Photos: ACI Sport

Six years ago, Lance Stroll heralded the start of a new motorsport era with his first car racing win at Adria. It wasn’t necessarily his individual contribution to that day that made it historic, but it was a win that mattered

On June 8 2014, the very first FIA Formula 4 race took place. The inaugural Italian championship encounter boasted 22 starters from 12 nations spread across nine teams, and the 24 laps passed without too much drama and just one retirement.

Ferrari junior Stroll edged Prema team-mate Brandon Maisano to pole by 0.073 seconds, with a pole lap set at an average speed of 80.217mph. Stroll had made his single-seater debut in the Ferrari Driver Academy’s Florida Winter Series at the start of the year, while former Ferrari protege Maisano was the 2010 champion of series predecessor Formula Abarth and was stepping back down a category after a race-winning spell with Prema in Italian Formula 3.

The second row of the grid was even closer, with future FIA F3 Championship star and Lamborghini junior Leonardo Pulcini qualifying third for Vincenzo Sospiri’s Fortec Motorsports-aligned Euronova squad and current Audi factory driver Mattia Drudi going just 0.004s slower for the circuit-associated Cram Motorsport team.

At the end of the warm-up lap, Jenzer Motorsport’s Ali Al Khalifa failed to hit his 18th place starting spot, but he was helped into position so the race could get underway.

Almost a third of the grid stalled at the start in the Tatuus F4-T014 (which is still used today), leading to several ambitious attempts to squeeze through spaces that weren’t there.

The Prema duo made decent starts, and Antonelli Motorsport’s Matteo Cairoli – now a sportscar star with Porche – made a great launch to move from fifth to third before missing his braking point at the Turn 4 hairpin and moving back down to his starting spot.

Diegi Motorsport’s Andrea Russo and Pulcini’s cameoing team-mate Ukyo Sasahara inherited third and fourth – from sixth and seventh on the grid – as the Prema drivers broke away.

The battle for the final podium spot was already isolated by lap three, and it took a further two laps until Cairoli was able to make a lunge at the Turn 7 hairpin on Sasahara for fourth.

That immediately gave Russo some breathing room that would only get larger throughout the race, and put Formula Renault 2.0 regular Sasahara under intense pressure from behind.

Stroll had got his lead up two seconds on lap eight, and up to three seconds on lap 12. Despite Adria having four hairpins preceded by long straights, there was little overtaking behind him and none of the points places changed hands until the final lap when Jenzer’s Alain Valente passed Pulcini for seventh after hounding him all race.

After 24 laps, Stroll met the chequered flag with 7.377s in hand over team-mate Maisano, with Russo a further 4s back in third place. The winner was able to lap two drivers on pace, but post-race he was more focused on the challenges that awaited through the rest of the day rather than his dominant maiden win.

“Things get difficult in [the reversed grid] race two, where I will start on the fifth row,” Stroll said. “The intention remains to win again. Although in a realistic way I have to admit that it will not be easy… But, at least in a podium position, I would think more closely.”

Sasahara built up a strong lead early in race two, but saw it shrink after Stroll had battled his way up to second place from 10th on the grid. They finished the race 0.218s apart, with Sasahara’s defensive work doing the trick for him.

The first ever FIA F4 driver briefing

In race three it was Stroll who was on pole again, but he made an awful start and ended up finishing seventh. Russo took a dominant win and the points lead as a result, but Stroll returned to form after that and ended the seven-round season as the first ever FIA F4 champion.

Race one results (24 laps)

The post The day Lance Stroll made motorsport history appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photos: FIA F3 European Championship

The European F3 series wasn’t always in the spotlight for the right reasons in 2015, and was won by a driver in his fifth season at this level. Yet it was still full of many future stars, as reviewed in-depth by Peter Allen.

Whenever the FIA Formula 3 European Championship caught mainstream racing attention in 2014, it was for the right reasons: Esteban Ocon and Max Verstappen defied their lack of experience to mark themselves out as future megastars.

In 2015, the series was often making headlines for the wrong reasons, when a large field of exuberant young drivers overstepped the mark with sometimes frightful results.

But to see that as the main story about European F3 in 2015 would be to be disregard the potential on show. Last season had great quality in the top 10, but the number of quick drivers was arguably double that this year.

Many lacked experience, and a struggle to prove themselves was probably both cause and effect of the high number of incidents, but no series could claim to have more promise in its ranks.

Particularly impressive were the six F3 newcomers that were able to get results regularly and finish the year in the top 10. They were led by Charles Leclerc, who produced some Ocon-esque results out of the box to keep veteran Felix Rosenqvist and the not-quite-so-experienced Antonio Giovinazzi quiet and led the standings into the second half of the year.

That Rosenqvist won out in the end in his fifth year in the series was perhaps not the most exciting outcome, but no less than he deserved and a lesson in perseverance. Indeed, he had to work hard for it and only took charge late on leading a purple patch for the Prema team.

Adding the investment of Lance Stroll’s billionaire father to the leading team in a category open to development was always going to be a potent mixture, and it showed in the closing stages of the campaign.

Indeed, if there’s a pessimistic note to end on for the future, it’s the fear of F3 becoming an arms race, with two other teams believed to be linked to investment by mega-rich parents for next season.

But for now it remains a popular destination for some of the best young drivers around – whatever headlines and tweets might say to the contrary.

