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  • Motorsport gaming in 2017: a look ahead

     

    Gaming is one of the most talked about things in the world, and with the annual global gaming event E3 just around the corner, we felt it was time to look at the gaming market for motorsport. Whilst the Pit Crew Online largely focuses on the real-life view of racing, we felt it was time to broaden our horizons and look at the electronic view too. 2017 looks like a fantastic year for games, so stay tuned for some reviews throughout the calendar year, but here are a few to keep an eye out for.

    DiRT 4:

    Developer: Codemasters
    Publisher: Codemasters
    Release Date: 9 June 2017

    DiRT 4 is the twelfth edition of the evolved Colin McRae Rally series, being the sixth game in the series to have the DiRT title. Focused on rallying as from the late great Colin McRae it carries on this with asphalt, dirt and snow with different weather conditions. This year DiRT and Codemasters have gained the FIA RallyCross Championship license, and Norwegian Rally/Rallycross expert Petter Solberg has been helping them with the handling model. Unfortunately it doesn’t have any aspects of the current World Rally Championship but has many cars across the last 30 years. The game is about to be released, so stay tuned for a review in the forthcoming days.

    MotoGP 17:

    Developer: Milestone S.R.L
    Publisher: Milestone S.R.L
    Release Date: 15 June 2017

    Building upon the release of Valentino Rossi: The Game in 2016, Milestone is back with MotoGP 17. Having had the official contract since 2013 this is Milestone’s fifth annual release, which concentrates on the three series of Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP, as well as the feeder series before Moto3, the Red Bull Rookies. You can see that this has one career mode not for the faint-hearted. It has many legendary bikes and riders from throughout the years in the game too. Milestone are well renowned for their Superbike gaming, and the game has come leaps and bounds, with now 60 FPS (frames per second) and authentic sounding bikes it most definitely looks like the best one yet.

    F1 2017:

    Developer: Codemasters
    Publisher: Codemasters
    Release Date: 25 August 2017

    Codemasters are one of the biggest players in the racing game market, with many series to their name, and the official Formula 1 video game is another in their locker. Taking the series to new heights ever since 2009 on the Wii, and 2010 on other consoles the game year upon year looks more stunning and has a breath of fresh air over it. This year Codemasters have gone retro, and gone back through the years to classic cars, a first since 2013. They have finally managed to get the iconic McLaren MP4/4 and listening to the scream of that engine up the hill of Monaco will sound beautiful. They currently have agreed on 12 cars in that classic selection and most recently announced the Red Bull RB6, with which Sebastian Vettel won his first Championship. Known for its great depth in career and balance online racing Codemasters look like they are raising the series to even greater heights than before.

    Project CARS 2:

    Developer: Slightly Mad Studios
    Publisher: Slightly Mad Studios
    Release Date: 22 September 2017

    Slightly Mad Studios are back, with their second installment in the series, aptly named Project CARS 2. Slightly Mad are in one competitive market with the likes of Forza and Gran Turismo, serious realistic driving simulators, that have been doing it for many years. They have reviewed the first game as a success and didn’t hesitate on announcing that they were working on a second game. The Indy 500 was very popular this year due to Fernando Alonso taking part. They have lucratively managed to get licensing for Dallara Honda/Chevorlet 2016 Indycars, mixing with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, making them the only game that could theoretically do the Indy 500 in. This franchise doesn’t do things half-baked, with an estimated 150+ cars on launch and 60+ tracks, many licensed whilst some improvised versions of tracks they failed to get licensing for.

    Gran Turismo Sport:

    Developer: Polyphony Digital
    Publisher: Sony Interactive
    Release Date: TBC (Originally Early 2017)

    Polyphony are racing simulator gods, returning for the thirteenth time using the Gran Turismo name first used back in 1997. Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport are the two giants in the racing simulation world, albeit locked to a console each—Gran Turismo being a Playstation exclusive whilst Forza is a Microsoft exclusive. It has a major partnership with the FIA, official Gran Turismo FIA Championships are taking place, as a result winners will be invited to their annual prize awards in Paris. eSports is something that is evolving and growing, and they have jumped on the opportunity especially with such a lucrative deal. A much more compact version of recent Gran Turismo games in terms of concentrating on three game modes on/offline, focusing on the core of the game, which is the racing. EA, more known for their sports games, lost the rights to a Porsche deal, so will be a first that the German manufacturer will be in the franchise. Polyphony are known for their delay in releasing games, as of yet we still have no idea of release date.

