Audi were out in force at Spa-Francorchamps last weekend, so it is no surprise that at least one of the Pro Cup entries picked up the overall win at the end of twenty-four hours.
Unfortunately for Andre Lotterer, the win did not fall the way of him or teammate Marcel Fassler and Tom Kristensen.
Indeed, the challenge of the #6 Audi Team Phoenix machine was stunted rather early on. The German was carelessly collected by a pitting Adam Christodoulou just sixty minutes into the Total Spa 24 Hour Race, damaging the left front suspension in the process.
Thirty minutes were lost as the Audi crew frantically worked to repair the damage to the suspension; however the incident left the entry many laps behind.
As the chequered flag dropped on Sunday, Lotterer’s team climbed back up to 6th, but the disappointment was clear to see across the pitlane.
Before the race, I caught up with Andre to gather his thoughts about the event, night racing and of Spa itself.
The Motorsport Archive: Welcome to sunny Spa-Francorchamps, which is quite a bit different from what it was like a couple of hours ago.
You were brought up in Duisberg, Germany – a city which, I suppose, is not that far from Francorchamps. What memories do you have of this circuit from your younger days when you started racing?Andre Lotterer: The first time I drove here was when I was 17 in Formula Renault Eurocup and then at the [2002] 24 Hours of Spa with Porsche GT3 RSR and finished 3rd in the category and then back here in 2010 with Audi for the 1000kms, so it’s not so new now.
My father had a race team, and was the race of the year for his race team, so for me it’s very nice to come here and I remember being around here all the time, so it’s nice to come here. It’s very emotional, there’s a lot of good memories and it’s nice to be here with Audi.TMA: Racing in such changeable conditions, how much of a challenge does that present to you as a driver, especially if the changes are such polar opposites?
AL: The change is the same for everybody. It depends what time you are on the track – if you are on the track in the right window, you can always change to wet tyres and you are in a good position, but if you out on slicks, it’s not such a good position. The challenge is always the same no matter what situation you’re in.
TMA: The storm we witness earlier was impressive to say the least.
AL: For sure, here it’s always a little bit more difficult considering that [in Spa] I had never driven in this kind of rain or in changeable conditions, so I would need a little adaption time, but this car has ABS, which helps.
We’re used to this – it’s something we’re born with, through go-karts and so on; you just have to be careful.TMA: You’ve had quite a bit of experience with night-time racing, at Le Mans for example. Although there was not a whole lot of it in the run up to this weekend, how did you find the night-time driving at Spa?
AL: It was good. I drove here ten years ago at the 24 Hours of Spa, so I had to remember a little at night what it looked like. It’s always nice around here; it’s a good feeling.
Night driving is always nice. We had to adjust the lights, they were not perfect and also it’s difficult, because people miss apexes, go wide and the track gets really dirty, so there are a lot of things happening, but we stayed out of trouble and gained more experience for the race.TMA: There’s also driver quality here too. GT racing has had its share of issues over the years, but in terms of driver quality, it’s probably the best it has been in some time.
AL: Yeah, I haven’t been a big follower of GT3, but I saw the build-up in the last few years with a lot of brands getting involved due to the rules, with a lot of professional drivers, which is good to see.
And it’s good that – here at Spa – when you compete, you want to compete against competitive people as well and it’s good to see a lot of big names here.TMA: Some fun then?
AL: It makes for some good quality racing.
No doubt, Andre Lotterer will return next year to finally conquer the 24 Hours of Spa. To keep track of Andre, you can follow him on Twitter or at his website (when it’s up and running).
My thanks to Paul Davies for arranging this interview at rather short notice. Post-race coverage of the 2012 Total 24 Hour Race can be found here.
Frank Stippler led #16 Audi Sport Team Phoenix to a masterful victory of the Total 24 Hours of Spa on Sunday after a tough battle with one of its factory rivals.
After 509 laps of the famed Spa-Francorchamps circuit, the German racer held a lap lead over #1 Audi Club WRT stablemate Stephane Ortelli at the finish line; however that is not to suggest the victory was an easy feat.
Alongside Stippler, Audi Team Phoenix drivers Andrea Piccini and Rene Rast enjoyed their share of battles with the factory leader (piloted by Ortelli, Christopher Mies and Christopher Haase).
Rather than drive straight to the front, the #16 team subtly played themselves into the race – best let one’s rivals show their hand first; bring weaknesses and straights to the fore.
It is a strategy that can work wonders should one be completely confident in the human and machine tools at your disposal and Audi specialise in a quiet confidence.
Managing the race
Content to be mere guest stars for much of the opening portion, Team Phoenix ran 3rd before finally making their presence as midnight turned.
As every hour struck, the #16 marched ahead, with only a single wobble during hour eighteen, when the left-rear tyre blew apart, shredding violently as Piccini manhandled the machine to safety.
Again luck played its part – occurring toward the back end of the circuit meant a short trip to the pitlane for the Audi, where it was discovered the German machine had been spared ancillary damage.
Unfortunately a puncture during hour twenty-two finally saw off the challenge from the #1 Audi, allowing the Phoenix crew to pull almost a pitstop ahead of their persistent rivals.
There would still be something left for the crowd to chew on, as off kilter pit strategies played themselves out. Leading briefly following a Team Phoenix stop, #1 Audi (with Mies at the wheel) fell toward the chasing Stippler – complete with fresh tyres – eventually losing the top spot as the penultimate hour drew to a close.
A safety car with forty minutes remaining (thanks to Lorenzo Bontempelli spectacularly barrel rolling at Blanchimont) allowed the Audi team an opportunity to align the pair accordingly, with #1 Audi losing a lap after being held by a red light at the end of the pitlane during the neutralised period.
It was a tactic that formally put victory well beyond the #1 Audi squad; however it much be noted that success for Team Phoenix was born out of remarkable consistency, terrific pace, fabulous luck and tenacity – even when the conditions were utterly appalling.
Beyond the leading Audi’s…
Of course, the race was not just some battle amongst the Audi duo – a pair of BMW Z4’s also fought for a piece of the action for much of the duration.
The “Beemer” charge was led by the #66 Vita4One team (Mathias Lauda / Gregory Franchi / Frank Kechele), while the #3 Marc VDS trio (Bas Leinders / Maxime Martin / Markus Palttala) also performed remarkably well to finish 3rd and 4th respectively.
Kechele – who qualified the Vita4One entry on pole – suffered a poor start, but neatly drew back up the order, eventually breaching the top five just after the one-quarter mark.
By the fifteenth hour, the #66 had played itself into the race as a minor threat in 3rd spot, but realistically, the leading Audi’s had the Vita4One covered nearly every step of the way.
The BMW team enjoyed a battle with the #2 Audi in the few hours leading to midday; however that contest came to a brutal halt when Edward Sandstrom lost control of his Audi going through Eau Rouge, with the resulting accident essentially sealing the final podium spot for the #66.
It was a dreadfully unfortunate end for the #2 Audi, after a consistent run kept their trio of drivers (Marco Bonanomi and Laurens Vanthoor also piloted) kept the machine running on the fringes of the top five for lengthy spells.
Off the Marc
Meanwhile in the next running BMW, a stellar early stint from Martin – in fairness, all his stints were top notch – gave #3 Marc VDS the lead in the opening hours; however the pendulum swung toward Audi in hour five, when Haase grabbed the lead on the 96th circulation.
#3 Marc VDS kept Martin and Leinders behind the wheel during the daylight hours, with Palttala finally emerging as the night closed in.
Martin did court some controversy. The Belgian retook the lead from the Audi’s toward the end of the opening third, but did also rather clumsily clatter the #9 Gulf McLaren at Blanchimont – both continued unharmed.
Two hours later, the #3 Marc VDS would be the innocent party when an overenthusiastic Filip Salaquarda (#59 Vita4One Ferrari) rear-ended the BMW on the approach to the Bus Stop. On this occasion, the #3 machine received minor damage; however Salaquarda was less fortunate – losing the front end, the Czech racer was pitched into the wall – hard.
Salaquarda was fine, the car less so.
Unfortunately, woes would deepen for the #3 Marc VDS squad. Pitting during two separate safety car periods under darkness would see the car held at red lights at the end of the pitlane, pulling the BMW down to 5th. That became 4th when #2Audi removed itself from the action.
A stop-go penalty for Palttala (a hangover from an infringement during qualifying) further dampened their efforts, while starter motor issues put pay to quicker pitstops late on.
Unfortunately, the second Audi Team Phoenix machine (#6 piloted by Andre Lotterer, Markus Fassler and Tom Kristensen) endured a fruitless twenty-four hours.
Amidst Pro-Am traffic, Lotterer was clattered by a pitlane bound Adam Christodoulou in the #62 Lapidus Racing McLaren – a pointless clash that would see Christodoulou excluded from the rest of the running.
Necessitating repairs to suspension and bodywork meant #6 Audi Team Phoenix lost 30 minutes in the garage, while the #62 McLaren dropped an hour – the former came home 6th, some eight laps adrift, while the latter didn’t finish at all…
Pro-Am
The #52 AF Corse Ferrari team (Niek Hommerson / Louis Machiels / Andrea Bertolini / Pier Guidi Alessandro) took 5th overall and the Pro-Am category to boot.
The four-man entry took charge of the category after fighting its way up the class order, leaving the #34 Pro GT by Almeras Porsche and both #50 and #51 AF Corse Ferrari’s behind in its wake.
Luck also fell upon the leading AF Corse, while also casting a shadow on rivals. After a long period swapping the class lead with the eventual victor, the #51 AF Corse dropped out due to incurable coolant leak with less than two hours remaining.
The #50 AF Corse also fell from the lead battle thanks to a long pitstop, losing the entry five laps during the fourteenth hour. They would return to the garage later in the race with mechanical issues.
