Photo: Zak Mauger / GP3 Series Media Service

Niko Kari, who was ousted from his Charouz Racing System seat in FIA Formula 3 days before this month’s season opener, has secured a drive in prototype sportscars.

The 20-year-old has raced at the GP3/F3 level since 2016, and taken two wins in four seasons. In 2018 he stepped up to Formula 2 for four races, but moved back down to the new FIA F3 Championship last year and finished 12th in the points.

He had signed with Charouz for this year, and looked set to be a frontrunner after impressing in pre-season testing. On the Wednesday before the first round in Austria, it became apparent he had lost his seat to Formula 4 graduate Roman Stanek.

This weekend Kari will make his sportscar debut in the Le Castellet 4 Hours, the first round of the European Le Mans Series. He will drive a Ligier LMP3 car for Eurointernational, which was active in IndyCar and then F3 for many years, alongside ex-Formula 4 driver Leonard Hoogenboom and the 1990 British Formula Renault champion Tommy Erdos.

“Racing this weekend in LMP3 in European Le Mans Series,” said Kari. “Testing is underway here at Circuit Paul Ricard. First impression of the car is good, we just need to get laps in as much as possible to learn the new car.”

There are several other single-seater refuges who have switched categories for this year.

Julian Hanses, who set pole for the Pau Grand Prix last year, has moved to Porsche Carrera Cup Germany, while Euroformula champion Leonardo Pulcini is now focusing on Italian GT as a Lamborghini junior after previously signing up for International GT Open.

Alessio Lorandi, who starred in the Macau GP last year and raced part-time in F2 in 2018, has been signed by Mercedes-Benz customer team GetSpeed Performance for GT World Challenge Europe, while R-Motorsport has cancelled its planned entry into that season and means its driver Luca Ghiotto is likely now free to contest the full F2 season with Hitech GP.

Lorandi’s fellow F2 part-timer Dorian Boccolacci is committed to expanding his blossoming rally career in 2020, as well as take on ADAC GT Masters with former F1 outfit Zakspeed and also race in Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe.

Former ELMS driver Harrison Newey will move to DTM with WRT Audi, in the seat originally set to be taken by former IndyCar driver Ed Jones. Travel restrictions have made movement difficult for the Dubai-based ’16 Indy Lights champion, so he will be replaced by ’19 Super Formula driver Newey – the son of F1 design legend Adrian.

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May Isolation Dallara F3

The post Isolation Dallara F3 Esports series: the stats and standings appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: McLaren F1

The new Dallara 320, the successor design to Dallara’s traditional Formula 3 lineage, will make its race debut virtually in an all-star Esports event this month that will feature Carlos Sainz Jr.

Available as an update kit to the Dallara F317 F3 car or as an all-new car, the lightweight 320 is set to be used by Euroformula and Super Formula Lights for the first time this year.

Its competition debut will now come in a Euroformula-organised Esports event on rFactor 2 called ‘Superstars Open’, which will include 20-minute races at Barcelona, Monza and Silverstone open to graduates of the series.

Drivers who have signed up to race include McLaren Formula 1 driver Sainz, DTM-bound 2013 Euroformula champion Ed Jones, former DTM racer Dani Juncadella, Formula E race-winner Nico Prost, IndyCar rookie Alex Palou and Alfa Romeo Racing’s test driver Tatiana Calderon.

• Feature: What Sainz’s Ferrari move means to Spanish motorsport

At least nine of Euroformula’s 19 champions, stretching back to the days when it ran solely as Spanish F3, will also race. The event, taking place on June 19, will raise money for the Red Cross’s coronavirus response relief.

“I’m extremely proud of what we have achieved over the past 20 years and I’ve enjoyed watching our Euroformula Open drivers go on to huge success,” said Jesus Pareja, CEO of Euroformula promoter GT Sport.

“The thought of having them all back for one race event is extremely exciting and I can’t wait to see who comes out on top.

“We hoped, of course, to celebrate our simulator racing debut in happier times but our focus must be on supporting people who are facing the impact of this virus.

“We often feel helpless but even by just donating a small amount of money or time can make a huge difference. We are proud to be supporting the Red Cross and hope that this event can not only be a fantastic display of the incredible talent that has passed through our Euroformula series but can also help to raise money for the most vulnerable in our society.”

