Formula 3 Euro Series.
Despite all the benefits, there are certain drawbacks to being a Red Bull-backed young driver.
With such backing and support come pressures that lean heavier than the weight of most championship battles.
The absolute need to be victorious becomes an obsession, sometimes to the detriment of a driver’s focus at a time when they should be learning.
If one is fragile in any way shape or form, results may not come as desired and Red Bull – sadly for many a driver – are not known for their patience.
Indeed the scrap heap is large – the latest discarded member is Scottish Lewis Williamson, who was dropped by the programme in July, after being unable to deliver results in Formula Renault 3.5, despite battling with a weakened car.
One driver currently walking the tight rope is Carlos Sainz Jr. The Spaniard – who only turned 18-years-old last month – enjoyed something of a topsy-turvey season in Formula 3 this year.
With one season of the category under his belt with the Carlin Motorsport squad, Sainz Jr ended the British F3 championship 6th overall, with the Spaniard coming 9th in the F3 Euro Series standings.
Sainz Jr topped this off by finishing 5th in the returning FIA European F3 Championship.
Yet amongst some stunning drives this year – Sainz Jr helped himself to four victories – there were too often a number of races where the Carlin racer was either caught up in someone else’s accident or tripped upon the side of bad luck.
There have also been several anonymous drives and an occasional inability to turn hot practice pace into a key qualifying run, dumping the Carlin man in the centre of a tight midfield.
One can be certain that following a successful 2011 season, Sainz Jr was wishing for far more to celebrate than four victories.
There is no denying that the pace is there, especially in difficult conditions – his drive to victory in the extremely tough final wet race at Spa-Francorchamps in July was a case in point; however there is no doubt that performances such as that need to shine through more often.
Last week’s Euro Series finale at the Hockenheimring was a fairly indicative of Sainz Jr’s season. After showing some positive pace in practice and qualifying, he was taken out of both feature races, but struggled to progress in the shorter sprint event.
The Motorsport Archive: That was a very unfortunate incident on the first lap of race three (F3 Euro Series; Hockenheimring)
Carlos Sainz Jr: “It’s amazing y’know. The amount of bad luck or bad circumstances… I hope some day, there will be payback.”
TMA: In the first race, there were touches of bad luck here and there as well.
CSJr: “I’m always thinking ‘what could I have done to avoid them?’. I was just battling with [Raffaele] Marciello and [Bernstorff] was miles away, missed the breaking point and hit my tyre.
“[In race 3] again, I was hit from miles behind [by Lucas Auer]. Of course they say ‘sorry, it was not my intention’, but…”TMA: When you look back on this year, how do you view how you have developed as a driver and what do you feel you’ve learned as a person?
CSJr: “Everyone knows that Fortec has had a better car, but because they were all rookies, they were not experienced and that’s the difference.
“It’s not easy to arrive to a team and know that you need to win and develop a car also. For me it would have been much easier to, for example, arrive last year and have that car, have the set up and go and just drive.TMA: At least now you have bagged a season where you experienced real car development.
CSJr: “This year, I’ve learned loads of different things in terms of set up and developing the car – for the future, this has been the best learning year.
TMA: It’s sometimes easy to forget that you are still a young guy. Do you now go into 2013 with a different outlook?
CSJr: “Yes. It’s difficult, because when you are young, you are always looking at results, results, results and you just want to win, win and win.
“This year in the Euro Series, it was completely out of our reach. We needed a miracle to be on top, but it is difficult to be used to winning for the last two seasons and then you arrive, get in the car and are automatically half-a-second slower.
“It’s difficult for the mentality to keep up and say ‘now I have to give the maximum’, but I have. Sometimes my patience didn’t work and maybe I did mistakes and I didn’t know how to realise this.”TMA: What can you take from this experience?
CSJr: “Of course, I have a different perspective now. I passed through a difficult year where I realised that in motorsport you don’t depend on yourself, but you also depend on many other circumstances.
“I have learned a lot thanks to the team – this is the best place to learn and I’ve learned a lot of things. For the future, this is probably my most important year. To suffer and to rise up again, when maybe you don’t have the fastest car.”TMA: Obviously there are other factors involved, but next year will you be looking to come back to Formula 3 again?
CSJr: “It doesn’t depend on me as you may know; that depends on Red Bull and what they decide to do with me…”
TMA: Is that frustrating?
CSJr: “Yes of course it’s frustrating, but you feel so lucky to be in that platform with that future. You feel that if you do it correctly, there is a good opportunity. It’s frustrating sometimes when you don’t know what’s going to happen – you are all the season waiting, waiting, waiting and I haven’t a clue, really a clue what’s happening.
“It’s Macau and after that, they will decide. If it’s Formula 3, it’s welcome because it will be my second year and I am in the correct place to fight for a championship.”TMA: It will also be the second year with this car.
CSJr: “Yes, and I trust Carlin. They won the British (F3 Series), but not with the fastest car, but with the best engineers and the best everything, but World Series (by Renault)… I’ve no idea. Again it would be a year of learning, because I will be one of the youngest – I don’t mind, but I would prefer some wins.
“On the other hand, there is [Robin] Frijns – I was battling with him last year in the races and had more poles than him and suddenly in F3, I am nearer the back and in [Formula Renault] 3.5, he’s winning.”
There is no doubt 2013 will be a big year for Sainz Jr. Admittedly a chunk of me does hope he hangs around Formula 3 for the season, if only to learn more about the series and car development.
Having only turned 18 such a short time ago, there is still plenty of time for him to move to Formula Renault 3.5; however Sainz Jr tested with them at Barcelona last week, ending the session 4th behind Marco Sorensen, Arthur Pic and Marcus Ericsson.
Before that though is the magic that is Macau…
Formula 1 squad Lotus today utilised a rather novel method to announce the re-signing of lead driver Kimi Raikkonen, by releasing a music video.
The Finn, who turned 33 earlier this month, currently sits 3rd in the World Championship behind Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) and Fernando Alonso (Ferrari).
Although Raikkonen has yet to score a victory this season, the remarkable consistency displayed by both team and driver has allowed the Lotus racer to make some startling inroads into the championship standings.
So far this year, the 2007 World Champion has claimed six podiums and is currently on a run of fourteen consecutive points finishes – a run that began at the Bahrain Grand Prix back in April.
This deal will keep Raikkonen at Lotus until the end of the 2013 season, at which point seats at both Red Bull and Ferrari are due to become available; however with both Alonso and Vettel likely to stay put, both those options may not be available.
© GP3 Media Services.
Kevin Ceccon grabbed the top spot following two days of GP3 post-season testing at Jerez last week.
Driving for MW Arden, the Italian took advantage of some sporadic dry running to hold Robert Visoiu and Tio Ellinas at bay.
With rain disrupting the latter half of day one as well as day two’s opening session, the twenty-strong field found clean running in short supply.
Ceccon’s best of 1:35.451 – the best of the entire test – was fastest by half-a-second quicker than Visoiu on day one, with that gap extending to just over one second over Ellinas by the end of running.
David Fumanelli joined Ceccon and Ellinas at the top of the time sheets in the early morning and although rain threatened, it did not fall until the afternoon break.
Amidst the regular GP3 Series pilots, newcomers Melville McKee (MW Arden), Roman de Beer (Trident) and newly crowned British F3 champion Jack Harvey (Lotus GP) made positive impressions.
The relatively quiet morning was interrupted only once when a spinning Jordan Oon (Atech CRS) brought out a brief red flag.
With the opening day’s second session rain affected, times slowed dramatically; however it did give the field an opportunity to run in some of motor racing’s trickier conditions.
Porsche Supercup racer Patryk Szczerbinski made good of the wet circuit early on, as did GP3 returnee Miki Monras and British Formula Ford graduate Eric Lichtenstein; however all three would eventually be knocked down the order by Ellinas.
Come the second day of running, Trident’s Emanuele Zonzini topped a still damp Jerez circuit in the morning ahead of Ceccon, Nick Cassidy (Status GP) and de Beer.
There was a brief halt when Harvey stopped on track, due to an oil leak. It was an unfortunate turn for the Briton after he had switched to Carlin for the second day. After a brief dry spell that saw the pace quicken significantly, more rain arrived causing Miki Weckstrom (Status GP) and Szczerbinski to spin off.
A drier session in the afternoon allowed Ceccon to regain control of the timesheets, although the GP3 Series veteran had jump Visoiu, Costa and de Beer to secure it under the Spanish sun. There was a late red flag when Zonzini and Ellinas both spun off just prior to the rain’s final attack, ensuring the time’s remained static.
Although the GP3/10 is to be put out to pasture, this two day run (and another pair of days in Estoril over November 6th-7th), will give both drivers and teams an opportunity to evaluate potential candidates and partners for the 2013 season.
Meanwhile, 2012 GP3 Series champion, Mitch Evans, tested the new-for-2013 GP3 Series machine at Magny Cours.
The Kiwi ran the GP3/13 at a two-day development test at the French circuit, allowing series engineers to evaluate tyre compounds for when the car hits the track fully next year. Evans also tested a development GP2 car as part of a prize for winning the GP3 Series this year.
2012 GP3 Series (Post-season test; Jerez) Pos Driver Team Day 1 Time Day 2 Time Laps 1. Kevin Ceccon MW Arden 1:35.451 1:39.263 92 2. Robert Visoiu Lotus GP 1:35.903 1:42.870 105 3. Tio Ellinas Marussia Manor 1:36.009 1:40.266 92 4. David Fumanelli MW Arden 1:36.090 1:41.927 118 5. Melville McKee MW Arden 1:36.346 1:40.952 143 6. Alex Fontana Jenzer 1:36.460 1:42.756 95 7. Nick Cassidy Status GP 1:36.483 1:40.847 118 8. Nicolas Costa Marussia Manor 1:36.565 1:40.488 106 9. Miki Weckstrom Status GP 1:36.608 1:42.681 98 10. Roman de Beer Trident 1:36.715 1:40.704 133 11. Giovanni Venturini Lotus GP 1:36.763 1:40.977 83 12. Eric Lichtenstein Carlin 1:36.823 n/a 82 13. Josh Webster Carlin 1:37.045 1:42.240 90 14. Jack Harvey Lotus GP 1:37.053 n/a 54 15. Miki Monras Atech CRS 1:37.146 1:41.476 94 16. Patryk Szczerbinski Marussia Manor 1:37.414 1:42.233 122 17. Emanuele Zonzini Trident 1:37.427 1:41.733 143 18. Jordan Oon Atech CRS 1:37.695 1:42.966 92 19. Samin Gomez Jenzer 1:38.217 1:44.762 112 20. Ryan Cullen Status GP 1:38.706 1:48.784 115 21. Jack Harvey Carlin n/a 1:40.979 30 22. Vittorio Ghirelli Lotus GP n/a 1:41.328 47
The hustle and bustle has finally ceased. Cases have been housed, all carefully ordered and managed, soon to be going to Macau.
Some drivers hung around. The conclusion of the Formula 3 Euro Series gave the competitors an opportunity to let their collective hair down.
There may have been several painful hangovers come Monday morning, although to be fair, if one can handle the G-forces of a modern F312 Dallara’s, then a hangover should not be too debilitating.
One driver who may have been nursing a sore head on Monday is newly crowned FIA European F3 and Euro Series champion Daniel Juncadella.
Following an arduous season that saw the Spaniard fight off tough challenges from Raffaele Marciello and rookie Pascal Wehrlein, these titles are just rewards; however Juncadella will be keen to absorb some key lessons.
