight to grab the Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Latching onto a deep wake left by Sage Karam and Gabby Chaves, Dempsey drew from 4th to run alongside Karam, Chaves and leader Carlos Muñoz, creating a four-wide photo-finish with Belardi racer enjoying a margin of just 0.0026s at the line.
Having picked a side-draft from Karam on the final lap, Chaves pulled two-hundredths ahead of Karam in the final few hundred feet, while long time race leader Muñoz dropped to 4th spot. Much of the race was between the Muñoz / Karam pairing, with both Chaves and Dempsey only auditioning for the win late on. The leading quartet were covered by 0.0443s at the flag.
A distant Zach Veach took 5th a long way up on Jorge Goncalvez, while Jimmy Simpson (7th) won a late race battle to not finish last, pipping Chase Austin (8th) and Juan Pablo Garcia (9th) in the final stretches. On Jack Hawksworth and Kyle O’Gara did not finish, both of whom met race ending damage in turn four.
Only eleven drivers entered the race – by far the lowest in the event’s history. Muñoz leads the series going into the next round in Milwaukee in two weeks.
Watching politics play out in Formula One is much like watching fat men argue over the last of the caviar.
Regardless of what transpired between Pirelli, the FIA and Mercedes in the past two weeks, Formula One politics has once again managed to overshadow a Grand Prix weekend.
This was propelled further by rambling TV talking heads repeatedly blurting any old nonsensical information that crosses their lips, more often than not saying much, but revealing nothing.
No doubt when personalities have stopped umming and ahhing to the cameras, as they shove microphones into the faces of bemused paddock spokespeople in search of empty soundbites, the real business will move to areas where doors remain firmly closed to the public.
All these places where the real discussions and arguments take place – the cameras and presenters may not enter.
As for the embittered, what better way to hype up the news feed than to push for protests on the eve of the Grand Prix itself, waving the threat of a protested event. How bloated and arrogant by all concerned.
By the way, Nico Rosberg won.
One lucky bird had a very lucky escape at Monaco this morning, when Carlin’s Felipe Nasr came within centimetres of wiping it out at the Swimming Pool.
Appeared to have chosen an inconvenient resting point just off the apex of the chicane exit, the bird made a swift upwards as Nasr caressed the kerbs.
Despite reaching safety, the bird was flipped over before collecting itself as Nasr drew into the distance. While this will do little for Nasr’s weekend, it was a very nice piece of footage, showing both the agility of the animal and Nasr’s soft touch through the chicane.
Often it comes a short time after the race has finished and the plaudits have played their loudest.
Once the car has been slotted into Parc Ferme, the trophies handed out and the champagne sprayed, only then can the leading man relax and catch a moment.
A breath, drawn deep.
Yet despite his victory, Coletti – understandably – had other things on his mind. The win was welcome of course, yet it came with a heavy heart, as the Monegasque racer explains. “It means a lot because last week I lost my grandpa and two days later, I lost one of my oldest friends. I knew him since I was born.”
Coletti has garnered a 17-point lead over Felipe Nasr over the opening three rounds – helped somewhat by a nightmare weekend for Fabio Leimer in Barcelona, but circumstances added a weight to Coletti’s Spanish success. “[My friend] and his brother are the ones who made me start go-kart so it was very important for me to win today and I hope that wherever they are they are proud of me.
“I really, really want to win that race because it means a lot to all the people who knew my friend and my grandpa. My friend’s brother also passed away a year ago. He was the one giving the flag in Formula One. He gave the flag last year and then died a month later.”
Understanding the weight that sits upon one’s shoulder is just as important as how that pressure is measured. Coletti adds, “Everyone is expecting a really good result and they will be happy if I do. It does not put pressure, but adds a lot more motivation,” before concluding, “In the end, the championship is more important. The second of the standings changed this week from Leimer to Nasr. I have to keep on building the gap because not all the weekends will go as well as this one. Anything can happen in this sport.”
On the other hand, there is the slightly precarious situation that Hilmer Motorsport’s Robin Frijns finds himself. Stung by the quick wearing Pirelli tyres in Bahrain, the Formula Renault 3.5 champion acknowledged that experience and fought back with a victory and a 2nd place in Barcelona, but…
Frijns is still unconfirmed for Monaco – or any other rounds thereafter. He is the reserve and test driver for the Sauber Formula One team, but has no option for any testing beyond the end of year Young Driver Test.