    Others:

    So far, Forza have yet to show their hand: their last release, Forza Horizon 3, was September 2016, so it seems some news is due on a new game, as they have annually been releasing since 2011’s Forza Motorsport 4. E3 is traditionally the big gaming event of the year, and each time Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo take the stage for a few hours showing off what is to look forward to in the year ahead of their consoles. We wouldn’t put it past Microsoft announcing something when the stage is theirs.

    Codemasters are at it again, albeit with a more fun and friendly racing game, not as hardcore as their Dirt and Formula 1 games. Micro Machines World Series, the original creators of the franchise releasing a first game since 2006 having a more relaxed version of racing. Racing amongst pool tables and breakfast in attempt to wipe your friends and rivals off the map looks like a right laugh—although for the competitive people amongst you, there are also world championships to take part in.

    The Pit Crew across the future will be looking at the big upcoming games, and future games that are announced to not only bring you the news of current motorsport news, but how you could possibly recreate it in your own living room.

    Chris Lord, F1 Correspondent
    8 June 2017

  • DiRT 4 Review

    June 11, 2017

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    Developer and publisher Codemasters is back with the DiRT series, which evolved from the Colin McRae rally series way back on the Playstation 1 in 1998. Twelfth in the overall series, and the sixth to contain the DiRT name. Rally legend McRae passed away in 2007, but his name was used up until the release of DiRT 3 on console. The series has come leaps and bounds since, across all four generations of consoles since, currently on Playstation 4, Xbox One & PC. Between DiRT 3 and DiRT 4 there have been three games all offering unique opinions towards rallying.

    Build up to the game

    DiRT 4 was announced early in 2017 in January with June as the expected release date, which Codemasters has managed to abide by.

    Norwegian Rally and Rallycross legend Petter Solberg has been a key asset to Codemasters in the sense of handling and the noise of the cars, and his feedback has been crucial for the developer to make DiRT 4 such a brilliant game. No wonder, as Solberg is an all time great, winning with the works Subaru team in 2003 in the World Rally Championship before moving to Rallycross and winning the 2014 and ’15 championships with Citroen in 2014 & 2015.

    Game Features:

    Career Mode

    As per any racing game, there is a career mode within the game, and DiRT4’s has quite a unique aspect. With career you create your own driver from scratch and can select the particular disciplines in which you wish to compete. You can choose sponsors and develop your team with own livery development as well as a garage full of cars that are suitable for each individual series you can participate in, from rallying across the three types of surface—asphalt, gravel and snow—and Rallycross, which is a combination.

    DiRT 4 has the official FIA Rallycross license, with 5 areas at which the events are based; by all means this can be done in single player, but is a substantial part of the career mode, very enjoyable and and with settings that can be amended corresponding to your driving skills. There are two types of handling: a fun arcade side, as well as a hardcore simulation mode—driving on the simulation mode in career gives a true reflection of how difficult it is but when finding the sweet spot it makes it so exciting to play.

    Dirt Academy

    The DirtFish Rally School is based in Washington and gives people a way to learn the skills of a rally driver via joy riding and time attack events, to then put towards Career and Multiplayer modes. It gives you a chance to develop skills to maybe push the levels of difficulty in career and quick modes as well as pushing yourself up the global leaderboard to become the very best. Events in this mode are rather enjoyable, especially the time attack scenarios across the area, and jumping up objects and smashing cardboard boxes—who doesn’t loves causing carnage to the environment!

    Multiplayer

    RaceNet has once more been developed further by Codemasters for this game, which sets an array of tables and events to partake in. You have access to this via the game as well as the website and this will give you the facility to view cross-platform leaderboards, with specific tournaments that can be completed throughout the game’s life span. DiRT 4’s challenges are tiered in terms of daily, weekly, and monthly which can be quite competitive and enjoyable to complete. Each individual event is different, and will never be same thanks to the stage creator they have on the game. You can take part in events with up to eight people online in terms of racing, but in terms of offline play the game has no split-screen facility.

