Rosberg repete a dose e lidera o 2º treino livre na Austrália.

O segundo treino livre para o GP da Austrália novamente teve o domínio das Mercedes, com Nico Rosberg e Lewis Hamilton nas duas primeiras posições, o alemão utilizando os pneus macios cravou 1:27s697, seu companheiro foi apenas 0s1 mais lento, o cenário promete briga entre eles pela pole no circuito Albert Park amanhã. A Ferrari melhorou e muito em relação a temporada passada, a dupla: Sebastian Vettel e Kimi Raikkonen conseguiu o 3º e 4º tempo, respectivamente.

A Williams com o finlandês Valtteri Bottas fechou a sessão em 5º, por outro lado, o brasileiro Felipe Massa não pôde ir à pista por causa de um vazamento de água no bólido. O russo Daniil Kvyat demonstrou que se adaptou bem a nova equipe e foi o sexto com a RBR. O novato Carlos Sainz Jr. (Toro Rosso) continua surpreendendo, o espanhol foi o 7º. A Lotus enfim, brigando entre as mais rápidas com a dupla: Pastor Maldonado e Romain Grosjean, 8º e 9º respectivamente, parece que a troca do fornecedor de motores dará mesmo certo; Nico Hulkenberg completou o top 10.

A Sauber finalmente foi à pista com o brasileiro Felipe Nasr, ele completou 33 giros e terminou em décimo primeiro, o sueco Marcus Ericsson deu apenas 14 voltas, porque seu carro teve uma quebra da suspensão traseira, fechando o treino em 15º. O piloto da casa Daniel Ricciardo não treinou porque seu carro apresentou problemas mecânicos no motor Renault. Já o substituto do espanhol Fernando Alonso na McLaren, Kevin Magnussen, perdeu o controle da máquina e bateu forte, ficando fora do restante do treino.

Sobre o caso Giedo Van der Garde, nada mudou, como a FIA ainda não liberou a super licença do holandês, ele ainda não pôde assumir seu lugar na equipe Sauber, que até agora não declarou nada sobre a situação difícil que enfrenta, tudo por causa de sua diretora executiva Monisha, ela assinou no final do ano passado contrato com três pilotos para apenas dois carros.

Os pilotos voltam à pista de Albert Park neste sábado, a partir do meio dia, horário do Japão, para o terceiro e último treino livre antes da classificação, prevista para acontecer às 15:00 horas. A Manor, da dupla formada por Will Stevens e Roberto Merhi, não pôde treinar por causa de problemas no software que controlam o funcionamento do motor Ferrari.

Fotos: LAT Photographic

Lotus novamente na frente, desta vez com Grosjean.

O domingo foi agitado no circuito de Barcelona, o piloto da casa Fernando Alonso sofreu um forte acidente no treino e deixou a pista de helicóptero, a equipe McLaren tranquilizou os fãs declarando em suas redes sociais que não foi nada grave. A Lotus novamente foi a equipe dona da volta mais rápida do dia, desta vez com o francês Romain Grosjean, que anotou 1:24s067, superando Nico Rosberg o segundo colocado, porém, o alemão estava com os pneus médios e Grosjean com os supermacios.

Daniil Kvyat substituto de Vettel na RBR, manteve as boas atuações e fechou o dia em terceiro, o brasileiro Felipe Nasr foi o quarto, mas passou boa parte da sessão nos boxes com problemas no carro, quando foi para a pista com os pneus supermacios, chegou a ficar em segundo, no final, ainda conseguiu completar 73 voltas. Valtteri Bottas foi o quinto com a Williams, no entanto, acumulou bastante quilometragem ao completar 129 voltas.

Outro estreante na categoria, o espanhol Carlos Sainz Jr. (Toro Rosso), foi o sexto, ficando à frente do tetracampeão Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari), que fez um treino discreto. O alemão Nico Hulkenberg testando com o carro de 2014 não teve muita sorte com seu motor que deu pane logo cedo, terminando em nono. Com o acidente Fernando Alonso acabou ficando em último. Os pilotos e equipes permanecem em Barcelona, a partir de quinta-feira (26), começam os últimos testes coletivos da pré-temporada. O campeonato terá início no dia 15 de março, com o GP da Austrália, em Melbourne.  

Foto: Lotus F1 Team - divulgação

F1: Testes da pré-temporada 2015 - Barcelona

Dia: 5

Pos	Nº	Piloto	Equipe	Tempo	Voltas
1	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus	1:25s011	69
2	7	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	1:25s167	74
3	3	Daniel Ricciardo	RBR	1:25s547	59
4	11	Sergio Perez	Force Índia	1:26s636	34
5	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	1:27s307	79
6	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	1:27s900	94
7	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:28s182	21
8	34	Pascal Wehrlein	Force Índia	1:28s329	32
9	23	Pascal Wehrlein	Mercedes	1:28s489	48
10	41	Susie Wolff	Williams	1:28s906	86
11	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:30s429	11

Dia: 6

Pos	Nº	Piloto	Equipe	Tempo	Voltas
1	3	Daniel Ricciardo	RBR	1:24s574	143
2	7	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	1:24s584	90
3	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:24s672	88
4	11	Sergio Perez	Force Índia	1:24s702	121
5	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:24s923	89
6	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:25s556	66
7	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:25s961	59
8	30	Jolyon Palmer	Lotus	1:26s280	77
9	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:27s344	113
10	55	Carlos Sainz Jr.	Toro Rosso	1:28s945	100

Dia: 7

Pos	Nº	Piloto	Equipe	Tempo	Voltas
1	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus	1:24s348	104
2	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	1:24s739	129
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:26s076	101
4	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:26s340	53
5	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:26s407	105
6	26	Daniil Kvyat	RBR	1:26s589	112
7	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:26s912	55
8	34	Pascal Wehrlein	Force Índia	1:27s333	81
9	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	1:27s556	49
10	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:29s151	24

Dia: 8

Pos	Nº	Piloto	Equipe	Tempo	Voltas
1	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	1:24s067	111
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:24s321	131
3	26	Daniil Kvyat	RBR	1:24s941	104
4	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	1:24s956	73
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	1:25s345	129
6	55	Carlos Sainz Jr.	Toro Rosso	1:25s604	88
7	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:26s312	76
8	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force Índia	1:26s591	36
9	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:27s956	20

Maldonado lidera o 3º dia de testes em Barcelona.