For a driver who may be the brightest talent in GP2, such developments are only frustrating, not just for Frijns, but for the sport as a whole. Speaking to Autosport, the Dutch racer revealed, “I need to find some money, for sure, but I have to wait and see what happens. I did the best result I could – first and second isn’t bad at all. I didn’t get a sponsor from winning [FR3.5], but we’re doing our best to be in Monaco. Hopefully we’ll get there.”
These are words that carry an all too familiar tone.
Frustration was also coming to bear, ever so slightly, for Felipe Nasr and James Calado. With both drivers now well into their second seasons, big results had been expected from the pairing, yet the movement has proved far more difficult that originally believed.
As with last year, Nasr keeps hitting regular podium spots without actually winning, while Calado’s ART Grand Prix squad appear to have fallen backward over the winter.
Although not overly flustered on the outside, Nasr knows how important that victory could be in the grand scheme of his motorsport career. “Yeah I mean, [the win] is pretty close you know. It’s funny to say that because all the time it’s been very close but just not happening in the end…” However, the Brazilian reflects, “Looking at the title is the most important thing because all the drivers did not score points today so it’s good for me…”
ART Grand Prix appear to be at a loss – a situation reflected in Daniel Abt’s early season struggles. According to Calado, “The car balance is pretty good, it’s just lacking a half-a-tenth here and there – it feels like it needs more downforce, but there is none available. It’s something small; we think it may be tyre related. We are not getting the pace we should on one lap.”
DAMS pairing Marcus Ericsson and Stephane Richelmi also started the weekend in a happier mood than previous weekends would normally warrant.
Indeed, it has been something of a horror opening leg of the season, but where the pairing lined up 1st and 2nd after qualifying – with Ericsson ahead – neither would come away with points from the two races.
It was especially galling for Ericsson, who had finally broken his pole position duct after 37 attempts. Despite leading early, the Swede had lost places in the pits during the Feature Race, only to suffer a race terminal bump and grind with Sam Bird and Kevin Giovesi on lap 10. That was compounded by a 20th place finish on Sunday morning.
As for Richelmi, the pace simply wasn’t there and as he fell backwards, he picked a fight with Russian Time’s Tom Dillmann, only to be penalised for clumsily shoving Dillmann off track. Sunday morning would deliver a 15th place finish, some 44.2s off the pace, following a chaotic run around the Montmelo track.
Perhaps the biggest issue for Ericsson and Richelmi is that they have become known quantities and at this stage may be unlikely to get to Formula One without some sort of outside assistance.
But then again, it wouldn’t be the first time that has happened by any stretch, now would it?
Raffaele Marciello has been excluded from this morning’s FIA European Formula 3 race due to a technical infringement.
According to the post-race stewards report, Marciello’s Prema Powerteam machine was found to have a gear ratio measurement lower than the minimum allowed.
The Italian had claimed the top spot in the 48-lap event, heading teammate Lucas Auer by 1.8s across the line. Marciello’s exclusion promotes Auer to the top spot, with Carlin’s Harry Tincknell now 2nd and Mücke’s Felix Rosenqvist filling the podium.
From an advantage of 105.5 points, Marciello’s championship lead has now been cut to 77.5 points.