Radiator issues for the #34 Pro GT Porsche hampered its efforts in the latter third of the race, with the fault becoming terminal during the penultimate hour. The #24 Blancpain Reiter Lamborghini also featured for a time, but issues with wheel changes during pitstops deprived of a realistic chance to challenge in the long run.
This all naturally happened after the initial class leader – #5 Boutsen Ginion McLaren – was ruthlessly taken out by Klaas Hummel in the #62 Lapidus McLaren at La Source. The move was made even more galling as the #62 Lapidus entry was already 32 laps down following its earlier clash with the #6 Audi. An utterly pointless incident.
Gentlemen’s Trophy
The #25 First Motorsport Porsche (Steve van Bellingen / Bert Redoint / Armand Flumal / Johan Vanloo) won the Gentlemen’s Trophy and also took 17th overall.
Admittedly, the Porsche team had been chasing the lead for the opening third, when original class leaders, #73 Kessel Ferrari lost a wheel at the pitlane exit following a botched stop.
Come the end, the #25 First Motorsport team enjoyed a thirteen lap advantage over next class challengers in the #82 Bull Fight Dodge Viper.
Cup Class
The #94 Speedlover Porsche (Kevin Balthazard / Christophe Bigourie / Rik Renmans / Raf Vleugels) was the only Cup Class entry to actually finish; however that should not diminish their efforts. The class initially led by the #32 Pro GT by Almeras Porsche, fell to the Speedlover squad as other dropped by the wayside.
As with the victorious Audi’s, clean and consistent running garnered top honours for the #94 team – more than well deserved honours at that.
Oh the rain
At times, the conditions did get truly appalling. The race was only two-and-a-half hours old when the first torrential shower came.
Such was the downpour, sections of the circuit turned to free flowing rivers, with La Source being one of the most affected areas. Each additional drop accentuated the lack of grip, so much so that drivers were losing control at less than 40 mph approaching the opening hairpin.
These cars – weighted and powerful – were picked up by the shimmering rainwater as if they were mere paperweights, before being carried and dumped unceremoniously into awaiting run off areas.
Not all made it to the run off though. Sadly the #37 DB Motorsport BMW became a victim of the weather, when it aquaplaned on the start / finish straight, pitching hard – front first – into the wall.
Worse was to come just after the race restart. Midway through the fourth hour, Philippe Salini lost control of his #86 RMS Porsche toward the end of Blanchimont, hitting the wall hard. As the Frenchman received treatment in his broken car, the race was neutralised for 65 minutes, until he could e safely taken to hospital for checks and x-rays. Thankfully, Salini suffered no injuries.
Sunday proved more pleasant, as the expected showers stayed away, leaving in its wake a sunny, if breezy day.
2012 Total 24 Hours of Spa (509 laps) Overall Pos Team Time /Gap Pro Class 1. #16 Audi Sport Team Phoenix 24:01:21.757 2. #1 Belgian Audi Club WRT +1 lap 3. #66 BMW Vita4One Racing +1 lap 4. #3 Marc VDS Racing BMW +2 laps 6. #6 Audi Sport Team Phoenix +8 laps Pro-Am 5. #52 AF Corse Ferrari +7 laps 7. #8 Haribo Racing Porsche +12 laps 8. #10 SOFREZ ASP Ferrari +12 laps 9. #88 Von Ryan Racing McLaren +12 laps 10. #20 SOFREZ ASP Ferrari +14 laps Gentlemen’s Trophy 17. #25 First Motorsport Porsche +34 laps 22. #82 Bull Fight racing Dodge Viper +47 laps 23. #41 Sainteloc Racing Audi +49 laps 24. #81 ALFAB Racing Audi +54 laps 33. #98 JB Motorsport Audi +146 laps Cup Class 25. #94 Speedlover Porsche +54 laps
© SRO.
The Cooper Tyres British Formula 3 Series is set to expand its European reach in 2013, in a move to merge with the European Championship.
In a press conference last weekend, Stéphane Ratel – founder of series promoter SRO Motorsports Group – unveiled a ten round calendar, including four national UK circuits and five Grand Prix tracks.
The now legendary Pau Grand Prix will once again feature on the calendar for its 72nd running.
As in previous seasons, the national UK rounds (Oulton Park, Rockingham, Snetterton and Brands Hatch) will act as a support to the British GT Series.
The single-seater category will also be a support for the Blancpain Endurance Series when that visits Monza, Silverstone, Paul Ricard, Spa-Francorchamps and the beleaguered Nurburgring.
Pau is, as per usual, a stand-alone event.
The proposed merger between the British series and the revived European Championship may cause ripples in Germany, where the Formula 3 Euro Series has shared a bulk of the European events.
It will still be some time before the calendar is to be confirmed however. This proposal to align the British Series with the European Championship will require FIA approval and that is not expected for some time yet.
A redefined television package is also in the offing should the calendar get the go ahead, with far more events expected to be broadcast live. Details of that package have yet to emerge.
2013 Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series (provisional) 30 March Oulton Park International (supporting British GT) 14 April Monza, Italy (Blancpain Endurance) 05 May Rockingham (British GT) 19 May 72nd Grand Prix de Pau, France 02 June Silverstone Grand Prix (Blancpain Endurance) 09 June Snetterton (tbc) (British GT) 30 June Paul Ricard, France (Blancpain Endurance) 27 July Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium (Blancpain Endurance) 22 September Nürburgring, Germany (tbc) (Blancpain Endurance) 06 October Brands Hatch Grand Prix (British GT)
© SRO.
Carlos Sainz Jr stormed to his third British F3 victory of the season at a damp and treacherous Spa-Francorchamps today.
The Spaniard surged ahead of poleman Felix Serralles on the third lap, after initially holding off Daniel Juncadella off the start.
With Juncadella safety in his – misted and rain soaked – mirrors, Sainz Jr hunted Serralles for the lead, eventually pulling passed his Puerto Rican rival on the Kemmel Straight on the third lap.
From there, Sainz Jr was untouchable and only came back into sight thanks to a brief mid-race safety car period, following a big off for Sven Muller at Radillon; however he was not best pleased when the race restarted:
“I was a bit angry – I thought the safety car would stay out because of the conditions, but I also knew in these conditions, with this amount of water… they were not the conditions to try and pass me.”
Following what has been at times a trying season for the Carlin racer, this win comes as a welcome to the 17-year-old.
“There were difficult conditions. Sector 1 and sector 3 were really wet, so we decided to go really low on tyre pressures – which helped a lot for sure. Then I managed to pass Serralles and he started following me and following some of my lines and he started getting closer, but if I didn’t make mistakes.”
On this occasion, Serralles could not hold onto 2nd spot. With conditions worsening as the race aged, the Fortec man dropped wheel on the slick kerbs bordering Pouhon, sensing the Puerto Rican clean off the circuit. Serralles quickly rejoined, albeit in 3rd behind the steady Tom Blomqvist.
“When the safety car came out, I wasn’t actually sure what position I was in – I thought I was further back, but found out only Tom passed me. At that point, there was too much water – it was raining harder, so it was really impossible to see.”
Serralles wasn’t the only driver to spin – Juncadella also dropped a wheel on the kerbs at Pouhon – his penalty proved more severe, as he spun down to 10th.
Blomqvist meanwhile started an encouraging 5th, sweeping by the sluggish Alex Lynn off the line. From there, the son of the proper Stig lurked behind the leading trio, allowing the advantage to fall his way when they left the track.
With both Juncadella and Serralles losing spots, Blomqvist rose to 2nd spot; however the ma-con Motorsport driver had nothing for the determined Sainz Jr.
“I got a very good start. There was a lot of understeer very early on; we were running quite low downforce. It was drying a bit, so I was able to work the tyres better and catch slowly, but then Daniel spun and Felix spun and the rain started again. I kind of maintained the gap a little bit, but Carlos was a little bit quicker.”
For Serralles, 3rd wasn’t the desired result, but it was enough to give him the lead of the British F3 Series.
“Well, it was wet! I was a little disappointed with the result, but I am leading the championship now, so it’s quite good. There was nothing that could have been done [about the spin], so it was just driving behind, protecting the points and being cautious. I thought, ‘I’m leading the British championship, so I’ll just maintain it and come home.’”
Jazeman Jaafar took 4th for Carlin, but he had to fight off an aggressive Michael Lewis to keep it. The Malaysian spent much of the event keeping his car in good, clean position, while Lewis was on a mission. Lining up on the sixth row, the American jumped to 7th by the second lap, becoming 6th when Juncadella spun on lap four.
“I started 11th – usually from that position in the dry, you could be happy with a top ten, but it was raining so I could take advantage. At the start, I didn’t get any wheel spin, so I made up about two or three places and then I was just passing cars.”
For much of the duration, Lewis ducked and dived in Jack Harvey’s mirrors, eventually nabbing 5th with a clever dummy-dive down the inside of La Source on the thirteenth lap.
“Then I spent half the race behind Harvey, but I could do too much on the straights, because the water was getting into my airbox, so if you took a slip stream or peeled off, you couldn’t do it, so I had to make a pass. I had to fake it, because he knew I was close. The move had to be last moment just to go inside and it worked out, I had really good traction.”
For his troubles, Harvey took 6th, with Fortec’s Pipo Derani four seconds adrift in 7th. Juncadella climbed back up to 8th, but the Spaniard could do nothing about the defensive Derani, who pipped the Euro Series star by one second at the line. The battle for 9th and 10th was even closer, Harry Tincknell beating Emil Bernstorff to the chequered flag by a mere 0.015 seconds.
It was another difficult day for FIA European F3 Championship challenger Raffaele Marciello, who was clattered by Felix Rosenqvist on lap eight, causing the latter to retire. Marciello fell to 14th for his troubles.
Hannes van Asseldonk had another difficult day at Spa, after starting 9th. The Dutch pilot endured an early spin dropping him to 28th; however he rose to 18th by the time the race ended.