We do like to look further down the order in these season reviews, and to write in-depth about each of the top 20 drivers on this occasion was certainly justified because they all have talent.

1. Felix Rosenqvist

Sweden, Prema Powerteam, age 24

508 points, 13 wins, 24 podiums, 17 pole positions, 13 fastest laps

Rosenqvist?s win in the season finale came from his 32nd start at Hockenheim in an F3 car, but his title win was convincing.

For the second straight year he unexpectedly remained in the category but this time – recruited by Prema Powerteam to be its fifth straight champion – there was nowhere to hide.

For much of the year it wasn?t easy. After winning the first race at Silverstone, a qualifying exclusion left him playing catch up and after a rough events at Spa and the Norisring he was nearly 70 points adrift.

From there he was relentless though, never off the podium and winner of seven of the next 12 races to take the title with a round to spare.

It?s easy to knock Rosenqvist but he?s always been a frontrunner in his five years at European level and he only kept coming back because the bigger opportunity he deserved never came.

With an increasing number of sponsors appearing on his car towards the end of the year and the well-funded Prema now expanding into GP2, he might just avoid another return in 2016. Season rating: 9/10

2. Antonio Giovinazzi

Italy, Carlin, age 21

412.5 points, 6 wins, 20 podiums, 4 pole positions, 4 fastest laps

Like Rosenqvist, Giovinazzi had deserved to graduate from F3 already and so this was a ?must-win? season for him too, but losing out should not be regarded as a failure.

Carlin had been the team to beat over the latter part of 2014 but that form was never really carried over. He therefore did a fantastic job to make the podium in all of the first nine races, but he then never visited the rostrum in the next six after getting too involved in the Monza and Spa scraps.

Impressively matching Rosenqvist entirely over the Zandvoort and Spielberg rounds gave him a 20.5-point lead ahead of the last three rounds, and he was rewarded with a very fortunate but deserved Audi DTM debut at Moscow.

He suffered a terrible return at Portimao a week later though, to the point that he was now relying on a Rosenqvist slip up that never came.

Fundamentally, his rival had more experience and a faster car, so second is really the best Giovinazzi could have done. He deserves a place in GP2 or the DTM next year, but is relying on the support of the Gelael family or the Volkswagen group. 9/10

3. Jake Dennis

United Kingdom, Prema Powerteam, age 21

377 points, 6 wins, 16 podiums, 6 pole positions, 5 fastest laps

When Dennis made the switch from Carlin to Prema early in the off-season there were definite title ambitions, but those took a hit when Giovinazzi and Rosenqvist returned.

He was going to need his more experienced rivals to be inconsistent, but perhaps understandably it was the Briton who struggled on that front.

After a poor start, double wins at Pau (it should have been three but damage handed the GP win to Giovinazzi) and Spa briefly put him second ahead of both of his expected rivals, only for him to then fail to score completely in an incident-filled Norisring nightmare.

Further wins at Spielberg and Portimao demonstrated he could be the class of the field on his day, either from pole or from alongside Rosenqvist on the front row, but those days didn?t come often enough. In salvaging third, there?s little to be ashamed about though.

Dennis certainly has some refinement to do still, but Racing Steps Foundation support should give him that chance. GP3 seems to be next step, and he’ll undoubtedly be at the sharp end there too. 8/10

4. Charles Leclerc

Monaco, Van Amersfoort Racing, age 18

363.5 points, 4 wins, 13 podiums, 3 pole positions, 6 fastest laps

Leclerc matched Ocon?s efforts from 2014 by taking two wins and five podiums from the first six rounds. Both were 17, but Leclerc wasn?t driving for Prema and only had one year?s Formula Renault 2.0 experience rather than two.

Another win at Spa and a stronger weekend than his rivals moved him into the championship lead, which he strengthened to 42.5 points with a repeat performance at the Norisring.

He didn?t finish on the podium again.

VAR, like most, couldn?t keep up with Prema in the later part of the season but Leclerc seemed to lose some individual sparkle too.

That?s forgivable for a teenage rookie though, particularly with the early-season highs becoming impossible to match. And no young racer should have to say goodbye to a life-long friend and mentor mid-season.

Leclerc might not have been champion but he was F3?s standout talent in 2015.

Mid-season a step up to GP2 seemed inevitable, but now GP3 is the obvious and sensible next move. A second season in F3 doesn?t make sense. 9/10

5. Lance Stroll

Canada, Prema Powerteam, age 17

231 points, 1 win, 6 podiums

While the top four were really in their own class, Stroll performed quite a miraculous turnaround to end up as best of the rest.

Arriving in F3 with Italian F4 and Toyota Racing Series titles freshly under his belt, he had a perfectly reasonable beginning to the season.

But then came Monza and a frightening crash after giving Giovinazzi the squeeze, and Spa where he contrived to take himself, Rosenqvist and Jensen out as they fought for the lead.

He was rightly given a race ban but it wasn?t long afterwards when improvements became clear to see.

A breakthrough podium (after five previous P4s) came at Spielberg and he capitalised on Prema?s Portimao pre-eminence to add another two, something he did again at the Nurburgring. The maiden victory at Hockenheim was handed to him on a plate by Rosenqvist, but it wasn?t undeserved.