2013 FIA European F3 Championship (Rd 4, Race 3; 48 laps, updated) Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap DSQ Raffaelle Marciello Prema Dallara-Merc 35m03.945s 1. Lucas Auer Prema Dallara-Merc 35:05.810s 2. Harry Tincknell Carlin Dallara-VW + 5.743s 3. Felix Rosenqvist Mucke Dallara-Merc + 6.244s 4. Sven Muller Ma-con Dallara-VW + 6.962s 5. Tom Blomqvist Eurointernational Dallara-VW + 11.523s 6. Lucas Wolf URD Dallara-VW + 15.039s 7. Nicholas Latifi Carlin Dallara-VW + 17.983s 8. Roy Nissany Mucke Dallara-Merc + 21.489s 9. Antonio Giovinazzi Double R Dallara-Merc + 22.454s 10. Andre Rudersdorf Ma-con Dallara-VW + 27.466s 11. Jordan King Carlin Dallara-VW + 27.795s 12. Will Buller T-Sport Dallara-Nissan + 31.167s 13. Josh Hill Fortec Dallara-Merc + 31.572s 14. Daniil Kvyat Carlin Dallara-VW + 32.907s 15. Sandro Zeller Zeller Dallara-Merc + 1 lap 16. Felix Serralles Fortec Dallara-Merc + 1 lap 17. Pipo Derani Fortec Dallara-Merc + 1 lap 18. Spike Goddard T-Sport Dallara-Nissan + 1 lap 19. Michela Cerruti Ferraris Dallara-Merc + 1 lap 20. Tatiana Calderon Double R Dallara-Merc + 1 lap Retirements: Sean Gelael Double R Dallara-Merc +6 laps Mitchell Gilbert Mucke Dallara-Merc +11 laps Alex Lynn Prema Dallara-Merc +14 laps Eddie Cheever Prema Dallara-Merc +34 laps Mans Grenhagen Van Amersfoort Dallara-VW +42 laps Dennis van de Laar Van Amersfoort Dallara-VW +47 laps Jann Mardenborough Carlin Dallara-VW +47 laps
2013 FIA European F3 Championship points standings (Rd 4; updated) Pos Driver Points 1. Raffaele Marciello 214.5 2. Felix Rosenqvist 137 3. Lucas Auer 130 4. Alex Lynn 119.5 5. Harry Tincknell 107 6. Tom Blomqvist 88.5 7. Felix Serralles 76 8. Sven Muller 50 9. Pascal Wehrlein 49 10. Josh Hill 44 Pos Team Points 1. Prema Powerteam 371 2. Mucke Motorsport 206 3. Carlin 177 4. Fortec 125 5. EuroInternational 102
DTM (Rd 2, Brands Hatch)
Mike Rockenfeller secured his first DTM victory of the season at a sunny Brands Hatch today. Having led much of the running, Rockenfeller gave up the lead only when the pitstops came into play; however the Audi man drove a solid ace, edging away from reigning champion Bruno Spengler as the race aged, eventually winning by 7.6 seconds.
Augusto Farfus initially challenged Rockenfeller, before he too fell away as the laps ticked away; however his day finished early, when an apparent transmission problem stopped his BMW on lap 66. The was some contention when the recovery car decided to drag Farfus’ car clean across start / finish, as traffic bore down on him. Meanwhile, Spengler continued onto 2nd with little pressure from behind.
Gary Paffett was originally to fill out the podium, thanks to an off-kilter strategy that saw him pit early, running a long final stint; however a post-race penalty for not slowing enough under yellows dropped him to 6th. Robert Wickens was therefore promoted to 3rd, followed closely by Marco Wittmann (4th) and Joey Hand (5th).
From there, the field spread out a touch, with Mattias Ekström ending the day 7th, a couple of seconds ahead of Christian Vietoris (8th), Timo Scheider (9th) and Pascal Wehrlein (10th).
Martin Tomczyk had qualified on pole, but was dropped to last for being underweight – he would come home 14th.
Another win for Marciello. © FIA.
Raffaele Marciello romped to his seventh FIA European Formula 3 victory of the season, in a commanding display that saw him first hold off Alex Lynn and then later Lucas Auer.
After a solid start, the Prema Powerteam racer pulled alongside Lynn off the line, holding his line around the outside of Paddock Hill Bend, before solidifying the move in Druids.
From there, Marciello maintained a small gap up, with Lynn refusing to give up on the victory.
It all came to naught for Lynn on lap 15, when the Essex racer spun exiting Paddock Hill, spinning to a stop and stalling halfway up the short chute to Druids.
Much of the pack dodged the stranded Prema car – all that is, except Lynn’s teammate Eddie Cheever III, who clipped the rear of Lynn, forcing both into retirement and forcing a safety car call.
With Lynn out, Auer rose to 2nd, but his challenge under green proved ill effective against the confident might of Marciello. The Italian had drawn a 2.1 second lead come the 46th tour, before easing off at the approach to the chequered flag. “Like yesterday, [the start] is the key to good race. Alex was next to me in the first corner, but I was a bit in front of him. The lapping was good – today with the safety car was easier, but everybody was close.”
Auer assumed a comfortable 2nd place to make it three podiums for the Austrian, admitting too that avoiding Lynn was no big issue. “It was easy to avoid [Lynn]; he spun and I had enough space to pass him and after that, we had a safety car. At the restart, I was at one time quite close to Marciello and I pushed quite hard, but then I lost my tyres a bit.”
