© Auto GP World Series.
The Auto GP World Series has signed off on a positive season following the successful test of its new 2013 chassis in Barcelona last week.
Unveiled in November, the Auto GP 2013 chassis sees the series move away from it the Lola designed A1GP chassis as the championship becomes a constructor in its own right for the first time {note 1}.
The car features a reconfigured aerodynamics, giving the machine greater stability, improved airflow and higher levels of downforce.
If nothing else, the series has at least provided exciting racing as a support to the WTCC {note 2}, although it is far from holding a serious position on the ladder to Formula One, but then again, why should it?
There was much praise for the new-for-2013 Auto GP chassis from champion Adrian Quaife-Hobbs. Driving the new chassis on Thursday at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, the Englishman set a best lap of 1:32.857, some 1.1 seconds quicker than Super Nova’s Vittorio Ghirelli who was running the older car.
Ghirelli joined Quaife-Hobbs in running the 2013 car on the following day, although the competition was closer on this occasion with Manor GP’s Jordan King a “mere” four-tenths slower than the champion. Ghirelli was a further-tenth adrift in 3rd spot.
Although still painfully early in its running, the 2013 Auto GP machine displayed remarkable reliability, with Quaife-Hobbs notching up 102 laps over the two days with no issues.
Series boss Enzo Coloni was understandably happy with the results of the test. “The new, experimental car we put to test during these two days provided us with good results. Our staff carried-on some great development that will be analysed and elaborated during the winter in order to be ready for the first race of 2013.”
Former A1GP squad Team Ghinzani {note 3} made their Auto GP track début during the test, fielding both Kevin Giovesi and Nicola de Marco. The team will be competing in anger for the first time in March at Monza in the first of an eight-round campaign.
Like this year, each Auto GP weekend will consist of two races, although in a shift from last year, its calendar does not exclusively run as a support to the WTCC.
While its rounds at Monza, Marrakech, Budapest and Moscow remain part of the WTCC weekend schedule, the series will support the DTM at Nurburgring, Superstars at Donington and the ETCC at Brno.
The championship’s fifth weekend, pencilled in for July, remains unconfirmed at this stage.
{note 1}
Previous iterations of Auto GP have utilised already existing chassis’ since its beginnings as Italian Formula 3000 in 1999.
{note 2}
See below for some intense last lap action from Marrakech between Quaife-Hobbs and Sergio Campana.
{note 3}
Team Ghizani are the “baby” of former-F1 racer Piercarlo Ghinzani. Aside from their A1GP efforts, the squad were mainstays of the Italian Formula 3000 series and were part of German F3 when it morphed into the Euro Series.
The team enjoyed a stint in the revived Italian F3 championship in the last decade, before withdrawing to commit to A1GP.
2012 Auto GP World Series Post-Season Test (Dec 6-7, Barcelona, combined times)
Pos Driver Team Time 1. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs Auto GP 2013 car 1m32.857s 2. Vittorio Ghirelli Super Nova 1m34.039s 3. Jordan King Manor MP 1m34.083s 4. Daniel de Jong Manor MP 1m34.086s 5. Vittorio Ghirelli Auto GP 2013 1m34.191s 6. Sergio Campana Zele 1m34.823s 7. Kimiya Sato Euronova 1m35.406s 8. Rodolfo Gonzalez Manor MP 1m35.406s 9. Kevin Giovesi Ghinzani 1m34.580s 10. Antonio Spavone Super Nova 1m35.079s 11. Andrea Roda Virtuosi UK 1m35.468s 12. Giacomo Ricci MLR 71 1m35.610s 12. Kotaro Sakurai Euronova 1m35.736s 13. Yoshitaka Kuroda Euronova 1m36.046s 14. Luca Defendi Ombra 1m36.631s 15. Giuseppe Cipriani Zele 1m36.699s 16. Nicola de Marco Ghinzani 1m38.293s 17. Michele la Rosa MLR 71 1m39.727s
2013 Auto GP World Series provisional calendar
March 24 Monza, Italy (WTCC) April 7 Marrakech, Morocco (WTCC) May 5 Budapest, Hungary (WTCC) June 9 Moscow, Russia (WTCC) July -- TBA August 18 Nurburgring, Germany (DTM) September 1 Donington Park, UK (Superstars) October 6 Brno, Czech Republic (ETCC)
The news that MotorSport Vision have agreed not to run the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2013 is a disappointing decision, but ultimately not unexpected.
Reappearing in 2009, the low cost series struggled for numbers and despite some good racing; its placement in the ladder system has raised questions.
In its four-year lifespan, Formula 2 proved somewhat directionless, with its outgoing talent feeding into no particular championship, while no series’ actively led to it.
With that, MSV have curtailed their support one year before the contract’s natural conclusion.
The series proved to be something of a cul-de-sac for a number of hopefuls – and ultimately no hopers. Once one looked beyond Formula 2’s top ranks, the field tended to be a collection of drivers who could drive, but were never destined to be challenging for wins and that perception hurt the series badly.
As well as that, Formula 2’s absence from a support slot with an international championship of credible standing significantly weakened its position, robbing the series any chance of building a respectable brochure.
Of its champions from 2009 to 2011, none have yet to progress significantly {note 1}. Unfortunately, a Williams F1 test – something that appeared to reduce in importance with each year – proved not enough of a pull either.
Launched during a time of great economic challenge, the position of the series also compromised by a technological refocus that shifted the championship’s already ambiguous position.
According to Palmer, “F2 has always provided outstanding value and equality for its competitors. However, it has become progressively clear that the single operating team concept that enables these benefits has compromises that have, overall, reduced its appeal to drivers.
“Other championships at F2’s level have also increased their appeal through recent performance upgrades, and it is logical to conclude that in F2’s final year grid numbers would reduce, perhaps significantly. I believe we have a responsibility to competitors planning their 2013 seasons and careers not to operate F2 if we are not confident of another strong season, and have therefore discussed this matter with the FIA who understand and accept our recommendation not to continue.”
The FIA commented “the Federation has been pleased to support F2 throughout these four competitive years. The FIA is determined to develop a clear path for young drivers from karting to F1 and therefore reiterates our commitment to single seater racing series.”
It is a shame that F2 will not be supported, but when one considers how dreadfully cluttered the feeder ladder is, the series was ultimately unnecessary.
Once again, the forgotten people in this decision will be the ones who now find themselves out of work during an extremely tough economic period.
{note 1}
It must be added that 2010 Formula 2 champion Dean Stoneman was sidelined at the end of that year with testicular cancer. After a year off in 2011, the Englishman took part in two races in the Radical European Masters at Silverstone in April.
Meanwhile, inaugural champion Andy Soucek competed in several Superleague races and one Blancpain Endurance Series event, after being fired as Virgin F1’s reserve driver in 2010. Last year’s champion Mirko Bortolotti ran several races in the ADAC GT Masters.
A potential standoff may be developing between the FOM/FIA and the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) with regards to the scheduling of the 2013 US Grand Prix.
Next year’s Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas is set to run on November 17th, while the Texas Longhorns are scheduled to play against the Oklahoma Cowboys at the DK Memorial Stadium in Austin.
Like this year, the US Grand Prix also clashes with the NASCAR Sprint Cup season finale at Homestead Miami Speedway.
While there is not a direct match-on-race clash, some look toward the price and potential scarcity of hotel rooms as well as excess traffic in the Austin area throughout the weekend as a potential sticking point.
Yet while these are important points, surely they are dwarfed by other matters such as a lack of state and nationwide media coverage for the event at a time when a strategy for national growth is required.
Retorts based around the idea that opposing fans rarely cross paths may not be as relevant as often assumed when one examines the wider picture of territorial promotion.
Indeed might be rather difficult for Formula One to “cross paths” if it simply does not exist in the eyes of the public due to a lack of exposure and if this is about growing the sport North American for sponsors, the crossover runs the risk of potentially losing traction.
Realistically Formula One has next to no footing in the US at the moment and pretending otherwise is fanciful thinking. By clashing with both the NASCAR finale and the Texas Longhorns, the category merely showcases a lack of appreciation of event structures beyond its own borders.
Addressing date equity could help it find a better placement in order to take advantage of its new broadcast deal with NBC / NBC Sports.