We?ve said before that Stroll?s combination of funding and potential means getting to F1 will just be a matter of time, and an imminent deal with Williams brings him a step closer. Staying in F3 with Prema in 2016, he ought to be champion. 8/10

6. George Russell

United Kingdom, Carlin, age 17

203 points, 1 win, 3 podiums

Russell and Leclerc had begun the season by colliding even before the first racing lap, but they ended the Silverstone weekend as winners and looking like title contenders.

But the Briton then suffered a prolonged qualifying struggle and didn?t start a race inside the top eight again until round six.

There was then evidence of a slight step forward but he was still starting too far back to make the podium regularly. And when he was the only driver close to Rosenqvist at the Nurburgring, he lost three front row slots to the FIA?s draconian engine-change penalties.

Disappointing raw pace is not the take-home message from Russell?s season, though. For a 17-year-old with a single year?s car racing experience who started most races in the mid-pack of a championship full of needless contact, his ability to stay out of trouble was incredible.

It was not until race 33 of 33 that he failed to finish, when a backmarker took him off. It was only his fifth non-score – matching the top two – despite frequently starting in the teens.

Look beyond his one obvious weak-spot this year and it?s clear Russell is a star. A possible switch to Hitech for 2016 would be a gamble, but it might just give him the complete package. 8/10

7. Alex Albon

Thailand, Signature, age 19

187 points, 5 podiums, 2 pole positions, 1 fastest lap

While Leclerc and Russell made the headlines, Albon also had an impressive debut at Silverstone. And while he had two years on his fellow rookies (both on Earth and in a racing car), he was the lead driver for what was essentially a new team in F3, even if Signature had won titles in the past.

He seemed to spend much of the season glued to Russell but one difference between the pair was qualifying, where Albon provided some giant-killing laps.

At the Norisring he beat form-man Leclerc to two poles and got one at Portimao against the otherwise unbeatable Prema (then lost it for not being underfueled).

It?s a shame Rosenqvist wasn?t as charitable to him in the finale at he was to Stroll, because Albon deserved a win just as much and pushed the champion hard early in the race.

His three years in Formula Renault 2.0 were underwhelming but Albon demonstrated his class this year.

He?s shown outstanding pace on a couple of 3.5 try-outs too and would fly if he got a proper chance. Annoyingly, the bigger picture between Lotus, Gravity and Renault means he could face a long wait over his 2016 fate just as he?d built some momentum. 8/10

8. Maximilian Gunther

German, Mucke Motorsport, age 18

152 points, 1 win, 2 podiums (10/11 rounds)

The twice runner-up in ADAC Formel Masters got a deserved chance to step up to F3 with Mucke and quickly defied the size of the jump to qualify third on the grid for all three races at the Hockenheim (which he knew well) and then again at Pau (which he didn?t know at all).

That it took until the last of those six races to make the podium was down to quite a bit of raggedness, but he got it together to take second in the GP.

Not long later came his Norisring victory, not from the front row of race one but from 12th in race two, capitalising on errors from those ahead.

But after spending most of the subsequent races mired in the midfield, he split with his team of three-and-a-half years.

There was a hint he?d be back for the finale though, with a convenient vacancy at Prema. He promptly joined Rosenqivst on the front row for his first race for the team.

A poor start kept him off the podium but he demonstrated he could be an ideal 2016 team-mate for Stroll: at least as fast but maybe not refined enough (yet) to snatch the title. 8/10

9. Mikkel Jensen

Denmark, Mucke Motorsport, age 20

117.5 points, 2 podiums, 1 pole position

Having unexpectedly but convincingly beaten Gunther to the ADAC title, Jensen transferred over to Mucke for his graduation to F3.

While Gunther appeared to be the quicker of the pair and obviously scored more points, Jensen was competitive throughout the season and scored at every round.

His best weekend was undoubtedly Monza, where from the third row of the grid he gave Rosenqvist and Dennis a race in the opening two encounters to finish second and then third as other youngsters lost their heads behind.

He did end the weekend in the gravel after getting too close to bad-boy Stroll but showed further potential at Spa to put it on pole in tricky conditions in second qualifying. He was innocently taken out of race two by Stroll?s sideswipe, and led again in race three before spinning off while side-by-side with Dennis.

The remainder of his season was spent mostly further back in the top 10 but Mucke was another team that struggled to keep up and Jensen did well to remain on-pace. Like Gunther, Jensen should go well next season wherever he ends up. 8/10

10. Markus Pommer

Germany, Motopark, age 24

116.5 points, 1 win, 2 podiums, 1 fastest lap

He might have started racing F3 cars earlier than even Rosenqvist did (in 2009) but Pommer?s run to the German title last year meant he warranted the chance to step up to the European series together with the returning Motopark team.

Generally he did well, ensuring the outfit was on the pace from the off and gradually building form until a fine Zandvoort weekend that began with a podium and ended with a win ahead of Giovinazzi and Rosenqivst.

Such form wasn?t kept up, but frequent top-six finishes ensured he maintained a top-10 place in the standings until the end of the season.

While his performance level was good for a driver outside the established top teams, it was disappointing for his relative maturity and experience in a racing car that he was involved in so much contact.

He even earned a black flag at Spa ? when stewards? patience was strained ? for spinning Rosenqvist around just after being handed a drive-through for squeezing him under breaking.

It remains to be seen what Pommer does next, but it?s probably time he moved on from this level. 7/10

11. Santino Ferrucci

United States, Mucke Motorsport, age 17

91 points, 1 podium, 1 fastest lap

Having had to wait until he turned 16 in mid-2014 before he could make his debut, Ferrucci then showed flashes of real promise with Eurointernational and Fortec over the following months, so a move to Mucke for this year promised much.