With the halfway point in the series only a round away, Auer is rather circumspect about his championship chances, but is pleased with what he has achieved so far. “Only Marciello is quite far away in the championship, but for the rest, we are quite tight. It is a long season, but this weekend was really good for points.”
Carlin’s Harry Tincknell grabbed 3rd, following a tense race long battle with Felix Rosenqvist and Sven Muller. The English squad worked hard over night to fix a suspension problem that had hampered Tincknell all weekend. “The pace was much stronger today. Last night we found a small problem with the car, which was affecting us in the first couple of races. We were struggling a little bit, but starting 4th today, we had a good chance for a podium. It was a small problem with the suspension, nothing major – we were struggling in high speed corners and today it was much better.”
Despite his issues, the Englishman was happy with the eventual outcome. “My pace after the safety car was quite good, but not enough to stay with the front two. It’s good to spoil the Prema party slightly this weekend.”
There was another 4.5s gap to 6th place man Tom Blomqvist, while Lucas Wolf took a confidence boosting 7th for URD Rennsport. Nicholas Latifi came home 8th, ahead of Roy Nissany (scoring his first points) and Antonio Giovinazzi, the latter of whom grabbed 10th despite stalling at the start.
There was chaotic period following the safety car when Josh Hill, Felix Serralles, Daniil Kvyat, Spike Goddard, Mitch Gilbert, Will Buller, Sean Gelael, Michele Cerruti, and Jordan King all picked up drive through penalties for setting their fastest sectors in a caution zone.
Following his suspension, Mans Grenhagen returned to action today, only to go off by himself at Druids on lap six.
2013 FIA European F3 Championship (Rd 4, Race 3; 48 laps) Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap 1. Raffaelle Marciello Prema Dallara-Merc 35m03.945s 2. Lucas Auer Prema Dallara-Merc + 1.865s 3. Harry Tincknell Carlin Dallara-VW + 5.743s 4. Felix Rosenqvist Mucke Dallara-Merc + 6.244s 5. Sven Muller Ma-con Dallara-VW + 6.962s 6. Tom Blomqvist Eurointernational Dallara-VW + 11.523s 7. Lucas Wolf URD Dallara-VW + 15.039s 8. Nicholas Latifi Carlin Dallara-VW + 17.983s 9. Roy Nissany Mucke Dallara-Merc + 21.489s 10. Antonio Giovinazzi Double R Dallara-Merc + 22.454s 11. Andre Rudersdorf Ma-con Dallara-VW + 27.466s 12. Jordan King Carlin Dallara-VW + 27.795s 13. Will Buller T-Sport Dallara-Nissan + 31.167s 14. Josh Hill Fortec Dallara-Merc + 31.572s 15. Daniil Kvyat Carlin Dallara-VW + 32.907s 16. Sandro Zeller Zeller Dallara-Merc + 1 lap 17. Felix Serralles Fortec Dallara-Merc + 1 lap 18. Pipo Derani Fortec Dallara-Merc + 1 lap 19. Spike Goddard T-Sport Dallara-Nissan + 1 lap 20. Michela Cerruti Ferraris Dallara-Merc + 1 lap 21. Tatiana Calderon Double R Dallara-Merc + 1 lap Retirements: Sean Gelael Double R Dallara-Merc +6 laps Mitchell Gilbert Mucke Dallara-Merc +11 laps Alex Lynn Prema Dallara-Merc +14 laps Eddie Cheever Prema Dallara-Merc +34 laps Mans Grenhagen Van Amersfoort Dallara-VW +42 laps Dennis van de Laar Van Amersfoort Dallara-VW +47 laps Jann Mardenborough Carlin Dallara-VW +47 laps
2013 FIA European F3 Championship points standings (Rd 4) Pos Driver Points 1. Raffaele Marciello 239.5 2. Felix Rosenqvist 134 3. Lucas Auer 123 4. Alex Lynn 119.5 5. Harry Tincknell 104 6. Tom Blomqvist 86.5 7. Felix Serralles 76 8. Pascal Wehrlein 49 9. Sven Muller 48 10. Josh Hill 44 Pos Team Points 1. Prema Powerteam 371 2. Mucke Motorsport 206 3. Carlin 177 4. Fortec 125 5. EuroInternational 102
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