    Sound and Visuals

    DiRT 4’s visuals are outstanding: the lighting in particular is brilliant, and the shadows in the morning and at time of sunset in the forest areas cannot be beaten. The cars’ characteristics in terms of damage to certain extent is limited but throughout career and Rallycross modes, you have a select amount of time to fix any problems with your car such as dampers to help handling. The cars look slick and through mud for example it doesn’t brush away, if it is wet on a gravel stage, the car becomes caked in mud. Driving at night is difficult but when you master how to drive the sense of accomplishment makes you push even further to great success.

    The Co-Driver—which had work from the professional co-drivers of Jen Horsey and Nicky Grist—sounds clear and specific with how the information is given, such as the tighter the turns are the smaller the number is shouted to prepare yourself in advance. The cars sound so realistic, the engine revving if you don’t shift as well as the popping of the exhaust gives you a true version of the cars. The natural noises, for example jumping through the air whilst landing and going through water puddles, sound excellent.


    Overall opinion

    DiRT 4 is most definitely the best game yet in the series, returning to the good old days of the early 2000s of Colin McRae 2005, the buzz that all the game modes give as well as the noise that in first person gives you the feeling you are in control. It is wheel supported which is a true challenge, albeit a pad still gives you a thrill. The sheer amount of features in the game truly does not limit what you can do. The stage creator always gives you something new, and will be never be the same—choose a destination, difficulty and length of the stage, and off you go.

    The first game reviewed with The Pit Crew Online and we score it highly, albeit a few things it does lack which holds back a perfect ten. The fact that we have no split screen for offline racing for people that wish to battle in their own living room and that when it comes to livery creator in career mode it is very limited in what can be amended. The Rallycross only has five of the series’ destinations, but at the end of the day these are small drawbacks. The variety of what can be done in career and online is astonishing with the sound, always advise to turn it up to hear the exhaust pop going around hairpins. Visually it’s amazing, which with graphics nowadays is hard to stand out amongst rivals, but definitely the best looking off-road game.

    A solid 9/10 rating.

    Chris Lord, F1 Correspondent

  • Joshua Kinroy : A friend, a fighter & top bloke

    Not many people knew Josh, Josh was a quiet person almost shy at times. But he was funny, and could have a laugh with everyone he ever spoke to. Now that Josh has sadly passed away, myself and many others, not to forget his loved ones, family & friends will miss him so much.

    I first spoke to Josh on twitter, probably 2011 if my memory recalls. As he was Jenson Button fan, and McLaren fan. He was always so funny to make a joke and join in with the rest of us. At this point I didn’t know about his condition, which is Muscular Dystrophy. He covered it up, didn’t tell anyone until he felt it was right to do so.

    We had so many group chats on twitter where he was mostly found, general F1 banter chat and then the Pitcrew Online 2000 (now The Pitcrew Online) he joined myself to do F1 BTCC, and again we didn’t know of his condition. So he would struggle and we would help. Then he finally told me, he felt better for telling us. And we helped him as much as we could. Josh felt it was right to leave us, but we always stayed in contact.

    Me and Josh, especially me and him always DM’d one another about F1, general news & topics. He’d have his low days, I would tell him it will get better. And he always kept on smiling whatever the issue was. It wasn’t until late last year when he started having problems. He had an operation, which was to help him move better (from memory) which improved his quality of life.

    Josh never ever wanted sympathy for his condition, he just carried on a normal life. Always interacting with everyone on Twitter etc he was such a down to earth person, funny and tough. Many people didn’t know Josh like I did. And for the years I knew him he wouldn’t become just some follower, he was my friend.

    I didn’t realise how badly Josh must have deteriorated this year, as he was seriously not well. And now looking back, I feel awful I wasn’t there for my friend, he was always rock solid. I feel bad that he couldn’t tell me he wasn’t ok, and I feel bad that overlooked him & that I wasn’t there for him to talk to. I should have seen his twitter that he wasn’t tweeting as much.