Disappointingly, the start of his season was very low key, trailing rookie team-mates Gunther and Jensen. There were then strong drives at Monza and Spa though, yielding a pair of fourths and a maiden podium with second in the chaotic race two in Belgium.

It would be his only podium of the season, but his fade matched the trend of Mucke’s season. He did capitalise on improved form at the Nurburgring to take a trio of sevenths, though.

That showed that Ferrucci was making progress in getting a solid weekend together, but at Hockenheim there was a repeat of the sort of incidents that peppered his season and reminded you that he still lacks experience.

Indeed, having jumped out of karts at 14 and not raced in a European F4-level series either, he’s arguably still learning compared to many of his peers despite having past F3 mileage.

There’s clear potential there, next year he needs to just add some refinement. 7/10

12. Callum Ilott

United Kingdom, Carlin, age 17

65.5 points, 1 podium

Ilott had the unenviable task of following Max Verstappen in making the leap up from karts to F3 with the pressure of driving in Red Bull colours from the start. He got nowhere near the level reached by Verstappen but compared well against more ‘normal’ expectations.

He came off the back of a Toyota Racing Series campaign in which he was fast but incident-prone, and there were some more scrapes along the way in F3.

And yet, remarkably, he was classified in every one of the 33 races, an feat unmatched by any other driver. That must have taken some luck, but also great maturity and car control.

His pace was good enough for the top 10 at Silverstone and then the top five at Hockenheim and Pau, but he then went missing for much of the summer – though that’s understandable in the context of team-mates struggling similarly in qualifying.

When Russell got back to the podium at Spa, Ilott was one place behind him in fourth, and when Russell was quick but penalised at the Nurburgring, he benefited to start and finish third.

Spectacular results may otherwise have been lacking but Ilott hasn’t done much wrong either, and so it would be silly for Red Bull to drop its support already. He’s got potential and will be in demand for 2016 regardless. 7/10

13. Gustavo Menezes

United States, Carlin, age 21

65 points, 1 fastest lap

Menezes made an off-season switch from Van Amersfoort to Carlin for his second year but it didn’t yield an improvement in results. In fact, he dropped two places compared to 2014.

He didn’t manage to repeat his pair of podiums from last year, and he was also a less frequent top 10 finisher this campaign. But when he was there, he was more often than not in the top seven.

That inconsistent form often fluctuated with Carlin’s – for instance he nearly made the podium at Silverstone after a flying start, only to have a last-lap fuel pressure issue. And yet, it was an otherwise torrid weekend for the team at Portimao when he matched that best finish of fourth.

Qualifying was a clear issue with far fewer top-10 starts than finishes, but that seemed to be a trend for every Carlin driver.

It’s never good to go backwards in a junior series, and Menezes should arguably have been able to use his two years of F3 mileage to his advantage in a series full of rookies. But it was also a field 20-deep with promise, and his results still showed ability even if they weren’t what he wanted.

The savvy Menezes is the sort who could do anything next: he’s already dabbled in sportscars, could return to the US or even try rallycross. 6/10

14. Sergio Sette Camara

Brazil, Motopark, age 17

57.5 points, 2 podiums

The surprise package of the season? He might have only been 14th, but that was a lot more than could ever have been predicted for a driver whose car racing experience was limited to little more than a handful of Brazilian F3 events last year, and lacked the karting pedigree of Ilott.

To make European F3 his first full campaign seemed a step too far but he was quick from the off and on the fringes of the top 10 very early on.

His two podiums came with plenty of luck – the first in chaos at Spa, the second in a race that never was at Spielberg – but were fair reward for impressive progress during the year.

He’d broken into the top 10 in Belgium, was there again at Zandvoort and his third place in Austria came because he qualified there, ahead of his veteran team leader Pommer. He went on to star at the Masters, and kept scoring series points.

Sette Camara would be a tempting proposition for any team next year, but sticking with Motopark looks likely and makes sense. 7/10

15. Brandon Maisano

France, Prema Powerteam, age 22

53 points (8/11 rounds)

Maisano beat Rosenqvist to the best time in the opening practice session of the season at Silverstone, yet ended his campaign at the start of August, splitting with Prema in the middle of the Spielberg event.

The ex-Ferrari protege had been recruited by Prema and the Strolls for Italian F4 last year and was rewarded for his good work by being handed a chance in European F3. With two previous seasons in Italian F3 under his belt and five TRS wins at the start of the year, things were looking good.

After a good start at Silverstone, Hockenheim and Pau were not so strong, but he then went well at Monza and Spa. He was just one point behind Stroll at this stage, with both at the bottom of the top 10.

But while his team-mate then took great strides forward, Maisano went backwards. He failed to score at all at Zandvoort and parted by mutual consent with the team after dropping to the back of the pack in the first Spielberg race.

That was of course swiftly followed by the first of Stroll’s many podiums, and Maisano’s car joined the other Prema entries at the front at subsequent rounds.

Maisano was quickly given a one-race shot in GP3 by Campos Racing, but it’s difficult to see where his career goes from here. A shame, because his record below F3 is pretty impressive. 5/10

16. Nick Cassidy

New Zealand, Prema Powerteam, age 21

43 points, 2 podiums (2/11 rounds)

Cassidy was the probably the obvious man to replace Maisano for Portimao – partly because just about every other European single-seater series was in action that weekend.

