Category: Uncategorised

Posted on

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Esteban Ocon aiming to finish season “on a high”

Heading into this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Esteban Ocon has said he is hoping to finish the season “on a high”, with his future beyond the floodlights of Yas Marina currently uncertain.

“It’s always a bittersweet feeling when you get to the end of the season,” he said, “but the main motivation is to finish on a high, especially when there is so much at stake in the championship. The last couple of races have been very disappointing, but there’s still one last chance to score a good result before the end of the year.”

Force India currently lie seventh in the constructors’ championship on 48 points, sandwiched between McLaren and Sauber. They, of course, had to start from scratch at the Belgian Grand Prix following their buy-out and rebranding over the summer break. Their fight-back has been rather remarkable, ignoring the coming together between Ocon and team-mate Sergio Perez on the first lap in Singapore.

Heading into Abu Dhabi, tens of millions of dollars worth of prize money is at stake for the team, and Ocon is keen to deliver.

“Abu Dhabi is always good fun. We travel there when it’s getting cold in Europe so it feels a bit like you’re going on holiday. It’s a wonderful paddock too – one of the best – and I always feel very relaxed there.

Esteban Ocon (FRA) Racing Point Force India F1 VJM11.
Brazilian Grand Prix, Friday 9th November 2018. Sao Paulo, Brazil.

“I have a lot of good memories from Abu Dhabi: it’s the place where I first drove during a Formula One weekend and I was crowned GP3 champion there. The start of that race in 2015 was incredible – I knew I had to take the title right there on lap one and I did it.”

Ocon knew that his future at Force India was in doubt even before the summer break when, as mentioned, a consortium led by Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll bought out the team, making it more than likely that son Lance would make the jump from Williams for 2019. Ocon’s fate at Force India was then sealed when Sergio Perez renewed his contract with his team, leaving the Frenchman out in the cold. For a long while Ocon had been linked to the second seat at Williams alongside fellow Mercedes junior George Russell, however it was announced this morning that Robert Kubica had been signed instead.

Ocon has since been linked to a role with Mercedes as simulator and reserve driver, with some suggesting that he is being primed to be brought in as a Mercedes race driver in 2020.

For now and for one last race, though, Ocon’s allegiances lie with Force India, and he is hoping the partnership ends on a high under the lights of Abu Dhabi.

Esteban Ocon (FRA) Racing Point Force India F1 VJM11.
Brazilian Grand Prix, Friday 9th November 2018. Sao Paulo, Brazil.

 

Featured image – Racing Point Force India

Posted on

F3 Macau: Horror crash for Floersch

The Macau Grand Prix has always been  a dangerous event. This year it  would be no exception: A massive airborne crash took place during the F3 race. Sophia Floersch,  went backwards at full speed, hitting the car of Japanese Sho Tsuboi which caused her car to fly into the air. The Van Amersoort driver then flew Some distance, searing the top of the fencing at  Lisboa Corner and straight in to the very crowded area full of photographers and marshals.

An official statement by FIA, later removed from their website, said: “A serious incident has occurred on lap 4 of the 2018 FIA World Cup at Macau involving car #25 Sophia Florsch (GER). Following evaluation by the medical staff, the driver is conscious and has subsequently been taken to the hospital for further evaluation.”

In a later statement by the MacauGP Organizing Committe, it was confirmed that “Five individuals were involved in the accident at Lisboa Bend. All were conscious during transit to the hospital and are now receiving medical treatment: Two drivers, two photographers and one marshal.”

Floersch confirmed she was conscious, sending out a tweet:

In the latest statement by Van Amersfoort Racing, it became clear that she was diagnosed with a spinal fracture.

The accident caused a red flag, which lasted over an hour, after the restart,  Dan Ticktum was the eventual winner.

Featured image: Thomas Suer/Van Amersfoort Racing

 

Posted on

Moto3 Preview: What does the Island have in store for Moto3?