Admittedly the engine failures that so nearly cost him both championships at the Hockenheimring were out of his control, but realistically it should not have been so close in the points stakes.
A more aggressive approach led to too many clashes resulting in retirements; drive through penalties and disqualifications, almost costing Juncadella the title. Now a champion, the relief was clear for all to see. The deep frowns had fallen away, leaving a delighted, if emotionally tired driver.
“Just when I crossed the line was a bit like Macau last year. After all that, I had many thoughts in my head telling me that maybe I’m not for winning. It was the sweetest way to win the championship, by having the worst weekend at on of my favourite tracks.
“There was also a strange feeling with the steering, so at the point I could feel more happy and I shouted out because I wanted to win, especially after yesterday. This time I didn’t want to look at the laps; yesterday I was counting down how many laps to go and that made it a bit more difficult.”
Naturally, going a season without faltering at least once is difficult; however the Spaniard was far too often his own worst enemy.
In seasons past, the Prema Powerteam driver has been considered an intelligent racer rather than an aggressive one – taking the hard-line approach proved a risky endeavour, especially when it comes so unnaturally.
“It’s been a big experience. A few years ago, I was always named as a ”soft driver”; like a kind of driver who did not risk too much, that I wasn’t aggressive enough and they would say “you should overtake, you should have gone here or be like the bad boy”, so this year I tried to change that a little bit.
“My aggression was a bit harder and sometimes I did mistakes and had crashes, two exclusions for going over the line – this is experience for the future. I really wanted to win the championship with a bigger gap and not need to do it in the last race…”
For Wehrlein, the Germany racer – who only turned 18 years old just prior to the weekend – showed once his strengths lay in consistency and while the outright speed has yet to be harnessed, Wehrlein has still impressed.
“I am consistent. To drive with drivers who are at the best level. It’s a very hard series, but if it is managed well, it can be good for the next step,“ said the Mücke Motorsport racer.
“I tried in every race to get a lot of points. Since Brands Hatch, I had every weekend on the podium, so the season went very well for me with 2nd place in the first year was nearly perfect.”
Lingering just shy of the leading trio, Felix Rosenqvist also displayed an impressed mix of flare and speed with Mücke Motorsport, but difficulties understanding the 2012 Hancook tyres made what should have a boon season all too often a trying experience.
The Swede will rightfully take pride in having won four races (he also took three of the last four races) – proof that the speed is there, when the understanding correlates. At times, Rosenqvist overdrove his Mercedes-powered machine, dragging points where unlikely, but there’s only so much a driver can do that.
Rosenqvist and his engineers can also site a lack of knowledge regarding the new Dallara F312, but next year, there will no excuses. Yet despite the positives, where Rosenqvist goes from here is far from solidified; however the 20-year-old remains hopeful.
“I have no idea,” noted the typically blonde Swede with a sigh. “I think all the talks will start next week – that’s when we will see what happens, but at the moment I have no idea. We haven’t talked anything for next year.” There is also a touch of realism in Mücke Motorsport racer – a helpful trait in a profession full of dreamers.
“There are some things we want to do, but there’s a lot of things I want to do, but can’t. Let’s hope it’s something good…” and with that, the weight of his bottle of champagne became too much.
For the likes of Tom Blomqvist, the weekend represented a relatively accurate picture of how their entire season developed.
Even with the briefest of looks, the frustration was obvious. Standing over his car, Blomqvist’s arms drooped limply over his sides, while hands fidgeted with waist-tied race suit. His face drawn into exasperation, the son of Stig grabbed a deep breath.
“There’s something missing. There’s still something to unlock. We tested a few thing at Valencia, but it’s not there yet.”
Outside now, the sun dipped. The piercing light dulled and the once oppressive heat dissipated, turning the air cool and clear. From an assortment of fast cars, young men and grid girls, the season tension and energy has already passed into history.
And then everything was quiet…
© FIA.
Former Formula 1 racer Gerhard Berger believes the FIA are closing in on a strategy to decide the future of Formula 3.
During the summer, Berger outlined the category as a key step in the development of drivers looking to one day reach Formula 1.
Berger – the president of the FIA Single Seater Commission – has been a vocal supporter of F3 and was in attendance the Hockenheimring at the weekend to award the prizes for the top three finishers of the FIA European F3 Championship,
In a brief chat on Sunday morning with the 53-year-old, Berger, who competed in F3 from 1982-84, was keen to emphasise the importance of the category to the development of young drivers. Berger noted “I think [Formula 3] is the core. It was always the centre of the junior programmes. You have Formula 2 or GP2 and there is karting, but Formula 3 is the centre.
“I think it’s the moment where a driver where he either becomes a professional or a hobby driver. The boys are 17 to 18 years old and it is the first time that you really can see if he has the skills for more.”
“Formula 3 has a very strong history and technically it is (…) a proper racecar. You have things to change, you have to set up and you have aerodynamics, so I think we have to start to build here.”
Despite his positive outlook, the Austrian remained somewhat vague when pressed upon the future structure of junior categories,
“[F3] will be settled in the next four weeks and by Macau, we will have a very clear picture. I think GP2 is a strong series; it is not missing something – OK, it’s not FIA, but that’s not a big deal at the moment. It is the second priority, but it cannot come this year. It is more important to fill the gap between karting and Formula 3.”
With murmurs that the price of a top drive in the GP2 Series is closing in on £2 million, while F3 hangs around the £700,000 mark, the FIA are finding cracks beyond the mere structure of the minor categories.
However while Berger pointed out that costs can be reduced, there is only so much that the FIA can achieve in the short term.
“We can lead it in a good direction, as we now have the cars frozen for more or less four years, no big developments, so it’s already quite flat on budget and then the new engine is going to come.” Berger added that “…when the engine is fully in place by 2014, it should be a €50,000 per year engine with 10,000 km (life), so that’s a big step. Today it’s €100,000 and that’s too much.”
Felix Rosenqvist may have won the final FIA European Formula 3 championship race of the season at Hockenheim, but it was Daniel Juncadella who took the real spoils.
The Spaniard came home 4th behind Rosenqvist and other podium visitors Pascal Wehrlein (2nd) and Alex Lynn (3rd) to take the FIA championship by 33.5 points from Raffaele Marciello.
Juncadella also claimed the Formula 3 Euro Series crown by 14 points from the persistent Wehrlein.
Out front, Rosenqvist initially led Juncadella from the start, although the Swede found it difficult to escape the clutches of his Prema Powerteam rival.
With gaps reading just under two seconds for the duration, Rosenqvist was certainly being pressed, yet at the same time, his lead was never under urgent threat during the first half dozen tours.
That changed when Wehrlein slipped by the nervous Juncadella, although it was eased thanks to an overly soft steering arm in the Spaniard’s championship winning machine.
Juncadella had a right to be nervous though. Following yesterday’s catastrophic engine failures (which were never pinpointed), the Prema Powerteam engineers changed virtually everything in Juncadella’s car.
Engine components, linkages, electronic connectors – and yes, the steering – were all changed overnight, but once something fails twice…
Meanwhile, a focussed Wehrlein reeled in Rosenqvist as the grip from the latter’s tyres began to peel away. From 1.9 seconds, the F3 rookie closed the gap to half-a-second, while dodging in the mirrors of the front-running Swede, but soon Wehrlein would also begin to struggle for precious grip.
As the final eight tours unravelled, the pace of the leading pair plateaued, ensuring Rosenqvist of his third win in four races. While Rosenqvist was happy to take the win, there was also a feeling of disappointment after dropping a large number of points mid-season.
Wehrlein ended the year as top rookie, but the 18-year-old felt a title had slipped through his fingers. That’s debateable – the German has been quick and consistent, but one can’t help but feel his ultimate speed has yet to develop.
Some drivers require that extra year to build on the foundations – a bit of time may yet still deliver a very different driver come October 2013.
The final third of the race also saw another bright young thing rise to the podium. Like Wehrlein’s earlier move, Lynn sauntered past Juncadella at the hairpin to assume 3rd as the Spaniard continued to hold onto his Mercedes-powered machine for dear life.
Lynn – who has impressed in British F3 this year – is looking to move to the European Championship next year (whatever that actually becomes) and even recently tested with the Prema Powerteam squad.
From here, Juncadella held station, despite the best intentions of Felix Serralles. As the final tours counted down, Serralles sought advantage, although the Puerto Rican was also wary of not disturbing the title fight.
Both of them saw of the intentions of Tom Blomqvist, who appeared threatening for much of the event, only to lose pace in the closing stages, eventually falling behind Sven Müller on lap 21.
Müller was in no position to challenge either Juncadella or Serralles, instead taking a solid ride to 6th place ahead of Blomqvist and Marciello.
This was not the weekend that Marciello wanted either, but the young Italian has displayed some very impressive traits this year and garnered enough experience and knowledge to challenge for the front in 2013.
The Italian was the victim of a first lap punt when William Buller momentarily lost control of his Carlin machine on the exit of turn one. Despite the significant whack, Marciello continued, but Buller – his suspension damaged – pitted and never rejoined.
Emil Bernstorff ran well to take 9th overall, just nine-tenths clear of Michael Lewis. Bernstorff’s run came with a touch of luck – the Englishman barrelled into the rear of Lucas Wolf on the fourth lap, which in turn flicked Wolf into the innocent Dennis van der Laar.
Both Wolf and van der Laar pitted and rejoined, although they would circulate a lap down on the rest of the runners.
Just outside the top ten was Carlos Sainz Jr, whose finally race was quite typical of this year – Euro Series debutante Lucas Auer punted him roughly at the first corner. Sainz continued, albeit delayed and eventually climbed from 17th to 11th; however Auer’s day was done on the spot.
Luis Sá Silva took 12th, with Jo Zeller Racing pair Andrea Roda and Sandro Zeller ending the day 13th and 14th respectively, while Wolf (15th) and van der Laar (16th) continued to tick timing beams.
Pipo Derani’s retired after eight laps due to a mechanical failure, while Felipe Nasr never started the race.
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Felix Rosenqvist Mucke Dallara-Merc 39m35.604s
2. Pascal Wehrlein Mucke Dallara-Merc + 1.325s
3. Alex Lynn Fortec Dallara-Merc + 6.457s
4. Daniel Juncadella Prema Dallara-Merc + 9.382s
5. Felix Serralles Fortec Dallara-Merc + 10.018s
6. Sven Muller Prema Dallara-Merc + 10.641s
7. Tom Blomqvist Ma-con Dallara-VW + 13.693s
8. Raffaelle Marciello Prema Dallara-Merc + 17.524s
9. Emil Bernstorff Ma-con Dallara-VW + 26.042s
10. Michael Lewis Prema Dallara-Merc + 26.933s
11. Carlos Sainz Jr Carlin Dallara-VW + 37.137s
12. Luis Sa Silva Angola Dallara-Merc + 52.530s
13. Andrea Roda Zeller Dallara-Merc + 54.425s
14. Sandro Zeller Zeller Dallara-Merc + 1m10.311s
15. Lucas Wolf URD Dallara-Merc + 1 lap
16. Dennis van de Laar Van Amersfoort Dallara-VW + 1 lap
Retirements:
Pipo Derani Fortec Dallara-Merc 11 laps
Will Buller Carlin Dallara-VW 1 lap
Lucas Auer Van Amersfoort Dallara-VW 0 laps
Felipe Nasr Carlin Dallara-VW 0 laps
2012 FIA European F3 Championship (Final standings) Pos Driver Points 1. Daniel Juncadella 252 2. Raffaele Marciello 228.5 3. Felix Rosenqvist 192 5. Pascal Wehrlein 179 4. Carlos Sainz Jr 161 6. Will Buller 137 7. Tom Blomqvist 117 8. Sven Muller 109 9. Michael Lewis 101 10. Emil Bernstorff 66
2012 Formula 3 Euro Series (Final standings) Pos Driver Points 1. Daniel Juncadella 240 2. Pascal Wehrlein 226 3. Raffaele Marciello 219.5 4. Felix Rosenqvist 212.5 5. William Buller 182.5 6. Sven Muller 172 7. Tom Blomqvist 157.5 8. Michael Lewis 127 9. Carlos Sainz Jr 112 10. Emil Bernstorff 91
In jubilant scenes, Prema Powerteam’s Sven Müller claimed his first Formula 3 race at the Hockenheimring today.