But after a handful of chances with other F3 teams in 13-14 culminated a podium at Macau, Cassidy had been given a full-season chance in Japan and was making the most of it.

Cassidy was quickly and unsurprisingly on the pace of the other Prema cars, qualifying on the front row for the first two races.

Various dramas meant he scored just two points that weekend but put things right at the Nurburgring, finishing second to Rosenqvist in the opener and on the podium again in the finale.

He missed the final round due to a clash with the Japanese F3 decider, where he clinched the crown.

Cassidy’s usual funding shortfall means he’d be relying on well-resourced Prema again to return to European F3 next season, but he could well have good offers on the table from both Toyota (for his Japanese success) and BMW (where he’s been on their junior programme this year). Rating n/a

17. Pietro Fittipaldi

Brazil, Fortec Motorsports, age 19

32 points

Stepping into European F3 from a dominant campaign in Formula Renault BARC in the UK was always going to be a different world for Fittipaldi, but he showed more flashes of his clear promise in a challenging campaign.

He was almost single-handedly leading a Fortec team that, for all its success in other categories, has struggled to cement itself in European F3 and he was its only driver to show real competitiveness.

He made the points on his debut at Silverstone and bounced back from a hand injury at Pau to score twice at Monza and again at Spa, where he was a fine fourth in first qualifying.

The second half of the season was largely a nightmare, save for a brilliant pair of sixth places at Portimao, perhaps capitalising on the pre-event test.

There were plenty of incidents, but Fittipaldi has the potential and the backing to go well in the future. He could star next season in the right team. 6/10

18. Arjun Maini

India, Van Amersfoort Racing, age 17

27 points

Maini was making a significant step up from BRDC F4, but having run Russell close to the title there and then had an impressive run in the Toyota Racing Series, it seemed to be the right move.

It was a challenging season, though. A fantastic weekend in Pau, where he finished fourth and fifth in two races, suggested he had got it together, but that was a one-off. Beyond a 10th place in the next race at Monza, he would only score in one further race.

Unlike some other youngsters, the vast majority of his races did at least pass by without incident, but there was just a serious lack of pace during the middle of the year before a small upturn in the final two rounds. Some of this could be put down to the team’s form, even though he struggled to get close to Leclerc.

The Pau performance though, along with those from before F3, suggest he has great potential, he just needs to unlock it in an F3 car on a regular circuit. Perhaps a move to Carlin for 2016 could do just that. 6/10

19. Dorian Boccolacci

France, Signature, age 17

27 points

Boccolacci had to make a bigger step than many in going to F3. French F4 doesn’t have teams, and almost without fail it takes its graduates a year to adjust to the next level, even if that’s just Formula Renault 2.0.

While team-mate Albon (with his three years in FR2.0) ran at the front from the off, Boccolacci didn’t trouble the scorers in the early rounds – not even in Pau, his star circuit in F4.

Things did suddenly come together at Spa, where a strong second qualifying and clean race two delivered a fifth place – his best finish of the season. There was more of the same at the Norisring, starting sixth and scoring in all three races.

He would only score one further point though, on one of Signature’s strongest weekends at Portimao.

Boccolacci did a perfectly decent job, but just needs more time to be a success in F3. Even 12 months ago, conventional wisdom said it was too early for him to be there.

Politics probably played its part, and with uncertainty over the Gravity development scheme going forward, it’s now a worry as to whether he’ll get further seasons. He’d be perfect for Renault… if only he hadn’t skipped its own series. 6/10

20. Alessio Lorandi

Italy, Van Amersfoort Racing, age 17

26 points

Ilott might have been Verstappen’s successor in terms of Red Bull backing, but it was his 2014 karting rival Lorandi that made the step to F3 with Van Amersfoort. In fact his first contact came via the Dutch driver.

Fortunately, expectations were played down. After struggling in the opening rounds he joined Maini in flying around Pau, scoring twice from three top-10 starts.

Where he then bettered his team-mate was in keeping up some form into the summer, scoring in all three races at Spa and in two at the Norisring. The points came from poor grid slots, showing some great racing skill.

Then came a drop off in pace for VAR and the pressure to maintain form seemed to tell on Lorandi, who was involved in an increasingly silly number of incidents and never returned to the points (although he was close across the final weekend).

A frustrating end to the season, but the middle of it was very promising and he can build on that next year whether he returns with VAR or with another team. 6/10

The rest

Raoul Hyman was good enough to be grouped with the drivers above but fell just outside of the top 20. He acquitted himself well after a late deal to step up from BRDC F4 and had an impressive weekend inside the top dozen at Monza. Maintaining that form was difficult, especially once he was left in a one-man West-Tec team by Fabian Schiller departing with three rounds to go having failed to get results from some decent pace.

Schiller was one of five other drivers to score points, all doing so with a solitary ninth place finish. The first to achieve it was Sam MacLeod in Pau but the multiple race-winner in the British and German series in 2014 struggled with Motopark and left before the finale.

His team-mate Nabil Jeffri didn?t fare any better. He did qualify sixth at Zandvoort and although he carried over a grid penalty from a Norisring crash, he picked up his points there.