    One thing you can’t take for granted is life itself. One minute it’s there and the next it’s not. There’s a huge void in my life know without Josh, we stayed up till stupid o’clock discussing everything you can imagine. He was just like me and you, his condition didn’t stop him doing what he loved which was Formula 1, McLaren, Jenson Button, Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso & Moto GP.

    Josh was always the first person to make a joke in bad situations, he could break the ice when no one else could. He just perked everyone up when the mood was a little glum. He could do that, no matter what he was dealing with, he put that to one side and just made everything better or less awkward.

    I urge you all to remember that twitter is sometimes the only place people can be themselves and hide away the pain they face on a daily basis. If someone needs a chat or anything just say “hey wanna talk? Am happy to talk!” It will go far, they’ll feel better about themselves also. Josh did, and I did. I gained a friend, and he’ll always be here no matter.

    For Josh, I know you’re in a far better place now and it’s always going to hurt that you won’t be around on my feed or messages & phone. I feel for your family, your friends. You was such an inspiration and you fought so hard, you won’t be forgotten ever. Thank you for the memories, laughter & banter we had on group chats via the pitcrew and other places, you’ll be sorely missed mate.

    I’d like to thank The Pit Crew, my former team for allowing me to do this tribute for Josh. We had many laughs in the chat! If you would like to donate to the Muscular Dystrophy you can click here.
    Muscular ardystrophy.

    Mark Whitelegge

  • R.I.P Josh Kinroy.

    We at Crew Towers are very saddened to hear of the passing of our friend and one time Crew Member Josh.

    Here’s and article he wrote for then forthcoming Chinese Grand Prix

    Thanks Josh we will all miss you…

    Chinese Grand Prix Preview – Can Ferrari challenge again
    After the elation and emotion of Malaysia, the F1 fraternity now heads to China for the third race of the season in what will hopefully be an epic weekend in which Mercedes and Ferrari will be favourites for the win.
    Sebastian Vettel will be on a high after the previous race and will be hoping for the same again but Lewis Hamilton’s win in China last season will invigorate the world champion in to keeping his winning streak going.
    Lewis Hamilton said “Malaysia was a tough weekend. It always is with the heat – but with car problems on Friday, rain during qualifying on Saturday and a race which didn’t go to plan on Sunday, this one was particularly challenging. I think ultimately we made the best choices we could – but there is always room for improvement and we’ve been working hard to analyse everything for the next race in China”.
    Teammate Nico Rosberg said “The last race weekend was not great for me. I didn’t get my lap together in qualifying, then losing time in the pits made it a tough race to fight back and try to catch Lewis. We’ve definitely learned some lessons and it’s time to take that to the track in China”.
    The rest of the chasing pack will want to have a better weekend with Williams and Red Bull hoping to close in on the top two teams after a lacklustre race. Toro Rosso have put themselves in the running for the best of the rest as they battled in the top ten throughout.
    McLaren had a much better weekend after showing much better pace and even with a double retirement, they are taking a step in the right direction.
    Racing Director Eric Boullier is optimistic but realistic “We came away from the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend feeling optimistic about our state of development and the improvements we’d made relative to our closest rivals. However, we don’t take anything for granted, and are fully aware that the next two races probably won’t show quite the same rate of improvement as we witnessed at Sepang.
    The weather can be unpredictable and will be significantly cooler than in Malaysia and Pirelli have said it is likely to be a 2-stop race.
    Mercedes will be better suited to this race track with the long flowing corners and their car will suit cooler conditions but tyre could become an issue and Ferrari will hope to capitalise if they hit problems and it will surely make for a fantastic race.

  • Why Bradl Still Has It

    Post by @MotoGPKiko

    It is no secret that the Honda are struggling in World Superbikes, however, Stefan Bradl – the team’s sole rider after the tragic passing of teammate Nicky Hayden – has got bundles of talent and on a good bike with the right team, he’s a WSBK race winner all day long. Come next year, I have a feeling that the German could be a bit of a threat.

    It sounds ridiculous that I am mentioning the 2018 WSBK season after just reaching the half way distance this year but for Stefan Bradl, the remainder of this campaign will be more of a huge test session on the new Honda Fireblade.