Adderly Fong took the National Class once again, coming home ten seconds clear of Pedro Pablo Calbimonte, with class regulars Spike Goddard and Duvashen Padayachee taking 3rd and 4th respectively.
2012 British F3 Series points standings (Rd 7) International Class Pos Driver Points 1. Felix Serralles 212 2. Jack Harvey 208 3. Jazeman Jaafar 204 4. Carlos Sainz Jr 176 5. Alex Lynn 156 6. Harry Tincknell 143 7. Pietro Fantin 140 8. Pipo Derani 110 9. Hannes van Asseldonk 83 10. Nick McBride 61 National Class Pos Driver Points 1. Spike Goddard 294 2. Duvashen Padayachee 263 3. Adderly Fong 98 4. Pedro Pablo Calbimonte 25
The second British Formula 3 race of the weekend was cancelled after what can only be described as a torrential storm fell at Spa-Francorchamps.
In a matter of moments, parts of the circuit became flooded as slick rivers formed around parts of the circuit, making it undriveable.
Carlos Sainz Jr, who completed a sighter lap not long before the race was pulled, noted that the lap took almost five minutes to complete, such was the depth of water on track.
Niederhauser celebrates at Hockenheim. © Glenn Dunbar/LAT Photographic
When one thinks of nations with winding history of motorsport, Switzerland is rarely the first that comes to mind.
Following the 1955 Le Mans tragedy, the Swiss government passed an outright ban on motor racing, with only time trials allowed to take place.
A vote by the Swiss parliament’s Lower House in 2007 brought the matter to discussion, however the Senate refused to rescind the ban.
It’s unfortunate for a country that enjoyed a glorious period in Grand Prix racing at the classic Bremgarten circuit during the two decades leading to the ban.
Whereas the likes of Peter Sauber* have become legendary in the sport, Switzerland has – up until recently – been starved
More recently IndyCar’s Simona de Silvestro and ex-Formula 1 driver Sebastien Buemi have raced under the nation’s colours, with Mathéo Tuscher (Formula 2) and Simon Trummer (GP3) snapping at their heels.
Another young driver carving out a career in the junior levels is Patric Niederhauser. Born in Münslingen, within the Aare valley region, Niederhauser was a relative late starter, only taking up karting at the age of 14.
After finishing runner-up in the Swiss Karting Championship in 2009, Niederhauser joined the then newly born Formula Abarth Series with the Jenzer Motorsport team – a relationship that still exists today.
Early success in Formula Abarth (he was runner-up in his first season) prompted Niederhauser to continue on that path, where he took the title of the renamed Formula Abarth Italia Series last year.
With his eyes firmly on the top tier of single-seater motorsport, Niederhauser continued his association with Jenzer – this time in the GP3 Series – in what has already been quite a successful venture.
Two victories, a podium and a fastest lap in the opening five rounds have placed Niederhauser 4th in the standings with 75 point – one a single point behind Daniel Abt. Series leaders Mitch Evans and Aaro Vainio are some way down the road.
The 20-year-old raised some eyebrows at both Silverstone and the Hockenheimring this year, following a pair of stunning performances in wet conditions.
At a drying Silverstone, the Swiss racer was, at times, nearly four seconds per lap faster than his similarly-tyred rivals; however Niederhauser would eventually lose out to the slick-shod Will Buller.
His win in Germany, however, was sheer class.
Recently, I contacted Patric to learn more about the racer and to garner his thoughts on a thrilling GP3 season thus far.
—-
The Motorsport Archive: As it stands, I believe there is still no circuit-based motorsport in your native Switzerland.
With that absent, could you describe what it was that brought you to the sport of motor racing originally?Patric Niederhauser: With the age of 4 year I started with ice hockey. I loved to play this sport but when I was 13 I had a lot of problems with my hips. I had to stop with that great sport and we looked for something different.
As I was a big fan of any Motorsports since I was born, we started to race with karts and that’s how I found my new passion.TMA : You came to GP3 as the reigning Formula Abarth Italia champion. In terms of competition, how have you found the GP3 Series so far?
PN: The GP3 series is a very competitive series with a lot of very good drivers. The gaps are so close that there is no space for mistakes. You have to be very precise with your driving.
TMA : How have you found the GP3 car, compared to what you raced previously and have you had to adapt your style to suit it ?
PN: The GP3 car is much heavier and more powerful than a formula abarth. It produces much more downforce which affects the corner speeds and the breaking performance a lot.
You can’t drive this car as aggressive as the formula abarth. I’m still working to adapt my driving style to this car. I have to drive much smoother as I do now.TMA : As you have never raced on a majority of the GP3 circuits, how do you prepare for tackling new venues?
PN: I look a lot of onboard videos. From almost every track exept Monaco, the team had already some data from previous years, so I speak a lot with the engineers of Jenzer Motorsport. They have a lot of experience and know all the tricks.
TMA : This is your third season with Jenzer Motorsport. How do you feel this lasting relationship has determined your performance this year, if it has at all?
PN: It did it a lot. Jenzer Motorsport is a very professional team which has all my confidence. It is a big advantage if you know the team already and if they know you as well.
We did a great job the two years in formula Abarth so we decided to work together also in the GP3 Series.TMA : At Jenzer, you are teammates with Robert Visoiu. Have you had an opportunity to build a working relationship with Robert and could you give an insight as to how that relationship is developing?
PN: […] with Visoiu the working development together works very good as we know us already from Formula Abarth. Sadly we don’t have a 3rd driver for the entire season but I still learned few things from other drivers like [Facu] Regalia.
TMA : Onto this season in GP3, from your perspective, how would you describe your first year in the category so far?
PN: Well, already the start in Barcelona was very good form e with P4 and P5. The race in Monaco was just not as good as we hoped.But since then it works very well form me.
My personal targets before the season was to drive regularly into the top ten and know I have already two victories and one podium.
This year runs just great for me and the team.TMA : Finally, what goals have you set for yourself for 2012 and do you feel you are closing in on those set targets?
PN: After the good results from the past weekends I had to rethink about my targets for 2012. As I fight now with Daniel Abt for the rookie title my target now is to end up the championship under the top five but of course I’ll fight for more.
Depending how the next rounds are going, we might start to fight fort he championship.
The GP3 Series continues this weekend with round 6 taking place at the Hungaroring. My thanks to Patric for his time with this interview and also Esther Lauber for facilitating the Q&A.
* {note 1}
Peter Sauber started out racing in hillclimbing events, eventually taking the Swiss Hillclimb championship in 1970 behind the wheel of the Ford-powered Sauber C1.
Taking another win in Germany. © Daniel Kalisz/LAT Photographic
© SRO.
Felix Serralles took his third Formula 3 victory of the season today at Spa-Francorchamps to close to within one point of series leader Jack Harvey.
Starting from pole position, the Puerto Rican fell behind Carlos Sainz Jr (Carlin) after a shuffle off the line, but recovered to chase down the Spaniard on the following tour.
Seeing an opportunity, the Fortec racer drew to the rear of Sainz Jr, eventually taking the Carlin man at the entry to Les Combes on the third lap.
“There was more grip in the tyres than I was expecting at the start so I bogged down a bit. But I wasn’t worried too much if I stayed P2 because I knew that I could slipstream Carlos later.”
Serralles drew up to 7 seconds ahead of the next man over the remaining laps, only to drop the gap to 5.657 seconds nearer the flag.
Sainz Jr would not be able to hold the chase for long. On his tail lurked Formula 3 Euro Series challenger Daniel Juncadella.
The Prema Powerteam racer had complained of a “difficult” car in the build-up to the race; however Juncadella held just enough of an advantage over Sainz Jr to scramble up to 2nd on lap five.
Once in clear air, Juncadella found himself in something of a limbo, unable to catch the leader, but also distancing himself from Sainz Jr. It proved to be an important move for Juncadella as he faces down Sainz in the FIA European F3 Championship – to which this round also counts.
There was an ongoing battle for 4th spot, eventually won by Jack Harvey. A late move by the Englishman took him ahead of Carlin teammate Jazeman Jaafar on the final tour, after the Malaysian balked him the circulation before.
It was a superb result for Harvey – who started 10th – and allows him to keep a narrow lead over Serralles in the standings. Meanwhile Harvey and Jaafar held Alex Lynn and Michael Lewis off to the flag, with Lynn nabbing 6th on the final tour.
Pipo Derani climbed up the order during the race to close out the top eight. From the sixth row, the Brazilian fought passed Sven Muller, Pascal Wehrlein and Tom Blomqvist, while an off the road Hannes van Asseldonk gave the Brazilian another spot.
Felix Rosenqvist followed Derani home in 9th, while Blomqvist assumed 10th overall.
Duvashen Padayachee claimed the National Class victory, leading all the way from Adderly Fong, Spike Goddard and Pedro Pablo Calbimonte.