Combining one of the most thrilling tracks and the most unpredictable classes, makes for very entertaining viewing. Moto3 is descending upon Phillip Island in Australia and it looks to be a promising one with defending champion Joan Mir no longer in Moto3, the win could be anyone’s.

As has been the case for the majority of this season, it’s Jorge Martin (Gresini) and Marco Bezzecchi (Prustel) who need to score big points as the 2018 season draws to a close soon. With just one point between them, Martin will be looking to extend his lead and Bezzecchi will be doing all he can to overtake Martin and clinch a possible Championship title.

The three Italians who make up 3rd-5thshouldn’t be overlooked as Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini) looks to come back from his awful Motegi high side (his participation at Phillip Island was hit or miss for a second). Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing) is in 4thand will want to secure some much needed points (33 to draw level with Di Giannantonio) to make it to the top 3 in time for the season ending, and Lorenzo Della Porta (Leopard Racing) will want to continue to fine form he’s had and maybe step onto the podium once again.

However, the Island is formidable and when the weather is wreaking havoc with races, the wildlife can get in the way too. And both of these things can play a huge part in how makes it to the end of a race, let alone scores points. The possible wet weather will mean that the likes of Martin, who ride well in rainy conditions, have the chance to do well but T1 is arguable the fastest corner on the racing calendar so when all the riders pile into this corner first time round – it could catch a few riders out. It’s also been very cold the last few days, meaning that cold tyres will be something all riders need to be aware of.

There are 7 left hand corners (to 5 right hand corners) so the tyres should warm on all side relatively evenly but this could still catch riders out in the opening laps before their tyres are properly heated. And of course, it wouldn’t be a Phillip Island preview if the wildlife isn’t brought up. The main culprits are seagulls but other wildlife has wondered on track in the past, and it’s hard enough racing but dodging animals makes the AusGP a unique experience.

With 2018 bringing in the 29th Phillip Island GP, only Sunday will reveal whether it was the weather, wildlife or the own fault of the riders that messes up someone’s Grand Prix weekend.

Posted on

British F3 – Lundqvist: This feels unreal! Swedish British F3 Champion pays tribute to Double R Racing

Linus Lundqvist was full of praise for his Double R team after securing the BRDC British F3 Championship on Saturday.

A win for the Swede coupled with a DNF for Danish rival Nicolai Kjaergaard meant that Lundqvist took an unassailable 85-point lead with 72 available.

A delighted Lundqvist was quick to acknowledge the role of his team.

“This feels unreal! Mainly a big thank you to my team Double R Racing. They’ve been amazing all year, it’s been a rollercoaster from the start and we’ve kept our head down and kept on going, and here we can stand and say we’re champions. Unbelievable and very emotional.”

Lundqvist was unaware that his championship rival had hit strife until he pulled into the pits after the race to see his jubilant team.

“I didn’t know that Nicolai had gone off. I saw at the chequered flag on the pit board it said ‘Linus, P1 2018’ and I thought ‘That is usually another way’ and when I came in they had it up and the whole team was gathered and I put one and one together realised that I might have done it.”

He didn’t have it all his own way in the first race of this weekend, after fending off a challenge from the fast-starting Tom Gamble.

“Tom made a better start than I did and while he wasn’t totally alongside, he was halfway there going into Maggots. I just held my line because I had the inside for the next one and from there I kept my head down and tried to push on. The car has been great and Silverstone is one of my personal favourite circuits anyway, that always brings me a bit of a boost.”

Lundqvist refused to be drawn on his plans for 2019 with a move to international racing now looking a certainty, preferring to focus on enjoying the rest of his championship-winning weekend.

“My focus isn’t totally on next year but we’re keeping an eye on things for the future, but I want to fulfil this year and stand here and say ‘I am champion’. We’ll see, I want to see this weekend through and enjoy the last two races and the Sunoco Challenge is still at stake. Hopefully there’s more exciting things next year.

“Maybe (there is) no pressure but you still want to enjoy it and I still want to win so let’s see what we can do for the rest of this weekend, I’m just going to enjoy this.”