The gaming partner for the event is SIRIO eSports, which is fronted by former Euroformula racer Emilio de Villota Jr.

After his driving career ended, he took up a management role in his father’s De Villota Motorsport team and its successor Teo Martin Motorsport, which both primarily raced in Euroformula. His family was also influential in Sainz’s first years in single-seaters.

The post Sainz joins Euroformula all-star Esports race for Dallara 320 debut appeared first on Formula Scout.

Audi Sport Abt has suspended its driver Daniel Abt for cheating in an Esports competition. The team needs a replacement capable of winning it titles and may need to look at its rivals to find the star it requires

Daniel Abt – runner-up to Mitch Evans in GP3 back in 2012 – has lost his Audi Sport ABT Formula E drive after he was found to have allowed simulator racer Lorenz Hoerzing to drive in his place during the latest FE Race at Home Challenge race.

The 27-year-old, who has driven for the team since the series’ inception in 2014, leaves behind a coveted seat for the remainder of the season alongside 2015-16 champion and current title contender Lucas di Grassi.

There will be plenty of drivers for Audi to choose from, not least one of its nine contracted drivers who will be displaced when the German manufacturer leaves the DTM later this year. Among those DTM refugees will be the obvious replacement picks in Robin Frijns and Nico Muller, who currently drive in FE for Virgin Racing and Dragon Racing respectively.

Although Audi supplies Virgin with its powertrain and loans Muller to Dragon, the automotive manufacturer may find it difficult to pry either driver from their respective team especially part-way through the season.

Two-time DTM champion Rene Rast may also be an enticing option, although his FE experience is limited to a cameo for Team Aguri at the 2016 Berlin E-Prix and he’s now 33 years old. Young GT drivers Kelvin van der Linde and Mattia Drudi tested for Audi during March’s rookie test in Marrakech and will also be in outside contention for the seat.

Formula Scout presents five young drivers, and an older Audi-known star, who should be in consideration for an FE seat…

Maximilian Gunther GERMANY 22y/o
Currently 4th in 2019-20 FE, 17th in 2018-19 FE – 14th in ’18 F2, 2nd in 2016 FIA European F3, 5th in ’17 Macau GP

Following a breakout second season, BMW Andretti’s Maximilian Gunther must be a driver many teams will consider for a drive in the future. At 22 he is the series’ youngest victor after taking his maiden win in Santiago earlier this year, and he followed that up with second in Marrakesh shortly before the season was halted. He currently sits fourth in the standings, just two points behind his experienced (in a wider motorsport sense) team-mate Alexander Sims.

While Gunther’s junior single-seater record never included a title, it was still very solid. Twice a runner-up in ADAC Formel Masters, Gunther was also a 10-time race-winner in FIA European Formula 3. He was a distant runner-up to Lance Stroll in 2016 (but beat George Russell) and was a less distant third in 2017 behind Lando Norris and Joel Eriksson.

That led on to Formula 2 with the somewhat unfancied Arden outfit. He claimed an unremarkable 41 points from 22 races in a year when fellow rookies Norris and Russell fought over the title and earned Formula 1 seats. But it was Gunther’s first season on Pirelli tyres and he outscored highly-rated team-mate Nirei Fukuzumi by 24 points despite the Honda junior having spent the previous two years on Pirellis in GP3. Gunther also took a convincing reversed-grid win at Silverstone.

He hasn’t always had things easy in FE, after a difficult maiden season with Dragon that included seat-swapping with IMSA star Felipe Nasr. However, Gunther emerged as a rough diamond with some excellent drives. Many went unrewarded due to reliability issues, notably at Santiago, but a brace of fifths was the team’s strongest results by some distance. He also effectively ended triple World Touring Car champion Jose Maria Lopez’s FE career in the process.

Gunther would be a very strong asset to Audi if they’re able to pry him away from BMW. That seems impossible to do in the middle of the season, but they’ll be keeping an eye on his long-term future, that is certain.

