“Notes: Paid Extras”

Sometimes, paying above the odds will get you extras that will take you beyond your rivals. It may not always be fair, but it rarely ever is. "It wasn't unusual for some additional one-upmanship to occur behind the scenes [in junior formulae]. Even though all drivers could pay the same amount of money to teams, … Continue reading “Notes: Paid Extras”

“The Joy and Realities of Crohn’s Disease, Amidst Thoughts for Jonny Edgar”

Become a Patron! When news broke that Red Bull junior driver Jonny Edgar was being forced to sacrifice his Formula 3 campaign with Trident due to his worsening Crohn’s disease, a very real pang of sympathy came across me. And I should know all about it. It’s been here with me for over thirty years. … Continue reading “The Joy and Realities of Crohn’s Disease, Amidst Thoughts for Jonny Edgar”

“A Grand Portimão Cop-Out”

Of the drivers competing at this weekend's Portuguese Grand Prix, Lance Stroll, Antonio Giovinazzi, Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Alex Albon all raced there in F3 in early September 2015. Yet despite the nods to it in various record books and websites, none of the above group managed to race on the Grand Prix layout … Continue reading “A Grand Portimão Cop-Out”

“Belated Thoughts on the W Series”

Last year’s launch of the W Series was dominated by plenty of criticism, plaudits and discussion – but with the first season completed, did the concept stand up? “So, what did you make of it all?” There’s nothing quite like being put on that spot, particularly when it comes from one of the leading behind-the-scenes … Continue reading “Belated Thoughts on the W Series”

“A Misunderstood Question”

‘What are your expectations for the season ahead?’ (or variations thereof). It is a question that I despise and there are certainly better ways of asking it, but no matter what, it is a very clumsy query that make me curl up inside. Season preview guides are often vacuous efforts, that recall past results and … Continue reading “A Misunderstood Question”

“Thoughts on Pascal Wehrlein, the Norisring and Weird Regulations”

Pascal Wehrlein is a reasonably tall chap. Maybe not overly so in the grand scheme of the human race, but in the realm of racing drivers, he is quite tall. Upon meeting, he would stand not too far shy of my 6’1” frame, whereas a great many racers fall somewhere in the 5’6”-5’8” region. And … Continue reading “Thoughts on Pascal Wehrlein, the Norisring and Weird Regulations”

“FIA F3: Norris takes Monza opener”

Lando Norris took his 2nd win of the FIA European Formula 3 Championship at Monza this morning, winning out following a frantic battle with Carlin teammate Jehan Daruvala. Ferdinand Habsburg made it a Carlin 1-2-3 following his own tight fight with Joel Eriksson, Guan Yu Zhou, Mick Schumacher, Jake Dennis and Callum Ilott.

“Rewriting the Formula 3 Concept”

Last July, at a small press conference at Spa-Francorchamps, the Director of Racing Activities for the FIA revealed several measures designed to tackle the increasingly thorny issue of rising costs and a perception of a lack of competitiveness in the European Formula 3 Championship

“A Brief Story About Antonio Giovinazzi”

Antonio Giovinazzi’s late call-up for Sauber for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix was certainly a surprise, particularly given the reasons for which Pascal Wehrlein was withdrawn. But had one told the Italian about his Formula One less than two years ago, it is doubtful whether he would have believed it. During the early stages of … Continue reading “A Brief Story About Antonio Giovinazzi”

“Costing a Season of European Formula 3”

Something came up during the week that at first I assumed would be pretty simple to throw together. A conversation on Twitter between Sam Collins of Racecar Engineering Magazine and fellow user Davin Sturdivant was brought to my attention when it turned to costs and the nature of the regulations and how their framework affects engineers – or potential engineers. The latter will be addressed in another post, but touch on the former. Admittedly the more I thought about it, the more I realised that I either did not have the answer or did not have up-to-date answers.

“FIAF3: Stroll in the park for Lance”

Newly crowned FIA European F3 Champion Lance Stroll secured his second race win of the weekend in stellar style, finishing nearly eight seconds ahead of George Russell and another two ahead of Callum Ilott. The Prema Powerteam man led from the off, while Russell and Ilott fought over the runner-up prize into the opening corners. … Continue reading “FIAF3: Stroll in the park for Lance”

“FIA F3: Stroll takes race and championship at Imola”

Prema Powerteam’s Lance Stroll claimed both race two and the FIA European Championship crown at Imola this afternoon. Joel Eriksson continued his solid run to finish 2nd, while George Russell extended his lead over Nick Cassidy in the battle for 3rd in the standings. Starting from pole, the Canadian teenager eased into a comfortable lead … Continue reading “FIA F3: Stroll takes race and championship at Imola”

“FIA F3: Kari steals maiden win at Imola”

Red Bull Junior driver Niko Kari took his first FIA European F3 race victory at Imola today thanks to a wonderful move around Lance Stroll. Stroll, who led for much of the race, took 2nd place, with Joel Eriksson not far behind in 3rd spot. The Finn started from the front roll and initially chased … Continue reading “FIA F3: Kari steals maiden win at Imola”

“FIA F3: Eriksson finally claims maiden win”

Swedish racer Joel Eriksson finally claimed his maiden FIA European F3 victory at Spa-Francorchamps today. In a dominant display, Eriksson headed Anthoine Hubert (van Amersfoort) for the duration, while George Russell (Hitech GP) outfought Prema Powerteam’s Lance Stroll to the final podium place.