Posted on

British F3 – Double R Racing’s Linus Lundqvist wraps up 2018 British F3 Championship

Linus Lundqvist won Round 22 of the 2018 BRDC British F3 Championship to seal the British F3 title after his only remaining challenger Nicolai Kjaergaard retired early on.

Lundqvist, who took his seventh victory of the season, had earlier taken pole position in tricky conditions and held off a challenge from the fast-starting Tom Gamble, who demoted Billy Monger to third.

Kjaergaard started fourth and had stayed there until halfway round the first lap, where misfortune would strike the Dane not for the first time this season.

Running behind Carlin teammate Monger, Kjaergaard was forced to take evasive action when Monger ran wide at Abbey corner to see his Championship challenge end in the gravel after spinning off as a result.

Lundqvist would never again be troubled by Gamble as the two settled into a rhythm, but behind there was plenty of action.

Manuel Maldonado briefly held third position before a lock up saw him slip back to fourth, where he would stay, while Krish Mahadik also challenged for positions in the top five but was eventually held off by a stoic Ayrton Simmons.

Jusuf Owega finished a strong seventh ahead of an improving Hampus Ericsson, with the top ten being rounded out by Jamie Chadwick and Sassakorn Chaimongkol  edging out a disappointed Kush Maini.

Lundqvist is on the verge of winning the 2018 Sunoco Challenge, with the prize including a race seat in January’s Daytona 24 Hour race. He needs just 15 points, after scoring 120 for a win and fastest lap in Race One.

Posted on

British F3 – Kjaergaard: Win is the goal despite a damaged hand

Nicolai Kjaergaard overcame a possible broken hand to qualify fourth and keep his British F3 championship hopes alive at Silverstone.

However, Championship rival Linus Lundqvist is on pole and leads Kjaergaard by 50 points with just three races to go.

The Carlin racer has his work cut out but remains positive despite the circumstances.

“(On why his hand is in a cast) I had an accident yesterday and hit my hand on the steering wheel so there is a bit of difficulty holding onto the steering wheel but it’s not too bad as I could still manage fourth on the grid. The pain does sometimes take the focus away a little bit but I can still race.

“With my hand fourth isn’t too bad, with how everything is I could maybe have got third or second but pole was out of the question. But for the race I have to go for it, a win is the goal because we won’t be thinking about taking fourth or third.”

After qualifying was held in wet conditions, the first British F3 race of the weekend this afternoon looks set to be held in the dry and Kjaergaard feels that a change in weather could help his Carlin team.

“It’s difficult to say whether drier conditions will help us, we didn’t have a lot of dry running yesterday. It might serve us in that we’ve been fast in the wet and in the dry and we’ve been very quick since the summer. Some of the drivers that were faster in the wet might struggle in the dry and the other way round, so in that sense the change in conditions is probably good for us.”

And with very little to lose, he suggested that windy conditions will favour overtaking.

“It’s wide and there is quite a headwind going down the Hangar Straight which should help with a tow. If you can stay close enough to the car ahead you should be able to get close and drive past hopefully but it depends on how well you can follow.”

CREDIT: Jakob Ebery via British F3

 

Posted on

British F3 – Billy Monger takes fairytale Donington pole

Carlin Motorsport’s Billy Monger took pole position for British F3’s race one on Saturday on his return to Donington Park.

Teammate Nicolai Kjaergaard took second place as he seeks to close the 111-point gap on championship leader Linus Lundqvist, who could only manage 14th.

Ayrton Simmons was third on his second British F3 weekend ahead of young German Jusuf Owega, Manuel Maldonado and Kush Maini.

Monger last raced at Donington last year in British F4, when a horrendous accident cost him both legs.

The 19-year-old from Reigate says that he did not fear returning to the scene of a life-changing accident 18 months ago.

“Donington has always been one of my favourite circuits to drive at so I was actually looking forward to driving it again. With the race, it might feel different but at the minute I am not fazed by it at all. It’s funny how these things work out.