In terms of television numbers, a collision might be best avoided, as football coverage and news would simply get suffocate Formula One.
On Speed TV, the recent US Grand Prix was viewed by 500,000 viewers – the station’s highest number for a Formula One race for many years. In a country of over 314 million people {note 1} where sport is king, 500,000 is simply nothing.
A rethink of dates would help this slightly, but I fear as long as the Austin Grand Prix takes place in November (during NFL season); the race will never be a national feature, but will it ever be so?
Motorsport is a niche product in a country where car buying appears to have peaked and where for the first time ever female car owners outnumber their male counterparts. Times are changing, the demographic is moving and motorsport as a whole is not as a big player anymore.
Through the 2012 season, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drew on average 5.8 million viewers during prime time broadcasts across Fox, TNT, ESPN and ABC throughout 2012 {note 2}, while the average numbers for the chase portion of the Championship dropped to 4.15 million viewers (as the NFL kicked into action); down 16% on last year.
Should Formula One genuinely wants to succeed in the US, it needs to address its position with regards to other sporting entities and events. Otherwise it is simply wasting its time.
Oh and if anyone believes F1 is in a position to dictate, well…
{note 1}
According to the US Census Bureau, the population of the United States is approximately 314,892,546 people as of December 5th, 2012.
{note 2}
NASCAR suffered a drop in viewership in 2012, down 11% from last year according to Sports Media Watch. Out of thirty-three races that could be compared directly to 2011, twenty-two suffered a fall in viewership, with twelve of those registering a collapse of more than 10% in numbers.
Broadcasts on ESPN suffered the worst declines, with ten of their eleven broadcasts filling the bottom rungs of NASCAR’s TV ratings. Notably, these ten races ran opposite coverage of the NFL.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup season finale at Homestead drew in 4.2 million viewers to see Brad Keselowski take his first title.
The news from the weekend that HRT were not to compete in the Formula One World Championship next year did not come as a surprise.
It is a desperately sad end game for a team that somehow pulled bunny rabbits from hats numerous times during their three-year existence in order to compete.
Through each of those seasons, the story was invariably the same – miles off the pace or DNQ-ing at the season opener, to rapid improvement, plateauing as the season drew to a close.
While their 2010 birth proved a trying experience throughout, come the end of 2011, the little Spanish squad were often matching fellow backmarkers Marussia (then known as Virgin).
Apart from two blips at the 2011 and ’12 Australian Grands Prix, HRT were generally well inside the dreaded 107% cut-off and often ran competently during the races themselves.
A standard race might see them lapped twice, or maybe three times, but they were rarely the menace that some observers labelled them.
Make no mistake; this was not a squad lapping ten seconds off the pace, however they rooted to the rear of the field – this had so much to do with the lack of aerodynamic prowess, especially around their front end.
It was an issue the team never solved throughout their tenure in F1 and it made genuine progress impossible. There were upgrades this year – new floor, front and rear section – but these improvements merely meant they were not falling further behind rather than catching up.
The onboards told the most telling story. Constant chopping at the steering and lifting off in order to take high speed bends made the HRT machines seem outlandish at a time when Adrian Newey’s designs carved their way through similar turns with relative ease.
None of the team’s offerings throughout the three years seemed to offer anything in the way of a grippy front end. One can only admire Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan – and their former counterparts – for driving the wheels off cars that were clearly streets behind the front of the field.
In the garage, every session was an epic encounter. Understaffed and underfunded, the mechanics would breathlessly get their respective drivers out on track for each session, despite the frantic nature of their situation. There are some very good people in that team who have been let go – right now, that’s extremely harsh.
Basing the team in Spain in the midst of one of the worst financial crises was probably not the wisest of moves; however it must be noted that running a team from middle-England is no guarantee of success, as the likes of Marussia and Caterham have discovered.
Indeed Marussia reported a loss of approximately £49 million in 2011 at the end of October – a staggering figure when one considers the gains from the sport are supposedly quite minor in comparison {note 1}.
At the same time, those who decry HRT as “the worst team eva!!” {note 2} have probably not been watching motorsport for very long. If running a Formula One team was as easy as some make out, I dare say HRT would probably still in around to compete in 2013.
HRT were certainly no Life or Andrea Moda by any stretch of the imagination.
The Spanish team did end both 2010 and ’11 second from last in the Constructors’ Championship, due mostly to their impressive reliability at a time when Marussia and Caterham were struggling with hydraulic woes.
Unfortunately HRT’s ability to finish began to fade as early as Canada, when the Spanish squad retired both their drivers before the halfway mark with weakening brakes – a problem that would plague them through the rest of the season.
And then there were eleven…
{note 1}
It is believed Marussia F1 will receive a “mere” £10 million from FOM for finishing 11th in the Constructors’ Championship.
{note 2}
This is why I never visit Formula One forums.
Sebastian Vettel’s recovery drive to 6th place in Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix was just enough to earn the Red Bull racer his third world title in three seasons.
In front of a rapturous crowd, Vettel fell to the back of the field in the fourth corner when he collided with the Williams of Bruno Senna.
Scattered carbon fibre litter – remnants of battles gone awry and grip shy clumsiness – brought a safety car intervention.
Like Abu Dhabi, the race neutralisation eased Sebastian back into the game, but not unduly so – Vettel would have got there regardless, such is the worth of the RB8 under his lightly control.
Meanwhile toward the front, Nico Hulkenberg and Lewis Hamilton tangled behind the gearbox of a wandering Caterham, gifting Jenson Button the victory and Hulkenberg a penalty.
Hamilton, in his final race with McLaren, lifted his dejected frame from the silver cockpit – that walk to the pits must seem an eternity when flirt passed at 180 mph on the start / finish bend.
Despite being a long way off of Button, Alonso charged on relentlessly to 2nd spot, dragging speed and precision from a Ferrari F2012 that often looked like it handled like a cow.
Its unwillingness to turn in on corner entry was often matched by the rear end’s desire to “flick” outward as bends unfolded. So many times, Alonso’s hands would shuffle frantically as control was lost / regained / lost / regained in less than tenth-of-a-second. Rarely was such unease noted in the RB8…
Vettel’s charge continued; easy moves on the Toro Rosso’s and the retiring Michael Schumacher followed, while Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi playing a far more difficult game, before spinning.
The Japanese driver is currently raising money from fans to help fund a 2013 seat in Formula One and has already and has thus far garnered over £500,000 – a good effort, yet one can’t help but think better performances throughout the season would have been more beneficial to his cause.
As good a driver as Kobayashi is, it does not help that has been rather invisible for much of this year.
From there, Vettel’s only needed to settle in to his top six position and with Button a long way clear of Alonso in the closing laps, it would need a catastrophe to rob the German of his third title.
There was a late smash courtesy of Paul di Resta, bringing out a safety car on the penultimate lap, but this was certainly not going to stop Sebastian. He may have taken the crown at reduced speed, but it didn’t matter – the job had been done.
He is growing in confidence and with each season is maturing rapidly. For some, Vettel is winning world championships purely on the back of designs from Adrian Newey and his team – that’s arguable, but one could argue that point about almost every champion.
Like all other title winners, these cars also require someone to drive them, regardless of how good or bad they may be and thus far Vettel appears to be doing his job impeccably well.
As for Ferrari, it would not surprise if that truly was the third best car in the field – Ferrari seem to be getting things wrong on a regular basis at the moment.
If anything, the Ferrari’s true potential was a halfway house between Massa’s and Alonso’s overall performances this season. If the capable Massa had shown up in the opening half of the season, although it may be look back to what upgrade that worked so well for the Brazilian – ten consecutive points finishes is nothing to sneer at. On current form, don’t be surprised if Massa sneaks at least one Grand Prix victory in 2013.
Looking back over the course of the season, Alonso holds my vote as probably best driver in Formula One for no other reason than his sheer stubbornness, but Vettel is a more than deserving World Champion.
Today’s Brazilian Grand Prix will mark an emotional moment in the hearts of many Formula One fans as Michael Schumacher hangs up his helmet for the final time.
Schumacher returned to the category in 2010 to drive for Mercedes following a three-year absence and while there have been momentary peaks; he has been unable to consistently rediscover his form of old.