    Having received the bike late this season, the Red Bull Honda Ten Kate Team have been slashed of testing time and the results have highlighted that. Stefan Bradl’s 6th place in Assen is the team’s best result and they are slowly but surely making progress, with throttle connection being a main target, although a gearbox solution for WSBK is still looming a large issue.

    Stefan Bradl is one of the top riders in World Superbikes. Having been unceremoniously tossed out of the Grand Prix circus last year, following a tricky time at Aprilia, he found himself in WSBK on what was supposed to be a championship contending bike. Bradl’s speed is most certainly there and his resilience is too, riding in honour of fallen hero Hayden at Donington Park.

    Bradl is also the only German on the grid, following Markus Reiterberger’s departure due to injuries sustained over a year ago. The former Moto2 World Champion has actually been rather steady in WSBK. Every race he has finished has been in the points, which gains not only track time for him as a WSBK rookie but valuable data which will be used to improve the Fireblade. He has only retired from two races, at circuits that he has never rode a 1000cc bike at in his life.

    The next circuit for the German to visit is Misano, where the team recently held a test to try and make further gains with the Honda. Bradl also knows the circuit reasonably well too, having raced there in his Grand Prix years, with a 2nd in Moto2 in 2011 and a top class best of 5th.

    There is no doubting Bradl’s pace. It will just take some more time to be shown. Likewise for the Honda, development and testing is the most valuable asset to the outfit at the moment. I’m predicting a Honda podium by the end of the season; where that will be, I’m not so sure. But with a determined Bradl and a hardworking team around him, I expect some breakthroughs very shortly.

    Image courtesy of Gareth Davies from Full Factory Photography

     

  • The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

    The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is preparing to host its 39th Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday, a 4.3km-long track that features the infamous Wall of Champions – which has claimed the pride, and carbon fibre, of several drivers over the years, including names such as Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg and 2017 championship points leader Sebastian Vettel.

    The 70-lap race often boasts excitement, not only the dramatic encounters as you enter the pit straight, a number of on-lap overtakes and manoeuvres due to the high-speed nature alongside low asphalt grip.

    Ultrasoft tyres will be the preferred option in the dry this weekend, with all four title contenders holding at least eight sets of the purple-walled rubber due to the low degradation expected, meaning a split-second mistake on the usual two-stop strategy could make all the difference.

    Mercedes and Ferrari will be the ones expected to top the timesheets come Sunday, with the tarmac ribbon situated on the Notre Dame Island in Montreal favouring those with higher-power over aerodynamics. Bad news for the returning Fernando Alonso. At least he won’t have any penalties to walk into this weekend unlike his part-time replacement Jenson Button last time out in Monaco.

    However, one target for the rest of the field to aim for will be Rubens Barrichello’s current race lap record around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve of 1:13.662, which the Brazilian set back in 2004.

    Whether it be a Silver Arrow or Italian Stallion standing aloft on the podium come the end of Sunday afternoon, it will undoubtedly provide thrills and spills and disperse crucial points in the race for the Drivers’ Championship.

    By Joe Owens

    Image courtesy of Pirelli Motorsports

  • Will we see another name added to the Wall of Champions?

    2014 Formula One Canadian Grand Prix, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Quebec, Canada 6th – 8th June 2014
    Valtteri Bottas, Williams FW36 Mercedes, Action,
    World Copyright: © Andrew Hone Photographer 2014.
    Ref: _ONZ1071 / via Pirelli Media

    The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve based on Montreal’s Notre Dame Island is a stunning track. The track has the right balance of slow- to high-speed areas that creates some spectacular racing.

    There is one infamous part of the track which legends such as the great Michael Schumacher have hit—they call it the ‘Wall of Champions’. After the 1999 Canadian Grand Prix the wall on the exit of Turn 14 was christened most notably with three world champions. Drivers had hit the wall prior, but 1999 was when it was especially unforgiving.

    1999:

    Many drivers—or shall we say victims—had fallen prey to The Wall especially this year, but it all began with Damon Hill, he was the first notable casualty, after winning the World Championship in 1996. Now driving with Jordan he was amongst a midfield battle, and he clipped the rear of his car against The Wall—you could say he was an appetiser for it.