Apostando nos compostos supermacios, a Lotus voltou a dominar o 3º dia de testes coletivos em Barcelona, o venezuelano Pastor Maldonado já havia sido o mais rápido na quinta-feira, ele marcou 1:24s348 neste sábado e acabou ficando com o melhor tempo da semana até aqui. O estreante Max Verstappen, fez bonito com a Toro Rosso, com ritmo muito forte e também utilizando os compostos supermacios, ele foi o mais rápido pela manhã, no final da tarde foi superado por Maldonado, mesmo assim, garantiu o 2º tempo.

Lewis Hamilton foi o 3º, mas estava com os pneus médios, o sueco Marcus Ericsson terminou a sessão em 4º, pois perdeu boa parte do treino nos boxes resolvendo um problema no câmbio do “C34”. Sebastian Vettel com a Ferrari foi o 5º, o russo Daniil Kvyat agora na RBR terminou em 6º, porém, foi o segundo piloto com mais voltas completadas, sendo 112, o líder neste quesito foi Verstappen, com 129 giros.

O brasileiro Felipe Massa treinou apenas na parte da manhã, mas a equipe Williams focou a sessão em treinar pit stops, o resultado foi o 7º tempo, o time inglês como a Mercedes, vêm escondendo o jogo, não demonstrando tudo o que têm nos testes da pré-temporada. O alemão Pascal Wehrlein, reserva na Force Índia, anotou o oitavo tempo, Valtteri Bottas com a outra Williams foi apenas o nono, mas como Massa, também dedicou a atividade aos pit stops. 

A McLaren continua com problemas na unidade MGU-K (motor elétrico alimentado pela energia armazenada nas frenagens), não sendo possível completar muitas voltas, Button foi o último da tabela dos tempos em Barcelona. Neste domingo as equipes encerram a primeira sessão de testes em Barcelona, retomando na quinta-feira 26.

Foto: Lotus F1 Team - divulgação

Maldonado é o mais rápido no primeiro dia de testes em Barcelona.

A Lotus agora com os motores Mercedes, dominou o primeiro dia de testes coletivos da pré-temporada 2015 da Fórmula 1, o venezuelano Pastor Maldonado andou forte nesta quinta-feira no circuito da Catalunha, em Barcelona. O piloto da Lotus cravou a melhor volta em 1:25s011, apenas 0s156 à frente da Ferrari de Kimi Raikkonen, que novamente esteve entre os primeiros colocados.

Daniel Ricciardo colocou a RBR em terceiro e Sergio Perez testou com a Force Índia de 2014 com pintura nova e peças na nova máquina, a equipe indiana não terminou o carro deste ano, o bólido provavelmente estará na pista apenas na última sessão de testes que acontece também em Barcelona. O brasileiro Felipe Nasr andou forte pela manhã com a Sauber, chegou a liderar a sessão, mas no final da tarde, envolveu em um acidente com a piloto de testes da Williams, Susie Wolff, ficando com o carro danificado, a equipe suíça conseguiu reparar e devolve-lo aos treinos, mas seus tempos não melhoraram e o brasiliense terminou em 5º.

Lewis Hamilton andou pouco, deu 11 voltas e voltou aos boxes com uma indisposição, o piloto da Mercedes estava com febre e deixou as atividades mais cedo, seu companheiro de equipe Nico Rosberg também não pôde treinar, já que se recupera de uma inflamação no pescoço, a equipe precisou chamar o reserva Pascal Wehrlein, o fato curioso é que ele estava testando pela Force Índia e teve que correr logo para assumir seu lugar na equipe alemã. Wehrlein completou 32 voltas com a Force Índia e 48 pela Mercedes, fechando a sessão com o 8º e 9º tempo respectivamente.

A McLaren com Jenson Button deu sinais de evolução, foram 21 voltas, pouco, no entanto, seu tempo ficou bem próximo da Toro Rosso de Verstappen, o holandês foi quem mais voltas completou totalizando 94 giros. Os pilotos e equipes voltam à pista de Barcelona nesta sexta-feira para o 6º dia de testes da pré-temporada.  

Foto: Lotus F1 Team - divulgação

Lotus revela imagens do E23, novo carro para a temporada 2015 da F1.

Faltando poucos dias para o início dos testes coletivos da temporada 2015 da Fórmula 1, aos poucos as equipes vão apresentando imagens de seus novos carros, até agora, Williams e Force Índia já deram uma demonstração de como ficarão seus bólidos. Nesta segunda-feira (26), foi a vez da Lotus revelar o “E23 Hybrid”, que será equipado com os motores Mercedes.

Com a tradicional pintura preta e dourada, o novo carro da dupla: Romain Grosjean e Pastor Maldonado, ganhou um novo bico em razão das novas regras da Federação Internacional de Automobilismo (FIA), cujo objetivo é melhorar a aparência da frente dos carros. O “E23” é a aposta do time para voltar a brigar no pelotão principal, já que seu antecessor “E22” com motores Renault, fez uma péssima temporada, terminando apenas com 10 pontos.

Vale notar que a nova máquina da Lotus, apresenta poucos patrocinadores, pois “perdeu” boa parte deles para a Williams. A temporada 2015 da F1 começa no dia 15 de março com o Grande Prêmio da Austrália. Antes disto, as equipes farão três sessões de testes coletivos, a primeira sessão está marcada para 1º à 4 de fevereiro, no circuito espanhol de Jerez de la Frontera.

Fotos: Lotus F1 Team - divulgação

F3 Euro Series: Signature to run Lotus F1 Junior drivers Boccolacci and Albon.