The seven-time World Champion currently sits 15th in the standings, having claimed only 43 points so far in a season blighted by poor reliability.
However despite the lack of results, Schumacher’s speed made more of an appearance in 2012, thanks in part to this year’s compounds from tyre manufacturer Pirelli.
Fastest in qualifying at Monaco, as well as superb stints in Shanghai and Austin reinvigorated his reputation somewhat; however several serious errors served to initially counter that reputation, before overcoming it completely.
It is believed his brain fade at the Singapore Grand Prix, resulting in an accident that took out not only himself but also Jean-Eric Vergne, was the final straw for Mercedes management.
Not long afterward, Lewis Hamilton was announced as Schumacher’s replacement, effectively closing Schumacher’s stint with a top-level team. Rather than trudge on with independent squad, the 43-year-old decided to call it a day.
Mercedes development driver Anthony Davidson believes that, despite his gradual improvements, the time is right for Schumacher to leave. “Some people would argue the reason why he ever came back – surely he had a chance to lose out on a great record. He was never going to uphold that.”
Although Schumacher took two titles with Benetton in the mid-90s, the German really made his mark in the early part of the last decade with five consecutive titles.
Yet some followers of the sport have always had doubts about Schumacher’s success, often dubbing the FIA “Ferrari International Assistance” with regard to the special treatment the team often received.
“There have been moments and I think for all the doubters that say he only won because of X, Y and Z, we can’t forget what he did in Monaco this year in qualifying and we can’t forget that he’s been the faster driver this year (at Mercedes). When you look at all the lap times through qualifying and the races, he’s been the faster driver out of the two and for a driver in his 40s, that clarifies the stuff he did in the past.”
Davidson continued: “You can’t bring the kind of performances he did this year in an ill-performing car against a very good teammate in your 40s unless you are very, very special. In Austin, how on Earth did he get 5th on the grid – it’s performances like that give you a wake up call every now and again and I think that was special and I’ve enjoyed those moments.”
Schumacher’s record of seven titles may well be beaten by a driver of this generation and for all his faults, one must still look back on his record in the early part of the last decade with some admiration.
From the 2001 Hungarian Grand Prix to the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix – twenty-four races – Schumacher won fourteen races and finished on the podium a further seven times, dropping down on three occasions to take two 4th’s and a 6th place finish.
During the 2004 season, Schumacher won thirteen of the eighteen races. That’s dominance – proper dominance – even if the manner with how it was achieved was occasionally questionable.
In a time when Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and to a lesser degree Lotus are all proving competitive, it is unlikely that the German’s replacement will enjoy the same sort of success. “From a driver’s point of view, I can feel [Hamilton’s] frustration. He came into this year really wanting to try to win the world championship and he drove with heightened maturity.
”He had a bit of a difficult phase when it came down to decision time about his future, but all along the way he’s driven impeccably well and has been a joy to watch – especially when he’s got the bit between his teeth, like in Austin.
“There have been too many races where he’s driven a polished weekend, just for the car to let him down. It’s part of racing, but it just seems to happen to him far too often.”
Despite Mercedes’ difficulties this season, Davidson is convinced they can become championship material – in time. “He’s joining a team that have won a world championship in the past and although this year has been a struggle for Mercedes, it’s been clear that they have been focusing their attentions on next season and more importantly 2014 when the regulations change massively.
“In the same way that Brawn capitalised on a huge regulation change at the time, they might do it again and I’m sure that’s why he made his decision.”
When it comes to the future, the former Super Aguri driver is convinced Hamilton will perform, irrespective of what kind of car Mercedes give him.
“One thing’s for sure, I’m convinced he’s going to drag more out of that car – he’s a proper fighter and if he drives every race in the Mercedes like the one he did in Korea, then we’re not going to be disappointed.”
Toyota WEC lead driver, Anthony Davidson, may be back in the car in January following a serious back injury obtained at this year’s at the 24 Hour race of Le Mans.
A former Grand Prix driver with the now defunct Super Aguri team, the Englishman suffered fractures to the eleventh and twelfth thoracic vertebrae of his back after a collision with the AF Corse of Piergiuseppe Perazzini.
Occurring at the end of the Mulsanne straight, the contact, which also took out Perazzini, sent the Toyota spiralling into the air, before coming down hard into the barrier.
Fuelled with adrenaline, Davidson extracted himself from the stricken machine, only to lie down moments later beside his wrecked car; however five months the 33-year-old feels he is close to stepping back into the drivers seat.
When asked how his back was holding up, Davidson’s response was immediate and direct. “It’s pretty good. It’s not holding me back anymore and I feel like I’m ready to get back into a car. I’ve done a bit of karting. I’ve been out twice now and on a pretty hard core circuit with lots of kerbs and crashing and bashing and it held up to that, so I’m sure a nice sprung car will be a little bit easier.”
While Davidson is confident that he’ll be driving again January, he is concentrating on simulator work for Mercedes at their base in Brackley. “I was just whizzing around a virtual Brazil – always fun! There’s not an official date [for a return], but maybe a test in January.”
It has been a year of change for Davidson – and not just on the racing front. Following Peugeot’s surprise withdrawl from the WEC at the start of the year Davidson found a place with Toyota, but not before solidifying a position as co-commentator with Sky Sports F1 after several years co-hosting Grand Prix on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Yet in the midst of what has been a tense, but enjoyable season, Davidson found himself taken aback after a huge opening lap shunt at Spa-Francorchamps, when Lotus’ Romain Grosjean collected Lewis Hamilton before crashing hard and high into both Kamui Kobayashi and title contender Fernando Alonso.
“I wish the Spa incident hadn’t happened with Grosjean at the start. That was quite a scary moment for Formula One, especially as it was my first race back with Sky after my back injury and to witness something like that at the start was pretty scary and brought back quite a few memories.” Davidson continued: “that was the scariest point of the season and it was completely avoidable. There was a sea of tarmac on his left-hand-side and somehow managed to tangle with [Hamilton] on the right.”
Davidson is also well aware of how close Formula One came to having a tragic incident in front of tens of millions of television viewers across the world – some the sport is desperately keen to avoid at all costs.
“It was pretty spectacular and hopefully something we don’t see for a long, long time. We were pretty lucky with the end result, without anyone getting hurt. All it would have taken was a few cars out of position and it could have been a completely different story.”
Like the rest of us, Davidson will hoping to see some clean racing in tomorrow’s Formula One finale at Interlagos as Alonso and series leader Sebastian Vettel line up for one last battle.
Anthony Davidson is an expert analyst on Sky Sports F1 HD. Watch the Brazilian Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 HD, plus follow the race using F1 Race Control via the Sky Sports app for iPad.
Fresh from process of Sergio Perez – the director and editor, not the Formula One racing driver – is a brief highlights reel of this year’s Formula 3 Grand Prix of Macau.
The video was shot by Perez with Aries Lou Weng Wa and Palmiro Rosário, while the opening scenes were taken by Simon Ma. Production assistants were Ma and Ho Yat Yu.
Coming in at bang on three minutes, the edit was shot on Red Epic, Canon C300, Canon 1DX and Gopro cameras with Canon still lenses.
All depictions of competition (easy to spot due to the granny nature of the footage) were taken from the local broadcast. Commentary was by Alan Hyde supported by WEC racer Danny Watts.
For more of Sergio Perez’ material, you can check out his Vimeo channel at this link.
© FIA.
The FIA released a provisional calendar for the 2013 F3 European Championship on Sunday morning.
Following its revival this season, the European F3 Championship is to expand as it plays support to not just DTM, but also the WEC and the WTCC.
The 2013 calendar entails ten dates – one of which is still to be confirmed – that takes the European Championship to Italy, UK, Hungary, Austria, Holland and Germany.
While expanding the reach of the European Championship, the doors were formally closed on the F3 Euro Series.
Gone are dates at Pau, Valencia and Spa-Francorchamps; however events at Silverstone (supporting WEC), the Hungaroring and Monza (both WTCC events) have joined.
Meanwhile the calendar retains its place as main support for the DTM at Brands Hatch, the Red Bull Ring, Norisring, Zandvoort, Nurburgring and the Hockenheimring.