Ferdinand Habsburg AUSTRIA 22y/o
2020 DTM, 18th in 2019 DTM, 4th in 2017 Macau GP, 7th in ’17 FIA European F3, 2nd in 2016 Euroformula, 4th in ’16 TRS

After R-Motorsport pulled its self-developed Aston Martins out of the DTM at the start of 2020, Ferdinand Habsburg had to find a seat elsewhere to secure a second season in the series. He found an additional berth at Audi customer W Racing Team. But with Audi set to leave the German touring car series at the end of 2020, it seems likely an Audi debut for Habsburg either won’t happen or will be short-lived. Perhaps his long-term future could be switched to a Formula E instead?

Up until the start of 2019, the Austrian’s motorsport career had been focused on single-seaters. He raced with Carlin in European F3 in 2017 and ’18, securing a handful of podium finishes and a victory at Spa-Francorchamps as a rookie. However, he lacked the consistency of his team-mates, and in 2018 the team struggled as a whole with the Hankook tyres. He was third best of the Carlin drivers again in the standings, 34 points behind rookie team-mate Sacha Fenestraz.

Perhaps because of this, he followed Fenestraz in not progressing to F2 in 2019. And while he did move to the DTM, it was clear a return to single-seaters was not off the cards. He raced in the Macau Grand Prix, after losing victory at the final corner in ’17, and he did shine – qualifying eighth on the toughest street circuit – even though it went far from planned.

If Habsburg were to get the FE seat, he would need the consistency he lacked in single-seaters. And it seems he has already made progress.

Consistency was actually one of Habsburg’s biggest strengths in 2019, and one of the aspects of his driving that convinced Audi to run him this year in the first place. He placed consistently just outside the top 10 and arguably had a more solid year than team-mate Paul di Resta, though he lacked the stand-out performances that earned points. A tally of just three points was not a fair representation of his rookie campaign, proven in that he was the only R-Motorsport driver to secure a 2020 seat.

Habsburg would be faced with a steep learning curve and a lot to prove as di Grassi’s team-mate, but Audi had the confidence he would step up for the 2020 DTM campaign. He could do the same in Formula E.

Joel Eriksson SWEDEN 21y/o
2020 ADAC GT Masters, 11th in ’19 DTM, 2nd in 2018 Macau GP, 2nd in 2017 FIA European F3, 2016 Masters of F3 winner

While BMW will be desperate to keep hold of Gunther, another one of its young stars has fallen out of favour with the German manufacturer over the past year and may prove to be a more realistic target for Audi.

After serving as Norris’s biggest rival in European F3 through 2017, BMW tempted Eriksson away from single-seaters and into its DTM line-up for 2018. He earned three podiums, including a win in a bizarre Misano night race in mixed conditions.

However, his two years in the DTM were littered with incidents and inconsistencies. He was somewhat unfairly shuffled out of his seat at the end of 2019 and moved into ADAC GT Masters, where his older brother and GP3 race-winner Jimmy also races.

While the series is a competitive and respectable GT championship, it’s easy to feel as if Eriksson’s full potential has not been shown and that he has unfinished business in single-seaters. His last race in a single-seater was when he finished second to runaway winner Dan Ticktum at the 2018 Macau GP.

At just 21 years old, Eriksson could be a long-term investment for Audi, who will be fully aware di Grassi is 35 years old. There’s the potential for Audi to mould Eriksson – who was powered by sister company Volkswagen in F3 – into a more complete, consistent driver in the same way BMW has been able to achieve with Gunther.

He’s also acting as Dragon’s test and reserve driver for the 2019-20 season so has FE experience and showed great adaptability when he graduated from F3 and finished fourth on his debut DTM weekend. At the very least, Dragon should consider promoting him to a race seat should Audi call on the services of Muller.

Sacha Fenestraz FRANCE/ARGENTINA 20y/o
2020 Super Formula, 2019 Japanese F3 champion, 6th in ’19 Super GT300, 3rd in 2018 Macau GP, 2017 FR Eurocup champion

Photo: Formula E

Former Renault junior Fenestraz hasn’t stopped bouncing back in style after his disappointing rookie European F3 season, which featured one win and 11th in the points after an early win on the streets of Pau. The street-based challenge of the end-of-year Macau GP provided the first opportunity to remind everyone of the talent he’d shown en route to the 2017 Formula Renault Eurocup title, and two Monaco wins, beating the likes of F1 juniors Robert Shwartzman and Dan Ticktum.