Alexander Albon from Thailand and Frenchman Dorian Boccolacci, by two years his junior, will be making their debut in the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship behind the wheel of a Dallara-Volkswagen of the Signature team at Silverstone in April. Thus, French team Signature will be running two junior drivers of the Lotus F1 team in the 2015 Fórmula 3 European Championship.

“I am happy and I feel honoured by the trust that Lotus has placed in me to run two of its junior drivers to make their first steps in the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship within my team,” Signature team principal Philippe Sinault said. “Both have already found their way into the team very well and have shown a good performance during the test sessions we have had so far. Now, it has to be our goal to follow the tracks of Esteban Ocon, who managed to win last year’s FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship as a Lotus Fórmula 1 junior driver as well”.

Alexander Albon, a Thai born in London, is advancing to the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship with three years in Fórmula Renault 2.0 under his belt and he is looking forward to the new challenge: “I am happy to be a part of the Signature team now, which I rate as one of the best teams based on its achievements. I am still in the process of getting to know the Fórmula 3 car and my new team, but I have also been able to successfully work on my own performance during the first test sessions we have had”.

His new team-mate, Dorian Boccolacci, who steps up into the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship as the runner-up from French Fórmula 4, has a similar view: “Like Alexander, I mainly used the first days of testing to get to know everything and I am feeling really well. However, for me, the step from Fórmula 4 to Fórmula 3 was a very big one, especially as I only have one year of experience in car racing. Now, I can hardly wait for the season to start”.

The first official pre-season test days are scheduled to take place at Valência on 17 and 18 March. On the second weekend of April, the young drivers have their first race meeting at the Fórmula 1 circuit of Silverstone in the UK.

Abu Dhabi: Three Fórmula 3 young-guns test Fórmula 1 cars.

The 2014 Fórmula 1 season ended this Sunday but for the teams, the work continued straight away. Following the season finale in Abu Dhabi they tested for two days at the same venue and invited three Fórmula 3 European Championship young-guns to the tests. In addition to Max Verstappen (Van Amersfoort Racing) and Esteban Ocon (Prema Powerteam) who already had covered their first kilometres at the wheel of F1 single-seaters, Richard Goddard (ThreeBond with T-Sport) also made the trip to Abu Dhabi to make his debut in a Fórmula 1 car.

On day one, only Max Verstappen was involved in the testing work. The Dutchman completed 55 laps at the wheel of a Toro Rosso vehicle to finish ninth on the time sheets. On day two, the 17-year old who already has been signed as GP driver for the 2015 season by the Scuderia Toro Rosso was even busier and completed a total of 78 laps. “Sitting behind the wheel for a total of four hours felt just great,” he beamed. “In the morning session we succeeded in completing our scheduled programme and could test several things for the 2015 season. In the afternoon, we were hampered by some technical problems but the team solved these problems before the session was over”. On the second day of testing, Verstappen crossed the line in 1:43s763, thus securing the third position on the time sheets.

Reigning FIA Fórmula 3 European Champion Esteban Ocon joined the test action only on day two. The long-term Lotus Fórmula 1 Junior contested the morning session for Team Lotus F1 and completed 34 laps. With his personal fastest lap time of 1:47s013, the Frenchman was the 10th-fastest on day two. “The tests ran really well,” he revealed before hitting the road back to France. “We completed the scheduled programme and didn’t focus on setting fast lap times. At the same time, I used the opportunity to keep on familiarising myself even with the E22 and I’m understanding the car better and better. Meanwhile, the team also supported me with a great feedback and that’s something I was particularly delighted with”.

In addition to Esteban Ocon and Max Verstappen who both have had bonds with Fórmula 1 teams for quite a while, Richard Goddard also was offered the chance of demonstrating his skills in a Fórmula 1 cockpit, at Abu Dhabi. The Australian covered his first Fórmula kilometres for Force Índia and did a great job. At the end of the day he had completed 89 laps and set a personal fastest lap time of 1:44s944, thus making it to sixth position on the time sheets. With this time, he out-paced - inter alia - his compatriot Daniel Ricciardo who was the fastest of the drivers not racing for the Mercedes-Benz works team, in the 2014 Fórmula 1 season, and finished third in the World Championship. “First of all I had to familiarise myself with the F1 car,” admitted Goddard, “But afterwards, I succeeded in improving consistently. I’m really delighted with my personal fastest lap time and I think that 89 laps represent a solid distance for the beginning. I’m rather happy about the day and the way the team worked with me. Now I would love to keep the bond with Force Índia alive”.

Also involved in the testing work on day two was Raffaele Marciello. At the wheel of a Ferrari, the 2013 FIA Fórmula 3 European Champion finished second behind Mercedes test driver Pascal Wehrlein.

ROC 2015: Esteban Ocon to compete in the Race of Champions.

Having contested his two tests at the pinnacle of motor racing for the Lotus F1 Team and the Scuderia Ferrari, Esteban Ocon (Prema Powerteam) now may look forward to the next highlight on his calendar: the reigning FIA Fórmula 3 European Champion was invited by the Race of Champions (ROC) organisers to participate in this year’s edition of the tradition-rich event and accepted the invitation. Consequently, he will travel to Barbados to battle it out with champions and top stars of other motor-racing categories in mid-December.

“The invitation to the Race of Champions represents a dream come true,” said Ocon. “When I was a child, I was in the Stade de France to witness the ROC action - and now I’m one of the selected drivers. I generally like tracks with a lot of corners. For me, the biggest challenge at Barbados will be to race a tin-top racer as I have driven only single-seaters, in my career to date. I have not even got a driving license. But I think that I will be able to cope with this challenge, too”.