The 20-year-old from Mainz grabbed the lead from rookie Lucas Wolf with four tours remaining, pulling a 1.2 second gap come the flag to secure a precious success.
A late move gave Raffaele Marciello the runner-up spot in the race, while Wolf ended the afternoon 3rd to claim his first podium in Formula 3. Lucas Auer ended the day with a well-received 4th place.
This victory comes on the back of some impressive results for Müller, whose confidence has taken a huge upturn in recent months.
Indeed since the halfway point in the season, the Prema Powerteam racer has secured three 2nd places and four other point scoring results – a run of form that has seen the rookie climb to 6th in the standings, some12.5 points clear of next man Tom Blomqvist.
For Müller, an attacking start certainly helped, although he probably didn’t bank on Marciello being equally as aggressive.
Starting 5th, Müller jumped to 3rd off the line, only to lose a spot to Marciello on the second tour after running wide come the end of the Parabolika hairpin Müller would retake Marciello through the Parabolika bend a couple of tours later; this time he would secure the position.
Soon Auer would falter under the pressure of Müller. The Austrian – who has shown impressively in his debut Euro Series weekend – held both Müller and Marciello at bay for several laps, while also weighing up the race lead. It would prove too much; on lap seven, Auer cracked, allowing the chasing pair through.
It would not be too before Wolf too would drop backward. The URD Rennsport racer raised eyebrows with his composure up front, but several laps pushing his Hancook tyres beyond their limit would eventually take their toll, ensuring both Müller and Marciello safe passage through on laps ten and twelve respectively.
Auer also pushed the 18-year-old, but he fell short of laps, as Wolf defended bravely.
Did Müller notice? Not a chance. He was busy watching his own mirrors, looking out for a tricky Marciello; yet for all his poise, the Italian knew he could not afford to make a mistake – after all a championship is on the line.
This allowed a form of stalemate to develop, whereby Marciello faintly attacked, but Müller held his ground, without necessarily having to dig too deep and as the final laps ticked over, the gap between the pair breached 1.5 seconds only once, ensuring Müller of his first win.
For Marciello, the runner-up spot was important, but the retirement of his chief rival Daniel Juncadella could be far bigger factor.
The Spaniard retired with an engine problem from the opening day’s event, only to be hit with a similar issue just prior to the second race. Indeed, the Prema Powerteam engineers thought they had located and fixed the problem, only for Marciello’s engine to sound sick and unresponsive during his lap to the grid.
Worried faces mixed in with frantic bodies in the pit lane said everything that needed to be said. Juncadella’s problem was terminal – after the race, the team confirmed that they were not only changing the engine prior to the final event, but also everything connected to it. A long night ahead for the Prema engineers…
Behind the leading four, Will Buller took a difficult 5th ahead of Blomqvist. A poor getaway by the Northern Irish man caused him to drop two places off the line courtesy of the Müller / Marciello duo.
From there, Buller held Blomqvist’s charge at bay and although the gap between the pair was rarely large, it remained small enough to keep both on their toes.
Pipo Derani led home a far more interesting battle in 7th place. The Brazilian presided over a gaggle including Mücke Motorsport duo Pascal Wehrlein and Felix Rosenqvist (8th and 9th respectively), while Felipe Nasr (Carlin, 10th) and Emil Bernstorff (ma-con Motorsport, 11th) also ran close.
There may well have been more to it had Michael Lewis not run into problems in the final four laps, demoting him from 8th to 14th by the flag.
Meanwhile, the group scraped and scratched for position; passed and repassed until the order finally settled on the penultimate tour, ensuring Derani emerged ahead.
Lewis’ problems promoted Alex (Fortec) and Carlos Sainz Jr (Carlin) to 12th and 13th. Both had quietly climbed the order (Sainz Jr had started last !!), but in such a short event, making the points places was always going to be tough.
Dennis van der Laar’s race delivered 15th, ahead of Sandro Zeller (Jo Zeller Racing) Luis Sa Silva (Angola Racing) and Andrea Roda (Jo Zeller racing). Felix Serralles finished one lap off the lead lap, thanks to a stalled engine on the grid.
2012 F3 Euro Series (Rd 8; Race 2)
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Sven Muller Prema Dallara-Merc 20m53.625s (13 laps)
2. Raffaelle Marciello Prema Dallara-Merc + 1.220s
3. Lucas Wolf URD Dallara-Merc + 2.815s
4. Lucas Auer Van Amersfoort Dallara-VW + 3.626s
5. Will Buller Carlin Dallara-VW + 6.176s
6. Tom Blomqvist Ma-con Dallara-VW + 6.883s
7. Pipo Derani Fortec Dallara-Merc + 8.595s
8. Pascal Wehrlein Mucke Dallara-Merc + 8.901s
9. Felix Rosenqvist Mucke Dallara-Merc + 9.978s
10. Felipe Nasr Carlin Dallara-VW + 11.211s
11. Emil Bernstorff Ma-con Dallara-VW + 11.892s
12. Alex Lynn Fortec Dallara-Merc + 12.426s
13. Carlos Sainz Jr Carlin Dallara-VW + 13.717s
14. Michael Lewis Prema Dallara-Merc + 17.923s
15. Dennis van de Laar Van Amersfoort Dallara-VW + 18.338s
16. Sandro Zeller Zeller Dallara-Merc + 22.952s
17. Luis Sa Silva Angola Dallara-Merc + 23.768s
18. Andrea Roda Zeller Dallara-Merc + 26.670s
19. Felix Serralles Fortec Dallara-Merc + 1 lap
Retirements:
Daniel Juncadella Prema Dallara-Merc +11 laps
2012 Formula 3 Euro Series (Rd 8; Race 2) Pos Driver Points 1. Daniel Juncadella 225 2. Raffaele Marciello 211.5 3. Pascal Wehrlein 211 4. Felix Rosenqvist 187.5 5. William Buller 182.5 6. Sven Muller 160 7. Tom Blomqvist 147.5 8. Michael Lewis 123 9. Carlos Sainz Jr 110 10. Emil Bernstorff 85
Mücke Motorsport’s Felix Rosenqvist led from start-to-finish at the Hockenheimring this morning to third European Formula 3 championship win of the season.
Pascal Wehrlein claimed the runner-up spot ahead of Raffaele Marciello, following an engine failure for championship leader Daniel Juncadella, ensuring the title battle continues.
Rosenqvist held off a charge from Prema Powerteam rival Juncadella on the opening lap, before eking out a small gap over the Spaniard.
The gap had been maintained at just over one second during the opening dozen laps, until the confident Rosenqvist drew away from Juncadella. For his part, Juncadella had been fighting hard to win the title as early in the weekend as possible.
Having pulled close to Juncadella in the exiting the long turn seven curve, the reigning Macau Grand Prix victor sneaked down the inside of Rosenqvist at Mercedes bend.
Pinned to a tight exit, Juncadella could not maintain the traction, allowing Rosenqvist to assume the front once again as they exited turn ten together. For the leading pair, there was no looking back; for those in the pack, there was merely chaos.
As the pack approached the Mercedes corner, Wehrlein held the middle of the road, catching Carlos Sainz Jr unawares. Some quick thinking allowed the Carlin rookie to miss Wehrlein’s rear, but Sainz Jr was not as lucky.
Immediately behind the Spaniard was Emil Bernstorff, who simply had nowhere to go, except into Sainz Jr’s left rear.
Both Alex Lynn (Fortec) and Dennis van der Laar (van Amersfoort) were also collected in the melee – they continued; Sainz Jr did not. Bernstorff picked up a drive through penalty for his troubles.
Not that it mattered to Rosenqvist – he just kept leading from the front; Juncadella was there, but not a threat. And then the gap grew…
From 1.4 seconds at the halfway mark, to three seconds four tours later (helped somewhat by an off-track excursion for Juncadella), before the gap extended to four seconds by lap 21 – then suddenly, Juncadella was gone!!
With less than nineteen kilometres left to run, the Mercedes powerplant in the rear of Juncadella’s car began to sound strange. The once piercing and clear tone had been replaced by deeper, soggy note – pottering rather than singing.
As Rosenqvist flew, Juncadella fell down the order, allowing Wehrlein and Marciello to rise to 2nd and 3rd respectively. With Juncadella dropping to 13th on the final lap, the championship he was looking to sow up early on a Saturday, was now wide open.
Neither Wehrlein nor Marciello had the most thrilling of races. Both brought and fought off challenges, but neither were drawn into battle for longer than brief spells. Tom Blomqvist came home 4th for ma-con Motorsport and while he shadowed Marciello, the threat was always distant and lingering as opposed to anything more immediate.
If anything, Blomqvist can lay claim to a stunning first lap that saw him avoid the carbon fibre marriage and rise from 10th to 5th in the space of a few turns.
Sven Müller finished 5th after a very impressive display. The German started on the sixth row and climbed to 9th by the end of the opening tour. Moves on Lucas Auer (van Amersfoort), William Buller (Carlin, lap 4) and Bernstorff (ma-con, lap 8) promoted the rookie to 6th, before Juncadella misfortune gave Müller another spot.
Buller ended the morning 6th ahead of the impressive Auer {note 1}, while Lucas Wolf took 8th and the reverse grid pole for this afternoon encounter.
Michael Lewis finished 9th in his Prema-Powerteam entry, some five seconds up on Fortec’s Pipo Derani. Bernstorff would end up 11th after his penalty, with Andrea Roda finished 12th and the last of the lead lap runners.
Van der Laar rejoined the action after his opening lap difficulties to trail around one lap in arrears of the field. Sandro Zeller ended the day 15th despite clumsily clattering in to the side of Luis Sá Silva in the Sachskurve on the fourth lap.
Both Felix Serralles and Felipe Nasr retired during the event due to car difficulties, while Lynn could not recover from his opening lap clash.
{note 1}
This is Auer’s debut in the Formula 3 Euro Series, having finished runner-up in the ADAC German Formula 3 Cup earlier this year.