Also scoring at Zandvoort was Ryan Tveter. Stepping up to this level with limited experience was always going to be difficult, even in a Carlin car. He was surprisingly quick at Silverstone but only repeated that sort of form in the Dutch dunes.

Michele Beretta should have had a better second season in F3 after switching to Mucke but it took him until the final race ? his 65th start ? to score.

Of those who failed to score, Tatiana Calderon was the major surprise. Last year she scored points at each of the last seven events, so it?s a mark of the depth of quick drivers in F3 in 2015 that a move to Carlin and a more stable pre-season yielded nothing.

The size of Fittipaldi?s task at Fortec is emphasised by the fact that none of his team-mates scored. That included the top two from the last British F3 season, Hong Wei Cao and Matt Rao. Rao saw out the season but was too incident-prone, Cao was reliable but only lasted five rounds.

His place was taken by Macau?s Wing Chung Chang, who could make progress if he does a full season in something better suited to his experience level. Li Zhi Cong drove Fortec?s fourth car either side of four events missed due to family/business reasons.

Completing the Chinese contingent was Kang Ling at Mucke, whose pace was decent given his past record but failed to finish too often and left with three rounds to go. His car was driven by the returning Felix Serralles at the Nurburgring.

Hong Kong?s Matt Solomon had a steep learning curve jumping up from Formula Masters China in a Double R team that lacked a qualified leader. Team-mate Nicolas Pohler had F3 experience but not speed and missed two rounds to injury, with MSA Formula frontrunner Matheus Leist filling in at Spielberg.

Julio Moreno performed decently for a driver with an uninspiring FR2.0 record in a one-car team, but T-Sport deserved more after its Macau 2014 podium.

The last regular was Motopark?s Mahaveer Raghunathan, who never looked comfortable at this level despite promising Italian F4 results and stepped back before the final round. Tanart Sathenthirakul took over and brought the car up the order as expected for a driver with two Euroformula Open seasons under his belt.

Nicolas Beer raced the likes of Jensen and Ilott at Silverstone and would have gone well had Marvin Kirchhofer turned up as his Eurointernational team-mate from Hockenheim as expected. He didn?t and so the Dane departed after a tough second round.

The team gave a street-circuit debut to Gustav Malja in Pau and then drafted in Facu Regalia and Artur Janosz for Monza but Regalia gave up before even racing and the team?s season ended there.

Alexander Sims returned with the new Hitech team at Portimao and was a Prema challenger at Hockenheim but ineligible to score.

The Artline team arrived with its Arttech chassis for the Nurburgring, with Latvian veteran Harald Schlegelmilch joined by new ADAC F4 champion Marvin Dienst for the finale.

The post 2015 FIA F3 European Championship season review appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: FIA Formula 3 European Championship

Brandon Maisano will make his debut in GP3 at Monza this weekend with Campos Racing following his recent split from Prema Powerteam in European Formula 3.

Maisano parted company with Prema during the middle of the most recent F3 round at Spielberg at the start of August, while sitting 12th in the standings.

He will race the Campos team’s third GP3 car alongside regulars Alex Palou and Zaid Ashkanani.

Samin Gomez had occupied the seat for three of the opening four races with Christopher Hoher taking over at Silverstone, but the car was absent from the grid at the last round at Spa-Francorchamps.

Campos did not score the first points of its inaugural GP3 campaign until Spa, despite Palou having qualified in the top seven at all of the previous four rounds.

Maisano has previously tested GP3 machinery at the end of 2011, while he was still part of the Ferrari Driver Academy.

He raced for Prema in Italian F3 the following year, and after spending most of 2013 on the sidelines after being dropped by Ferrari, returned to Prema to compete in Italian F4 last year.

Having spent all four of his full seasons in single-seaters in Italian-based series – as well as racing at the circuit in May this year – Maisano has started a total of 13 previous races at Monza since his career began in 2010.

The post Brandon Maisano joins Campos GP3 squad for Monza appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: FIA F3 European Championship

FIA F3 European Championship driver Brandon Maisano has split from Prema Powerteam in the middle of the Spielberg race weekend.

According to Prema, the Italian team and its French driver parted ways by mutual consent after the first race in Austria.

Maisano had been running 16th in that race until suddenly slowing on lap 15, dropping down to 26th, where he finished the race.

His team-mates Jake Dennis, Felix Rosenqvist and Lance Stroll finished first, second and fourth respectively.

A former member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, Maisano first raced for Prema in 2012 in Italian F3, finishing third in the standings.

He was sidelined for much of 2013 after the loss of his Ferrari support but returned to Prema to compete in the new Italian F4 series last year, winning the Trophy classification for drivers over the age of 18.

As team-mate to team protege Stroll, he competed in the Toyota Racing Series at the start of this year and finished second to the champion Canadian, and was duly promoted to Prema’s European F3 line-up.

He sits 12th in the standings, with a best finish of fourth at Spa, but has only managed a best result of 10th in the seven races since the Belgian round.

“We are saddened for the end of the long-time relationship with Brandon, who scored brilliant results with us in the Italian Formula 3 Championship and in the Italian Formula 4 series last year,” said Prema team boss Rene Rosin.

“I wish Brendon a successful future in his next career endeavours.”

The post Brandon Maisano leaves Prema after first Spielberg European F3 race appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: FIA F3 European Championship

Antonio Giovinazzi triumphed in the first FIA F3 European Championship race at Zandvoort, converting pole position into his fourth victory of the season.