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap 1. Felix Serralles Fortec Dallara-Merc 29m45.219s 2. Daniel Juncadella Prema Dallara-Merc + 5.657s 3. Carlos Sainz Jr Carlin Dallara-VW + 10.462s 4. Jack Harvey Carlin Dallara-VW + 12.678s 5. Jazeman Jaafar Carlin Dallara-VW + 14.364s 6. Alex Lynn Fortec Dallara-Merc + 14.515s 7. Michael Lewis Prema Dallara-Merc + 16.009s 8. Pipo Derani Fortec Dallara-Merc + 16.776s 9. Felix Rosenqvist Mucke Dallara-Merc + 18.081s 10. Tom Blomqvist Ma-Con Dallara-VW + 20.037s 11. Raffaello Marciello Prema Dallara-Merc + 20.283s 12. Sven Muller Prema Dallara-Merc + 26.069s 13. Harry Tincknell Carlin Dallara-VW + 27.009s 14. Pascal Wehrlein Mucke Dallara-Merc + 28.790s 15. Geoff Uhrhane Double R Dallara-Merc + 29.233s 16. Pietro Fantin Carlin Dallara-VW + 31.052s 17. Emil Bernstorff Ma-Con Dallara-VW + 31.753s 18. Nick McBride T-Sport Dallara-Nissan + 33.004s 19. Andrea Roda Zeller Dallara-Merc + 33.486s 20. Lucas Wolf URD Dallara-Merc + 37.729s 21. Fahmi Ilyas Double R Dallara-Merc + 38.501s 22. Sandro Zeller Zeller Dallara-Merc + 40.982s 23. Hannes van Asseldonk Fortec Dallara-Merc + 45.415s 24. Richard Bradley Carlin Dallara-VW + 45.470s 25. Duvashen Padayachee Double R Dallara-Mugen + 54.785s 26. Luis Sa Silva Angola Dallara-Merc + 56.276s 27. Adderly Fong CF Dallara-Mugen + 1m01.814s 28. Spike Goddard T-Sport Dallara-Mugen + 1m01.912s 29. Pedro Calbimonte T-Sport Dallara-Mugen + 1m03.490s
2012 British Formula 3 Series points standings International Class Pos driver Points 1. Jack Harvey 198 2. Felix Serralles 197 3. Jazeman Jaafar 192 4. Carlos Sainz Jr 155 5. Alex Lynn 152 6. Pietro Fantin 139 National Class Pos Driver Points 1. Spike Goddard 282 2. Duvashen Padayachee 253 3. Adderly Fong 77 4. Padro Pablo Calbimonte 10
© SRO.
Fortec Motorsport’s Felix Serralles secured a dominant double-pole for this weekend’s Formula 3 feature events.
The Puerto Rican lapped the famed circuit at a best of 2:15.157 to lodge pole for Saturday afternoon’s race, before setting his next best (and pole for race one) on the following tour.
Speaking of his achievement, Serralles was his usual pragmatic self:
“It’s been a long time since Monza, now finally a double pole. I love this track, it’s all about having big balls and carrying a lot of speed and that’s what I like to do with the F3 car. I’m pleased I was able to put it all together.”
Serralles with have to face down a determined Carlos Sainz Jr* in both races. Occasional misfires hampered the under pressure Spaniard, as he struggled around Spa’s long straights and fast sweeps – an excellent effort despite his mechanical deficit.
Daniel Juncadella – the recently crowned master of Zandvoort – assumed 3rd spot, some three-tenths shy of Serralles. The Prema Powerteam racer struggled on occasion with poor handling, but garnered some extra speed by cleverly utilising the draft.
Alongside Juncadella is Alex Lynn – the Fortec runner continues to impress during his début season in Formula 3 machinery.
It was less than plain sailing in the pack. British F3 rivals Jack Harvey (Carlin) and Hannes van Asseldonk (Fortec) suffered collision at Les Combes, ending their sessions prematurely. The incident was especially tough on Harvey, who missed much of practice with a misfire.
Meanwhile Euro Series favourite Raffaele Marciello struggled to find a workable balance in his Mercedes-powered Dallara, leaving the victor of Pau mired deep in the field.
National Class returnee Adderly Fong** made his presence known, sharing pole with class rival Spike Goddard. The Britain-based, Canadian born Chinese driver lost running time thanks to a crash in morning practice, but recovered to set a 2:17.826 in qualifying.
Serralles will lead Sainz Jr away for race one; however Lynn has the better of Juncadella, while van Asseldonk rounds out the top five.
* {note 1}
Sainz Jr was quickest in free practice ahead of teammate Harvey. Lynn and Serralles were next up, with Jazeman Jaafar a credible 5th.
** {note 2}
Fong was not the only “extra” driver this weekend. Pedro Pablo Calbimonte makes his British F3 debut at Spa with T-Sport in the National Class. The Bolivian is to be contesting the remaining four rounds in the championship.
At Carlin, Richard Bradley replaces Will Buller, who is competing in this weekend’s GP3 round at the Hungaroring.
2012 British F3 Round of Spa-Francorchamps (Rd 7, Race 1 grid; 2nd best times) Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap 1. Felix Serralles Fortec Dallara-Merc 2m15.212s 2. Carlos Sainz Jr Carlin Dallara-VW 2m15.455s + 0.243s 3. Alex Lynn Fortec Dallara-Merc 2m15.715s + 0.503s 4. Daniel Juncadella Prema Dallara-Merc 2m15.821s + 0.609s 5. Hannes van Asseldonk Fortec Dallara-Merc 2m15.862s + 0.660s 6. Jazeman Jaafar Carlin Dallara-VW 2m15.899s + 0.697s 7. Pietro Fantin Carlin Dallara-VW 2m15.983s + 0.781s 8. Michael Lewis Prema Dallara-Merc 2m16.004s + 0.792s 9. Harry Tincknell Carlin Dallara-VW 2m16.060s + 0.848s 10. Jack Harvey Carlin Dallara-VW 2m16.151s + 0.939s 11. Tom Blomqvist Ma-con Dallara-VW 2m16.219s + 1.007s 12. Pipo Derani Fortec Dallara-Merc 2m16.222s + 1.010s 13. Felix Rosenqvist Mucke Dallara-Merc 2m16.329s + 1.127s 14. Nick McBride T-Sport Dallara-Nissan 2m16.386s + 1.174s 15. Raffaelle Marciello Prema Dallara-Merc 2m16.593s + 1.381s 16. Pascal Wehrlein Mucke Dallara-Merc 2m16.744s + 1.532s 17. Sven Muller Prema Dallara-Merc 2m16.750s + 1.538s 18. Fahmi Ilyas Double R Dallara-Merc 2m17.004s + 1.792s 19. Geoff Uhrhane Double R Dallara-Merc 2m17.053s + 1.841s 20. Emil Bernstorff Ma-con Dallara-VW 2m17.104s + 1.892s 21. Andrea Roda Jo Zeller Dallara-Merc 2m17.270s + 2.058s 22. Richard Bradley Carlin Dallara-VW 2m17.274s + 2.062s 23. Lucas Wolf URD Dallara-Merc 2m17.954s + 2.742s 24. Sandro Zeller Jo Zeller Dallara-Merc 2m18.163s + 2.951s 25. Luis Sa Silva Angola Dallara-Merc 2m18.300s + 3.088s 26. Spike Goddard T-Sport Dallara-Mugen 2m18.348s + 3.136s 27. Adderly Fong CF Dallara-Mugen 2m18.675s + 3.463s 28. Duvashen Padayachee Double R Dallara-Mugen 2m19.365s + 4.153s 29. Pedro Calbimonte T-Sport Dallara-Mugen 2m19.431s + 4.219s
2012 British F3 Round of Spa-Francorchamps (Rd 7, Race 1 grid; best times) Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap 1. Felix Serralles Fortec Dallara-Merc 2m15.157s 2. Carlos Sainz Jr Carlin Dallara-VW 2m15.198s + 0.041s 3. Daniel Juncadella Prema Dallara-Merc 2m15.460s + 0.303s 4. Alex Lynn Fortec Dallara-Merc 2m15.527s + 0.370s 5. Jazeman Jaafar Carlin Dallara-VW 2m15.678s + 0.521s 6. Tom Blomqvist Ma-con Dallara-VW 2m15.697s + 0.540s 7. Jack Harvey Carlin Dallara-VW 2m15.767s + 0.610s 8. Pipo Derani Fortec Dallara-Merc 2m15.815s + 0.658s 9. Hannes van Asseldonk Fortec Dallara-Merc 2m15.834s + 0.677s 10. Harry Tincknell Carlin Dallara-VW 2m15.914s + 0.757s 11. Michael Lewis Prema Dallara-Merc 2m15.953s + 0.796s 12. Pietro Fantin Carlin Dallara-VW 2m15.972s + 0.815s 13. Felix Rosenqvist Mucke Dallara-Merc 2m16.026s + 0.864s 14. Nick McBride T-Sport Dallara-Nissan 2m16.189s + 1.032s 15. Raffaelle Marciello Prema Dallara-Merc 2m16.320s + 1.173s 16. Sven Muller Prema Dallara-Merc 2m16.570s + 1.413s 17. Emil Bernstorff Ma-con Dallara-VW 2m16.612s + 1.465s 18. Pascal Wehrlein Mucke Dallara-Merc 2m16.640s + 1.487s 19. Fahmi Ilyas Double R Dallara-Merc 2m16.681s + 1.534s 20. Geoff Uhrhane Double R Dallara-Merc 2m16.777s + 1.620s 21. Richard Bradley Carlin Dallara-VW 2m16.912s + 1.755s 22. Andrea Roda Jo Zeller Dallara-Merc 2m16.966s + 1.809s 23. Sandro Zeller Jo Zeller Dallara-Merc 2m17.503s + 2.346s 24. Lucas Wolf URD Dallara-Merc 2m17.792s + 2.635s 25. Adderly Fong CF Dallara-Mugen 2m17.826s + 2.669s 26. Spike Goddard T-Sport Dallara-Mugen 2m17.926s + 2.769s 27. Luis Sa Silva Angola Dallara-Merc 2m18.155s + 3.098s 28. Duvashen Padayachee Double R Dallara-Mugen 2m18.804s + 3.643s 29. Pedro Calbimonte T-Sport Dallara-Mugen 2m19.325s + 4.169s
© GP3 Media Services.
Television notes
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In a week that could define the 2012 GP3 Series season, young Kiwi Mitch Evans may have just laid his first fingers on the title trophy.
During a round utterly dominated by the safety car – both races !! – an average pair of finishes for series challenger Aaro Vainio dropped the Finn further behind, while Evans garnered a win, alongside an additional points finish.