2012 F3 Euro Series / FIA European F3 championship (Rd 8 / 10; Race 1)
Pos Driver Team Time / Gap
1. Felix Rosenqvist Mucke Motorsport-Mercedes 39:45.135 (25 laps)
2. Pascal Wehrlein Mucke Motorsport-Mercedes +5.658
3. Raffaele Marciello Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +8.551
4. Tom Blomqvist ma-con-Volkswagen +11.174
5. Sven Muller Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +11.938
6. William Buller Carlin-Volkswagen +24.386
7. Lucas Auer van Amersfoort-Volkswagen +27.672
8. Lucas Wolf URD Rennsport-Mercedes +33.938
9. Michael Lewis Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +34.690
10. Pipo Derani Fortec-Mercedes +39.717
11. Emil Bernstorff ma-con-Volkswagen +40.045
12. Andrea Roda Jo Zeller-Mercedes +54.952
13. Daniel Juncadella Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +1 lap
14. Dennis van der Laar van Amersfoort-Volkswagen +1 lap
15. Sandro Zeller Jo Zeller-Mercedes +1 lap
16. Felix Serralles Fortec-Mercedes +4 laps
Retirements
Felipe Nasr Carlin-Volkswagen +15 laps
Alex Lynn Fortec-Mercedes +16 laps
Luis Sa Silva Angola Team-Mercedes +21 laps
Carlos Sainz Jr Carlin-Volkswagen +24 laps
2012 FIA European F3 Championship (Rd 10; Race 1) Pos Driver Points 1. Daniel Juncadella 240 2. Raffaele Marciello 224.5 3. Felix Rosenqvist 167 4. Carlos Sainz Jr 161 5. Pascal Wehrlein 161 6. Will Buller 137 7. Tom Blomqvist 111 8. Sven Muller 101 9. Michael Lewis 100 10. Emil Bernstorff 64 2012 F3 Euro Series (Rd 8; Race 1) Pos Driver Points 1. Daniel Juncadella 225 2. Pascal Wehrlein 208 3. Raffaele Marciello 203.5 4. Tom Blomqvist 185.5 5. Will Buller 177.5 6. Sven Muller 150 7. Tom Blomqvist 143.5 8. Michael Lewis 123 9. Carlos Sainz Jr 110 10. Emil Bernstorff 84
© Formula 3 Euro Series / Thomas Suer
Mücke Motorsport’s Felix Rosenqvist secured double pole for the FIA European Formula 3 Championship finale at the Hockenheimring this afternoon.
The Swede pipped series leader Prema Powerteam’s Daniel Juncadella to the peak, while Pascal Wehrlein (also Mücke) and Alex Lynn (Fortec) trailed on the second row.
Rosenqvist was a prominent figure throughout qualifying, from setting the fastest time on his first initial run (1:34.730) to bringing that down to 1:34.047 as the clock counted down.
It left Rosenqvist with just under our-tenths of an advantage as the chequered waved in the stilled air.
“The Valencia weekend was really good and here, I had a good feeling with my car as well. I wanted the two pole positions and that is what I got. In tomorrow’s race, one needs a good start and I have to try to maintain the lead on the opening lap. I hope for a win.”
Behind Rosenqvist, the order altered on an almost minute-by-minute basis, as Juncadella, Wehrlein and Lynn battled with Raffaele Marciello, Carlos Sainz Jr and Tom Blomqvist for the second front row spot.
Despite cutting a fast mid-session run short, Juncadella charged to the second position early on; a trick he repeated several times during qualifying as the track picked up pace.
“Qualifying was good, but I am a little bit surprised to be that much down on Felix. However, I am fastest of my team and I am happy with second place. With the second set of tyres, I only had two clear laps, which were, in fact, quite good. In the first race tomorrow, my only goal will be to finish ahead of my title rivals and thus wrap up the title.”
Wehrlein jumped up to 3rd late on, before breaking his front wing over the Hockenheimring’s jagged sausage kerbs in the final minutes.
Lynn crept into the fight as the session drew to a close, but the Fortec runner could do no better than 4th overall. Sainz Jr and Lucas Auer filled out the third row, ahead of Blomqvist (7th) and Marciello (8th).
Rosenqvist garnered pole for the opening weekend’s race, when his second-fastest time was also four-tenths clear of the next fastest Juncadella.
Wehrlein and Marciello fill out the second row, ahead of Sainz Jr and Auer, while Emil Bernstorff climbed up to 7th position. Lynn will start 8th, after pipping Blomqvist and Felix Serrralles.
2012 FIA European Formula 3 Championship (Rd 10, Qualifying Race 1) Pos Driver Team Time / Gap 1. Felix Rosenqvist Mücke Motorsport-Mercedes 1:34.062 2. Daniel Juncadella Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +0.390 3. Pascal Wehrlein Mücke Motorsport-Mercedes +0.592 4. Raffaele Marciello Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +0.715 5. Carlos Sainz Jr Carlin-Volkswagen +0.736 6. Lucas Auer van Amersfoort-Volkswagen +0.776 7. Emil Bernstorff ma-con-Volkswagen +0.779 8. Alex Lynn Fortec-Mercedes +0.797 9. Tom Blomqvist ma-con-Volkswagen +0.892 10. Felix Serralles Fortec-Mercedes +0.973 11. William Buller Carlin-Volkswagen +1.035 12. Sven Muller Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +1.132 13. Felipe Nasr Carlin-Volkswagen +1.149 14. Pipo Derani Fortec-Mercedes +1.276 15. Michael Lewis Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +1.334 16. Lucas Wolf URD Rennsport-Mercedes +1.461 17. Dennis van der Laar van Amersfoort-Volkswagen +1.660 18. Luis Sá Silva Angola Racing-Mercedes +2.003 19. Sandro Zeller Jo Zeller-Mercedes +2.066 20. Andrea Roda Jo Zeller-Mercedes +2.109
2012 FIA European Formula 3 Championship (Rd 10, Qualifying Race 3) Pos Driver Team Time / Gap 1. Felix Rosenqvist Mücke Motorsport-Mercedes 1:34.047 2. Daniel Juncadella Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +0.378 3. Pascal Wehrlein Mücke Motorsport-Mercedes +0.424 4. Alex Lynn Fortec-Mercedes +0.504 5. Carlos Sainz Jr Carlin-Volkswagen +0.537 6. Lucas Auer van Amersfoort-Volkswagen +0.653 7. Tom Blomqvist ma-con-Volkswagen +0.697 8. Raffaele Marciello Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +0.719 9. William Buller Carlin-Volkswagen +0.764 10. Emil Bernstorff ma-con-Volkswagen +0.768 11. Felix Serralles Fortec-Mercedes +0.824 12. Sven Muller Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +0.914 13. Lucas Wolf URD Rennsport-Mercedes +1.043 14. Felipe Nasr Carlin-Volkswagen +1.121 15. Pipo Derani Fortec-Mercedes +1.163 16. Michael Lewis Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +1.182 17. Dennis van der Laar van Amersfoort-Volkswagen +1.504 18. Luis Sá Silva Angola Racing-Mercedes +1.991 19. Andrea Roda Jo Zeller-Mercedes +1.994 20. Sandro Zeller Jo Zeller-Mercedes +2.004
© Formula 3 Euro Series / Thomas Suer
From afar, the difference is quite telling.
Not startling by any stretch of the imagination, but definitely telling.
Held by a mass of downforce and pulled together by 210 horses, the twenty Formula 3 runners parading around the Hockenheimring pull toward the Sachskurve, hugging the index of the turn. It looks almost too easy at times.
They are still ragged on the approach – only to be expected of course. Exiting Mobil 1, the various Dallara’s slingshot across the bow of the track; riding the run-off area, before the aerodynamics kick in, pulling the cars toward the road.
The cogs of these machines are in full flow. They are graceful in their motion, yet the violence within is impressive.
As each car exits the Sachskurve, the power goes down quickly and easily and within the briefest of moments, they are already in the double-apex Südkurve and turning toward the start / finish straight.
It just seems so effortless, unless of course, you are struggling and this is where the difference lies. Those who run without confidence are exposed through the final turns.
Upon entry at Mobil 1, the machine rickets onto the rumble strip, instantly losing balance and pace, before ambling back toward the racing line. It really does not look like a pleasant experience. Through the Sachskurve, there is little in the way grip, as the drivers bleed toward the middle of the track. There is no saving the weekend from here.
Of the twenty, it is Mücke Motorsport’s Felix Rosenqvist who commands the time sheets at the end of practice, only 0.163 seconds ahead of Carlin Motorsport’s Carlos Sainz Jr, while Raffaele Marciello (Prema Powerteam) and Tom Blomqvist (ma-con) linger close in the sheets.
Realistically, it’s close through out much of the field. Only three-quarters of-a-second cover the top fifteen, with the final five falling foul of the one-second gap. This will be frantic.
2012 FIA European Formula 3 Championship (Rd 10, Free Practice) Pos Driver Team Time / Gap 1. Felix Rosenqvist Mücke Motorsport-Mercedes 1:34.735 2. Carlos Sainz Jr Carlin-Volkswagen +0.163 3. Raffaele Marciello Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +0.225 4. Tom Blomqvist ma-con-Volkswagen +0.277 5. Alex Lynn Fortec-Mercedes +0.313 6. Daniel Juncadella Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +0.382 7. William Buller Carlin-Volkswagen +0.500 8. Emil Bernstorff ma-con-Volkswagen +0.535 9. Lucas Auer van Amersfoort-Volkswagen +0.626 10. Sven Muller Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +0.634 11. Felix Serralles Fortec-Mercedes +0.659 12. Pipo Derani Fortec-Mercedes +0.680 13. Pascal Wehrlein Mücke Motorsport-Mercedes +0.684 14. Felipe Nasr Carlin-Volkswagen +0.743 15. Michael Lewis Prema Powerteam-Mercedes +0.762 16. Lucas Wolf URD Rennsport-Mercedes +1.083 17. Dennis van der Laar van Amersfoort-Volkswagen +1.086 18. Andrea Roda Jo Zeller-Mercedes +1.368 19. Sandro Zeller Jo Zeller-Mercedes +1.396 20. Luis Sá Silva Angola Racing-Mercedes +1.893
I have no idea what is going on in this Kimi Raikkonen viral and – to be honest – I don’t really care.
It is just nice to be reminded that not all Formula One drivers are bland PR warblers.
© Macau Grand Prix.
British Formula 3 teams have announced their driver line-ups for the 59th Macau Grand Prix.
The race, which takes place in the southern tip of China next month, brings to thirty the number of drivers running in the end of season special.
Carlin will be bringing newly crowned British F3 champion Jack Harvey to the principality for his first visit, while reigning Macau GP victor Daniel Juncadella will be returning.
Alongside Harvey, Carlin will be running GP3 Series drivers Daniel Abt and Antonio Felix da Costa {note 1}, while F3 stalwarts Will Buller and Carlos Sainz Jr will also be bidding for glory.
Surprisingly, 2011 British F3 champion Felipe Nasr will be making a temporary step down from the GP2 Series to challenge for the Macau crown.
Fortec will also be bringing a full compliment to the Asian territory. Racing for the Daventry-based squad will be British F3 title contender Felix Serralles, who in turn is to be partnered by Alex Lynn, Pipo Derani and Harry Tincknell.
Double R Racing have once again partnered with hoteliers Galaxy Macau to provide drives for Formula Renault 3.5 and German Formula 3 pilots Kevin Korjus {note 2} and Jimmy Eriksson.
ThreeBond with T-Sport have split with Nick McBride {note 3} and are providing a seat for LMP2 racer Alexander Sims.
There is no shortage of Euro Series and Asian F3 entries for this year’s Macau celebrations either.
Like Carlin and Fortec, Prema Powerteam will be racing with a full range of drivers. Alongside Juncadella, the Italian team will be fielding Pau Grand Prix victor Raffaele Marciello, as well as Sven Muller and Hannes van Asseldonk.
Mücke Motorsport have declared three entries for Felix Rosenqvist, Pascal Wehrlein and Mitchell Gilbert. Dutch squad Van Amersfoort Racing will be running Lucas Auer and Dennis van de Laar.
Several single car entries have also been registered. These include Andrea Roda (Jo Zeller Racing), Luís Sá Silva (Angola Racing Team), Tom Blomqvist (EuroInternational) and Lucas Wolf (URD Rennsport).