    15 laps later Michael Schumacher mid-chicane lost control after going off the racing line, and slid helplessly into The Wall’s grasp; at the time the German was leading the Grand Prix. The difference here was that Hill managed to get away, but Schumacher & Ferrari could not, with severe damage caused. The main course? The Wall was not done there, it wanted more!

    Canada’s own Jaques Villeneuve was the third champion into The Wall, only 5 laps after Schumacher, pretty much nose on, it was getting more and more of the cars at every attempt! The Wall after that had had enough, was full and had its fair share of rubber across it. Villeneuve was the dessert of The Wall’s three-car meal in 1999. From then on it was named the Wall of Champions.

    Recent Years:

    The Wall laid low for a few years, claiming the odd driver here and there—on a diet, you could say, but when it saw an opportunity it was more than happy to take full advantage.

    The rise, then fall, of Jenson Button at the 2005 Canadian Grand Prix, for example. He took pole position in qualifying, and then threw it away in the race when Schumacher was chasing him for third. He attacked the chicane but as a result broke his rear suspension: The Wall was ready for a taste of BAR, though much like Hill he managed to escape The Wall’s grasp.

    The most recent major casualty was in 2011, where we had the most incredible race that Button won. Funnily enough it was the complete opposite with Button rising to the top from the bottom.

    The Wall did not devour anyone during the race, as it was still buzzing from the first practice session. Sebastien Vettel lost his rear on a very green track, and over the kerbs he headed straight towards The Wall. So early on in the weekend, Vettel could not escape, and it ended his session with The Wall covered with fresh carbon fibre and rubber, whilst leaving the Red Bull team a major headache to get his car ready for FP2.

    Other notable mentions:

    – Ricardo Zonta, a champion in the FIA GT series, was actually the first to hit The Wall in the 1999 Grand Prix.

    – Juan Pablo Montoya—the 1999 CART and two-time Indy 500 champion—in what turned out to be his penultimate Grand Prix, did brush The Wall in 2006 resulting in retirement. Could this have been the catalyst for what ensued in the following US Grand Prix, resulting in an early Formula 1 departure?

    Will there be another one this year though? It’s been a few years since The Wall last had a tasty meal. Could an F1 champion such as Hamilton or future champion Max Verstappen join the ever-growing list of victims claimed by the Wall of Champions? The cars seem to suffer more in dirty air this year, and Canada always has been a tough track on brakes. The recipe is there for The Wall to claim another driver.

    Chris Lord, F1 Correspondent

  • Canadian Grand Prix Preview, 9-11June

    GP CANADA F1/2016 – MONTREAL 12/06/16
    © FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE). Courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media

     

    Montreal is getting ready to host the Canadian Grand Prix, one of the most famous and historic tracks in Formula 1. In 1977, Giles Villeneuve inspired the French Canadians and they decided to design and construct an F1 circuit.

    In their mind was the famous quote “simplicity is the best”, so their idea was to take the lle Notre-Dame, and connect all the roads around the island. It took them less than a year and about $2m to build and upgrade the track to meet Formula One’s standards, the first race was held in 1978.

    No one could imagine a better debut for the track, Gilles Villeneuve on his debut season with Ferrari won the first Canadian Grand Prix, but the track was marked by Villeneuve’s death in 1982 and renamed in his honor.

    Michael Schumacher holds the record of seven victories in Canada, whilst McLaren have won the race for thirteen times.

    Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

    Laps: 70

    Circuit Length: 4.361 km

    Race Distance: 305.27 km

    Lap Record: 1:13.622 (Rubens Barrichello – 2004)

    Tyre Allocations: Ultrasoft (Purple), Supersoft (Red), Soft (Yellow)

    Courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media

    The drivers will aim to warm up their front tyres properly, because that is the key to a quick lap in Montreal, especially during the qualifying session. The circuit’s format affects the brakes and the tyres, and that is because the track applies longitudinal forces rather than lateral forces. Finally, this year’s cars are much faster than last year’s, which means that the lap record is in danger and it might be broken this weekend.