Meanwhile Daniel Abt, Patric Niederhauser and Conor Daly continue to play themselves in as distant threats thanks to some strong results from the trio; however with the sixth of eight round coming this weekend, it may be just a little too late.
But before thoughts could go to Hungary, the field have first to travel to the Hockenheimring in Germany, for possibly the most testing race weekend since – well, the last one.
—-
Race One (July 21st)
Patric Niederhauser claimed his second GP3 Series win of the season, just nosing ahead of Lotus-rival Conor Daly, with Giovanni Venturini assuming 3rd spot.
Niederhauser enjoyed a great delivery of luck pre-race when a pre-race weather change fell into his lap. Unlike front row men Daniel Abt and Mitch Evans, Niederhauser took to the grid wearing Pirelli wet tyres rubber; however just as it appeared the as if the race would start in the dry, the skies opened up.
Having changed to slicks on the dummy grid, nine drivers would have no choice but to pit for wets as soon as possible.
It was a decision that would leave Abt fuming. The initial race distance was two laps – both behind the safety car – before the red flag was thrown. Abt reasoned that had he stayed on slicks while behind the safety car, he would have been able to take a “free” pitstop under red flag conditions.
Too late. As Abt and Evans withdrew to the pits at the end of the opening lap, Daly sailed – almost literally – into an unchallenged lead, before the race was brought to a halt and a ten-minute delay.
Once restarted, there would be a further seven laps under the safety car left the track, setting Niederhauser free to attack Daly. It was to be a short lived battle, with the Swiss racer creeping to Daly’s rear along the Parabolika and dicing past at the hairpin.
From there, the Jenzer Motorsport racer was swift in his craft, but Daly held close; however not even the American’s best efforts were enough to break Niederhauser – the Swiss pilot took the spoils by just seven-tenths after fourteen tours.
Daly, meanwhile, took the fastest on the final tour.
After a quiet event, Kevin Ceccon initially finished 3rd, only to take a 30-second post-race penalty for having a tyre change after the three-minute pre-race warning. The penalty dropped the Italian to 17th in the classifications, while also promoting Venturini to his maiden podium result.
Alex Brundle and Robert Visoiu were penalised for the same offence while running 6th and 7th; however they were excluded due to taking their respective drive through’s under safety car conditions.
Matias Laine held off a forceful Aaro Vainio and Tamas Pa’l Kiss to the flag for 4th, 5th and 6th respectively. Abt and Evans drove well to recover to 7th and 8th, while some stellar late race pace from Will Buller and Tio Ellinas gave them the final points places.
* {note 1}
Abt nabbed his first GP3 Series pole in emphatic style on Saturday morning. Indeed, the German national logged two lap times good enough for top spot. Abt led the early running, before being pipped by Daly and Evans; however the Lotus driver struck just prior to the chequered flag to secure pole. Evans registered 2nd, with Daly and Vainio on row two.
Marussia Manor pair Ellinas and Dmitry Suranovich both had their times deleted after failing a technical inspection dropping Ellinas from 4th to 23rd and Suranovich from 19th to 24th.
** {note 2}
Ellinas topped a free practice session disrupted by a power cut on Friday evening. The session, which had started wet, dried during the delay allowing drivers to set fairly representative times upon restart.
David Fumanelli, Vainio, Antonio Felix da Costa and Niederhauser made up the rest of the top five.
2012 GP3 Round of the Hockenheimring (Rd 5, Race 1, 14 laps)
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Patric Niederhauser Jenzer 45m51.078s
2. Conor Daly Lotus + 0.693s
3. Giovanni Venturini Trident + 8.841s
4. Matias Laine MW Arden + 11.353s
5. Aaro Vainio Lotus + 11.983s
6. Tamas Pal Kiss Atech CRS + 12.555s
7. Daniel Abt Lotus + 13.415s
8. Mitch Evans MW Arden + 13.983s
9. Will Buller Carlin + 14.205s
10. Tio Ellinas Manor + 18.564s
11. Robert Cregan Ocean + 22.297s
12. David Fumanelli MW Arden + 22.889s
13. Lewis Williamson Status + 24.264s
14. Vicky Piria Trident + 29.081s
15. Dmitry Suranovich Manor + 29.696s
16. Marlon Stockinger Status + 31.067s
17. Kevin Ceccon Ocean + 5.361s+
18. Ethan Ringel Atech CRS + 38.233s
19. Alice Powell Status + 42.018s
20. Carmen Jorda Ocean + 56.621s
DSQ. Alex Brundle Carlin + 29.303s++
DSQ. Robert Visoiu Jenzer + 42.719s++
Retirements:
Antonio Felix da Costa Carlin 9 laps
Fabiano Machado Manor 8 laps
+ Post-race penalty for changing tyres after three-minute warning.
++ Excluded for changing tyres after three-minute warning and taking initial penalty under safety car conditions.
Race Two (22nd)
Evans took race two from Abt in a Sunday morning sprint marred by two long safety car periods following a pair of very serious accidents.
Just a few corners into the second event, Vicky Piria launched over the rear of Robert Cregan at the turn six hairpin, before coming down hard into the sidepod of William Buller’s Carlin machine. Another minor hit followed, when Piria’s destroyed Trident car hit the ground and slid into the awaiting tyre barrier.
In the melee, Alice Powell collided with Status GP teammate Lewis Williamson, while Suranovich took the long way around the run off area to avoid flying cars, parts and miscellaneous debris. Kevin Ceccon, who entered corner alongside Piria way too fast, spun into the hairpin, narrowly missing the in flight Piria.
There were some tense minutes as Piria was extracted from her machine and taken to the medical unit.
After a nine lap safety car period, the restarted – albeit briefly. As the field entered its tenth tour, Fabiano Machado fell off the track at the Nordkurve, clumping a lump of grass as he returned to the circuit.
The clash with the green stuff sent the front of Machado’s Marussia Manor car airborne, eventually coming down hard near the pit exit. In some pain from the landing Machado was unable to climb from his chassis, with the Brazilian eventually needing assistance from the medical crew.
Neither suffered breaks, both were in great pain, with Piria staying in hospital overnight. Thankfully both have been cleared to race at the Hungaroring this weekend, despite their accidents.
There was a race for approximately two-and-a-half laps. Up front, Abt snatched the lead on the opening tour, just as Piria’s accident was unfolding in the lower rear of the pack. Evans to his credit took the lead back at the restart; however the action was cut short not long after due to Machado’s stranded machine.
A superb start from Conor Daly saw him jump from 6th to 3rd, ahead of Tamas Pa’l Kiss, Laine and Vainio. Ellinas made a terrific start from the fifth row to claim 7th, while a poor getaway dropped Venturini from 6th to 8th before the first safety car.
Race one victor Niederhauser missed out on the points, when Ellinas drew passed off the line.
*** {note 3}
The GP3 Series driver merry-go-round continued just prior to Hockenheim, with Williamson replacing Kotaro Sakurai at Status GP. After being dropped by the Red Bull junior driver programme last month, the Scot lost his Formula Renault 3.5 to GP3 regular da Costa.
Meanwhile, da Costa – who replaces Williamson in the cut-throat Red Bull programme – is set to continue in GP3 for the remainder of the season.
2012 GP3 Round of the Hockenheimring (Rd 5, Race 2, 15 laps)
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Mitch Evans MW Arden 30m14.349s
2. Daniel Abt Lotus + 0.428s
3. Conor Daly Lotus + 0.987s
4. Tamas Pal Kiss Atech CRS + 1.342s
5. Matias Laine MW Arden + 2.737s
6. Aaro Vainio Lotus + 2.917s
7. Tio Ellinas Manor + 3.086s
8. Giovanni Venturini Trident + 4.020s
9. Patric Niederhauser Jenzer + 5.553s
10. David Fumanelli MW Arden + 6.602s
11. Marlon Stockinger Status + 6.784s
12. Robert Visoiu Jenzer + 8.972s
13. Alex Brundle Carlin + 9.201s
14. Dmitry Suranovich Manor + 10.306s
15. Kevin Ceccon Ocean + 11.715s
16. Ethan Ringel Atech CRS + 12.218s
Retirements:
Carmen Jorda Ocean 10 laps
Fabiano Machado Manor 8 laps
Robert Cregan Ocean 5 laps
Alice Powell Status 0 laps
Will Buller Carlin 0 laps
Lewis Williamson Status 0 laps
Antonio Felix da Costa Carlin 0 laps
Vicky Piria Trident 0 laps
2012 GP3 Series points standings (Rd 5) Drivers' Championship Pos Driver Points 1. Mitch Evans 121 2. Aaro Vainio 103 3. Daniel Abt 76 4. Patric Niederhauser 75 5. Conor Daly 75 6. Matias Laine 60 7. Antonio Felix da Costa 58 8. Tio Ellinas 50 9. Kevin Ceccon 43 10. Marlon Stockinger 39 Teams' Championship Pos Team Points 1. Lotus GP 254 2. MW Arden 216 3. Jenzer Motorsport 97 4. Carlin 85 5. Marussia Manor 50
For those who follow the seriously lower rungs of feeder series motor racing, Ford UK have been releasing short highlight edits of the British Formula Ford season.
The championship, which reached its halfway point last month, has endured a difficult 2012 so far, thanks to low competitor numbers and a somewhat dominant Antti Buri leading the way.
Opening in April at Oulton Park, the spoils were shared between Buri, Jake Cook and Luke Williams, with Buri and Eric Lichtenstein sharing the victories at Brands Hatch Indy the following month.
Buri has won all six races in the time since, beginning with a dominant showing at Rockingham in June.
Two weeks later at Brands Hatch GB, the Finn added further Formula Ford success to his charts for 2012, ensuring Buri left the Kent circuit with 350 points – some 117 more than Cook, who currently resides in 2nd spot.