He finished seventh on his Macau debut in 2017, with little F3 experience, and his second effort with (then-struggling) Carlin resulted third place behind the dominant Ticktum and Eriksson. He sampled GP3, but a lack of funds following the loss of Renault’s support meant he made the bold switch to Japan. Despite considering quitting racing during the off-season, and facing all-new circuits, he won eight races on the way to a dominant Super Formula Lights title.

That title campaign was dovetailed with a step into sportscars in Super GT300. Again he impressed, and it earned him seats in Super Formula and Super GT’s top GT500 class for 2020 as a Toyota driver. Fenestraz may be considered crazy to walk away from such an opportunity, but FE has already come knocking and Audi may make an offer the Frenchman can’t refuse.

As with Eriksson, the 20-years-old is a potential long-term asset for Audi and one that Renault may regret letting go after one poor F3 season in which all of his team-mates also struggled. But Toyota will be keen to hold onto his services, especially with its reigning SF champion Nick Cassidy edging closer and closer to a FE switch of his own.

Jaguar was the first FE team to approach Fenestraz, offering him the chance to drive in Marrakech earlier this year in the rookie test, in which he was 10th fastest.

A lot will depend on when the SF and Super GT seasons begin and how many rounds they will feature. Fenestraz may prove too difficult for Audi to pry from Toyota for 2020, but don’t rule him out making it to FE in the near future.

Jake Dennis ENGLAND 24y/o
Currently 10th in 2020 IGTC, 17th in 2019 DTM, 4th in 2016 GP3, 3rd in 2015 FIA European F3, 4th in 2013 FR Eurocup

The start of Jake Dennis’s car racing career was heavy with silverware, with titles in InterSteps and the Formula Renault Northern European Cup in successive years. This was bookended by Dennis winning the 2012 Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award.

At the time, the award was McLaren-backed and Dennis got his first taste of F1 in the manufacturer’s 2011 machine at Silverstone a year later. While he said the car was out to kill him at first, his run was remembered for how quickly he started to push the limits, and his aggressive attacking of the National layout’s kerbs.

While that may have been over six years ago, it points to skills that are useful for the one-day, street-based format that most FE events tend to be. And what of Dennis’s street circuit form?

In 2015 he raced in European F3 and totally dominated the Pau Grand Prix weekend. He topped his qualifying group by over three-quarters of a second in the wet and converted race one pole into victory in a style that had previously eluded him in the nimble F3 cars. The feat was repeated in race two.

Pole position for the grand prix itself came by almost half a second, and Dennis led 23 of the 28 laps with damaged left-front suspension. With five to go, Antonio Giovinazzi broke through Dennis’ defence and he lost further places before a last-lap crash left him in 23rd. The experience Dennis has gathered in the five years since would suggest if he was in the same predicament in an FE race now, it would end far better.

In 2016 he took two wins and fourth in the GP3 standings with Arden, before a switch to sportscars with WRT. He impressed immediately, and his Arden links enabled a move to Aston Martin customer R-Motorsport for 2018. Stronger results and then a DTM seat with the brand followed (as well as a Red Bull F1 test role). Dennis made the most of his DTM drive and by the end of the year, he was only a few points off his more experienced team-mates 2010 champion di Resta and Daniel Juncadella.

Dennis has experience of representing a manufacturer at the top-level of motorsport and is thoroughly deserving of a return to single-seaters and could feasibly be lured from Aston Martin’s stable. Although his lack of any FE experience will hurt him, he’s demonstrated that’s he’s a highly-adaptable driver.

And one that missed the boat…

Ed Jones UAE 25y/o
2020 DTM, 13th in 2018 IndyCar, 14th in 2017 IndyCar, 2016 Indy Lights champion, 2013 Euroformula champion

One year too old to make our list, but we deemed it wrong not mention one of Audi’s newest recruits Ed Jones. Audi’s somewhat left-field signing of the former IndyCar star to its DTM line-up was a testament to the 25-year-old’s ability.

He mirrored Dennis in racing in the Intersteps and FR NEC championship in 2011 and ’12, albeit with less success. Jones switched to F3 in Euroformula for 2013, where he skipped the opening round but still won the title.