From a technical standpoint, the current set of I4 engines will also run alongside the new-for-2013 V6 engine regulations, which should delight both Mercedes and Volkswagen to some degree, while there will be no major aerodynamic upgrades to next year’s car.
Hancook are to remain as the control tyre supplier.
The 2013 championship will also allow extra track time for drivers, with an extra practice and qualifying session to run into the weekend’s three races.
Of the two qualifying sessions, Q1 will set the grid for the opening two races (to be adjudged by a driver’s fastest two times), while Q2 will align the grid for the final race, ending the reverse grid format.
Next season will also see an increase in digital media promotion, with live streams if each race alongside live television broadcasts – a significant and progressive move that was initially pioneered by the Euro Series in recent years.
Referring to the calendar, Gerhard Berger, President of FIA Single-Seater Commission, was positive: “We started the process of restoring the Formula 3 European Championship to its former status last season. After a positive exchange of views with all the players involved, we’re moving up another step by putting a stand-alone championship in place with a coherent and attractive calendar. We’ve done everything possible to cap costs; in particular by establishing stable sporting and technical regulations.
“We want to stress the performance to enable the best young talents to show their skills. With this aim in mind we’re in the process of putting together a worthwhile prize fund for the 2013 champion. Thanks to all these elements, partners, engine tuners and engine manufacturers Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz, everything’s in place to make the Formula 3 European Championship the indispensable stepping stone for drivers who want to break into a professional career in top level motorsport.”
President of the FIA, Jean Todt added: “The Formula 3 European Championship is a new opportunity to share the FIA values through a new and exciting series, crucially aimed at a younger audience, be they drivers or fans. Our wish to establish a clear line of development for young drivers should make the path to Formula One, economically more viable and professionally more accessible.”
Most notable is the complete split from the British Formula 3 Series, quite a blow for the mostly UK-based championship. Aside from the above mentioned dates, DTM will also race at the Hockenheimring (May 4-5), Lausitzring (June 15-16) and Oschersleben (August 31-September 1). DTM have also confirmed a race in Moscow for the first weekend in August; however it has yet to be confirmed whether F3 Euro Series will play a supporting role at that event.
2013 FIA F3 European Championship (provisional*)
23-24 March: Monza, Italy (WTCC)
12-14 April: Silverstone, Great Britain (WEC)**
4-5 May: Hungaroring, Hungary (WTCC)**
18-19 May: Brands Hatch, Great Britain (DTM)**
1-2 June: Red Bull Ring, Austria (DTM)
6-7 July: Norisring, Germany (DTM)
20-21 July: Zandvoort, The Netherlands (DTM)
17-18 August: Nürburgring, Germany (DTM)
14-15 September: Hockenheim, Germany (DTM)
October: (event to be announced)
* Submitted to WMSC approval
**To be confirmed
Macau. © Creative Commons / Sentoan
Antonio Felix da Costa became only the second Portuguese driver {note 1} to claim the Macau Grand Prix on Sunday morning, winning out ahead of Felix Rosenqvist and Alex Lynn.
Like the previous day’s qualifying race, da Costa was dominant, only losing the lead to Rosenqvist for the opening few hundred metres.
Determined, the Carlin racer drew to the rear of Rosenqvist’s Mücke Motorsport machine through the Mandarin Bend, before feeding through to the head of the pack on the approach to Lisboa.
Rosenqvist also briefly lost out to Lynn, with the Englishman also seizing advantage prior to Lisboa by gliding down the inside line; however a wobble toward the end of the opening tour allowed the Swede Rosenqvist back into 2nd.
The Mercedes-powered man had a second bite dive for the lead thanks to an early safety car period to clear Lucas Wolf’s stranded URD-Mercedes.
Restarting on lap six, Rosenqvist found a powerful slipstream exiting the opening band, quickly plying the Portuguese racer in Lisboa, but a confident da Costa held firm, making sure Rosenqvist was hung out on the outside line.
Lynn may have taken advantage of Rosenqvist’s situation had he not been under pressure himself.
Pascal Wehrlein, who had bolted from the fourth row into 4th place at the race start, got another solid getaway when the race returned to green conditions. Tucked under Lynn’s rear wing, the 18-year-old attempted a move on the Lisboa approach, only for the wily Lynn to detect the threat and close Wehrlein off.
It also ensured Lynn was in no position to attack Rosenqvist.
From there, the top three clung together, covered by less than two seconds with Wehrlein and Felipe Nasr in the shadows, yet for their closeness, opportunities to make decisive moves were rare.
Out front, da Costa compacted the leading group as he cut a way through the infield, yet was able to jump clear out of Melco and pull far enough ahead through Mandarin to make a challenge for the lead virtually impossible.
Each time by, the gap to Rosenqvist was just enough to safeguard the lead into Lisboa – first it was six-tenths, then seven-tenths, before peaking at just over a second after the halfway mark.
As the race aged, da Costa nailed several fastest laps in a row, while Rosenqvist – keen to get in one final attack – ran wide through Fishermen’s on lap twelve, bringing Lynn back into the picture.
The Swede’s error gave the race leader breathing room and the victory and although Rosenqvist got back on the pace, it was too late to displace da Costa.
Da Costa’s position was protected further in the final two laps when a big crash at the exit of R Bend brought out double waved yellow flags as the bend gave way to the start / finish straight.
For a moment, it was thought a safety car might be needed as Ryo Hirakawa lost control of his RSS-run Dallara Toyota, ploughing into the Armco. Hirakawa’s troubles were still not over – Euro Series regular Lucas Auer could not see the wreckage coming out of the final corner, leading the Austrian to ram the rear of the Japanese F3 Champion.
Auer’s destroyed van Amersfoort and much of the debris would be cleared by the time the leaders would start lap fourteen; however Hirakawa’s stricken machine would ensure drivers would be forced to lift off, or take a penalty, effectively nullifying any advantage / disadvantage coefficient on the Macau’s high speed section.
In the end, it was also too little too late for Lynn. Rosenqvist’s late error may have given Lynn some late impetus, but the Englishman simply ran out of time to take the Swede, while he was also affected by the double-waved yellows in the R Bend.
Irrespective, it was an impressive podium for the 19-year-old on his Macau debut.
Wehrlein fell a further second behind Lynn taking a solid 4th, well ahead of Nasr who faded as the race aged.
Pipo Derani impressed with a drive from 13th to 6th. The Brazilian had already risen to 8th by the end of the second tour – helped somewhat by retirements from Prema Powerteam duo Daniel Juncadella and Hannes van Asseldonk; both of who suffered damage after brushing the barriers.
Moves on Raffaele Marciello (lap 6) and Harry Tincknell (lap 7) took the Fortec man to the rear of Nasr, but from there his race stalled.
Carlos Sainz Jr took 7th thanks to late passes on Marciello and Tincknell; however there was an element of what might have been for the Spaniard. The Carlin racer lined up on the second row, only to drop to 10th following a bad start.
Sweeping past Will Buller on lap 11 gave Sainz Jr access to the Marciello / Tincknell pairing, who spent the race fighting amongst themselves while being passed by others.
It was a battle eventually won by Marciello. Having chased Tincknell throughout, the Italian seized an opportunity to take the Englishman on the final tour. Buller rounded out the top ten, a solid result considering he started 14th; however the Northern Ireland man was probably expecting more from the weekend.
Luis Sa Silva and Dennis van der Laar proved their credentials when they managed to take each other out on the straight towards Lisboa on the final lap.
Alas, many will remember da Costa’s driver mainly – a stellar performance in a good, but not great race.
If nothing else, the post-race celebrations became memorable in their own right when the organisers could not find the correct national anthem for several minutes, leading an emotional crowd to sing A Portuguesa for the tearful victor.
Only in Macau…
{note 1}
Technically three drivers have won the Macau Grand Prix in the “single-seater” category. Other than da Costa, Eduardo de Carvalho took the inaugural race in 1954, while André Coute won the race in 2000; however Coute, who was born in Lisbon, has claimed Macanese nationality after having moved there at the age of four.