Julio Moreno and Cavan Corcoran are next up with 208 and 204 points respectively, while Williams is a single point shy of breaking the 200 mark.
So far Buri has taken 11 of the 12 pole positions on offer, with only Williams braking the sequence at Brands Hatch Indy.
The next round is at the Nurburgring next weekend, although the series returns to UK shores from August 4th-5th, with round six at the flat Snetterton circuit.
—-
Round 1 – Oulton Park
Round 2 – Brands Hatch Indy
Round 3 – Rockingham
Round 4 – Brands Hatch GB
Badger GP
This Sunday, the good folks at Badger GP will have a special live screening of the German Grand Prix from the Hockenheimring, with all proceeds going to charity.
Opening at 11am at the Roxy Bar and Screen on Borough High Street in London, the German Grand Prix is one of a series of charity events, culminating with a bicycle ride from Silverstone to Spa-Francorchamps next month.
In the run up to the Belgian Grand Prix, Adam Mills from Badger GP is joining “Team Ride2Spa”.
Leaving on August 27th, Mills will cycle some 400 miles from damp, miserable and misty Northamptonshire through to damp, miserable and foggy Francorchamps in just four days.
It is hoped at least £20,000 will be made for up to five charities.
Tickets for the German GP screening are being sold on a donation basis and are available right now from Badger GP’s homepage.
There will be further charity drives in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.
For more information and updates, follow @AdamMillsF1 and @Ride2Spa on Twitter or if you’re on Facebook, you can follow the whole team’s progress via the Ride2Spa Facebook page.
It will mark the third screening of the year for the rather epic Formula 1 fan site, which brought the Monaco Grand Prix to the big screen in May. They also opened the year by showing the Australian Grand Prix live in a special “breakfast” event.
All good fun and whatnot. Get your tickets for the German Grand Prix screening at the Roxy Bar and Screen on Borough High Street here.
Yesterday, Pirelli F1 tyre tester Lucas di Grassi released a marvellous on board video of a lap of the famous Spa-Francorchamps circuit – with a difference.
The ex-Virgin F1 racer lapped the circuit during a wet weather test with an inner helmet cam, situated a near eye-level.
Following the release of the video, the Brazilian noted on his official YouTube page that he:
“…had to drive with only one eye open as the camera was blocking my other eye, quite tricky.”
Although the tricky conditions meant di Grassi could not simply nail it, the video is still an impressive indication of the subtleties needed to pilot modern Formula 1 machinery.
With his wet Pirelli tyres struggling for grip, di Grassi can be seen having to make minor corrections at the wheel of a 2010-spec Renault R30 F1 car on a number of occasions – sometimes at speeds close to 250 kph. Di Grassi’s effort would be a tough task in the dry, let alone on Spa-Francorchamp’s notorious damp roads.
It proved to be an important test on a circuit that will continue to enjoy life at the top beyond this season, following reports that emerged last week indicating Spa-Francorchamps had signed a deal to keep the Belgian Grand Prix until 2015.
Initially, it was thought that the circuit might alternate its slot with France’s Paul Ricard circuit; however those talks collapsed following the recent elections in France.
According localised German news site, Die Rhein-Zeitung, the latest bid to save the world famous Nurburgring Nordschleife from bankruptsy may have collapsed.
For the past several years, the land containing the famed circuit has been mired in debt following an ill-thought out plan by investors, ‘Nurburgring Automotive GmbH’ (NAG), to turn part of the land into a leisure park.
This including building a hotel, shopping mall, event arena, kart track and – believe it or not – a roller coaster. Unfortunately many of the features have remained vacant, while the roller coaster was soon closed following safety concerns.
The operation has left the Nurburgring hugely in debt to the state of Rhineland Palatinate, with some €330 million owed to the state bank and an additional €83 million having come from share holders. Since the beginning of the fallout in 2009, allegations of fraud have also been levelled at members of NAG and the local government.
A study for the state by UK-based accountancy firm Ernst & Young valued the complex at “only” €126 million.
Attempts to save the ‘Ring have so far proved fruitless and yesterday, the Nurburgring took another hit when a plea to the EU Brussels for a regional bailout grant of €13 million was discarded. An additional plea for a suspension of interest payments on the debt was also refused.
In recent months, the local government appear either unwilling or unable to maintain the debt and with control no longer in their hands, administration proceedings will decide the next step for the Nurburgring.
One of the world’s oldest and most prestigious circuits, the Nurburgring has played host to some of the greatest races in motor racing history since its inauguration in 1927.
Nick-named “The Green Hell” by Sir Jackie Stewart, the Nurburgring’s original layout proved not only to be tough animal, but also a dangerous one that nearly claimed the life of Niki Lauda during the 1976 German Grand Prix.
The German Grand Prix still visits the current Nurburgring layout every two years, with the next Formula 1 race during in 2013; however it is unclear how the latest events will affect operations beyond the end of this season.
An ongoing campaign called “Save The Ring” has been in operation since 2009 – the site can be found here.
This news comes of days after German manufacturer Audi broke the lap record for an electric car at the circuit. The Audi R8 e-tron, driven by Markus Winkelhock, lapped the mammoth track in 8:09.099 minutes, backed up by an output of 280 kW.
It compares to a record 7:11.57 minutes for a production car with a combustion engine, achieved by Gumpert Apollo Sport, powered by a 700PS Audi V8 petrol engine. Production for the Audi R8 e-tron begins later this year.
© GP3 Media Services.
The opening test for the second generation GP3 car got underway at France’s Magny Cours circuit last week.
It follows on from the initial shakedown run at the Autodromo Ricardo Paletti in Vairano, Italy at the beginning of the month.
Starting with engine and gearbox management, the new car – titled the GP3/13 – pounded around the French circuit for two days, with series test driver – former GP2 racer – Ben Hanley at the controls.
Future tests will set to determine car performance strategies, with a focus on aerodynamics and weight distribution, ensuring that wind tunnel figures match’s data collected on track.
Renault are to remain the sole engine supplier for the series, although power output will receive a significant boost.
Current GP3 machinery utilise 2.0 litre I4 engine units with 280hp; however this is to be upped to V6 motors with approximately 400hp. It is believed the extra power could take up to three seconds off of lap times* at “standard circuits”.
The new car also sounds a hell of lot better than the series’ current machine, which sounds much like a lawnmower with a headache.
Aside from the power units, the new car will come with an updated engine cover and sidepods, while the nose of the GP3/13 car will also see some modifications.
The GP3/13 will be officially unveiled at the finale of the current season at Monza.
* {note 1}
No tests have been carried out on current tracks, so any notes about laptimes are likely to be complete nonsense.
© Scuderia Coloni
TheMotorsportArchive.com contacted a spokesperson from Scuderia Coloni regarding the team’s potential move to the IndyCar Series in 2013.
From their base in Perugia in central Italy, the spokesperson revealed that the team have:
“…just started talking with [IndyCar].”
Following their recent fall out with the GP2 Series, Scuderia Coloni are aiming to maintain a relatively high profile within motorsport’s single seater divisions and the team see IndyCar as the right fit.
“You have to consider that Coloni raced in Formula 1 and then always raced in the top tier single seater series – Formula 3000 and then GP2, so there are not many series’ that Coloni can go to, that are up to the Coloni pedigree.
IndyCar is a top-notch category and we would be interested in that.”
However, Scuderia Coloni have also been keen to press home the fact that talks are still in their early stages.
“We made a first contact with them and they took note of our interest in the series and told us that they would be keen to have an Italian team in the championship.
For the moment, there is nothing more than that. We are taking it into consideration, but it is just first contact for now.”
With the current IndyCar season beginning to draw to a close, Scuderia Coloni may need to act fast to ready in time for 2013 should they choose to enter.
© Scuderia Coloni
An interesting rumour popped up the Italian media today regarding the future direction of Scuderia Coloni.
Motorinside.it today revealed that the team may possibly make a jump to the IndyCar Series for the 2013 season, with a possible seat for ex-GP2 driver Luca Filippi.
Should the company move to IndyCar, it will be a remarkable step for the company, marking their first time running a full package in a US-based series.
It is not beyond the realms of possibility that a collaborative effort with an existing team is also on the table.
(For a definition of conjecture, please see here.)
Coloni also run the Auto GP World Series, although that championship – something of a leftfield F1 feeder category – are set to be introducing new cars for next year to replace the ageing A1GP chassis they currently run. The company are reportedly still in talks with potential manufacturers.
Coloni recently had a falling out with the GP2 Series, with series organisers announcing at Silverstone that Scuderia Coloni will not be returning to the championship next year. Coloni have also forfeited all points earned in GP2 this year.
Previously, Coloni have taken part in Superleague, Formula 3000 and Formula 3. They also had a five year stint in Formula 1 from 1987-1991, but only qualified 14 times out of 82 attempts, including a period in 1990 when Bertrand Gachot failed to qualify for a single Grand Prix. The team ran one car between Pedro Chaves and Naoki Hattori in their final season, but again never made a race.
It must be added, it’s not something I expected to hear from the Italian camp, but let’s see if it actually happens.
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*For updates on this story, check out “Scuderia Coloni: ‘talks with IndyCar just started’”
© GP3 Media Services.
Mitch Evans leads the 2012 GP3 Series at the halfway point, but where the Kiwi found success in Barcelona and Valencia, Silverstone was a little less forgiving.
Evans – now on 100 points following a decent haul in the Saturday event – heads Finnish rival Aaro Vainio by 11 points; however Vainio too could not make the most of the dour British summertime.
Indeed, it was new Red Bull junior driver Antonio Felix da Costa and ex-Formula 3 racer Will Buller who took the spoils, with the latter doing so in dramatic style. Both remain a long way behind the leading pair.
Yet this is only the halfway point. There are still four more rounds till to go before the close of season in September…
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Television Notes
Race One
A startling opening lap from Red Bull’s latest young driver Antonio Felix da Costa played a central part in the Carlin driver’s first GP3 win of the season.