“I knew that the car was going to be quick after testing as we were really strong, but it was about doing the job in qualifying. Obviously this is a circuit holds a few weird memories for me but it’s been coming and we have been quick enough.

“I was a bit nervous because a lot of people have come here to support me but it may have given me that extra energy to do the job.”

Monger felt better in a car that has shown consistent pace all season, but felt better in the car today having threatened pole position all session.

“I just haven’t had that edge or felt quite as comfortable as today, the Carlin car was amazing and it’s great to deliver what we could have had the last couple of races.”

At Brands Hatch he declared that should he win a race, the entire Carlin team would have to drink some champagne from his prosthetic leg. That hasn’t changed.

“That is still happening (Drinking from the leg).

“Fingers crossed for this afternoon whether it is dry or wet we just have to make sure I get away well enough and after that, I don’t see many problems as our pace is strong, but anything can happen in a race.”

Posted on

British GT: Donington Decider – History in the offing for Optimum’s Haigh and Adam in GT3

Optimum Motorsport duo Jonny Adam and Flick Haigh head into the two-hour Donington Decider weekend with one hand on the British GT3 trophy.

The Aston Martin duo lead the standings by 27.5 points and are in a commanding position. Adam just happens to have won two titles in the East Midlands before, while he won there last year.

For Haigh, history beckons.

She would become the first woman to ever win a British GT championship outright after becoming the first to win a British GT race at Oulton Park in March.

It is far from cut and dried despite the big gap between Optimum and their challengers.

Haigh and Adam’s 20s pitstop success penalty gives second-placed Barwell Motorsport’s Jon Minshaw and Phil Keen a chance after retirement at Brands Hatch, but they must win the race.

Mark Farmer and Nicki Thiim are a point further back and have a 10s penalty of their own. Should they win and Optimum finish lower than seventh, the TF Sport Aston Martin crew would win on countback with three wins to Optimum’s two.

TF Sport are in a good position to win the teams championship with a 31-point lead over Barwell Motorsport’s Lamborghini entries.

As with Farmer and Thiim for TF Sport, Barwell also have to contend with handicaps.

As a result of their second place at Brands Hatch, Sam De Haan and Jonny Cocker will wait an extra ten seconds in the pit lane.

Keen and Minshaw will not and will need no extra motivation with individual honours on the line, while Derek Johnston and Marco Sorensen are also without obstacle in Johnston’s last ever GT race following his retirement announcement.

The event marks the final time that the British GT series will see the Aston Martin V12 Vantage as a factory GT3 entry after seven seasons, before being replaced by a V8 Vantage based around the World Endurance Championship GTE entry for next year. There is still a possibility of the V12 Vantage being used by privateers next year.

Posted on

F1 – Ferrari swap Raikkonen and Leclerc at the right time

Kimi Raikkonen will finally leave Ferrari at the end of the season having spent the previous three years fielding questions about his future at Maranello.

And, while he now has a five-and-a-half year wait for a victory after spending a lot of that time as the rear gunner for Sebastian Vettel, Raikkonen has given us a lot of fun in his second stint with the Prancing Horse.

The 2007 World Champion’s career has gone full circle as he announced a return to Sauber, where he first burst on to the scene in 2001 while Ferrari’s protégé Charles Leclerc leaves Sauber for Ferrari.

Don’t think that this is just a farewell tour so that he can safely break the record for GP starts held by Rubens Barrichello at 323.

The Finn certainly has the speed and arguably now a point to prove. He is still level on victories with Mika Hakkinen with 20 apiece and he’s stood on the podium in seven of the last eight races and has 100 in total.

While many will be saddened that due to Vettel’s fight with Lewis Hamilton in the World championship Raikkonen won’t get the chance to break the Finnish F1 record, there are still more moments of magic, and indeed the odd blunt radio message left for us over the next two years.

Realistically, this is the right move for Ferrari. Had Leclerc had to spend more time at either of their affiliate teams (Sauber or Haas) then they ran the risk of the 20-year-old Monegasque being poached by another manufacturer.