For 2014 he moved to the FIA’s European championship, but struggled to shine against the likes of Giovinazzi, Esteban Ocon and Max Verstappen. He worked with Carlin to cross over to America together for 2015 and tackle Indy Lights, where he won his firs three races but had to wait until his second season to win the title – with a little assistance from team orders.

Jones had two solid years in IndyCar with Dale Coyne Racing then Chip Ganassi Racing, but could only find a part-time deal for 2019 and eventually settled on to return to racing in Europe for 2020. Audi was evidently aware that Jones hadn’t shown the extent of his true potential during his three years in a stacked IndyCar field, where he was quickly usurped by the new youngsters on the block like Colton Herta, Patricio O’Ward and Oliver Askew.

With no FE experience, Jones is an outside contender, but one which could be easily slotted in for the remainder of the season with minimal financial expense before a long-term option is signed for the 2020-21 season.

Written by Josh Suttill, Bethonie Waring, Craig Woollard and Elliot Wood

The post Five young drivers Audi should take a Formula E chance on appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: INDYCAR

Ed Jones won the final April Isolation Dallara F3 Esports round at Road Atlanta as the title was decided by a final lap crash.

Indian talent Muhammad Ibrahim was fastest in qualifying, beating Jak Crawford, points leader Ramez Azzam and Joe Turney. Due to the huge entry list, three heats were required to half the size of the field for the 30-car points-paying feature race.

In heat one, Ibrahim, Turney and title contender Sacha Fenestraz started and finished as the top three, with Oliver Rowland pipping Jones to fourth.

Red Bull juniors Crawford, Dennis Hauger and Liam Lawson started at the front of heat two, with Crawford holding on to the lead for the first two laps. His more experienced stablemates slipped past at the start of lap three of five, with Hauger then setting fastest lap to keep himself out of danger.

Felipe Drugovich made it three-wide into the chicane on the final lap against Lawson and Crawford for second. His misjudged late-braking move took out all three, allowing Nico Varrone to follow Crawford home in third. Drugovich claimed fourth, with Lawson dropping to seventh.

Azzam led Richard Verschoor off the grid for heat three, with the pair battling until half-distance when a netcode error put Verschoor into the barriers at speed after Azzam got close to him. Victory still went to Azzam, ahead of sportscar racer Richard Heistand and karter Georgi Dimitrov.

Ibrahim started the feature race on pole, ahead of Hauger, Azzam, Crawford and Fenestraz. Drugovich, firmly in title contention, was 10th.

The pace wasn’t with the title favourites in the race, with Hauger and Crawford securing a one-two after two laps, and Ibrahim being shuffled back to Azzam and Fenestraz.

On lap four of 12, the title turned on its head, as Azzam and Ibrahim battled too hard through Turn 1 and Ibrahim spun down to 17th. Hauger held off Crawford until lap seven, while Fenestraz and Varrone passed Azzam through The Esses.

Hauger reclaimed first at the trough of The Esses a lap later, but Crawford got back alongside at the Turn 6/7 hairpin and only Hauger’s aggressive defence prevented another lead change. The pair crashed out spectacularly on the following lap at the Turn 9 kink.

Fenestraz inherited the lead after avoiding their debris, with Azzam closing in rapidly. By the final lap, they were a few tenths apart, with Varrone on their tail too. They entered the hairpin line astern, and Fenestraz’s attempt to break the tow only enabled Varrone to bump draft Azzam into the lead after Turn 9.

Last to brake into the chicane was Fenestraz, and he ran into Azzam at the exit. Varrone tried to slip through but hit both, resulting in Jones passing the hobbling Azzam at the final corner for victory.

Drugovich also passed Azzam, but third was still enough for the latter to become champion.

Karter Matthew Paynes and British Formula 4’s Christian Mansell completed the top five, while Varrone and Fenestraz were eighth and ninth.

The post Ed Jones wins Dallara F3 Esports finale as title contenders crash appeared first on Formula Scout.

2015

Photo: Sam Bloxham/GP2 Series Media Service

One of junior single-seaters’ best all-time talents had to wait two years too long for his deserved promotion to Formula 1 with McLaren, and while remaining patient Stoffel Vandoorne kept himself busy by dominating GP2.