    Last season Lewis Hamilton lead the race from the start to the end as the Brit took the pole position and remained first till the chequered flag followed by Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas. Nico Rosberg, qualified second but finished fifth ahead of Kimi Raikkonen and behind Max Verstappen.

    This year Ferrari will try to build their own wall of champions, a wall which will allow them to remain first in the constructors’ championship and give the advantage to Vettel to increase his lead from its competitors.

    The question is if Scuderia will manage to finish once again in the front row and secure the second 1-2 of the season.

    Victor Archakis F1 Editor – @FP_Passion

  • WTCC Adopt Rallycross Joker Lap

    WORLD PREMIERE: VILA REAL WTCC JOKER LAP IS GO!

    *Alternative route in Portugal located at final turn
    *Ground-breaking initiative targets overtaking on street track
    *WTCC drivers to take ‘joker’ lap once per race

    World championship circuit racing is set for a global first when an alternative ‘joker’ lap is used in the FIA World Touring Car Championship at Vila Real in Portugal later this month.

    Designed to further spice up the action on the challenging street circuit where overtaking isn’t always possible, the FIA World Rallycross-style concept will require drivers to take an alternative route in both the Opening Race and Main Race broadcast live around the world on 25 June.

    18 MONTEIRO Tiago (por) Honda Civic team Honda racing Jas action during the 2016 FIA WTCC World Touring Car Championship race of Portugal, Vila Real from July 24 to 26 – Photo Jorge Cunha / DPPI

    Vila Real’s ‘joker’ lap route is located at the final corner, Turn 26, with the full approval of the FIA Safety Department and local authorities. While the right/left flick through a roundabout will still be used in normal racing conditions, the alternative route will effectively take drivers the other way onto the roundabout and through a tighter left/right sequence before they re-join the start/finish straight. The alternative route is expected to take an additional two seconds, which will hand pursuing drivers ample opportunity to overtake.

    However, the ‘joker’ lap cannot be taken until the third lap of either race, while drivers will be able to practice the new route during Free Practice 1 and 2 on 24 June.

    The ‘joker’ lap location will be highlighted by special branding to make it visible and understandable on TV. A graphic will give viewers instant notification when the lap has been taken, while fans following live timing will be able to determine the ‘joker’ status of each driver.

    François Ribeiro, Head of Eurosport Events, the WTCC promoter, welcomed confirmation of the Vila Real ‘joker’ lap. “The ‘joker’ lap concept works very well in rallycross, and I’m certain it will bring an extra dimension to the WTCC street race in Vila Real. It will open up strategies for each WTCC driver, and might even change the course of the race. Of course we never compromise on safety so we have worked very closely with our colleagues at the FIA and with the authorities in Vila Real to put in place a route that matches our requirements but also conforms to all the rigorous safety standards.”

    18 MONTEIRO Tiago (por) Honda Civic team Honda racing Jas action during the 2016 FIA WTCC World Touring Car Championship race of Portugal, Vila Real from July 24 to 26 – Photo Alexandre Guillaumot / DPPI

    Tiago Monteiro, who claimed a hugely popular home in Vila Real last season driving for the factory Honda team, said: “It’s great to try new ideas, new options to spice up the show. When you are in pole position you don’t really want the ‘joker’ lap because you don’t want to lose your lead. But if you are not on pole position then there is a new opportunity to overtake.”

    Yvan Muller, the four-time world champion and now a development driver for Cyan Racing, the team behind Volvo Polestar’s factory effort in the WTCC, said: “It’s like the WTCC MAC3 [team time trial]. Everyone said ‘ah, it’s a crazy thing’ and so on but it’s something new. And when it’s new and it shows something different, it’s always good. We have to try new things, to bring new positive and attractive elements.”

    The ‘joker’ lap route remains subject to a final FIA track inspection on 21 June.

    Neil Simmons

    Twitter: @world_racing

    Photos: (c) courtesy of WTCC

  • Formula E: 2017 Berlin ePrix Preview

    The calendar is now in June, and that means the 2016–17 Formula E championship has reached its halfway point. Having passed through Hong Kong, Marrakesh, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Monaco and Paris, there remain only three more rounds and six more races, in the form of double headers in Berlin, New York and Montreal.