As per usual, Japanese squad TOM’s will appear with two Toyota-powered entries, one for British F3 Series runner-up Jazeman Jaafar and Yuichi Nakayama, Ryo Hirakawa will pilot the KCMG by RSS entry.
The fourth and final Toyota car on the list is that of B-Max Engineering racer Hideki Yamauchi.
The opening 10-lap qualifying race will take place on Saturday November 17th, followed by the 15-lap Macau Grand Prix feature. If you can find TV feed for the race, you will be doing very, very well indeed.
{note 1}
Antonio Felix da Costa also currently competes in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series. The Portuguese racer joined the category for the fourth round at the Nurburgring in June, scoring two wins and two podiums in ten races. He is currently 6th in the point standings.
Kevin Korjus is also a Formula Renault 3.5 Series regular; however his season has been somewhat less fruitful. Despite going into 2012 as one of the title favourites, the Estonian has only managed a single podium finish and is currently 10th in the championship points table.
{note 2}
In preparation for their Macau attempt, both da Costa and Kevin Korjus will take part in the MSV F3 Cup race at Snetterton this weekend.
{note 3}
Nick McBride tested Indy Lights last week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Australian, who struggled at times during his British F3 stint this year, ended the sessions 6th fastest overall, some six-tenths shy of top man Zach Veach.
{note 4}
See below for an example of this utter madness.
Suzuka. © Creative Commons / Will Pittenger.
Television Notes
——
Easy. Around the fluent twists of Suzuka on Sunday, Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel simply made it look easy.
Felipe Massa took 2nd place to claim his first podium for Ferrari since the 2010 Korean Grand Prix, while Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi took home a very popular 3rd place from his home Grand Prix.
For the win… again
It wasn’t easy of course – not by a long shot. This late season charge – reminiscent of the lead-in to Vettel’s first championship – comes on the back of an upturn of performance at Red Bull, compared to Ferrari and McLaren, who have noticeably dropped back.
Meanwhile Lotus’ push for podiums and prizes may have ceased for this year.
Engaged at the front, Vettel’s drive was dipped in a charming subtlety. Improved qualifying certainly helped the reigning champion, not forgetting a perfect start, followed by a set of well-executed laps designed to garner reasonable gaps for his pair of pitstops.
In this instance, all the bases were covered and everything came neatly together. When Vettel and Red Bull sing, the precision must be daunting.
Occasionally toward the race conclusion, the double-world champion could have been accused of flaunting his rather obvious skill as he continued to press home ever faster, but that would be churlish.
On this day, it is arguable few could have come close to touching Vettel and his Renault-powered RB8 machine – and this is something which must surely be playing on the minds of the folks at Ferrari and McLaren.
Smash and bang
This, of course, isn’t even taking into account the safety car period either. Launched almost as soon as the race started, the field was forced to close up before flying again (on lap 4), with Vettel – naturally – retaining the lead.
From the restart onward, there was no challenge, no danger from other runners, nothing to stop the Vettel machine.
“It’s been a fantastic weekend. Yesterday’s qualifying was perfect and today again; the balance of the car was amazing. We didn’t change too much at the stops; it just seemed to work fantastically well. I’m very happy, the guys have been pushing very hard and even though we didn’t have major upgrades here, it still seemed to come together and the balance was there – and that’s what made the difference today.
“It’s a shame for Alonso, it’s not something you hope for and it could happen to us at the next race. We’ve seen this year there are a lot of up and downs and things change quickly – we have to keep our heads down and take it step by step.”
The safety car was triggered by a series of clashes in turns one and two, most notably when Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) and Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) came together as they escaped the grid.
Vying for position amidst Sergio Perez’ Sauber and Jenson Button (McLaren), Raikkonen was squeezed onto the Japanese dirt, clipping Alonso’s left rear as he regained the road. The Finn lost a portion of his front wing, while Alonso spun off with a puncture, losing the engine as he slid to a halt.
The Ferrari man was rather circumspect post-race:
“Today, we were very unlucky: to finish a race like this, at the very first corner is really a shame. Contact from Raikkonen caused a puncture to the left rear tyre and my race ended there. Unfortunately, when you start in the middle of the pack, these things can happen…”
Now only four points ahead of Vettel in the Drivers’ Championship, Alonso knows both he and Ferrari need to bring their A-game to the final races.
“I’m not worried, but we must react to the step forward that the other competitors have made. Now we start a sort of mini-championship, run over five Grands Prix.”
It was a mindless move by Grosjean, who appeared to be paying more attention to Perez as he exited turn one. With acute lack of awareness, the Lotus driver held his speed steady entering turn two; Webber meanwhile had slowed to make the apex…
The often outspoken Webber was less than complimentary about the Frenchman’s tactics.
“The guys confirmed that it was the first-lap nutcase again, Grosjean. The rest of us are trying to fight for some decent results each weekend but he is trying to get to the third corner as fast as he can at every race.
“It makes it frustrating because a few big guys probably suffered from that and maybe he needs another holiday. He needs to have a look at himself. How many mistakes can you make, how many times can you make the same error? First-lap incidents… yeah… it’s quite embarrassing at this level for him.”
Perez, meanwhile, ran wide in turn two as he avoided Webber/Grosjean, tightening the field up and forcing Williams’ Bruno Senna into the side of Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), with Rosberg retiring and Senna receiving front-end damage.
The stewards saw fit to give Senna a drive through (unfairly in my opinion), while Grosjean deservedly garnered a ten-second stop/go penalty.
Back on the podium
Massa made the most of both carnage and a good start. Staring 10th, the Brazilian leapt into 4th after all the bumping and grinding, a spot he would hold until his first tyre stop on lap 17.
The Ferrari man had spent the opening portion of the race chasing Kobayashi (2nd) and Button (3rd), finding an extra few laps from his new soft Pirelli’s, compared the used rubber latched to the Sauber and McLaren pair.
Pitting on lap 13 (Button) and 14 (Kobayashi) cost the duo as they emerged behind the long-running Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso).
It was more than enough and as the first round of stops drew to a close, Massa returned to the circuit (on new hard Pirelli’s) ahead of Kobayashi, with Button now dropped to 4th.
From there, Massa slowly extended his gap to Kobayashi, rarely feeling the pressure from the Japanese racer thereafter. With persistent questions over his drive for 2013, this podium could not have come at a better time for the likeable Brazilian.
“It was a fantastic race! Being back on the podium after almost two years away is just great and I feel really uplifted. They have been two tough years for me and, sometimes, a million things go through your mind, some of them bad, but finally I can be happy! It’s an important result psychologically and also in terms of my future, at least I think so!
“I got a good start and managed to get through the chaos at the first corner unscathed and then I immediately felt I had a good pace and that I could keep close to Button and Kobayashi. I got past them at the pit stop thanks to a great strategy and immediately I realised that, even on the Hard, my pace was competitive.”
Another first in 3rd
Kobayashi brought home his Sauber home 3rd, much to the delight of the home fans, becoming the first Japanese driver on the podium at a home Grand Prix since Aguri Suzuki in 1990.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet, it is hard to believe – I achieved my first podium in Suzuka! It was a fantastic race and we have been working really hard to get to this point since we were lacking pace on Friday. But the Sauber F1 Team did a great job to recover from there.”
For much of the race, Kobayashi held a gap of three to four seconds over Button, but strategy would dictate a final change to a new set of hard tyres on lap 31 for the Sauber racer – four tours before McLaren brought Button.
It was a move that could well have cost Sauber its fourth podium of the season:
“I had a very long last stint today and Jenson (Button) changed for fresh tyres later. My rear tyres where really bad in the end and I had a lot of oversteer. But regardless of this I had to push to defend my podium place.”
Button charged in the final stint, bringing the gap to Kobayashi to only half-a-second at the line, yet for all his pressing, the McLaren driver could make no use of either the DRS zone or his KERS unit – and Kobayashi knew it:
“Only during the final lap did I allow myself to really think I can keep him behind me, because then the best overtaking opportunity at the end of the straight was over, and then I saw all the fans and the raised hands. It meant a lot to me and I want to thank the Japanese fans.”
Considering he started 8th, a top four was a decent effort for Button although it matters little in to him in the Drivers’ Championship stakes.
“I ran as high as third during the first stint, but in hindsight it was probably an error to make our first pitstop so early. Both [Kobayashi] and I were compromised behind a Toro Rosso, and that cost both of us a bit of time to [Massa]. Towards the end, I was able to push and start catching Kamui, but he controlled his final set of tyres very well.”
Lessons in overtaking
Lewis Hamilton came home 5th following a couple of feisty duals with Perez and later Raikkonen. The former champion enjoyed an early tussle with the Mexican Perez, which saw the pair swapping places through laps five and six – finished neatly by the Sauber man with a dive down the inside of Hamilton at the hairpin.
Hamilton retook Perez in the first set of stops – despite a brief stall by the McLaren man – however an agitated Perez attempted a repeat of his earlier hairpin pass, only to find the line covered by Hamilton, throwing the Sauber driver into an embarrassing spin and retirement.
McLaren had better prepare themselves for that next year – while fundamentally quick and easy on his car, Perez’ habit of spinning off at key moments could rankle the English team.
Hamilton’s mini-stall allowed Raikkonen to jump ahead. Despite missing a chunk of his front wing, the Finn maintained solid pace throughout, but there does appear to be a lingering feeling that Lotus have lost the edge on the top three teams.
This certainly showed in the pitstops at least. After edging out a four-second gap to Hamilton early in his second stint, Raikkonen began to fall back toward Hamilton as the tyres aged, with less than two-seconds separating as the Lotus peeled off on lap 30.
One lap was all Hamilton needed. A stellar in-lap, followed by an equally astonishing pitstop brought the McLaren out wheel-to-wheel with Raikkonen. Despite having a slight speed advantage into turn one, the Finn lost the inside line – and the position – to Hamilton as the second turn folded out toward the “Esses”. Brilliant stuff.
And the rest
Raikkonen had to watch his back for the duration, as both Nico Hulkenberg (7th) and Pastor Maldonado (8th) followed him home. Both endured difficult qualifying sessions, leaving them 15th and 12th respectively; however their races were saved by a pair of very good starts.
Webber overcame his first lap ramming to claim 9th at the flag. The Australian was left 20 seconds behind the pack at the restart, due to the quick safety car period, yet he Red Bull racer bided his time and carved his way through the field developed – a quiet, but excellent drive.
Ricciardo held Michael Schumacher off for the final points place, thanks in part to an encouraging lengthy middle-stint on used soft Pirelli’s. The German pressed Ricciardo hard in the final laps, desperate to grab that final point from the plucky Australian.
It’s arguable that Schumacher may well have done so and score more points had it not been for a moment of brain fade on the streets of Singapore, which resulted in a 10-place grid drop.
Paul di Resta (12th) and Jean-Eric Vergne (13th) endured rather indifferent days at Suzuka, while an embattled Senna finished 14th only 21.8 seconds outside the points, despite four pitstops…
Once again Heikki Kovalainen won the battle of the minnows, bringing his Caterham back 15th ahead of Timo Glock (16th), Vitaly Petrov (17th) and Pedro de la Rosa (18th). The early-portion of the race saw an impressive run by Kovalainen, holding 11th spot for a time ahead of Vergne; however as expected the Renault-powered machine faded as the race progressed.
Neither Charles Pic nor Narain Karthikeyan made it to the end, with both retiring on laps 39 and 34 respectively.