Lining up 3rd on the grid, the Portuguese runner took advantage of a poor getaway by poleman Mitch Evans, while fellow front row pilot Aaro Vainio struggled to pull away from the damp side of the grid.
Evans’ lead was short-lived. Feeling his way around dry/moist racing line, da Costa drew past the Kiwi through Village, grabbing the top spot. Initially Evans kept within sight of da Costa, but as the race aged, a super confident da Costa grafted a healthy gap to the runner-up, eventually taking the win by 7.062 seconds.
Evans was lucky to hold 2nd spot over title rival Vainio. The Finn lost out to the leading pair in the opening tours, only to reel Evans in as the race closed; however Vainio fell short – some 1.7 seconds short – of taking the MW Arden racer.
Vainio fronted a trio of Lotus machines on the lap charts, with teammates Daniel Abt (4th) and Conor Daly (5th). For Abt, the event was mostly quiet – after passing Matias Laine off the line, the German racer held his ground to take some much needed points.
Meanwhile Daly started 13th, but was already 10th by the end of lap one. Further moves on Kotaro Sakurai (lap 2), Kevin Ceccon and Alex Brundle (both lap 3), Laine (lap 5) and Tio Ellinas (lap 6) was enough to give the American a satisfactory 5th spot. A last lap error nearly lost Daly 5th to Ellinas, but the American recovered to finish 0.169 seconds up on the Manor racer.
From the fifth row, Ellinas also cut through the same pack as Daly, only to make a mistake in Woodcote to let the Lotus through. Brundle came home 7th after a near race long battle with Ceccon, Laine (rueing an early error that lost him several spots), Patric Niederhauser, Tamas Pa’l Kiss and Sakurai ended in favour of the Carlin man.
* {note 1}
Evans picked up vital points when he pipped Vainio to pole position. The Kiwi headed his Finnish rival by three-tenths, with da Costa and Laine close behind.
David Fumanelli qualified but did not start either race, while Carmon Jorda became to first driver to GP3 history to not be allowed to run after she got nowhere near the 107% cut-off during either practice or qualifying.
2012 GP3 Round of Silverstone (Rd 4, Race 1, 14 laps)
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Antonio Felix da Costa Carlin 27m14.410s
2. Mitch Evans MW Arden + 7.062s
3. Aaro Vainio Lotus + 8.783s
4. Daniel Abt Lotus + 16.136s
5. Conor Daly Lotus + 22.156s
6. Tio Ellinas Manor + 22.325s
7. Alex Brundle Carlin + 38.448s
8. Kevin Ceccon Ocean + 41.719s
9. Matias Laine MW Arden + 42.314s
10. Patric Niederhauser Jenzer + 44.489s
11. Tamas Pal Kiss Atech CRS + 53.795s
12. Robert Visoiu Jenzer + 1m00.061s
13. Giovanni Venturini Trident + 1m02.451s
14. Facu Regalia Jenzer + 1m03.081s
15. Kotaro Sakurai Status + 1m05.140s
16. Marlon Stockinger Status + 1m12.707s
17. Alice Powell Status + 1m26.048s
18. Vicky Piria Trident + 1m34.318s
19. Fabiano Machado Manor + 1m38.754s
20. Robert Cregan Ocean + 1m39.170s
21. Antonio Spavone Trident + 1m39.960s
22. Dmitry Suranovich Manor + 1m40.812s
23. Fabio Gamberini Atech CRS + 1 lap
Retirements:
Ethen Ringel Atech CRS 2 laps
Will Buller Carlin 0 laps
Race Two
Will Buller claimed a stunning race two victory at Silverstone on Sunday morning, thanks to some clever tyre strategy and a marvellous driver from last on the grid.
The Northern Ireland man was one of a few who opted to start on slicks on a still partially damp track in the hope the surface would dry out completely. Daly, Abt and Brundle also decided on the leftfield tyre choice; however early race stumbles hindered their progress.
Despite the back end of the Silverstone layout remaining gripless, Buller found just enough dry surface from Chapel Curve to Brooklands to garner some early positions. From there, Buller held steady as those around him either pitted for dries or stayed on wets, no doubt hoping for the best.
By the ninth lap of fourteen, Buller was 3rd and soon had the wet shod Robert Visoiu for 2nd place. Race leader Niederhauser – also on ageing wets – had little chance against the speedy Buller. As lap nine became ten, Buller was lapping seven seconds quicker than Niederhauser, yet only four behind his Swiss rival.
The former was still decisive and sliced by Niederhauser – and the win – as the pulled through Chapel.
Within two laps Daly had done the same; however Buller was far too far ahead to even consider challenging for the win. The American was delighted with his podium – having started 4th, the Lotus man dropped to 17th on the slick surface, eventually falling behind Buller by the one-third mark.
Niederhauser had made enough time to keep 3rd, although he could be forgiven for being disappointed considering his drive to the lead early on. With wets bolted on, Niederhauser was imperious – and did well to make them last – but as race aged, the rubber burned quickly and the grip fell away.
Come the flag, the Jenzer racer had dropped thirty seconds to the race winner.
Ellinas and Visoiu enjoyed similar races to Niederhauser – both climbed high, before dropping to 4th and 5th respectively. Indeed Ellinas led during the early stages, before being usurped by the speedy Niederhauser. Starting down in 15, Visoiu rose to 6th by lap four, but was 2nd by lap nine until Buller charged by unchallenged.
Da Costa and Ceccon both ran near the top in the opening tours before tearing through their Pirelli wet’s late on.
Hats off to Fabio Gamberini – in his first race weekend of 2012, the Brazilian jumped straight into a GP3 machine, nabbing the final point in Sunday sprint. Gamberini pitted at the end of the parade lap for dries – a tactical change that propelled the Atech CRS man to 8th come the flag.
2012 GP3 Round of Silverstone (Rd 4, Race 2, 14 laps)
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Will Buller Carlin 29m49.526s
2. Conor Daly Lotus + 8.577s
3. Patric Niederhauser Jenzer + 30.017s
4. Tio Ellinas Manor + 37.529s
5. Robert Visoiu Jenzer + 52.038s
6. Antonio Felix da Costa Carlin + 1m03.722s
7. Kevin Ceccon Ocean + 1m05.954s
8. Fabio Gamberini Atech CRS + 1m06.482s
9. Fabiano Machado Manor + 1m07.321s
10. Alex Brundle Carlin + 1m20.941s
11. Mitch Evans MW Arden + 1m22.894s
12. Facu Regalia Jenzer + 1m23.503s
13. Kotaro Sakurai Status + 1m24.283s
14. Tamas Pal Kiss Atech CRS + 1m28.143s
15. Robert Cregan Ocean + 1m44.079s
16. Giovanni Venturini Trident + 1m52.403s
17. Ethen Ringel Atech CRS + 1m54.151s
18. Matias Laine Lotus + 1 lap
19. Antonio Spavone Trident + 1 lap
Retirements:
Dmitry Suranovich Manor 12 laps
Vicky Piria Trident 12 laps
Daniel Abt Lotus 11 laps
Marlon Stockinger Status 11 laps
Aaro Vainio Lotus 11 laps
Alice Powell Status 9 laps
© GP2 Media Services.
Television Notes
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A damp Silverstone proved to be far kinder to Davide Valsecchi’s title hopes than the sunny Valencia.
After a spell of indifferent to poor results, the Italian pulled a podium out of the bag to restart his title campaign, but only after his chief rival Luiz Razia claimed another victory.
Suddenly, the tide has changed and it is Razia who leads going into the next round in Germany.
Beyond that, Esteban Gutierrez continues to patch together his fractured season with another lucky victory, but behind luck lays skill and good timing. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being in the right place at the right time, don’t you know…?
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Feature Race
Luck doesn’t seem to be in short supply for Esteban Gutierrez. The Mexican chanced upon a dose of the stuff at a wet Silverstone on Saturday.
Just as he was in Valencia, Gutierrez was running in 2nd; when a safety car period changed the face of the race on lap twenty. Up until that point the feature had belonged to Fabio Leimer, as he spent much of the running escaping from Johnny Cecotto Jr and Jolyon Palmer.
Gutierrez was glued to Palmer for much of the event, with Cecotto not far ahead; however slick work by the Lotus pitcrew on lap 16 (they only changed left-hand side tyres) propelled the Mexican into a net 2nd.
Leimer’s lead – just over 7 seconds prior to the leading stops – would be swept aside when James Calado’s stricken Lotus (near the exit of the pits thanks to a broken gearbox) was deemed to be in a dangerous position.
Having not yet stopped, Leimer’s race was essentially thrown away. His lead gone and a mandatory tyre change due, the Swiss racer would eventually fall to the lower midpack, handing an easy lead to Gutierrez.
Not that the Mexican minded. He probably could have done without the second safety car when an ill-advisedly slick shod Stefano Coletti spun inconveniently at the exit of Becketts.
His stranded machine would also neutralise proceedings, but when the green flag re-emerged with two tours remaining, there was no stopping Gutierrez. Although the Lotus racer had some solid pace, luck was once again on his side. As the race closed, Gutierrez also nabbed the fastest lap.
Cecotto could be reasonably happy with the runner-up spot. The Barwa Addax driver did well to hold his own against a charging Palmer / Gutierrez, although the Venezuelan was clearly second best to Leimer in the wet conditions. Palmer, too, picked up another podium – his second of the season.
Nigel Melker raced to 4th after starting 8th. The Dutch pilot leapt away at the first green flag, with moves on Luiz Razia and Max Chilton signalling his intent.
As Leimer and Calado fell away, the Ocean racing Technology man drew to 4th place and his first points of the season, although Melker had to fight for it late on, as Razia made a late charge for the top four.