In the ROC, held on 13th and 14th December, Ocon will have to compete with the likes of nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen, reining Indy 500 champ Ryan Hunter-Reay, multi-time V8 Supercars Champion Jamie Whincup, reigning FIA World Rally-Cross Champion Petter Solberg, reigning World Touring Car Champion José-Maria Lopez and other motor-racing greats. In addition to fighting for the drivers’ title on Sunday, he also will contest the Nations Cup together with his compatriot Romain Grosjean who won the 2013 Race of Champions. “I have known Romain for several years and it’s just great to be teamed up with him. I hope that we will be able to jointly secure a good result for France, on Saturday. But it goes without saying that I would love to beat him in the battle for the drivers’ title on Sunday”.

ROC organiser Fredrik Johansson was delighted about the acceptance of the successful Lotus F1 junior. “Esteban currently is one of the best up-and-coming drivers. In addition, the ROC history featured numerous promising young guns that gave the established drivers a very hard time and partly also secured very good results. And Esteban could add a new chapter to this streak of successes”.

Photo: FIA F3 Euro Series

F3 Euro Series: A pair of pole positions for Tom Blomqvist.

Tom Blomqvist (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin) got himself into a good position for the battle for second place in the final drivers’ standings. With two positions for season races 32 and 33 of the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship, he was fastest in second qualifying of the weekend. His fiercest rival Max Verstappen (Van Amersfoort Racing), who has already signed a Fórmula 1 contract for next season, has to make do with ninth and eighth place on the grid. On the starting grid for the 32nd race of the season, Antonio Giovinazzi (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin), Lucas Auer (Mücke Motorsport) and Jordan King (Carlin) will follow behind Blomqvist. For the final race of the season at the 4.574 kilometres long Hockemnheimring Baden-Württemberg, Auer, Felix Rosenqvist (Mücke Motorsport) and Giovinazzi will follow behind the 20-year-old Brit. Next to Blomqvist and Verstappen, Auer also still has chances to claim runner-up spot in the championship. With Esteban Ocon (Prema Powerteam), the FIA Fórmula 3 European Champion has already been known for a week.

Starting grid race 2

Tom Blomqvist (1:31s817), who came to Hockenheim three points down on Max Verstappen, was already on top at the halfway point, but initially had to give up that position again. He dropped back to sixth place, but then started his final attack. First of all, the young Brit improved to third place and then moved up into the lead again. On his final lap, he improved once more and was delighted with his clear pole position. Antonio Giovinazzi (1:32s152) ensured that there are two drivers of the Jagonya Ayam with Carlin team on the front row of the grid for the 32nd race. Lucas Auer (1:32s245), Jordan King (1:32s403), Felix Rosenqvist (1:32s414) and the already-crowned FIA Fórmula 3 European Champion Esteban Ocon (1:32s422) were classified in third to sixth place.

Starting grid race 3

In the classification of the second-fastest laps, Tom Blomqvist (1:31s987) was unbeatable as well. Lucas Auer (1:32s286) claimed second place from Rosenqvist (1:32s429), Giovinazzi (1:32s545), King (1:32s669) and Ocon (1:32s710).

Tom Blomqvist (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin): “Qualifying was good. Prior to the red flags that came out after Nick Cassidy had crashed, it didn’t look too good, but at that time, I had only done one lap. However, I knew that I had the speed. My car was really good and I managed to do two very good laps towards the end of the session. Of course, I am happy with that. Now, I want to enjoy the final three races of the season and I want to have fun. I like Hockenheim and in the past, I was usually quick here”.

Photo: FIA F3 Euro Series

F3 Euro Series: Esteban Ocon, a rookie wins the title.

Esteban Ocon (Prema Powerteam) is the new FIA Fórmula 3 European Champion. Thus, the 18-year-old Frenchman follows in the footsteps of last year’s European Champion Raffaele Marciello, but other than the Italian, he already won the title in his maiden season in Fórmula 3. With nine victories so far this season, Lotus Fórmula 1 junior driver Ocon already scored the biggest success of his career to date with three races to spare.

Esteban Ocon and his predecessor Raffaele Marciello have quite a few things in common: both raced for the Prema Powerteam and both have been protégés of a Fórmula 1 team for many years. Marciello is still a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, while Ocon has been enjoying support from Lotus since his days racing go-karts.

After a successful career in karting, the Frenchman spent two seasons in the Fórmula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and ended up a strong third overall after his second season. At only 17 years of age, he made his Fórmula 3 debut during the Macau Grand Prix in 2013. At the extremely demanding circuit, the Frenchman caught the attention right away with good overtaking moves and fast lap times. Over the winter, the ambitious teeanager matured into an outstanding driver, which he already proved by winning the second race in the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship season opener at Silverstone. Until the meeting at the Hungaroring, he managed to win at least one race every weekend and pulled clear from the rest of the field in the championship standings more and more. 

After the strong spell of his fiercest rival Max Verstappen (Van Amersfoort Racing), who managed to win six races in a row at Spa-Francorchamps and at the Norisring, Ocon countered with three wins at Moscow, where he also managed to claim all three pole positions. He headed home from the Russian capital with an advantage of more than 100 points. At the Red Bull Ring and the Nürburgring, the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship points’ leader again had a brief drought and had to wait until Imola before he scored another race win. At the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, third place in the third race was enough for him to wrap up the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship title early.

“I simply don’t know what to say. Prior to the season, I never expected such a year. I am totally happy and I am already looking forward to my first test in a Fórmula 1 car that I will do at the end of October with Ferrari,” the newly-crowned champion enthused. During the season, he never really thought about a possible title win. “I tried to work from one race to another, because then, you get less nervous and you stay more relaxed”.

When looking back upon the season, the rather quiet Ocon rates his home round at Pau as his favourite memory. “The Saturday at Pau was my personal highlight of the season. On that day, I claimed two pole positions and won one race. That victory was particularly beautiful as it was my home race.” Ocon has rather less fond memories of the Red Bull Ring weekend: “There, things simply didn’t work and I made mistakes as well. However, I have learned from these mistakes and I have improved as a result. Prior to the season, I already knew that not all the races would be perfect. The field is simply too strong for that”.