So now what? With the Korean Grand Prix this weekend, the momentum has swung toward to Vettel and Red Bull.
Alonso’s retirements at Spa and Suzuka may have irreparably hurt his title chances, while the Red Bull machine carries of regardless – and that’s a shame. Vettel will now win this world championship, but he will do so having not being the best driver in the field.
2012 Japanese Grand Prix (53 laps)
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1h28:56.242
2. Massa Ferrari + 20.639
3. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 24.538
4. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 25.098
5. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 46.490
6. Raikkonen Lotus-Renault + 50.424
7. Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes + 51.159
8. Maldonado Williams-Renault + 52.364
9. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 54.675
10. Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1:06.919
11. Schumacher Mercedes + 1:07.769
12. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 1:23.460
13. Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1:28.645
14. Senna Williams-Renault + 1:28.709
15. Kovalainen Caterham-Renault + 1 lap
16. Glock Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap
17. Petrov Caterham-Renault + 1 lap
18. De la Rosa HRT-Cosworth + 1 lap
19. Grosjean Lotus-Renault + 2 laps
Retirements:
Driver Team On lap
Pic Marussia-Cosworth 39
Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 34
Perez Sauber-Ferrari 19
Alonso Ferrari 1
Rosberg Mercedes 1
Fastest lap:
Vettel 1:35.774
World Championship standings, round 15: Drivers: 1. Alonso 194 2. Vettel 190 3. Raikkonen 157 4. Hamilton 152 5. Webber 134 6. Button 131 7. Rosberg 93 8. Grosjean 82 9. Massa 69 10. Perez 66 11. Kobayashi 50 12. Di Resta 44 13. Schumacher 43 14. Hulkenberg 37 15. Maldonado 33 16. Senna 25 17. Vergne 8 18. Ricciardo 7 Constructors: 1. Red Bull-Renault 324 2. McLaren-Mercedes 283 3. Ferrari 263 4. Lotus-Renault 239 5. Mercedes 136 6. Sauber-Ferrari 116 7. Force India-Mercedes 81 8. Williams-Renault 58 9. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 15
Helmuth Koinigg. © Copyright unknown.
October 6th 1974. For all intents and purposes, this should have been that most joyous of occasions in motorsport.
A season long title battle between two hard chargers drawing to a climax in the final World Championship race of the season upon the rolling hills of Watkins Glen in the outskirts of New York.
Climax to a Year Long Battle
McLaren and Ferrari – a story that is still being played out nearly forty years later. Even after fourteen events, Emerson Fittipaldi (McLaren) and Clay Regazzoni (Ferrari) could not be separated.
Locked together at 52 points, the pair had already seen off the challenge of Niki Lauda – the aspirant Austrian, at one point a distinct threat, now rendered inert after having retired from the previous four events, three of which he started from pole position.
South African upstart Jody Scheckter was still in with a shout, however the Tyrrell racer was some seven points adrift with only nine available. An attempt to overhaul such a margin against one driver would be tough; to do so against a pair of top gunners in their prime…
Qualifying had thrown the cat amongst the pigeons. Carlos Reutemann, driving for Argentina and Brabham Ford, secured pole position, with Hesketh’s wily, dangerous and fast James Hunt alongside.
None of the title contenders fared terribly well. Scheckter registered the outside of the third row, while Fittipaldi garnered a passive 8th to Regazzoni’s 9th spot.
Beyond the Big Picture
Further down the order, a pair of Surtees Ford machines waited patiently, led by 25-year-old Helmuth Koinigg. Surtees’ squad had endured a trying 1974 season, that had seen them take only a single points finish {note 1} early in the year.
Entering what was his third World Championship Grand Prix, Koinigg set the 23rd best time, only 2.78 seconds off of the pole. Koinigg’s effort had even put him ahead of double-World Champion Graham Hill (admittedly long past his prime), and Vittorio Brambilla, while Tim Schenken brought up the rear. José Dolhem {note 2} – Koinigg’s older, but equally inexperienced teammate split the Brambilla / Schenken duo.
Where tension dominated the top half of the field, vivid anticipation commanded the rear end. As the flag dropped, Reutemann pulled into the lead, although shadowed by Hunt. Growing distant in their mirrors, Carlos Pace led Lauda and Scheckter, while the quick starting Fittipaldi and Regazzoni rounded up the top seven.
As the laps ticked over, Regazzoni found himself unable to pierce the top six – the championship was slipping away from the Swiss master, as Fittipaldi’s second crown drew ever closer.
Further down the order, Koinigg enjoyed a reasonable start, taking two spots in the opening laps and eyeing up the top twenty. A 10th place finish at Mosport Park two weeks earlier had buoyed the Austrian and while the TS16 chassis had enjoyed enough reliability to occasionally pull a surprise result together.
It was not to last.
With one-sixth of the race in the bag, Koinigg began to suffer a slow rear puncture that finally gave way as he exited the Chute. Robbed of control on the approach to The Toe hairpin, Koinigg ploughed through two sections of catch fencing, before steaming toward the guardrail and piercing the lower section on impact. Tragically, the upper section of the barrier remained rigid, decapitating Koinigg as the accident unfolded.
What should have been a harmless incident at an insignificant speed brutally killed the 25-year-old instantly. For shame, it was the second fatal accident of the season and the sixth of the decade, but the manner of the death made it especially gruesome.
Interestingly both Regazzoni and Jean-Pierre Beltoise (BRM) had similar accidents at that corner during practice; however both emerged rather unscathed, even if their respective cars had not.
Sign of the Times
The race continued of course. A sheet of tarpaulin was placed over Koinigg’s car and body and the Grand Prix unfolded despite the desperate scene.
With news slow to spread to the paddock, Dolhem continued to circulate around in the second Surtees until the twenty-sixth tour, at which point the Frenchman was called into the pits to park up for the day.
It mattered little that the GPDA had complained about the effectiveness of the guardrail prior to the race weekend. Recommendations had been made, but these had either been misconstrued or lost in translation.
Not that it mattered on lap ten of the US Grand Prix. By then it was far too late.
Meanwhile, Reutemann pulled away from Hunt, until the Hesketh’s failing engine demoted the Englishman to 3rd behind the persistent Pace. Both Lauda and Scheckter fell by the wayside thanks to respective suspension and fuel pick-up issues, allowing Fittipaldi to take 4th and the championship. Regazzoni, his Ferrari suffering from dire handling and tyre wear issues dropped down the order, eventually finishing 11th.
Yet while a champion was crowned and a victory was celebrated, there would only be sombre thoughts with the Surtees crew, as once again death overshadowed Formula One.
Of Helmuth…
Born in Vienna toward the end of 1948, Koinigg enjoyed a relatively comfortable upbringing, although this did not lead to easy drives from emptied wallets.
A student of engineering and journalism, Koinigg was an aspirational young man with plenty of potential inside and outside of the car.
Despite his background Koinigg was often shy of funds, with the Austrian eventually entering touring car racing in the late 60s. As is sometimes the case with racing on a budget, Koinigg’s first racing machine – an Austin Mini Cooper S, picked up from Niki Lauda – proved to be rather “difficult”.
Last place in his first outing at Aspern against such motorsport luminaries as “Pal Joe” and “PAM” proved to be less than impressive. It may well have been 11th overall had Karl Wendlinger Sr bothered to start the race…
Yet Koinigg’s efforts had been noticed by fellow touring car racer Dr Helmut Marko. Seeing potential, Marko arranged a drive for Koinigg in Formula Super Vee with his Team McNamara project in 1970.
A move to Bergmann Racing the following year was a catalyst for Koinigg and he too his Kaimann entry to 3rd in the series. Runner-up overall followed in 1972, before Koinigg finally took the European Super Vee crown a year later.
Forays into Formula Ford, European touring cars and DRM (a previous iteration of DTM) would to much to further harness Koinigg’s talents. Amidst all this, there would also be numerous endurance racing entries too, with a notable 7th overall taken at the 1973 Nurburgring 1000kms.
It was becoming clear that while Koinigg may not have been world champion material, there was certainly more than a touch of talent at his fingertips.
A Bright Future Rendered Dark
As 1974 turned, the popular Austrian married a stewardess and soon found money to drive a customer Brabham for Scuderia Finotto {note 3} in time for his home Grand Prix at the fearsome Österreichring.
Unfortunately, the troublesome Brabham BT42 {note 4} chassis was now nowhere in terms of pace and Koinigg’s best time was nearly two seconds beyond the cut-off point, placing him 31st overall.
Crushed, Koinigg took in the rest of the Grand Prix weekend and watched as the latest Brabham design took the race win at the hands of Reutemann.
Like Marko several years earlier, John Surtees had been impressed by the young Austrian and brought him in to pilot TS16 at Mosport for the Canadian Grand Prix following a test at Goodwood, although it is not inconceivable that a little Austrian cigarette money helped the deal along…
It didn’t matter. Koinigg rewarded Surtees’ faith by qualifying 22nd and finishing 10th – a drive that didn’t go unnoticed, not least by Roger Penske and Fittipaldi. At last he was being recognised as a driver with potential at the top. There were even talks of a seat with a number of teams for the 1975 season, but alas…
There are simply too many stories that read like Koinigg’s. Too many drivers, who untangled the strands to get to the top level of motorsport and too many who died once they got there, not counting the nameless ones who never even made it that far.
The carnage would continue of course. By the time the decade drew to a close, Grand Prix racing had also lost Mark Donohue, Tom Pryce, Barrie McGuire and Ronnie Peterson.
And then came Professor Sid Watkins.
* {note 1}
Surtees poor 1974 season was not helped by constant upheaval within its driver line-up. Indeed seven drivers in total drove for the team that year, although original pairing Carlos Pace and Jochen Mass lasted a good portion of the season, their seats would eventually be filled by Dolhem, Koinigg and Derek Bell.
Dieter Quester and Jean-Pierre Jabouille only entered the Austrian Grand Prix; with Quester coming home a respectable 9th in what was he only Grand Prix start {note 5}.
Things would get worse the following season, when using the now heavily outdated TS16 chassis, the squad failed to score a point despite having the talented John Watson behind the wheel.
There would be a minor upshift in form through 1976 and 1977, when Surtees collected 7 and 6 points respectively; however after another tough year in 1978, Surtees’ Formula One effort closed for good at the beginning of 1979, despite a new car having been built for the season.
** {note 2)
Although the 1974 US Grand Prix would be Dolhem’s only world championship start (the Frenchman had failed to qualify for the French and Italian Grands Prix earlier that year), his family would become quite well versed in motorsport.
Indeed Dolhem was the half-brother of future Ferrari driver Didier Pironi, although the latter would achieve far more success and notoriety than his elder sibling.
In 1971, the inexperience Dolhem jumped straight into Formula 3, before promoting himself to Formula 2 by the end of the year. A full season of F2 the following year brought little in the way of success, but that did not stop Surtees from taking him on for F2 events in 1973 and ’74.
After the Watkins Glen tragedy, Dolhem did not race in 1975, but eventually found a way back into F2 in 1976, where he stayed racing on and off until the end of the decade. Dolhem would take 4th overall in the 1978 Le Mans 24 Hour Race, some eleven laps shy of the factory Renault team piloted by Pironi and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud.
Dolhem was killed in a plane crash just outside the city of Saint-Etienne in April 1988 at the age of 43.
*** {note 3}
Scuderia Finotto were not a racing team as such, but rather private entrant Silvio Moser. The Swiss racer started his career in hillclimbing events, before building a solid reputation in Formula 3, Formula 2 and in sportscars.