The Italian held onto the lead at the start with Felix Rosenqvist staying second behind him.

The Swede did not let Giovinazzi out of sights, but could not make an overtaking attempt throughout the race.

As such, the duo took first and second respectively, with Markus Pommer bringing his Motopark car home in?third, celebrating his maiden podium in the championship.

Ferrari junior Lance Stroll finished fourth, followed by championship leader Charles Leclerc?and George Russell, who came under some pressure from fellow Briton Alex Albon.

Mikkel Jensen grabbed eighth as the top Mucke driver ahead of maiden point-scorer Nabil Jeffri (whose sixth-place qualifying result was lost to a grid penalty carried over from Norisring contact) and Brandon Maisano.

Jake Dennis continued his bad run from Norisring, having received a drive-through for a false start and eventually retiring in the pits.

Full result to follow

The post Antonio Giovinazzi cruises to victory in first Zandvoort race appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: FIA F3 European Championship

Antonio Giovinazzi took the honours in the final FIA F3 European Championship race at the Norisring, returning to the top step of the podium for the first time since Pau nine races ago.

The early-season points leader took the lead at the start with a great getaway from third on the grid.

He had to survive three safety car periods, but did enough at the restart each time and was never really challenged for the lead.

Giovinazzi’s fellow second row starter Jake Dennis followed him through into second place at the start but lacked pace after that and ended up 11th.

George Russell took second place, finishing 1.3 seconds behind Giovinazzi and just ahead of Alex Albon and Charles Leclerc.

Leclerc’s advantage at the top of the standings has been reduced by Giovinazzi to 42.5 points.

Mikkel Jensen beat Mucke Motorport team-mate Santino Ferrucci to fifth place with a pass late on into Turn 1, while Callum Ilott finished seventh.

Dorian Boccolacci ran as high as fifth at one stage, but only did so after making contact with Dennis at Turn 1. The Frenchman therefore deliberately lifted to let Ferrucci and Dennis back through before repassing the ailing Briton, but also lost out to Jensen and Ilott along the way.

Alessio Lorandi and Brandon Maisano completed the top 10 after dumping Dennis out of the points.

Title contender Felix Rosenqvist had a very quiet race and like Prema team-mate Dennis lacked pace on his way to 13th.

The first safety car was called for when Sam MacLeod collected the stalled car of Matt Solomon off the line, and the second not long afterwards when Gustavo Menezes hit race two winner Maximilian Gunther and Sergio Sette Camara at Turn 1 as they fought over eighth. The final interruption came when Nabil Jeffri clattered into Matt Rao at the same place.

Race results

The post Antonio Giovinazzi back to winning ways in Norisring finale appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: FIA F3 European Championship

Maximilian Gunther collected his maiden victory in a second FIA F3 European Championship race at the Norisring that saw four safety cars and a thrilling climax.

Gunther moved from fourth to first in one corner after the final restart when Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Alex Albon all went wide ahead of him.

It was Albon who started from pole position but he was beaten off the line by fellow front-row starter Russell.

Albon reclaimed the initiative at the start of the second lap but ran deep at the first corner, allowing Russell to lead again but only for a lap, as he made a similar error one lap later to let Albon ahead.

After the first safety car interruption – where Ryan Tveter made contact with Arjun Maini – Albon built up a 1.6-second lead over Russell, but that was annulled when Michele Beretta was tipped into roll at Turn 1 by Matt Solomon.

The Italian was quickly out of his car and walking away despite the top of his car being slammed into the concrete wall on the exit of the corner.

The third safety car period followed quickly for an incident that eliminated three of the cars in the top six.

Points leader Charles Leclerc was scrapping with double Spa winner Jake Dennis over third, with the Monegasque driver taking the place at the second attempt at Turn 1.

In doing so he forced Dennis wide, and as the Briton returned to the racing line he was collected by Antonio Giovinazzi and Santino Ferrucci who were having their own collision, triggered by a seemingly ambitious manoeuvre from the American.

Dennis and Ferrucci were out on the spot, while Giovinazzi had to pit for a new front wing. With Felix Rosenqvist having already served a drive-through penalty for being out of position at the start, Leclerc’s three title rivals were now all out of the points.

The final interruption came when Pietro Fittipaldi spun and left Kang Ling with nowhere to go.

With less than five minutes left at the restart, Albon led Russell and Leclerc but lost the lead to his fellow Briton at the chicane in the middle of the lap.

Leclerc too passed Albon at the final corner, and then went down the inside of Russell for the lead at Turn 1. He forced himself and Russell wide, prompting Albon to attempt to pass them both only to run wide himself.

This delayed all three drivers and presented Gunther – who had started 12th – with the lead on a plate.

The German rookie held on up front until the chequered flag, while Albon took second ahead of Leclerc.

Russell was pushed down to fifth before the finish by Lance Stroll, who put his recent dramas behind him to match his best ever finish.

Mikkel Jensen – who ran ahead of Mucke team-mates Ferrucci and Gunther in a fight for seventh very early on before losing ground by running deep at Turn 1 – took sixth in front of Gustavo Menezes, Dorian Boccolacci, Alessio Lorandi and Brandon Maisano.

Rosenqvist finished 17th and Giovinazzi 22nd, giving Leclerc a 54.5-point lead over the Swede in the standings.