Ocon doesn’t come from a well-to-do family and therefore, he is very grateful to the Lotus Fórmula 1 team for having supported him since 2010. “Had it not been for them, I certainly wouldn’t be here. They are supporting me wherever they can. Because I want to benefit from this great chance and because I simply love motorsport, I am always 200 percent committed,” says Ocon, who, next to his ambitions in motorsport and his many sporting activities is also still in school. “I am in some kind of home school and I intend to continue that as long as possible. After all, one never knows how things will go in motorsport and a solid education never does any harm”.

At the moment, however, there is no need for him to worry, even though Gwen Lagrue, who is responsible for the Lotus team’s junior programme, isn’t yet able to say what the career path for his protégé Esteban Ocon will hold for next year. The eventual goal of the Lotus support scheme remains to prepare Ocon for Fórmula 1. In the week after Imola, the young Frenchman, who names motocross rider Ryan Villopoto and sprint star Usain Bolt as his role models, will already get a first taste of the top category as he will be in the Lotus Fórmula 1 simulator for the first time. Lagrue: “He simply deserves that”.

Photos: FIA F3 Euro Series

F3 Euro Series: Verstappen wins, Ocon is the 2014 FIA Fórmula 3 European Champion.

Max Verstappen (Van Amersfoort Racing) claimed his ninth victory in the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship in an action-packed 30th race of the season. At the 4.909 kilometres long Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, the 17-year-old Dutchman won from Italian Antonio Fuoco (Prema Powerteam) and Esteban Ocon (Prema Powerteam). For 18-year-old Frenchman Ocon, who is backed by the Lotus Fórmula 1 team, third place was enough to win an early title in the 2014 FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship. As a reward, he will do a test with a Ferrari Fórmula 1 car at the Fiorano circuit on October 29.

Antonio Fuoco already took the lead from Max Verstappen and Esteban Ocon before the first corner. With a very good start, he thus managed to move up from third on the grid to first place. Later on the opening lap, Edward Jones (Carlin) ploughed through the gravel trap and hit Antonio Giovinazzi’s (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin) car as he swerved back onto the track. The Italian spun and retired and so did Jones. The race director sent the safety car out after the incident.

Only a few laps later, an off-track excursion by Sandro Zeller (Jo Zeller Racing) prompted the second safety car intervention. At the restart on lap nine, Verstappen overtook race leader Fuoco and claimed back first place. On lap eleven, the safety car was deployed again after Felix Rosenqvist (Mücke Motorsport) had collided with Jordan King (Carlin) and couldn’t avoid an impact into the barriers.

Max Verstappen also held on to his first place after the third restart of the race. He then safely brought this position home after the remaining laps and celebrated his first win of the weekend. Antonio Fuoco took the flag in second place and his many fans hailed him as the best-placed Italian in the race. Esteban Ocon was buoyant as well as his third place was enough to wrap up the 2014 FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship title early. Nicholas Latifi (Prema Powerteam) finished fourth in the final race of the Imola round, followed by Tom Blomqvist (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin) and William Buller (Signature). Thus, Buller scored not only his first points of the season, but also the first points for the Signature team that contested its first race weekend of the 2014 season at Imola. Jake Dennis (Carlin), Lucas Auer (Mücke Motorsport), Felix Serralles (Team West-Tec F3) and Gustavo Menezes (Van Amersfoort Racing) rounded out the top ten.

Max Verstappen (Van Amersfoort Racing): “I lost a position after the start, but I knew that my car was fast and that the race was long. Therefore, I kept cool and I waited for an opportunity. My car was already fast on the two days of testing and that was the case today as well”.

Antonio Fuoco (Prema Powerteam): “I am happy with second place and I am not disappointed for having missed out on victory. It was clear to me that Max was quicker and that I wouldn’t have had a chance against him. I wasn’t happy with my first two races, but now, I am glad by my podium finish in my home round. I would like to dedicate this second place to my friend Jules Bianchi”.

Esteban Ocon (Prema Powerteam): “I am really happy that I am the new FIA Formula 3 European Champion. It is unbelievable, I simply don’t know what to say. I will celebrate the title in style with my team tonight. My race wasn’t too bad. I didn’t want to take too many risks in the first corner and I slotted into third place. Later on, I simply followed my team-mate Antonio, who was in second place. I knew that third place would be enough for me, too”.

Photos: FIA F3 Euro Series

F3 Euro Series: Esteban Ocon takes lights-to-flag win, Max Verstappen retires.

Esteban Ocon (Prema Powerteam) made his comeback on the top step of the podium at the 4.909 kilometres long Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. The 18-year-old Frenchman won the 28th race of the season and thus also wrapped up the title in the rookie classification of the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship. In the 20 lap race, British drivers Jordan King (Carlin) and Tom Blomqvist (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin) finished second and third. Max Verstappen (Van Amersfoort Racing), who came to Italy as the runner-up in the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship drivers’ standings, retired from a turbulent race. As a result, the 17-year-old Dutchman, who participated in his first free practice session in Fórmula 1 last week, lost his second place in the championship to Tom Blomqvist. Ocon, who is now 97 points ahead of Blomqvist, remains on top of the standings.

The safety-car was deployed on the opening lap following a collision between Santino Ferrucci (Fortec Motorsports) and Hongwei Cao (Fortec Motorsports). At that time, Esteban Ocon was in the lead after a successful start from pole position. Jordan King followed in second place from Tom Blomqvist and Felix Rosenqvist (Mücke Motorsport).

After the restart, Ocon was in front again and was soon able to pull a slight gap from his main rival Jordan King. While Lotus F1 junior driver Ocon controlled the race in first place, his rival in the battle for the title, Max Verstappen, had to work his way up through the ranks. Following an engine change in the previous round at the Nürburgring, after which he was dropped ten places on the grid for the first and second race at Imola in compliance with the regulations, the Dutchman had only started from 15th place on the grid. After one lap, he was already ninth and continued to push. A mistake while attacking Jake Dennis (Carlin) cost Verstappen two positions. Soon after that, Antonio Fuoco (Prema Powerteam) pushed him into the gravel trap and the Van Amersfoort driver fell out of the top ten as a result. Following another collision with Roy Nissany (Mücke Motorsport), he eventually had to retire in the pits with three laps remaining.