Initially running under the banner of “Silvio Moser Racing Team”, the 26-year-old Moser entered a customer Brabham for the 1966 German Grand Prix; however he did not qualify. Rather than press on, Moser returned to Formula 2 for the next few seasons, but did return to Formula One three years later – again with a customer Brabham.
This time he did make the grid for seven Grand Prix and even scored a point at the 1969 US Grand Prix. A change to the Bellasi F1 chassis for 1970 would prove less fruitful, with Moser failing to qualify for four out of five events.
A deal with businessman Beat Schenker saw Moser return his team to Formula One in 1974 under the name Scuderia Finotto; however they never made their first race of the season.
One week prior to the Spanish Grand Prix, Moser was killed during the Monza 1000 kms race at the age of 33.
His cars were still entered into a limited number of world championship events that season with the Brabham BT42; however despite the best efforts of Koinigg, Gérard Larrousse and Carlo Facetti, strong results were not to be found.
**** {note 4}
The Brabham BT42 was of the first Formula One designs to come from Gordon Murray. A reshuffle at the team instigated by Bernie Ecclestone ensured Murray slotted into the position of chief designer in 1973, replacing the departing Ron Tauranac.
Reutemann would guide the BT42 to two podiums in 1973, but by the following year it was already being out-classed. Unwilling to fall behind the game, Murray introduced the BT44 chassis, followed up the BT44B a year later – a car that would five wins in total for Reutemann and Pace.
***** {note 5}
Quester did attempt to qualify for the 1969 German Grand Prix at the Nordschleife {note 6} as an invitational Formula 2 driver with BMW’s fledgling F2 effort.
The German racer set a time that would have put him 21st on the grid; however he and teammate Hubert Hahne withdrew when fellow BMW racer Gerhard Mitter was killed in practice following a suspension failure at the Schwedenkreuz curve.
Quester still races occasionally today at the age of 73 and is sponsored by Red Bull. In 2006, he won the Dubai 24 Hours alongside Hans-Joachim Stuck, Philipp Peter and Toto Wolff.
A year later, Quester would retain the Dubai 24 Hours, while also winning the Britcar 24 Hours (2006) and the Silverstone 24 Hours (2007); the latter of which he claimed by 30 laps.
****** {note 6}
During the opening lap of the 1969 German Grand Prix, Mario Andretti collected Vic Elford in an accident that saw the latter severely injure his arm.
As a result of this accident and Mitter’s earlier fatality, the circuit was removed from the Grand Prix calendar for 1970, only returning a year later when Armco barriers were finally fitted.
© GP3 Media Services.
The GP3 Series received a significant vote of confidence this week, when it announced that eight teams have signed on for a further three years of competition.
British teams Atech GP, Carlin and Marussia Manor Racing will again be joined by Jenzer Motorsport (Switzerland), Lotus GP (France), MW Arden (Australia), Status GP (Republic of Ireland) and Trident Racing (Italy) as they battle for the fourth GP3 Series title.
Joining the eight will be Spanish-based Finnish squad Koiranen Motorsport*, who are replacing the departed Ocean Racing Technology.
The GP3 Series will also be holding onto a regulation introduced last year that removed the necessity to run three drivers; however squads must now run at least two competitors.
Indeed two drivers have already been signed for the 2013 season, with British Formula Ford graduate Eric Lichtenstein signing for Carlin and European Formula Abarth competitor Samin Gómez Briceno joining Jenzer Motorsport.
It is thought newly crowned British Formula 3 champion Jack Harvey will also make the step up to GP3, while Formula 2 racer Alex Fontana is working on a budget to run a full season, possibly with Jenzer.
Another British Formula Ford graduate, Ryan Cullen, is due to test for Status GP in two post-season tests due this month at Estoril (October 6th-7th) and Jerez (October 24th-25th), although these sessions will utilise the original GP3/10 chassis.
Status GP also recently announced a performance alliance with GP2 squad iSport. The partnership will see Status GP’s leading GP3 runner win a chance to run at post-season test sessions with iSport. All of Status GP’s competitors will also be evaluated by iSport in their GP2 simulator and the beginning and end of the season.
Both iSport and Status GP will also share technical information and engineering assessments during race weekends where both championships are in operation.
Amidst this, the series continues its development of the new GP3/13 chassis and engine package that will see the category receive a huge boost of power, while also providing a far more refined and stable product.
Meanwhile, the calendar for the 2013 season has yet to be confirmed, although it is believed it will be a repeat of this year’s schedule.
* {note 1}
Koiranen Motorsport are a team well experienced in single-seater feeder categories. Initiated in 1997 by brothers Marko and Jari Koiranen, the squad have most recently been competing in Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and Alps with, amongst others, Gravity Management pilot Esteban Ocon and Red Bull junior team duo Daniil Kvyat and Stefan Wackerbauer.
Graduates of Koiranen Motorsport include Williams F1 reserve Valtteri Bottas, 2010 Eurocup champion Kevin Korjus and Formula 3 race winner Carlos Sainz Jr.
All pictures by Leigh O’Gorman.
Bringing the season to a quiet close at Donington.
© SRO.
Jack Harvey secured the 2012 British Formula 3 crowd with victory in a tension filled final race at Donington Park yesterday.
The Carlin racer faced pressure from Fortec’s Alex Lynn throughout the season closer, with Harvey’s championship rival Jazeman Jaafar completing the podium.
Indeed, the top five spent much of the race covered by less than 2.5 seconds, as the cool Leicestershire air drew the ever lowering temperatures, erasing grip from an already slick surface.
A darkening sky due to a 6pm start brought further anxieties to the fore, while the competitors tiptoed around the shirking light.
For Harvey, the Lincolnshire man needed only to stay ahead of Jaafar and fellow title contender Felix Serralles to earn the season’s top prize – a feat helped by another confident start. Come the close of the evening, Harvey could not contain his delight.
“This means the world to me. The way Silverstone went for me a couple of weeks ago was really bad, so I came away from there feeling a bit deflated. To finish on top here is just magic.
“Carlin have been incredible. Everybody just presumes that we have good drivers but it’s the team that’s the best – they have the best people at this level and the next few above. The team worked so hard for me and this is for them.”
The 19-year-old did endure one brief scare on lap eleven. Feeling the bite from his brakes ebb away slightly, Harvey came under heavy pressure from Lynn, with the Fortec man dive-bombing Harvey at the Melbourne Hairpin.
It gave Lynn the lead – albeit briefly. Amidst plumes of soft tyre smoke, Lynn overshot the tight corner, allowing Harvey to re-assume the lead upon corner exit. It was a close call for both men; something the newly crowned champion reflected upon later.
“It was surprising – I wasn’t expecting that. I was looking in my right hand mirror and suddenly saw [Lynn’s] car dart to the inside. I was struggling to brake late and Alex was noticeably good on the brakes, so it made it hard to fend him off.”
Where the sliding Fortec took Harvey aback, Lynn was rather more measured in his analysis; even if the sound of his screeching Cooper tyres told otherwise.
“I was pushing for the win – there was one little mistake when he got a bit of oversteer into the chicane and carried some good speed. Harvey defended and braked really early and caught me off guard, so I stamped on the brakes, which caused me to lock up. It was a bit annoying; for the rest of the thirty minutes, I can a massive flatspot – I’m sure I’ll need some new feelings tomorrow morning.”
Despite the flatspot, Lynn stayed on Harvey’s tail, only just missing out on that race win he so craved, despite the worsening conditions late on.
“We’ve had great pace all weekend. I made a good start to get alongside [Harvey], but it wasn’t enough to try a move, so I was just hounding him all race. The last lap was pretty bad. It was quite cold. There was a lot of mist in the air and damp in the track, certainly in the last two laps.”
Meanwhile, Jaafar’s solid start was not enough to get the Malaysian into the battle for the lead. A tussle with Lynn was cut short, when Jaafar had to turn his attentions to an attacking Pietro Fantin in 4th; however as the race aged and the cold set in, the once promising title challenge fell away.
“It was really close throughout the whole race. Alex was quick, Jack was quick, Pietro was quick and I was too – everyone was pushing. I made a couple of mistakes in the quick hairpin. It’s difficult racing in the dark, but I really enjoyed it.
“The hard bit was to see the drops, that was really tough, because about three or four laps toward the end my pace was really slow, because it felt really slippery – I was driving at eighty percent, so as not to take too much risk; I still never stopped pushing, but I had to be a bit more cautious.”
Jaafar was not dramatically upset; merely accepting of the situation and with that, seems ready to move on to his next challenge.
“We did the best we could, both this weekend and throughout the season. The team did a great job this season and have been strong all year.”
For Serralles, his title chances took a number of knocks throughout the weekend. Qualifying behind Harvey and Jaafar on a difficult to pass circuit was always going to create an uphill struggle, however getting passed at the start by Fantin was probably not in the plan.
Am off on lap twenty dropped Serralles from 5th to 7th; which eventually became 8th five laps later when the Fortec racer spun to avoid a recovering Fantin, after the Brazilian suffered his own “off”.
Afterward, the 20-year-old Serralles was understandably very downbeat with the outcome of the race, although the Puerto Rican should be proud of his efforts in what was his début year in the category.
“Our rears went away and after that it was just nothing I could do. I’m disappointed, but there was nothing I could do about the spin. I was going to hit Fantin in the back.”
The main beneficiaries of Serralles’ and Fantin’s slip-ups were Harry Tincknell and Pipo Derani who brought their machines home 4th and 5th ahead of Fantin. Serralles’ spin dropped him behind Hannes van Asseldonk, who enjoyed a solid run in the final two (mostly incident free) rounds of the season.
Rupert Svendsen-Cook crossed the line in 9th to finish a tough weekend, only just ahead of Nick McBride (T-Sport, 10th) and Geoff Uhrhane (11th, Double R).
Hywel Lloyd wrapped a successful weekend back in the cockpit by taking his third National Class win of the weekend.
Pedro Pablo Calbimonte and Duvashen Padayachee assumed 13th and 14th respectively, while a spin dumped National Class champion Spike Goddard into last place.
2012 British F3 Round of Donington (Rd 10, Race 3, 28 laps) Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap 1. Jack Harvey Carlin Dallara-VW 39m29.398s 2. Alex Lynn Fortec Dallara-Merc + 0.682s 3. Jazeman Jaafar Carlin Dallara-VW + 4.712s 4. Harry Tincknell Carlin Dallara-VW + 5.889s 5. Pipo Derani Fortec Dallara-Merc + 6.894s 6. Pietro Fantin Carlin Dallara-VW + 7.506s 7. Hannes van Asseldonk Fortec Dallara-Merc + 8.135s 8. Felix Serralles Fortec Dallara-Merc + 14.086s 9. Rupert Svendsen-Cook Double R Dallara-Merc + 15.476s 10. Nick McBride T-Sport Dallara-Nissan + 15.947s 11. Geoff Uhrhane Double R Dallara-Mugen-Merc + 16.382s 12. Hywel Lloyd CF Dallara-Mugen* + 1m05.612s 13. Pedro Pablo Calbimonte T-Sport Dallara-Mugen* + 1m06.410s 14. Duvashen Padayachee Double R Dallara-Mugen* + 1m23.355s 15. Spike Goddard T-Sport Dallara-Mugen* + 1m24.613s
2012 British F3 Series (Final points positions) International Class Pos Driver Points 1. Jack Harvey 319 2. Jazeman Jaafar 306 3. Felix Serralles 299 4. Alex Lynn 253 5. Harry Tincknell 226 6. Carlos Sainz Jr 224 7. Pietro Fantin 195 8. Pipo Derani 146 9. Hannes van Asseldonk 132 10. Nick McBride 85 National Class Pos Driver Points 1. Spike Goddard 426 2. Duvashen Padayachee 377 3. Adderly Fong 161 4. Pedro Pablo Calbimonte 125 5. Hywel Lloyd 61
© SRO.