2012 Formula 3 Grand Prix of Macau (15 laps)
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Antonio Felix da Costa Carlin Dallara-VW 38m02.845s
2. Felix Rosenqvist Mucke Dallara-Mercedes + 1.573s
3. Alex Lynn Fortec Dallara-Mercedes + 2.468s
4. Pascal Wehrlein Mucke Dallara-Mercedes + 3.471s
5. Felipe Nasr Carlin Dallara-VW + 9.127s
6. Pipo Derani Fortec Dallara-Mercedes + 11.043s
7. Carlos Sainz Jr Carlin Dallara-VW + 11.417s
8. Raffaele Marciello Prema Dallara-Mercedes + 14.376s
9. Harry Tincknell Fortec Dallara-Mercedes + 16.944s
10. Will Buller Carlin Dallara-VW + 21.650s
11. Jimmy Eriksson Double R Dallara-Mercedes + 22.955s
12. Daniel Abt Carlin Dallara-VW + 24.025s
13. Kevin Korjus Double R Dallara-Mercedes + 24.632s
14. Hideki Yamauchi B-Max Dallara-Toyota + 26.502s
15. Alexander Sims T-Sport Dallara-Nissan + 26.757s
16. Jazeman Jaafar TOM'S Dallara-Toyota + 27.834s
17. Tom Blomqvist Euro International Dallara-VW + 28.565s
18. Mitchell Gilbert Mucke Dallara-Mercedes + 31.899s
19. Sven Muller Prema Dallara-Mercedes + 32.744s
20. Felix Serralles Fortec Dallara-Mercedes + 33.276s
21. Yuichi Nakayama TOM'S Dallara-Toyota + 47.525s
22. Andrea Roda Jo Zeller Dallara-Mercedes + 59.222s
23. Luis Sa Silva Angola Dallara-Mercedes + 1 lap
25. Dennis van de Laar Van Amersfoort Dallara-VW + 1 lap
Retirements:
Ryo Hirakawa RSS Dallara-Toyota 12 laps
Lucas Auer Van Amersfoort Dallara-VW 12 laps
Jack Harvey Carlin Dallara-VW 12 laps
Daniel Juncadella Prema Dallara-Mercedes 2 laps
Hannes van Asseldonk Prema Dallara-Mercedes 2 laps
Lucas Wolf URD Dallara-Mercedes 0 laps
Macau. © Creative Commons / Sentoan
Radio notes
——
Antonio Felix da Costa held Felix Rosenqvist at bay to claim victory in the Formula 3 qualification race at Macau this morning.
British Formula 3 race winner Alex Lynn took a solid 3rd place in his Mercedes-powered Fortec machine.
Starting from the front row, the Portuguese racer surged ahead of poleman Lynn {note 1} to assume a slim lead into Mandarin Bend, before asserting himself on the approach to the tight Lisboa corner.
Mücke Motorsport’s Rosenqvist also slid past Lynn upon the exit of Mandarin, setting up a ten-lap battle that saw the leading pair covered by one second.
Assured and confident in his Red Bull-backed Carlin Volkswagen machine, Da Costa rarely appeared to be overly pushed by Rosenqvist, ensuring stamped his authority on the race; however he was also well aware the big race is yet to come.
“Today was about bringing it home, tomorrow is the day that counts. Once I had the lead, I just tried to pull away a bit. But tomorrow counts and I’m happy.”
Rosenqvist closed in on occasion, but never in the right places on track, ensuring da Costa enjoyed a healthy lead when on the fast stuff from Fishermen’s to Lisboa.
With the 3rd place Lynn over three seconds in arrears, Rosenqvist elected to let the gap to da Costa open up to 1.5 seconds on the final tour, solidifying a front row start for tomorrow morning’s main event.
For Lynn {note 2}, it was a case of what might have been, although the 19-year-old should also be delighted with efforts so far this weekend. Beyond the opening pair of laps, Lynn was never threatened and indeed had something of a lonely race as each tour turned.
On the other hand, Carlos Sainz Jr had his hands full for much of the running. The Carlin man passed slow starting Daniel Juncadella through the opening turn; however the newly crowned F3 Euro Series champion was not giving in so easily.
After initially falling to 6th, Juncadella slid passed Harry Tincknell on the fourth lap and immediately switched attentions to his countryman in 4th place.
Through each tour, Juncadella pressed hard, although Sainz Jr defended with equal level of ferocity – the pairing came close to collecting eachother on the approach to Lisboa twice! As Sainz Jr and Juncadella diced, Tincknell and Pascal Wehrlein drew toward the Spanish pair, making it a four-way battle for 4th during the final three laps.
Each commitment to pass by Juncadella gave Tincknell an opportunity, yet he too was wary about the feisty Wehrlein. Come the chequered flag, the quartet lined up one after the other, with no move decisive enough to alter positions.
Hannes van Asseldonk ran well to claim 8th after starting outside the top ten. The Dutch racer started well, jumping to 9th spot following a solid start and eventually passing GP2 regular Felipe Nasr on the final lap.
For the Brazilian Nasr, it was not the best of days. The 2011 British F3 Champion dropped from 6th to 7th on the opening lap and could nothing to hold Wehrlein behind, with the latter overtaking Nasr on lap three.
From there on, Nasr’s Carlin machine looked a difficult prospect as he fought to guide the Volkswagen-powered Dallara around Macau’s ultra tight confines.
Alexander Sims rounded out the top ten after he enjoyed a topsy-turvy fight with Raffaele Marciello. The pair swapped positions several times through the ten lap sprint, with Sims making the final move of Marciello on lap eight.
Behind them, Jack Harvey could not crack the top ten. The new British F3 Champion had to settle for 12th place, less than two seconds shy of Marciello’s rear wing.
{note 1}
Alex Lynn took pole position following two crash-infested qualifying sessions on Thursday and Friday. The Fortec racer ran well during the first session, only to be bumped from provision pole to 4th by da Costa, Rosenqvist and Sainz Jr following a late red flag.
Lynn did not make the same mistake on Friday. Once again his best time came just a red flag came, only this time no one could pip Mercedes-powered driver. Da Costa took 2nd spot ahead of Juncadella, who raced under protest following a test that show irregularities with his fuel sample. Rosenqvist eventually claimed 4th, with Sainz Jr just behind.
{note 2}
Alex Lynn has signed for Prema Powerteam Motorsport in a move that will take him to the Formula 3 Euro Series in 2013. The Essex-born racer enjoyed an impressive début season in F3, with a run to 4th in the British championship that culminated in one victory and several podiums.
2012 Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix (Qualifying Race, 10 laps)
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Antonio Felix da Costa Carlin Dallara-VW 22m31.290s
2. Felix Rosenqvist Mucke Dallara-Mercedes + 1.559s
3. Alex Lynn Fortec Dallara-Mercedes + 4.567s
4. Carlos Sainz Jr Carlin Dallara-VW + 7.638s
5. Daniel Juncadella Prema Dallara-Mercedes + 8.460s
6. Harry Tincknell Fortec Dallara-Mercedes + 10.427s
7. Pascal Wehrlein Mucke Dallara-Mercedes + 11.452s
8. Hannes van Asseldonk Prema Dallara-Mercedes + 12.264s
9. Felipe Nasr Carlin Dallara-VW + 13.243s
10. Alexander Sims T-Sport Dallara-Nissan + 14.439s
11. Raffaele Marciello Prema Dallara-Mercedes + 16.747s
12. Jack Harvey Carlin Dallara-VW + 18.291s
13. Pipo Derani Fortec Dallara-Mercedes + 21.565s
14. Will Buller Carlin Dallara-VW + 22.296s
15. Daniel Abt Carlin Dallara-VW + 24.338s
16. Hideki Yamauchi B-Max Dallara-Toyota + 24.778s
17. Jimmy Eriksson Double R Dallara-Mercedes + 30.092s
18. Tom Blomqvist Euro International Dallara-VW + 30.578s
19. Jazeman Jaafar TOM'S Dallara-Toyota + 32.945s
20. Mitchell Gilbert Mucke Dallara-Mercedes + 34.180s
21. Kevin Korjus Double R Dallara-Mercedes + 40.698s
22. Lucas Auer Van Amersfoort Dallara-VW + 42.149s
23. Luis Sa Silva Angola Dallara-Mercedes + 48.582s
24. Ryo Hirakawa RSS Dallara-Toyota + 49.825s
25. Dennis van de Laar Van Amersfoort Dallara-VW + 50.579s
26. Lucas Wolf URD Dallara-Mercedes + 50.829s
Retirements:
Sven Muller Prema Dallara-Mercedes 8 laps
Andrea Roda Jo Zeller Dallara-Mercedes 8 laps
Felix Serralles Fortec Dallara-Mercedes 6 laps
Yuichi Nakayama TOM'S Dallara-Toyota 3 laps
It was announced this week that McLaren Electronic Systems are to provide electric engines, transmissions and ECU’s for the FIA’s new Formula E series.