Out in front, Esteban Ocon drove his ninth victory of the season home, followed by Jordan King and Tom Blomqvist. Felix Rosenqvist finished fourth from Antonio Giovinazzi (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin), Lucas Auer (Mücke Motorsport), Jake Dennis, Felix Serralles (Team West-Tec F3), Tatiana Calderón (Jo Zeller Racing) and Sean Gelael (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin).

Esteban Ocon (Prema Powerteam): “Pole position certainly helped me to take the lead after the start. After that, I immediately managed to pull a gap from Jordan. After the restart, the situation was similar. When Jordan increased his speed during the race, I had to take a little bit more risk to keep the gap constant”.

Jordan King (Carlin): “My start wasn’t the best and throughout the race, I never managed to close up to Esteban in such a way that I would have been able to mount an attack. But second place is a good result, too”.

Tom Blomqvist (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin): “After the restart, I had to defend my position from Felix Rosenqvist, which I managed to do. Thus, I was third and I brought this position home. Before the race, we had made some changes to the set-up of my car and I needed some time to get used to it”.

Photos: FIA F3 Euro Series

F3 Euro Seires: Prema driver Esteban Ocon back on top.

Esteban Ocon (Prema Powerteam, 1:36s479) secured himself a good position for the battle for the title in first qualifying for the tenth FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship race meeting. The Frenchman, a protégé of the Lotus F1 team and the leader in the drivers’ standings, claimed pole position for the first race of the weekend at the 4.909 kilometres long Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola. Antonio Giovinazzi (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin, 1:36s611) secured himself second place on the grid for his home race, ahead of the two Brits Jordan King (Carlin, 1:36s890) and Tom Blomqvist (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin, 1:36s973). Max Verstappen (Van Amersfoort Racing, 1:37s006), currently runner-up in the drivers’ standings and already having made the step to Fórmula 1, had to make do with fifth place.

Around the halfway point, there was a duel for pole position involving Italian Antonio Giovnazzi and Frenchman Esteban Ocon. They were the two drivers to set lap times below 1:37 minutes. In the remainder of the session, Tom Blomqvist closed up to them, but then a crash by Sean Gelael (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin, 1:37s375) stopped the action for a few minutes. At that time, Ocon was on top from Giovinazzi and Blomqvist while Max Verstappen was skulking in fourth place.

Once the session had been resumed, Felix Rosenqvist (Mücke Motorsport, 1:37s016) was the first driver who managed to improve his own lap time. The Swedish stalwart moved up into fifth place. The final attempts by the youngsters were briefly interrupted once again after a crash by Alexander Toril (ThreeBond with T-Sport, 1:37s926).

After the second restart, there were only 2:19 minutes remaining. In spite of the little time that was left, Nicholas Latifi (Prema Powerteam, 1:37s187) and Jordan King still managed to improve. British driver King even moved up to third place in the final seconds while Canadian driver Latifi ended up tenth in qualifying. Between him and sixth-placed Rosenqvist, Jake Dennis (Carlin, 1:37s031), Antonio Fuoco (Prema Powerteam, 1:37s125) and Lucas Auer (Mücke Motorsport, 1:37s147) were seventh, eighth and ninth respectively.

Esteban Ocon (Prema Powerteam): “Qualifying was really good and my car was great, too. In free practice, we worked very well and I am happy to be back on top. The Imola circuit really suits me and as I am living in Italy now this race also is something of a home round for me as well. Starting from pole position for the first race of the weekend is all the more beautiful because of this. However, I am not thinking about a possible title win yet”.

Photos: FIA F3 Euro Series

F3 Euro Series: Max Verstappen on top after second day of testing at Imola.

Although Max Verstappen (Van Amersfoort Racing, 1:36s553) has already signed his Fórmula 1 contract and also has taken part in his first free practice session in the category, he keeps on pushing in the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship. On the second day of the official mid-season-test at the 4.909 kilometres long circuit of Imola, he came out on top. Jake Dennis (Carlin, 1:36s836) followed behind the Dutchman while Sean Gelael (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin, 1:37s049) was classified third at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari ahead of his team-mate Antonio Giovinazzi (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin, 1:37s055).

With his fourth place, Giovinazzi was the fastest of the three Italian drivers competing in this year’s FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship. “We have tested and sorted out many things. I am quite happy with the progress we have made on these two days and I am now looking forward to the race weekend,” he commented afterwards. Giovinazzi ranked just ahead of Antonio Fuoco (Prema Powerteam, 1:37s071), the second Italian in the ranking. Gustavo Menezes (Van Amersfoort Racing, 1:37s108) followed in sixth place and also drew a positive verdict: “It was important and also necessary to have these two days of testing after the long summer break. Now, we are all back in the right rhythm for this weekend, when we are racing for points. My team-mates and I had a good speed, our car was running well and we are ready for the three races at this circuit”.

Nick Cassidy (ThreeBond with T-Sport, 1:37s116), Jordan King (Carlin, 1:37s144), Lucas Auer (Mücke Motorsport, 1:37s162) and Felix Rosenqvist (Mücke Motorsport, 1:37s273) rounded out the top ten.“This track really is great fun to drive,” Rosenqvist said. “But on a really fast lap, you are also on the verge of crashing all the time. Getting close to the limit, but not over it is a huge challenge”. The Swede was happy with his test day: “I think that we made the car faster”.

Felix Serralles (Team West-Tec F3, 1:37s341) was classified eleventh. “I reckon that we have the speed to finish on the podium,” the young driver from Puerto Rico said. “During the season so far, my car has never been this good. In the summer break and with this test, we have made a step forward and we are working into the right direction”. Esteban Ocon (Prema Powerteam, 1:37s342) had to make do with twelfth place, but the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship points’ leader remained totally unfazed: “We just concentrated on completing our test programme and we didn’t go for any fast lap times. We will leave that for the weekend, when we are competing for points and positions again,” the 18-year-old Lotus Fórmula 1 junior driver said calmly.