Carlin’s Harry Tincknell took his fourth British Formula 3 victory of the season in a safety car affected race at Donington Park today.
Brazilian pairing Pipo Derani and Pietro Fantin rounded out the podium for Fortec and Carlin respectively, with title challenger Felix Serralles taking 4th.
Tincknell got off the line unchallenged, as the chasing few danced for positions; however as the pack filtered into their respective positions, Alex Lynn picked up a puncture, causing the Essex man to slide hard into championship leader Jazeman Jaafar in the old hairpin.
A disappointed Jaafar recalled:
“I had a good run on the exit, so I took him [Lynn] downhill going into Old Hairpin. I was going into the corner and the next thing I know, I had been hit in the rear right. It’s impossible to overtake there, but I was told Lynn had a puncture.
”My understanding is that if you have a puncture, you should move aside or slow down, but I guess he didn’t know – it’s an unavoidable mistake.”
Lynn regretted the incident, but assured the stewards there was little he could have done to save the spin.
“I got a left rear puncture going through turn one when I made contact with [Jaafar] and there was just nothing I could do. When you haven’t got any air in it, it doesn’t stop and then as soon as I turn in, the rear is going to load, because there’s no air in it. It’s not going to grip, so I went straight around and spun into him.
“From the contact, I don’t know [if there’s damage] – the boys are going to check it. I him left front, so there probably will be a few broken wishbones, but hopefully nothing too bad.”
When the safety car pulled in, Tincknell skipped into an unassailable lead from the Derani / Fantin battle – indeed, Tincknell’s starts are something the 20-year-old stores a great deal of pride in.
“Both of my starts were good. I was able to get a lot of heat into my tyres behind the safety car and I think the starts off the line have been one of my strong points throughout my career.
“I struggled a bit this weekend; we worked really, really hard to get to the bottom of the issues we had and then the pace was good – it shows hard work pays off.”
Meanwhile, Derani held Tincknell in his sights, although the Fortec man could not launch touch Tincknell through Donington’s key twisty sections. For Derani, his disappointment was clear, despite his runner-up placing.
“Compared to Tincknell, we were struggling a little bit in high-speed corners. I think he had more downforce, because he was faster in the corners, but I could catch him a little bit on the straights.”
Fantin’s challenge dropped away somewhat as the race aged and a persistent understeer bled its way into his Carlin machine. The battle he enjoyed with Derani yesterday never surfaced today; however it did not stop the Brazilian from securing the fastest lap three tours from the end.
“It was good. There was some understeer, but the car was really good and the pace was there – that’s how I did the fastest lap.”
The Brazilian initially dropped behind Serralles in the opening turn, although Fantin was able to grab the position back just after the halfway point, when Serralles got a wheel on the grass exiting Old Hairpin.
Fantin pulled alongside Serralles exiting Coppice, with the pair ever so briefly glancing wheels, before finally making sure of the pass. The Carlin racer noted the incident with a smile:
“Fortunately for me, Serralles made a mistake in turn four, which allowed to retake the position that I lost at the start. We almost touched wheels, but that’s racing – if you are going to touch wheel, then you will touch wheels.”
Despite losing out to Fantin, 4th still represented a positive result for Serralles. The Puerto Rican concentrated on trying to secure the fastest lap once in clear air and was on course to doing so on the final lap, only to lose out in the final sector behind the dirty air of Fantin’s Dallara chassis.
Hannes van Asseldonk assumed 5th ahead of Jack Harvey, although the pair ran virtually nose to tail for the duration, Harvey was unable to force the issue.
It propels Harvey to the top of the points table with only one race remaining. The Englishman now leads Serralles by three points with Jaafar now 3rd overall a further two points adrift of the top spot.
Rupert Svendsen-Cook drove a sensible race to 7th in a car that he admitted was “difficult at times”. The F3 returnee headed Nick McBride and Geoff Uhrhane home as the trailed behind the headline battle.
Hywel Lloyd took his second National Class win of the season. The Welshman held off National Class Champion Spike Goddard for the duration, while Pedro Pablo Calbimonte and Duvashen Padayachee followed in the distance.
2012 British F3 Round of Donington (Rd 10, Race 2, 13 laps)
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Harry Tincknell Carlin Dallara-VW 20m12.362s
2. Pipo Derani Fortec Dallara-Merc + 1.718s
3. Pietro Fantin Carlin Dallara-VW + 3.344s
4. Felix Serralles Fortec Dallara-Merc + 4.064s
5. Hannes van Asseldonk Fortec Dallara-Merc + 5.786s
6. Jack Harvey Carlin Dallara-VW + 6.852s
7. Rupert Svendsen-Cook Double R Dallara-Merc + 9.248s
8. Nick McBride T-Sport Dallara-Nissan + 11.218s
9. Geoff Uhrhane Double R Dallara-Mer + 11.624s
10. Hywel Lloyd CF Dallara-Mugen + 18.504s
11. Spike Goddard T-Sport Dallara-Mugen + 18.928s
12. Pedro Pablo Calbimonte T-Sport Dallara-Mugen + 23.582s
13. Duvashen Padayachee Double R Dallara-Mugen + 32.346s
Retirements:
Alex Lynn Fortec Dallara-Merc 0 laps
Jazeman Jaafar Carlin Dallara-VW 0 laps
2012 British F3 Round of Donington (Rd 10, Race 2) International Class Pos Driver Points 1. Jack Harvey 299 2. Felix Serralles 296 3. Jazeman Jaafar 294 4. Alex Lynn 237 5. Carlos Sainz Jr 224 6. Harry Tincknell 216 7. Pietro Fantin 189 8. Pipo Derani 138 9. Hannes van Asseldonk 128 10. Nick McBride 84 National Class Pos Driver Points 1. Spike Goddard 416 2. Duvashen Padayachee 365 3. Adderly Fong 161 4. Pedro Pablo Calbimonte 109 5. Hywel Lloyd 41
© SRO.
Carlin’s Jack Harvey took the first British Formula 3 race of the weekend at Donington ahead of teammate and title rival Jazeman Jaafar.
Fortec’s Alex Lynn rounded out the podium nearly three seconds up on the other series contender Felix Serralles.
A stellar start by poleman Harvey ensured his lead was secure into the opening turn at Redgate. From there, the Lincolnshire man slowly extended the gap to 2nd place driver Jaafar – 2.4 seconds after four laps, 3.7 after a dozen tours, before the gap reached 4.9 seconds at the end of lap twenty.
The late start (the race only got going at 5.12pm) meant the air temperature dropped significantly as the sun dipped. The cooler air saw the engines to run a little cleaner, allowing quicker laps to run; however the fast wearing tyres countered any attempts at stellar pace.
With the light dipping, both Harvey and Jaafar could feel conditions change, as the latter noted:
“This track was hard to get the tyres up to temperature and it was toward the end when the car really improved.”
Harvey was more succinct about the matter:
“I was pushing to the end and was pushing for fastest lap. Alex was really fast and I couldn’t take fastest lap in the end, so I couldn’t quite get it. My rears were starting to go, but the pace was getting quicker if anything.”
Harvey lifted off exiting the final, drifting to the pitwall to celebrate with his Carlin mechanics. It allowed Jaafar to close in slightly, but the Malaysian’s thoughts were elsewhere thanks to the lingering Lynn.
Although his championship was cut to a single point, Jaafar seemed relatively pleased with the outcome:
“It was OK, the car was good. Jack had a really good start and managed to pull a gap. As it went on, we were close at one point until Lynn got the fastest lap toward the end, but it was a good race. We had good pace and we are really happy with the car.”
For Lynn, it was another promising performance and another sign that the Essex racer may have plenty to offer in the future. A stunning start gave Lynn 3rd almost straight away, as he dragged his way past Serralles.
At points during the race, Lynn swapped fastest lap times with Harvey and Hannes van Asseldonk, although he would finally claim – and the bonus point – four laps from the end. Lynn spent much of the latte half of the race troubling Jaafar for 2nd spot, only to be foiled repeatedly by the dirty air emanating from the Carlin.
“It was a good start; I just got a bit more momentum than Felix [Serralles] and then I just outbraked him into the first corner on the outside. I was just a bit too close [too Jaafar] and couldn’t follow him very closely.”
For Serralles, the race was a tough one. Unable to hold onto Lynn, the Puerto Rican held a comfortable gap ahead of van Asseldonk, despite the Dutch racer’s obvious speed in the later laps.
The battle for 6th, 7th and 8th was less straightforward, as Pietro Fantin, Pipo Derani and Harry Tincknell proved.
Fighting over the minor placings was enough to bring the most out of threesome, with Fantin showing his aggressive side to Derani from Coppice through to Goddards. Derani initially took Fantin on lap two, with the latte eventually re-passing Derani on the sixteenth tour, after a brief swap three laps earlier.
Tincknell watched all this happen from a few feet behind, nearly taking advantage on several occasions, as Fantin and Derani came close to tripping over eachother.
Nick McBride held 9th ahead of the quiet Rupert Svendsen-Cook and Geoff Uhrhane. Behind them Hywel Lloyd took the National Class win on his return to Formula 3 – the Welshman finished ahead of Pedro Pablo Calbimonte and Spike Goddard, who claimed the National Class title in the process.
Duvashen Padayachee rounded out the order, one lap down on Harvey in his three year old chassis.
2012 British F3 Round of Donington (Rd 10, Race 1, 21 laps) Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap 1. Jack Harvey Carlin Dallara-VW 29m07.724s 2. Jazeman Jaafar Carlin Dallara-VW + 3.911s 3. Alex Lynn Fortec Dallara-Merc + 5.044s 4. Felix Serralles Fortec Dallara-Merc + 7.846s 5. Hannes van Asseldonk Fortec Dallara-Merc + 9.521s 6. Pietro Fantin Carlin Dallara-VW + 22.173s 7. Pipo Derani Fortec Dallara-Merc + 26.799s 8. Harry Tincknell Carlin Dallara-VW + 27.591s 9. Rupert Svendsen-Cook Double R Dallara-Merc + 38.638s 10. Nick McBride T-Sport Dallara-Nissan + 39.468s 11. Geoff Uhrhane Double R Dallara-Merc + 39.903s 12. Hywel Lloyd CF Dallara-Mugen* + 53.274s 13. Pedro Pablo Calbimonte T-Sport Dallara-Mugen* + 57.965s 14. Spike Goddard T-Sport Dallara-Mugen* + 1m17.753s 15. Duvashen Padayachee Double R Dallara-Mugen* + 1 lap
2012 British F3 Series standings (Rd 10, Race 1) International Class Pos Driver Points 1. Jazeman Jaafar 294 2. Jack Harvey 293 3. Felix Serralles 286 4. Alex Lynn 237 5. Carlos Sainz Jr 224 6. Harry Tincknell 196 7. Pietro Fantin 176 8. Pipo Derani 123 9. Hannes van Asseldonk 120 10. Nick McBride 81 National Class Pos Driver Points 1. Spike Goddard 400 2. Duvashen Padayachee 355 3. Adderly Fong 161 4. Pedro Pablo Calbimonte 97 5. Hywel Lloyd 21
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