    2014/2015 FIA Formula E Championship.
    Formula E Race.
    Berlin e-Prix, Berlin, Germany, Europe.
    Saturday 23 May 2015
    Photo: Adam Warner/LAT/Formula E
    ref: Digital Image _L5R8477

    Last year, the Berlin ePrix represented a massive swing in the championship stakes, as Sébastien Buemi put a halt to Lucas di Grassi’s streak of wins and closed up to one point behind the Brazilian going into the final round in London.

    With Buemi’s win tally almost perfect this season, it’s hard to imagine the championship leader doing anything other than repeating that result again this weekend, perhaps even in both races. What makes things even more ominous for the rest of the field is that Buemi also comes to Berlin off the back of two pole positions in Monaco and Paris.

    However, even with the level at which Buemi is currently performing, his and Renault’s rivals can draw some inspiration from the fact that the championship leader will be under supreme pressure to win this weekend. After Berlin the calendar moves to the infamous WEC-clashing round in New York, from which Buemi will be absent and leaving a considerable open goal so late in the title race.

    And although Buemi’s buffer to di Grassi in the standings is currently the largest it’s been all season, at 43 points it’s still not enough to cover off the possibility of di Grassi taking away a maximum points haul in New York.

    That makes it imperative for the championship leader to win at least one, if not both, of the races in Berlin—but as we’ve seen many times before, when the pressure mounts Buemi often becomes overwhelmed, allowing his more collected rivals to land some heavy blows amidst his distraction.

    2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
    Qatar Airways Paris ePrix, France.
    Saturday 20 May 2017.
    Sebastien Buemi (SUI), Renault e.Dams, Spark-Renault, Renault Z.E 16, on the grid.
    Photo: Sam Bloxham/LAT/Formula E
    ref: Digital Image _J6I9038

    But of course, it’s not all about Buemi and di Grassi this weekend, and of the eighteen other drivers heading to Tempelhof Airport, Stéphane Sarrazin will certainly be one to watch. The Frenchman has scored points only twice this season and sits last of the full-time drivers in the standings, but this weekend his chances of a top ten finish will be vastly improved as he moves up from Venturi to Techeetah, taking over the former car of Esteban Gutiérrez as the Mexican leaves Formula E to join the IndyCar series.

    Sarrazin’s move means rookie Tom Dillmann gets another chance to show his abilities following his eighth-place finish substituting for Maro Engel at the last race in Paris. Dillmann had been eyeing up a full-time drive in Formula E for season four, and with Sarrazin on the move it looks like his future at Venturi is secure for now.

    2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
    Qatar Airways Paris ePrix, France.
    Saturday 20 May 2017.
    Tom Dillmann (FRA), Venturi, Spark-Venturi, Venturi VM200-FE-02.
    Photo: Sam Bloxham/LAT/Formula E
    ref: Digital Image _W6I9760

    Also worth keeping an eye on both in Berlin and for the rest of the season are those drivers in and around the top ten in the standings. Mahindra’s Nick Heidfeld and Felix Rosenqvist are matched closely with Jean-Éric Vergne in the battle for fourth place, whilst two points separate Sam Bird and Nelson Piquet in seventh and eighth respectively. Bird’s teammate José María López has launched himself into the top ten at last after taking his first podium in Paris, and is just two points clear of a consistent Daniel Abt.

    Below them, Robin Frijns and Oliver Turvey are in a fight to head the second page of the standings with Jaguar’s Mitch Evans. Although the British marque has had a slow start to Formula E, neither Evans nor Adam Carroll can be discounted from the points anymore now that Jaguar appears to have settled into the demands of the series and is hunting Andretti for seventh in the Teams’ Championship.

    2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
    Qatar Airways Paris ePrix, France.
    Saturday 20 May 2017.
    Mitch Evans (NZL), Jaguar Racing, Spark-Jaguar, Jaguar I-Type 1.
    Photo: Sam Bloxham/LAT/Formula E
    ref: Digital Image _W6I8428

    James Matthews, Deputy Editor