Photos: FIA F3 Euro Series

F3 Euro Series: Antonio Giovinazzi wins from Tom Blomqvist.

At the 3.629 kilometres long Nürburgring, Antonio Giovinazzi, (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin), celebrated his second FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship of the season. The Italian benefited from the retirement of long-time leader Max Verstappen, (Van Amersfoort Racing), who stopped due to a technical problem with five laps remaining. Brit Tom Blomqvist, (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin) and Frenchman Esteban Ocon, (Prema Powerteam), claimed the remaining slots on the winners’ podium. In the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship standings, Lotus Fórmula 1 junior driver Esteban Ocon has extended his lead from second-placed Verstappen again. Ocon now has 92 points more than Verstappen, who was included into the Red Bull Junior Team early last week.

At the start, Max Verstappen took the lead from second place on the grid while Tom Blomqvist, who started from pole position, dropped back to third behind Verstappen and Antonio Giovinazzi. Later on, Blomqvist had to battle for third with a charging Esteban Ocon. At the same time, Antonio Giovinazzi put Max Verstappen under pressure in the duel for the lead. Initially, both Verstappen and Blomqvist were able to defend their respective positions. On lap 20, however, the 16-year-old Dutchman suddenly slowed down and stopped and the four years older Antonio Giovinazzi inherited the lead. Eventually, the Italian scored his second victory of the season from team-mate Tom Blomqvist and Esteban Ocon.

Antonio Fuoco, (Prema Powerteam), took the chequered flag in fourth place, followed by Lucas Auer, (Mücke Motorsport), Jordan King, (Carlin), Felix Rosenqvist, (Mücke Motorsport) and Edward Jones, (Carlin). Tatiana Calderón, (Jo Zeller Racing), was classified ninth. Thus, the only lady racer in the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship field scored points for the fifth time this season already. Nicholas Latifi, (Prema Powerteam) concluded the 26th race of the season in tenth place.

Antonio Giovinazzi, (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin): “My start was really good, I was able to overtake Tom straight away and then I was behind Max. When Max suddenly stopped, I could take the lead. I feel sorry for Max, but that is racing. On the other hand, I don’t think I would have been able to overtake him had it not been for his problem”.

Tom Blomqvist, (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin): “On one hand, I am happy with second place, because it brings many points. On the other hand, it is also disappointing, because I started from pole position and, of course, I wanted to win. The problem was my start, which wasn’t good”.

Esteban Ocon, (Prema Powerteam): “I was fourth for a long time, but I kept Tom under pressure throughout the race. When Max retired, I was able to take third place. Before this race, we managed to improve my car once again, but it’s still not perfect. Therefore, I reckon I can be happy with my result”.

Photos: FIA F3 Euro Series

F3 Euro Series: The hunt for championship leader Ocon to be continued.

This weekend at the 3.629-kilometre Nürburgring, the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship is going to contest its ninth race meeting of the 2014 season. Esteben Ocon, a protégée of the Lotus Fórmula 1 Team, travels to the Eifel as championship leader, with his lead over second-placed Dutchman Max Verstappen amounting to 94 points. Nonetheless, the two rookies mustn’t rest on their laurels as Tom Blomqvist and Lucas Auer are determined to give their very best to close in on Ocon and Verstappen and pass them in the overall standings. Austria’s Auer wants to do so at the wheel of his Dallara-Mercedes entered by Mücke Motorsport, the only German team on the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship grid.

In time for the home race of his team, with 24 races contested, Lucas Auer proved to be in good shape. In his own home event, at the Red Bull Ring, the Austrian young gun secured two podiums, thus reducing the gap to the leaders, Ocon and Verstappen. While Esteban Ocon encountered a race weekend to forget, in Styria. For the first time this year, he had to leave a race venue empty-handed. Max Verstappen also failed to shine and had to settle for adding just 27 points to his tally while Tom Blomqvist delivered in great style: the Briton won a race and finished runner-up in the other two to pass Auer in the overall standings for third position. Blomqvist’s entire team, Jagonya Ayam with Carlin, was extremely competitive in Spielberg. His team-mate, Antonio Giovinazzi, secured two poles and in race three, the Italian celebrated his first FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship race win.

Thanks to this success and the 61 points scored by Blomqvist with his three podiums, Jagonya Ayam with Carlin now holds second position in the team ranking behind Prema Powerteam. Right behind the Britons, Mücke Motorsport follows in third position. With its three drivers Lucas Auer, Felix Rosenqvist and Roy Nissany, the Berlin based squad’s gap to Jagonya Ayam with Carlin amounts to just 22 points.

Antonio Giovinazzi was the seventh driver to have won a FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship race, this year. 26 drivers succeeded in scoring points, among them Tatiana Calderón, the only girl racer on the competitive grid. The Colombian who secured four top 10 results, to date, secured her best result in the season so far by finishing fifth at Spa-Francorchamps. She is determined to continue her upswing and keep on adding points to her tally, in the Eifel.

Tatiana Calderón, (Jo Zeller Racing): “I’m really happy with my season so far. I had a difficult start as I joined Jo Zeller Racing really late but from Spa-Francorchamps, things ran really well for me. I scored my first FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship points at the Belgian circuit and afterwards, I succeeded in demonstrating that this success wasn’t a nine-day wonder. I’m delighted with having secured my best grid positions in regular conditions, at the Red Bull Ring, by qualifying 12th twice. I hope that I will be able to also score points at the Nürburgring as it is one of my favourite circuits. Last year, in the British F3 Championship, I even made it to the podium, there. I hope to be able to repeat this feat, this weekend - but to do so in a series as competitive as the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship, everything must run absolutely perfectly”.

Photos: FIA F3 Euro Series

Lewis Hamilton é pole para o GP da Espanha.