McLaren have teamed up with Spark Racing Technology – headed by Frédéric Vasseur {note 1} – to develop and build ultra-efficient electric vehicles, for competition at major international cities across the globe.
Although the championship will not be launching until 2014, there are plans for several demonstration races in the latter half of next year, with Rio believed to be the first stopping point.
Should this be confirmed, it would prove to be another key scalp for the city, which is already set to host the 2016 Olympic Games and several matches during the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Indeed McLaren Group’s CEO, Martin Whitmarsh, believes this category to be an important step in the development of electric road vehicles in the future. “I’m a passionate believer in the role that motorsport can play in showcasing and spearheading the development of future technologies, and regard the Formula E concept as an exciting innovation for global motorsport.”
Whitmarsh continued: “working together in Formula E, McLaren’s world-class technology and Spark Racing Technology’s expert knowledge will combine to allow both companies to stay at the forefront of technical innovation and hopefully open up great opportunities for the racing cars of tomorrow.”
Rather unsurprisingly, Vasseur shared a similar viewpoint: “I am proud and happy to give birth to this project that is innovative and extremely rewarding for a company both technically and philosophically. Sport and society are evolving and Spark Racing Technology is proud to be the pioneer and leader in the new field of electric cars that will revolutionize the motor racing industry and attitude.”
Since its very beginnings, motorsport has helped new technologies develop through competition and it is hoped the electric car will follow a similar path of technological growth in time.
Although the category will begin as a specification series in order to keep costs down, there are hopes that elements of the machines may eventually be opened up to individual design interpretations, as long term design stagnation may only serve to suffocate the series.
{note 1}
Frédéric Vasseur may be a name unfamiliar to many, but the Frenchman has a touch of history behind him. Having founded the racing group ASM in 1991, they competed in Formula Renault 2.0 before Vasseur moved to French Formula 3 six years later, eventually guiding David Saelens and Tristan Gommendy to their respective titles in 1998 and 2002.
When the French and German F3 championships were amalgamated into the Formula 3 Euro Series for 2003, ASM followed too, but a new partnership with Nicolas Todt at the end of 2004 saw the team renamed ART Grand Prix for the next season.
Before the name change Jamie Green claimed the F3ES crown with ASM/ART Grand Prix making it six consecutive titles before the end of the decade with Lewis Hamilton, Paul di Resta, Romain Grosjean, Nico Hulkenberg and Jules Bianchi all taking top prizes – quite a roll call. However, by the end of 2010, the F3ES was struggling badly for numbers and competition, leading to ART GP’s withdrawl at the end of that season.
ART GP joined the new GP2 Series in 2005 and claimed the drivers title in its first two years with Nico Rosberg and Hamilton, while F3 graduate Hulkenberg made that a third title in 2009. The team have also been involved in the GP3 Series since its beginning in 2010, with ART GP claiming all three Teams’ Championships, while Esteban Gutierrez and Valtteri Bottas took a Drivers’ Championship each.
From 2011, the team have been heavily backed in GP2 and GP3 by Lotus and currently run with their colour scheme and title name as a result. A bid to become the 13th team in Formula One for the 2011 season failed when the FIA denied them a slot on the grid.
We all would like to think being a racing driver is a glamorous life.
There are few fans who wouldn’t want the success, money that could buy a country, while attractive men/women hang on your every… well, you.
However, there is a lot of monotony as well. Endless interviews that ask the same questions over and over again, oceans of PR functions and that’s before race preparation and lengthy debrief sessions. And then there’s those days testing.
Of course, it is wonderful to get out on track, but between every set of laps lies a whole lot of tweaking, theorising, examining and – often – not a massive amount of running.
Yesterday, former GP2 Series racer Giacomo Ricci released a video documenting the day in the life of a test run.
The Italian spent a day testing 2013 Pirelli compounds for the GP2/11 machine at Magny Cours in France – or some of it testing, in amongst the seemingly endless hanging around in the garage, waiting for the next window of running to open.
Although only a snapshot, the video hints at the nature of a test day, and the manner in which it can drag. That’s not to say one is sympathetic – there are certainly worse thing one could be doing.
Ricci who competed in six races in this year’s Auto GP World Series, scoring a podium at Marrakech, spent three seasons in GP2’s main series alongside two stints in the now defunct Asia Series. In that time, the 27-year-old scored two wins, both with David Price Racing.
© BadgerGP.com
(OK, so maybe it doesn’t quite work as a nod to Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA”, but hopefully you got the idea.)
Once again the cheerful chaps at Badger GP have sprung some big screen Formula 1 goodness to end the 2012 season.
This weekend will see the irreverent badgers play host to up to 100 fans at the Roxy Bar and Screen near London Bridge, as the penultimate Grand Prix of the season plays out at the new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
Not only will fans get to see the race in glorious high definition on a rather large screen, there will also be a post-race quiz with prizes for the top three teams, followed by a raffle and a forum.
Prizes consist of products from Band and Olufsen, Mercedes, Caterham, Red Bull Racing, Pirelli, Marussia, Octane Photos and Retro F1 amongst others…
Doors open from 3.30pm this Sunday (November 18th) with the event proper commencing at 4pm. Tickets are £8.50 and are available from this site; however should you buy up tickets for the US GP, you’ll be sent a discount for the screening of the Brazilian Grand Prix, which takes place the following Sunday.
A second projector screen displaying live timing and tweets from the world of F1 will also be running throughout the event. Free WiFi is also available at the venue.
Get your tickets from this site: f1-usa.eventbrite.co.uk.
© Alastair Staley/LAT Photographic
GP3 Series champion Mitch Evans recently visited the Dallara simulator in Italy for a run in the category’s new chassis.
The Kiwi, who tested the real thing in Estoril last week, was given the task of applying on track experiences of the new GP3/13 chassis to data projected by the design crew.
As well as correlating data from the car, the simulation also gave Evans an opportunity to compare the feel of the machine’s Pirelli tyres against the real things.
In simulation, Evans ran 100 laps of Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, while simulator clued in live set-up adjustments, in order to draw the aerodynamic and mechanical balance closer to the GP3/13.
Aside from that, the video also gives an opportunity for motorsport fans to garner a sneak peak at simulator operations, including the dexterity of the simulator structure itself.
Indeed, it has been a busy few weeks for Evans. Aside from running the GP3/13, the 18-year-old also tested a GP2 machine at Barcelona at the end of October. Running with Arden, Evans set a respectable pace to set the 9th quickest time on the opening day, before dropping back to 12th on the damp and tricky second day.
Meanwhile GP2 Series veteran Luca Filippi topped the first day for Scuderia Coloni {note 1}, with Alexander Rossi {note 2} the second day for Caterham Racing.
Others drivers that set impressive times were Daniel de Jong (Coloni), Nigel Melker (DAMS), Adrian Quaife-Hobbs (Barwa Addax), Daniel Juncadella (Rapax), Daniel Abt (Lotus) and Marcus Ericsson (Trident).
Back in Estoril, the GP3 teams continued their final test with the first generation GP3/10 car. Daniil Kvyat (MW Arden) and Marussia Manor’s Tio Ellinas made the most of day one, while David Fumanelli (also MW Arden) headed both sessions on the final day, with Kvyat and Ellinas in arrears.
Once again Carlin’s Eric Lichtenstein turned a very impressive performance, while Robert Visoiu (MW Arden), Lewis Williamson (Atech CRS), Giovanni Venturini (Status GP) and Jack Harvey (Lotus GP) made their presence felt.