Not only did Razia take a credible 5th, the finish also garnered the Arden driver the championship lead; however the drives of the race belonged to DAMS’ pilots, Felipe Nasr (6th) and Razia’s series rival Davide Valsecchi (7th). Despite starting* 23rd (Nasr) and 25th (Valsecchi), both pitted very early and dragged their Pirelli’s until the end, climbing the order through strategy and sheer aggressive overtaking.
Giedo van der Garde assumed 8th and the Sprint Race pole, helped somewhat by a lightning start from 18th (taking six places in three laps), while Chilton fell backward to 9th. Rio Haryanto assumed the final point for Carlin.
The action wasn’t all at the front though, thanks to some embarrassment in the midpack at the beginning. So wet was the track, the race began under safety car; however that didn’t stop Daniel de Jong from clattering into the back of Rodolfo Gonzalez at Copse, essentially taking both out of the running.
* {note 1}
Leimer grabbed pole in a messy qualifying session. Starting out very wet, the session dried up somewhat as the minutes progressed, but it was the Swiss national who grasped the changing conditions best with a fastest nearly one second quicker than Cecotto Jr (2nd) and Palmer (3rd).
Nasr, Valsecchi, Ericsson and Coletti all had their times deleted when they ran out of fuel on track, with the Ericsson / Coletti stoppage bringing out a red flag.
2012 GP2 Round of Britain (Rd 7, Feature Race, 25 laps)
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Esteban Gutierrez Lotus 1h00m22.657s
2. Johnny Cecotto Addax + 1.700s
3. Jolyon Palmer iSport + 5.257s
4. Nigel Melker Ocean + 6.368s
5. Luiz Razia Arden + 6.523s
6. Felipe Nasr DAMS + 7.552s
7. Davide Valsecchi DAMS + 9.051s
8. Giedo van der Garde Caterham + 9.841s
9. Max Chilton Carlin + 11.116s
10. Rio Haryanto Carlin + 11.958s
11. Fabrizio Crestani Lazarus + 12.130s
12. Nathanael Berthon Racing Engineering + 12.843s
13. Stephane Richelmi Trident + 15.701s
14. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering + 16.421s
15. Simon Trummer Arden + 16.818s
16. Josef Kral Addax + 17.833s
17. Victor Guerin Ocean + 18.167s
18. Ricardo Teixeira Rapax + 23.183s
19. Giancarlo Serenelli Lazarus + 24.345s
20. Fabio Onidi Coloni + 14.982s*
21. Julian Leal Trident + 38.351s
22. Marcus Ericsson iSport + 39.831s
23. Rodolfo Gonzalez Caterham + 2 laps
Retirements:
Stefano Coletti Coloni 20 laps
James Calado Lotus 17 laps
Daniel de Jong Rapax 1 lap
*10-second penalty for passing safety car.
Sprint Race
Razia solidified his position at the top of the GP2 points standings with an emphatic victory in the Sprint Race. In moist conditions, the Brazilian launched away from 4th on the grid, nabbing Valsecchi on the opening lap around the outside Stowe – a statement if ever.
Such was Razia’s determination, the Arden racer had chased down the fast starting Nasr as the second lap unravelled, this time forcing a way by in Brooklands. By the time field powered through Stowe, the Brazilian was leading, having disposed of the difficult van der Garde.
Not that Razia simply ran away with the race. Nasr too had dispatched van der Garde and pressing his countryman and even retaking the lead – if only for a moment – on the eighth lap as the pair see-sawed their way through Village.
For Nasr, his opportunity had been missed. Ever light on his Pirelli’s in the opening third, Razia’s tyres appeared content; Nasr’s fronts however were choppy from the attack – their bite point had passed.
Also suffering from dire tyre wear was van der Garde – something made ever more apparent when Valsecchi merely brushed the Caterham racer aside on lap 8.
Where Razia lifted off to maintain his rubber, Nasr fell to ward the clutches of the feisty Valsecchi and eventually dropped behind his Italian teammate after 14 tours. Valsecchi set off after the new points leader, but he too had taken too much out of his Pirelli’s to mount a decisive challenge, although he had Razia worried for a time.
When the 21-lap distance finally passed, the gap had spread to 5.642 seconds, gifting the ebullient Razia a six-point advantage going toward the next round at the Hockenheimring.
Nasr maintained an excellent 3rd, but managed to just stay ahead of the chaos in his mirrors. Ever present throughout the race was Cecotto Jr – the Venezuelan powered into the top five from 7th, although that became 4th as van der Garde’s pace evaporated completely.
Another to benefit was race one victor Gutierrez. An indifferent start from 8th kept the Mexican stifled for several laps; however an early move on Fabrizio Crestani brought the Lotus racer to the rear of group suffering behind van der Garde. His grip gone, the Dutch pilot held a long, tough defence against Cecotto, Melker, and Gutierrez, while Palmer toggled along.
Urgency kicked Cecotto passed van der Garde early on, but Melker proved less forceful – to his cost. Delayed by the Caterham racer, Gutierrez scythed by Melker on lap 13 and took van der Garde for good measure a lap later.
Uncorked, Cecotto and Gutierrez chased a gripless Nasr; catching the Brazilian for a final three lap battle. Like Melker before him, Cecotto could not force the issue with Nasr, but Gutierrez was not as shy, grabbing 4th at the end of lap 19.
From here, it all went disastrously wrong for Gutierrez. Attempting a similar move on Nasr at Club one lap saw the Lotus man run wide and drop back behind Cecotto, forcing the Mexican to try a ridiculous last ditch move on Cecotto on the final lap at Stowe.
Unable to get around the outside of Cecotto, Gutierrez flew back on track at Club, slamming Cecotto and taking him out.
Gutierrez took 4th, but gained a ten-place grid penalty for the next round – not that Cecotto cared.
Meanwhile Palmer sliced by Melker to assume 5th, while van der Garde’s pace fell off the face of the Earth, allowing Marcus Ericsson into 7th and Fabio Onidi up to 8th.
That was not the end of the action. Going for the final point on the penultimate lap also saw Calado loses his senses when he tried a move around the outside of Chilton through Maggots – both fell off to no one’s surprise, garnering Calado a ten-place grid penalty for Germany.
2012 GP2 Round of Britain (Rd 7, Sprint Race, 21 laps)
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Luiz Razia Arden 37m28.656s
2. Davide Valsecchi DAMS + 5.642s
3. Felipe Nasr DAMS + 17.775s
4. Esteban Gutierrez Lotus + 19.969s
5. Jolyon Palmer iSport + 25.869s
6. Nigel Melker Ocean + 28.600s
7. Marcus Ericsson iSport + 31.980s
8. Fabio Onidi Coloni + 35.797s
9. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering + 38.127s
10. Josef Kral Addax + 40.378s
11. Simon Trummer Arden + 40.533s
12. Rio Haryanto Carlin + 48.471s
13. Daniel de Jong Rapax + 54.161s
14. Nathanael Berthon Racing Engineering + 54.643s
15. Ricardo Teixeira Rapax + 1m15.967s
16. Giancarlo Serenelli Lazarus + 1m17.971s
17. Julian Leal Trident + 1m30.456s
Retirements:
Johnny Cecotto Addax 20 laps
Max Chilton Carlin 19 laps
James Calado Lotus 19 laps
Giedo van der Garde Caterham 19 laps
Fabrizio Crestani Lazarus 19 laps
Rodolfo Gonzalez Caterham 3 laps
Stephane Richelmi Trident 0 laps
Stefano Coletti Coloni 0 laps
Victor Guerin Ocean 0 laps
2012 GP2 Series points standings (Round 7) Drivers’ Championship Pos Driver Points 1. Luiz Razia 165 2. Davide Valsecchi 159 3. Esteban Gutierrez 122 4. James Calado 95 5. Max Chilton 95 6. Giedo van der Garde 93 7. Fabio Leimer 69 8. Marcus Ericsson 56 9. Johnny Cecotto Jr 49 10. Jolyon Palmer 48 Teams’ Championship Pos Team Points 1. Lotus GP 217 2. DAMS 205 3. Arden International 169 4. Carlin 122 5. Racing Engineering 110
In a weekend of astonishing feats and drives, Formula Renault 2.0 NEC racer Jeroen Slaghekke takes the biscuit with a fabulous piece of high speed creative thinking.
The 20-year-old Dutch racer was suffering from electrical issues during a race at Oschersleben in Germany, when he chanced upon a novel solution.
On a whim, the van Amersfoort driver removed the steering wheel – automatically resetting the controls, before quickly replacing the wheel. To complicate matters somewhat, Slaghekke did all of this at racing speed.
Thankfully all was well for Slaghekke, who ended the weekend with three top-six finishes. He now resides 5th in the championship standings, some 62 points adrift of points leader Jake Dennis.
When it comes to engaging younger fans, Formula One has made a very poor show of itself in recent years.
An unwillingness to collaborate with television, the internet or the film industry has seen the sport fall away from young eyes, as its existing fan base continues to age.
This week, one team in the sport took one small step to addressing that issue with the launch of a brand new media company – McLaren Animation.
Teaming up with top CGI animation studio Framestore, the new project is to release twelve three-minute videos, depicting the camaraderie and partnership between McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button in various adventures as they fight for the Formula 1 World Championship.
Entitled “Tooned”, the venture is to focus on creating high-end content as part of a new marketing strategy for the Woking-based squad – or so says the press release.
Launched earlier today, the first episode of the dozen – called “Wheel Nuts” – sees Button win a coin toss to test the latest modifications on the McLaren F1 car as developed by “Professor M”, voiced by Alexander Armstrong. Meanwhile, a disapproving Hamilton gives chase in golf cart with humorous results.
For more about it, watch the video at the bottom of this post.
Who knew McLaren had a sense of humour?
TheMotorsportArchive.com 