Lewis Hamilton assinou na tarde deste sábado na Espanha, a 35ª pole position de sua carreira, a quarta da temporada, em cinco sessões de qualificação. O domínio do piloto inglês em todos os treinos livres só foi interrompido na TL3 pelo companheiro Nico Rosberg, que largará a seu lado na primeira fila na corrida de amanhã. Daniel Ricciardo foi o terceiro com a RBR.

Valtteri Bottas surpreendeu ao colocar a Williams em quarto, o mesmo aconteceu com o francês Romain Grosjean que não teve problemas para marcar o quinto tempo e superar a dupla da Ferrari com: Kimi Raikkonen e Fernando Alonso, que corre em 'casa'. Jenson Button com uma limitada McLaren foi o 8º e Felipe Massa o 9º, o brasileiro foi o último entre os que disputaram o (Q3), já que o tetracampeão Vettel ficou pelo caminho no início da classificação com problemas em seu “RB10”, acredita-se que seja o câmbio.

Massa vinha baixando seu tempo na única volta rápida que ele tinha chances no (Q3), mas no setor 3, errou e perdeu o controle do carro, caindo para o nono lugar no grid, resultado muito ruim para quem era cotado para largar entre os cinco primeiros. Sobre Vettel, ele terá que fazer uma corrida de recuperação, caso tenha que trocar o câmbio perderá 5 posições no grid, como a pista na Espanha tem poucos pontos de ultrapassagens, o alemão precisa contar com a sorte na prova de amanhã.

As demais posições de largada não tiveram muita surpresa, apenas a eliminação da dupla da Force Índia não era esperada. Outro que ficou pelo caminho foi o dinamarquês Kevin Magnussen, apenas o décimo quinto. Pastor Maldonado que venceu a prova em 2012 com a Williams, poderia começar mostrando serviço amanhã, no entanto, mesmo andando rápido em todos os treinos livres com a Lotus, acabou batendo no início do (Q1) e largará em penúltimo, já que o francês Jean-Eric Vergne foi punido em dez posições pelo incidente ocorrido ontem na TL2 quando perdeu a roda traseira direita de seu “STR”. Confira o grid de largada para o GP da Espanha:  

F1 Testes coletivos no Bahrein 2014.

Entre a última terça-feira (8) e quarta (9), a Fórmula 1 promoveu mais dois dias de testes coletivos entre as equipes, após três etapas da temporada 2014 os times voltaram a se encontrar no circuito de Sakhir, palco no último domingo de uma histórica corrida. Novamente quem dominou os treinos foi a Mercedes, com larga vantagem sobre seus concorrentes, no 1º dia o alemão Nico Rosberg atual líder do campeonato cravou a melhor volta em 1:35s697, após 121 giros sem problemas de confiabilidade.

Um dos destaques da prova no Bahrein, Nico Hulkenberg, andou forte e fechou com o segundo tempo, à frente do espanhol Fernando Alonso, ainda com problemas em seu “F14-T”. Já o novato Kevin Magnussen, que testou novos componentes de suspensão do carro da McLaren ficou com a quarta marca. Bottas e Chilton completaram o top 6. Mais uma vez a RBR deixou seus pilotos na mão, só no período da tarde é que Ricciardo pôde andar no “RB10”, porém, ficou cerca de 2s6 segundos atrás do líder Rosberg.

O que já era excelente, ficou ainda melhor no 2º dia de testes no Sakhir para a Mercedes, que liderou com o inglês Lewis Hamilton, o vencedor do GP do Bahrein, cravou 1:34s136 e não teve adversários, no entanto, vale ressaltar que os tempos em testes não são um parâmetro para fazer comparações, já que a carga de combustível não é revelada. O que dá para deixar claro é que a Mercedes esta sem duvidas à frente de seus rivais: McLaren, RBR e Ferrari, correndo por fora vêm Force Índia e Williams.

Hamilton também trabalhou avaliando os novos pneus da Pirelli, e a Mercedes testou novos componentes aerodinâmicos. Quem ficou mais próximo de Hamilton foi o francês Jean-Eric Vergne da Toro Rosso, segundo na sessão desta quarta-feira. Magnussen manteve o bom ritmo da McLaren e foi o terceiro. Perez, Ricciardo e Bianchi completaram o top 6.

Alonso foi o oitavo, mas teve que terminar o treino mais cedo porque a Ferrari detectou um dano no chassis, por precaução o time de Maranello encerrou os trabalhos para avaliar melhor o carro de Raikkonen, que era usado por Alonso. O segundo e último dia contou com a participação do brasileiro Felipe Nasr a bordo da Williams, após 64 girou ele marcou o décimo tempo. Abaixo resultado final dos dois dias de treinos:

F1, Treinos coletivos, Bahrein, 1º dia:

1 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) 1:35s697

2 - Nico Hulkenberg (Force Índia) 1:36s064

3 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 1:36s626

4 - Kevin Magnussen (McLaren) 1:36s634

5 - Valtteri Bottas (Williams) 1:37s305

6 - Max Chilton (Marussia) 1:37s678

7 - Daniel Ricciardo (RBR) 1:38s326

8 - Sergey Sirotkin (Sauber) 1:39s023

9 - Robin Frijns (Caterham) 1:40s027

10 Pastor Maldonado (Lotus) 1:40s183

11 Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso) 1:40s452

F1, Treinos coletivos, Bahrein, 2º dia:

1 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1:34s136

2 - Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso) 1:35s557

3 - Kevin Magnussen (McLaren) 1:36s203

4 - Sergio Perez (Force Índia) 1:36s586

5 - Daniel Ricciardo (RBR) 1:37s310

6 - Jules Bianchi (Marussia) 1:37s316

7 - Giedo Van der Garde (Sauber) 1:37s623

8 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 1:37s912

9 - Marcus Ericsson (Caterham) 1:39s263

10 Felipe Nasr (Williams) 1:39s879

11 Romain Grosjean (Lotus) 1:43s732

Fotos: Mercedes F1 Team/LAT/Getty