Given the promise Leclerc has shown this year, where he has well beaten the experienced Marcus Ericsson, they couldn’t afford for that to happen.

Leclerc will do great things at Ferrari alongside Vettel, who will be motivated to avoid a repeat of the 2014 season at Red Bull where Daniel Ricciardo thrashed him after stepping up from Toro Rosso.

But for the rest of the season, Raikkonen deserves a proper farewell from Ferrari.

Posted on

From a marshal’s point of view: Karen Richards

At every motorsport event, there is an army of marshals, prepared to deal with whatever the racing throws at them – from cleaning the track after an incident to waving warning flags, the marshals are vital to any and every race weekend, be it club racing or F1. We caught up with Karen Richards, a marshal with four years’ experience, to find out about what the job entails.

Emily Inganni: What inspired you to start marshalling and how long have you been doing it for?

Karen Richards: We, my husband and I, have been keen motorsport spectators for many years. I think my earliest memories are of Hunt vs. Lauda, especially the epic 1976 season and of course later on Senna vs. Prost. A few years ago, we were at Goodwood Festival of Speed & dropped into the Goodwood Marshals Club tent for a chat & the rest as they say is history! We have been marshalling for 4 years now and love every minute. It gives you the opportunity to be more involved with racing at all levels and of course, the views are great when you’re on post!

EI: What is the training process for new marshals? How long does it take?

KR: There are training programme for new marshals run by various Marshal clubs, we belong to the British Motorsport Marshals Club (BMMC). Potential new marshals can attend a ‘taster day’ at their local circuit where they shadow marshals on post to get an idea of what the role is all about. Then it is advisable to join a club and attend a training programme before becoming a trainee marshal. Training sessions include both theory and practical sessions, also covering firefighting and rescue unit work. Training will cover all aspects and disciplines of the sport and whilst being a trainee there will always be experienced marshals to guide and advise you at race meetings.

Full details of the training process and membership advice is available on the BMMC website at: www.marshals.co.uk

Image courtesy of Karen Richards

EI: Which events have you marshalled at so far? Do you have any favourites?

KR: We have covered a multitude of different events from club racing, Formula E and endurance racing. I think my favourite is the Le Mans 24-hour event closely followed by the London EPrix in 2016, there was something special seeing cars racing around the streets of London.

EI: What does a race weekend entail for you day-by-day as a marshal?

KR: Race weekends always start with a daily sign on and allocation of post and duties/role for that day. This could be anything from flagging, track or incident depending on experience, other roles can include paddock marshal, start line marshal, pit marshal and scrutineer amongst others

Once on post there are checks and distribution of fire extinguishers, ensuring the circuit equipment is available e.g. flags, brooms etc, then the post chief will brief everyone before the meeting starts

EI: What safety protocol is in place for incidents near your marshal post? What kind of ones have you had to deal with?

KR: There is a general safety protocol for all incidents which is covered in training. There will also be an allocated incident officer, an experienced marshal, who will direct proceedings in the event of an incident. Generally speaking you will deal with cars stuck in gravel traps, car fires, collecting debris from the track etc.

EI: Do the procedures differ from event to event or is there a universal way of doing things?

KR: There is a universal approach to dealing with events with safety for marshals, drivers & spectators being paramount.

EI: How much contact do you have with race control during a race?

KR: The post chief is in contact with Race control throughout the meeting & will pass on relevant information as appropriate.

EI: Are there any specific events that you’d like to marshal at in the future?

KR: Not specifically but I am always looking forward to the next Le Mans 24 Hours!

EI: Finally, what would you say to people thinking of marshalling? Do you have any advice?

KR: If you love motorsport then try marshalling as it gives you a different perspective on the art of motor racing… I don’t think you will be disappointed!

For further information visit the BMMC website here: www.marshals.co.uk

Thanks to Karen for taking the time answering my questions, if you want to find out any more information about marshalling or are thinking of giving it a go, hit the link above!

(Featured image courtesy of Karen Richards)

©2014-2024 ThePitCrewOnline