Race results

The post Maximilian Gunther takes first F3 win in frantic second Norisring race appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: FIA F3 European Championship

Alex Albon scored his first two FIA F3 European Championship pole positions in the second qualifying session at the Norisring.

After earlier missing out on race one pole to Charles Leclerc by just nine thousandths of a second, the Lotus F1 junior this time finished up nearly two tenths clear of the championship leader.

As was the case in the first session, the second of the two groups was the quicker one. Leclerc and Antonio Giovinazzi took turns at the top early on but Albon made first place his own around half way through the 20 minutes of running.

The order of Albon-Leclerc-Giovinazzi held firm until the end of the session, and Albon also remained on top of the second-fastest classification.

Giovinazzi got within 0.003s of his own time late on, putting him second on second-quickest times (and therefore onto row two for race three) ahead of Leclerc.

Albon will be starting from the front row of the grid for the first time, and will be joined there in both races two and three by the first group’s pace-setter George Russell, whose one previous front row start yielded his maiden F3 win at Silverstone.

Russell dueled for top spot in his group with fellow Briton Jake Dennis before Albon’s Signature and Lotus stable-mate Dorian Boccolacci stole top spot away late on.

The British pair then went back to the top at the very end, Russell edging out Dennis by 0.019 seconds.

Gustavo Menezes was fourth fastest in the group and will start eighth for race two but drops behind Brandon Maisano and race one front-row man Maximilian Gunther on second-best times.

Santino Ferrucci was fourth in the second group and will start seventh for races two and three. Mikkel Jensen will be ninth in race two, but swap places for race three with 11th-placed Felix Rosenqvist.

Starting grids

The post Alex Albon claims first two F3 poles in second Norisring qualifying appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: FIA F3 European Championship

FIA F3 European Championship leader Charles Leclerc set the quickest time from the free practice sessions ahead of the sixth round of the season at the Norisring.

With the 32-car field divided into two groups at the Nuremberg street circuit, Leclerc topped his group in both sessions.

His nearest rival Jake Dennis led the other group in the first on-track action with a time of 49.351 seconds. Maximilian Gunther was second, 0.017s off, and Alessio Lorandi was third, within 0.023s of the pace.

Leclerc then set the pace in the second group (composed of all the odd-numbered drivers plus Matt Rao) with a time of 49.078s. Title contenders Felix Rosenqvist and Antonio Giovinazzi were both within a tenth of him.

Dorian Boccolacci topped the third session despite triggering a red flag just after he set a time of 48.916s.

George Russell was 0.193s slower in second, with Brandon Maisano just four thousandths further adrift. Dennis was sixth behind Ryan Tveter and Lorandi.

Leclerc – driving the car that won all three races at the Norisring last year in the hands of Max Verstappen – then set the best time of practice in the final segment with a 48.704s. Alex Albon was 0.053s slower in second, with Giovinazzi and Rosenqvist rounding out the top four.

Combined practice results

The post F3 points leader Charles Leclerc quickest in Norisring practice appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: FIA F3 European Championship

Jake Dennis converted his pole position into his second FIA F3 victory of the weekend in the final race at Spa-Francorchamps.

The race got underway under damp conditions which favoured the wet tyres in the beginning but most of the field started on slicks regardless.

Starting from the front row, Mikkel Jensen claimed the lead after the start, taking advantage of a slow getaway from Dennis.

The Dane stayed there for the first part?of the race despite running wide on two occasions, however, there was plenty of action behind them.

Contact between Raoul Hyman and Arjun Maini left the former’s car stranded at turn one, which initiated a safety car period.

At the same time, Sergio Sette Camara and Dorian Boccolacci collided at Les Combes from fifth and sixth, for which the Brazilian was later handed a drive-through penalty.

Jensen was not able to establish a safe gap after the restart and soon found himself under pressure from a train of cars.

His lead did not last for much longer as he and Dennis touched while the Briton was trying to make a move on the outside at Les Combes, which put the Dane into the wall.

It was not Dennis who took over first though as Tatiana Calderon, who opted for wet tyres, easily passed him.

Track conditions only allowed her to head the field for a couple of laps before starting to drop down the order, eventually pitting for slicks.

Dennis finally retook his starting position with Charles Leclerc settling in second and the duo cruised the to finish line afterwards.

Markus Pommer and Felix Rosenqvist were running third and fourth after passing Calderon. The Swede was trying to advance at?the Les Combes, but the Motopark driver squeezed him onto the kerbs, which almost saw Rosenqvist losing control.

Although he kept going, Pommer still received a drive-through penalty for dangerous driving.

This was not the end of their battle however, as Rosenqvist was spun out by the German at La Source next time around when Pommer locked up on the inside.

Rosenqvist dropped down to sixth but Pommer came out worse, being shown the black flag and disqualified from the race.

Antonio Giovinazzi inherited third but the Italian was also not allowed to keep that position in the end, as he was ordered to the pits to fix his damaged front wing.

As such, it was George Russell who completed the podium after passing fellow Briton Callum Ilott during the closing stages of the race, but the Red Bull Junior still took his best finish yet in fourth.

Rosenqvist ended up fifth, followed by fellow Prema teammate Brandon Maisano.

Alessio Lorandi secured seventh andthe top ten was completed by Mucke’s Maximilian Gunther, Signature’s Alex Albon and Fortec’s Pietro Fittipaldi.

Full results to follow

The post Dennis doubles up in action-packed third F3 race at Spa appeared first on Formula Scout.