{note 1}
It appears Scuderia Coloni are getting some last bits of mileage from their GP2 car, despite leaving the series at the end of this season. On the other hand, maybe they are just looking for a buyer (I really don’t know).
Rumours that the team were to join the IZOD IndyCar Series have quietened in recent months; however there is still plenty of time to go before the new season kicks off in earnest. Although when one thinks about it, March isn’t actually that far away.
{note 2}
There had been thoughts that Rossi make an appearance in FP1 for Caterham F1 at this weekend’s US Grand Prix at the brand new facility in Austin, Texas; however it was revealed yesterday that Rossi’s opportunity had been shelved for this occasion.
It’s logical. With neither full-time driver having completed any mileage at the Circuit of the Americas, it makes far more sense to ensure they have as much running as possible. Indeed Caterham now find themselves in a situation where they need to be as competitive as possible if they are to overhaul Marussia for 10th place in the Constructor’s Championship.
Cyril Abiteboul. © Caterham F1 Team
Caterham F1 have promoted CEO Cyril Abiteboul to the role of Team Principal with immediate effect.
The Frenchman replaces Caterham Group boss Tony Fernandes, with the 35-year-old becoming the youngest Team Principal in the category.
Abiteboul – a former Renault Sport employee – moved to the Caterham F1 team in August to take the post of CEO. As well as Team Principal, Abiteboul will remain as CEO for the present time.
Fernandes announced on Tuesday that he intended to step down prior to the end of the season in order to concentrate on Caterham Group’s developing automotive programme.
On Monday, Caterham Group unveiled plans to partner with Renault to produce a new generation of Alpine’s from 2013 onward, with a vision to collaborate on a brand new model sports car from around 2016.
This decision represents the logical step for both Fernandes and Caterham, as the Malaysian entrepreneur attempts to drive the group forward.
Caterham’s GP2 Team Principal Riad Asmat will also be assuming greater duties within the company’s automotive division; however he will remain to head the GP2 squad into this season.
Should this deal with Renault allow Caterham to forge footprints in a struggling industry, its dividends could pay out far more than the Formula One project ever could. Until now, Caterham have been producing racing-orientated cars, most notably the Caterham Seven and the new SP/300R.
Production of the Alpine will bring Caterham into the commercial car market for the first time. Meanwhile, Fernandes’ budget airline company, AirAsia, continues to spread its wings, in spite of increasingly difficult economic conditions.
Beyond Caterham’s positive news, it has been a rather rocky few weeks for the automotive industry in Europe as we near the end of an already turbulent year.
The biggest news came from Ford Europe who recently announced a restructuring plan for several of its European factories, following projected losses of €1 billion. With that, the company have also decided to close units in Southampton, Dagenham and Ghent, resulting in direct job losses numbering just under 6,000.
Indirect job losses from suppliers and associated agencies could see that number of eventual redundancies rise to around 9,000.
The UK market has provided one of Ford’s few glimmers of hope, with the news that sales had risen by over 12% in these last twelve months, with its Fiesta range still proving a popular choice.
So far Ford UK have registered approximately 245,000 new vehicles so far in 2012 – a solid feat, but nowhere near enough to turn the company’s fortunes around.
In terms of motorsport, Ford are also pulling the plug on their WRC effort, which comes to a close with rally Spain this weekend.
Peugeot Citroën are also in dire straits, while FIAT have reported major struggles across European territories. At the start of the year, the WEC lost Peugeot and it is thought the WRC may also lose Citroën, especially once the all-dominant Sebastien Loeb retires from rallying at next years Rally France.
A report by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association released during the summer revealed that the industry expects to have sold approximately 12.4 millions cars come year-end; some three million shy the total sold in 2009.
Feeble economies and high fuel prices have turned many consumers away from forecourts and neither issue looks like being resolved in the near future.
As car companies struggle amidst a rising tide of debt and excessive costs, the true picture of the automotive industry in Europe is one of deep crisis and this is the reality of the market that Caterham are entering.
Buoyant though they might be now, Fernandes and Asmat have certainly laid out a significant challenge for themselves.
The Caterham Group and Renault announced a partnership to build a series of sports cars in Paris this morning.
The project will see the two automotive companies join forces to revive the Alpine series, following its dissolution in 1995.
Heading the programme will be Bernard Ollivier – the current director of Transformation de Renault and the former head of Renault Technology.
This partnership will also see Caterham take a 50% stake in the Automobiles Alpine Renault Company, which is to be renamed the Société des Automobiles Alpine Caterham, headed by Ollivier. The new series of Alpine’s are to be built at the Alpine plant in Dieppe, Normandy (France).
“This innovative partnership with Caterham embodies a longstanding ambition: the creation of a sports car with the Alpine DNA” said Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and CEO of Renault. Ghosn added “it carries both opportunities for the Dieppe plant and the development of its historic know-how.”
Caterham Group Chairman Tony Fernandes commented that he had “not felt as excited about a new venture since I launched AirAsia in 2001.” Fernandes also said “we know the markets we are going into and, particularly in my playground in Asia, there is a huge opportunity to replicate the AirAsia model and give consumers access to exciting, affordable products that marry our interests in F1 and technology and help make their dreams come true.”
Whether this spells secondary branding potential for Caterham and Renault in Formula One has yet to be revealed.
A feasibility study conducted by Renault Sport Technologies and CTI (Caterham Technology and Innovation) unveiled a possible window of exploitation in the sports market. The partnership have also outlined an desire to launch its own vehicle into the market prior to the end of 2016.
Caterham have spent much of the last eighteen months making inroads into the racecar market, with the reinvigoration of the Caterham Seven and the limited edition SP/300R series.
There had been brief for Caterham to design and build sports cars for the road had been whispered in the latter part of 2011; however this deal with Renault appears to be the first step to realising that aspiration.
Meanwhile, Renault had attempted to revive the Alpine brand in 2007; however the project stalled and was eventually shelved at the end of the decade.
Kimi Raikkonen claimed Lotus’ first win of the season under the lights at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi, following a top level drive from the Finn.
The 33-year-old – who accepted an option to stay with the Enstone team for 2013 – kept ahead of Ferrari rival Fernando Alonso, although it was a close run thing.
A late move by Sebastian Vettel on Jenson Button rewarded ensured a podium finish for the Red Bull man, despite starting from the pitlane after an apparent fuel line failure at the end of Saturday’s qualifying session.
Yas Marina’s fourth Grand Prix was not an all Raikkonen’s affair. Lewis Hamilton led the opening third of the race with ease, before a fuel pump failure sidelined the 2008 world champion on lap twenty.
From there Raikkonen displayed stellar pace in the E20, with the Finn’s charge helped by some quick pitwork from his Lotus mechanics.
Although Alonso initially looked to have settled for 2nd spot, the Spaniard drew close to Raikkonen in the final laps; however the Ferrari man-and-machine combination could not overhaul the gap – Raikkonen eventually won by eight-tenths.
One could argue that Vettel’s effort to 3rd was helped by two safety car periods; however that would be churlish and an unnecessary sly against the Red Bull driver.
Irrespective of the situation he found himself in following Saturday evening’s penalty, the twice world champion still drove the car with skill and maturity, scything through the field and maintaining tyres when the time was right.
Button, too, raced well in a car that fell away as the temperatures dipped and tyre grip ebbed away. It would certainly have been a podium were it not for the safety cars, but where Button lost out in Abu Dhabi, he has certainly gained in other Grand Prix…
And then there was the rest of the field.
It was difficult to miss comments on the internet calling the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix the best race of the year, or of the decade (etc and ad infinitum) and while it was an entertaining event, this race was certainly no great.
Indeed, some of the driving standards on display were more a stain on Formula One and the talent therein.
One does not wish to be overly negative, but a good number of the rest of the field drove like mindless also-rans. Some of the driving in yesterday’s Grand Prix would have found a better place in a Marx Brothers film than a Formula One race.
It was like watching amateur hour at the circus. Several incidents were more reminiscent of the occasionally unsure, clumsy driving seen in junior formulae from drivers unused to equipment, as opposed to the ultra-professional level that Formula One is supposed to be.
Whether it be the Force India pair tripping over each other and taking Bruno Senna with them (Senna and Paul di Resta drove well from there to finish 8th and 9th respectively), or the near clattering between Romain Grosjean (Lotus) and Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) – all on the opening lap and therefore partially forgivable – it was all just a bit silly.
Add into the mix Felipe Massa, who spun comically after being spooked by an off the road Mark Webber (Red Bull).
Webber also clashed with Williams’ Pastor Maldonado, who was lining up to pass the Australian. Maldonado would spin and lose time, but had enough in hand to claim 5th spot.
Later Webber was later innocently taken out, when Sauber’s Sergio Perez rejoined the track after being forced wide by Grosjean, who was in turn banging wheels with the recovering di Resta That also removed Grosjean from the action, with Perez garnering a stop / go penalty for his troubles.
It was this incident that brought out the second safety car. The first in-race stoppage came on lap nine when Rosberg violently rammed and jumped over Narain Karthikeyan’s HRT, after the Indian driver suffered a sudden hydraulic failure.
That was unfortunate, but everything else seemed a little too much like a sketch from The Beano.
A good race – a surprisingly good race in fact. We saw fantastic drives by the top four and the unlucky Hamilton, with that quintet displaying just why they are world champions; however beyond that, there was simply too much poor driving on show – and it was embarrassing to watch.
On the basis of yesterday’s performance, many of the other competitors could do with lessons from the GP2 fraternity. Who knows, they might actually learn something.
2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Rd 18, 55 laps)
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1h45:58.667
2. Alonso Ferrari + 0.852
3. Vettel Red Bull-Renault + 4.163
4. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 7.787
5. Maldonado Williams-Renault + 13.007
6. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 20.076
7. Massa Ferrari + 22.896
8. Senna Williams-Renault + 23.542
9. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 24.160
10. Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 27.463
11. Schumacher Mercedes + 28.075
12. Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 34.906
13. Kovalainen Caterham-Renault + 47.764
14. Glock Marussia-Cosworth + 56.473
15. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 56.768
16. Petrov Caterham-Renault + 1:04.595
17. De la Rosa HRT-Cosworth + 1:11.578
Not classified/retirements:
Driver Team On lap
Pic Marussia-Cosworth 42
Grosjean Lotus-Renault 38
Webber Red Bull-Renault 38
Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 20
Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 8
Rosberg Mercedes 8
Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1
Fastest lap: Vettel, 1:43.964
World Championship standings (Rd 18) Pos Drivers: Points 1. Vettel 255 2. Alonso 245 3. Raikkonen 198 4. Webber 167 5. Hamilton 165 6. Button 153 7. Massa 95 8. Rosberg 93 9. Grosjean 90 10. Perez 66 11. Kobayashi 58 12. Hulkenberg 49 13. Di Resta 46 14. Maldonado 43 15. Schumacher 43 16. Senna 30 17. Vergne 12 18. Ricciardo 10 Constructors: 1. Red Bull-Renault 422 2. Ferrari 340 3. McLaren-Mercedes 318 4. Lotus-Renault 288 5. Mercedes 136 6. Sauber-Ferrari 124 7. Force India-Mercedes 95 8. Williams-Renault 73 9. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 22
Despite the difficulties faced by both Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button in Formula 1, this year has proved to be relatively productive one for Brits in motorsport.
Adrian Newey’s Red Bull cars are beginning to sweep all aside as the F1 season draws to a close, Jack Harvey claimed the British F3 International Series following a titanic final weekend at Donington and Rob Huff is closing in on his first WTCC crown with Chevrolet.
Over in the US, Dario Franchitti claimed his third Indianapolis 500 crown, while Jack Hawksworth destroyed the Star Mazda field with ease.
James Calado showed plenty of skill and metal in GP2; however series rival Max Chilton is looking more likely to be promoted to a seat with the Marussia F1 team in 2013, potentially making it four Britons on the grid.
However, they were not the only ones enjoying success in the wider world of motorsports in 2012. Enter stage left Pembury born racer Adrian Quaife-Hobbs. The 21-year-old claimed the Auto GP World Series this year with a round to spare.
A former T Cars champion and BRDC Rising Star Award holder, Quaife-Hobbs rose through the ranks of single-seater racing with stints in Formula BMW, various Formula Renault categories and Formula 3, before embarking on two-year GP3 Series campaign from 2010.
In GP3, Quaife-Hobbs – then driving for Manor – took one victory, two podiums and two poles to eventually finish 5th in the 2011 championship season. It was enough to garner a test with the Virgin Racing Formula 1 team (now Marussia F1).
Yet rather than make the immediate move to GP2, Quaife-Hobbs joined the Auto GP World Series for 2012, racing with David Sears well-known Super Nova International squad.
After winning on his first outing, Quaife-Hobbs rarely let go of the reigns and scored a further four victories and five podiums during the fourteen race campaign. The Pembury-man was so far ahead of the pack, he had even wrapped up the series with four races to spare.
With that now firmly behind him, Quaife-Hobbs will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of 2010 Auto GP champion Romain Grosjean, who followed his Auto GP stint with ultimate success in GP2.
Quaife-Hobbs finally made his debut in GP2 machinery this week, thanks to a two-day test at the Circuit de Catalunya, just outside Barcelona with the Barwa Addax team. Despite some rain-affected running, Quaife-Hobbs ended day one in 7th spot, before elevating himself to 2nd come the end of the second day.
Just prior to the test this week, I was able to get a few brief words from Auto GP’s latest success.
The Motorsport Archive: First things first. Congratulations upon winning the 2012 Auto GP World Series. Could you describe your feelings of both the season and the resultant success now that it has had time to sink in?
Adrian Quaife-Hobbs: “It was a fantastic first season in senior international racing and to be so competitive and dominant gives me the confidence and belief that is required to try to take that last step into the world of Formula One.
“I did not expect to be able to dominate and control the championship in this manner when we signed the contract with Super Nova and now it has sunk in it solidifies your own self-belief.”TMA: Auto GP is something of a step up in power compared to GP3. Have you developed a method that helps you adapt to new and bigger categories?
AQH: “I don’t believe there is a method and formula to this; I think that when you step from a power band of 280 BHP to 550 BHP it is something you can deal with very quickly if the natural talent is there.
“So far in my career whenever I have stepped up in power and technology it seems to suit my driving style and I just make sure I bring to the table all the different aspects of preparing for racing both mentally and physically that I have learnt [sic] throughout my career.”TMA: You now have, effectively one senior world championship season behind you. What would you say is different about the Adrian Quaife-Hobbs of today, compared to the Adrian Quaife-Hobbs of twelve months ago?
AQH: “All racing drivers need to have a lot of self-belief but I think this season with this much power and in a senior international series has developed my maturity and confidence in dealing with both the team and all the technical aspects, particularly in the pit stops and tyre usage over the course of a race weekend.
“So to answer your question, in the past twelve months my motorsport programme has been developed on from racing in a junior series to being able to compete and win a major international series as part of my learning process to meet my obvious goal of racing in Formula One.”TMA: What opportunities, if any, are you looking at for 2013?
AQH: “At this time we are planning to test in GP2 with two of the top teams in the championship, [Barwa] Addax at Barcelona this week and then with Arden at Jerez with the view to try to do a full season in 2013.
“Ideally we would like to either do a full season in GP2 with one of the top teams or join a Formula one team as a Friday test and reserve driver with a programme to take me through to the Formula One grid subject to my performance which has been my goal from as long as I can remember.”TMA: Finally, if there was one moment from the 2012 season that you wanted to use in a highlights reel, what would it be and why?
AQH: “Portimao in Portugal. When we left England for the race weekend I had had a very good race meeting at the previous race weekend in Budapest and I set myself the goal of trying to win both races in Portugal. I then set quickest time in free practice, qualified on pole which then led on to winning both races including the second race where I had to start from the fourth row reverse grid.
“And this is what my team Super Nova called the perfect race weekend and it is something at this level that is very seldom done and I will remember this race weekend from the 2012 season for many years.”
Excellent stuff indeed. My thanks to Cathy Metcalf at MPR Associates for arranging this Q&A and to Adrian for kindly providing his time. To find more information on Adrian, go visit his website at www.quaifehobbs.com.
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