The Belgian, who won four times (including his debut race) in his rookie season, remained with ART Grand Prix for a second year and won the first four feature races. Three second places in the sprint races meant he already had a massive 76-point lead. Each of his wins had not come easy, with an ill-timed safety car in Bahrain and DRS failure at Barcelona preceding a pitstop battle with Alexander Rossi in Monaco and a bad stop leading to a charge through slower traffic at the Red Bull Ring.

More bad luck in the pits harmed him at the Hungaroring, but he returned to the top step at Spa-Francorchamps in dominant style, and won again in Sochi and Abu Dhabi. His reward: Formula Scout’s top driver and a Super Formula seat.

Racing with GP2 most weekends was GP3, where Esteban Ocon and Luca Ghiotto had an unusual but enticing?title battle. ART driver Ocon jumped Trident’s Ghiotto at the start of the Barcelona season opener and took an impressive win over his rival, then never stood on the top step again. Nine successive second places while Ghiotto took four wins and little else meant the points lead changed hands multiple times and the title went down to a final race duel, won by Ocon.

Another future star, Lando Norris, won the best race of the year, climbing from 10th on the grid to win at Thruxton in British Formula 4 with a last-lap overtake. The story of 2015 was the rise of FIA F4, with seven new series emerging.

2016

Photo: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Had Belardi Auto Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist contested the full season, there would have been a seven-way title fight in Indy Lights in 2016. Instead we only got six drivers battling it out until the final round, which was slimmed to three for the last race.

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ rookie Santiago Urrutia was set for the title in said race until the last lap, as Ed Jones controversially passed Carlin team-mate Felix Serralles to become champion. Juncos Racing’s Kyle Kaiser and Zach Veach (Belardi) were just behind in the points, with Andretti’s Dean Stoneman pipping Serralles to fifth. The six were covered by 1.5 races’ worth of points.

Stoneman’s last-lap Freedom 100 win was memorable, but it couldn’t beat Euroformula Open’s at Monza for best race. Leonardo Pulcini and Ferdinand Habsburg frantic duel concluded when Pulcini went around the outside at Parabolica.

The big story of 2016 was Prema’s arrival in GP2 with Pierre Gasly and Antonio Giovinazzi. The Italian team was the top squad in European F3, but had not ventured into any higher categories since racing in Formula Renault 3.5 seven years previous.

Gasly gave Prema a debut pole, and Giovinazzi did the same in Baku two rounds later, but it was a tricky start. In the season’s first third, Gasly scored thrice and Giovinazzi twice. The upside: Gasly got two podiums and Giovinazzi won both Baku races.

Thereon, Prema was on top of the car and its own luck, and the title became a straight race between its drivers. Gasly ended a 1015-day wait for a win in the Silverstone feature race, which he repeated at the Hungaroring and Monza. Giovinazzi won three of the next four races, and led going in to the season finale. Gasly won the first race in the desert though, winning him the title.

It was his team-mate who bagged Formula Scout’s?driver of the year accolade, given he was a rookie who had come straight from F3, with no experience of higher downforce machinery or Pirelli tyres, and come just seven points short of the title.

2017

You could include only the last two laps of the Macau Grand Prix and it would still be race of the year. Dan Ticktum, in his third weekend in ‘proper’ F3, stole victory at the last corner on the last lap as Sergio Sette Camara and Ferdinand Habsburg crashed ahead after Habsburg’s brave overtake. It was a lucky but well-earned win for Ticktum, while Habsburg still finished fourth.

That excitement was spread out over a season in ADAC F4’s title battle, which put Prema’s Juri Vips and Marcus Armstrong against Van Amersfoort Racing’s Felipe Drugovich. Vips won race one of the season, but was a fairly anonymous presence on paper. On track he was fighting his rivals though, and took two wins to team-mate Armstrong’s three.

Their closeness – just 4.5 points separated them come season’s end – contrasted with Drugovich. The Brazilian had seven wins and more poles than the Prema pair combined, but two retirements. This hurt in the season finale as a technical issue in the penultimate race lost him the points lead, which was irreclaimable against an on-form Vips and Armstrong in the title decider.

Charles Leclerc overcame personal tragedy to win the Formula 2 title and was best driver of the year. He didn’t turn pole into victory on his Bahrain debut, but pitted in the sprint to win and also won at Barcelona, Baku, the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone.

He was fastest in Hungaroring qualifying but a technical infringement meant he started at the back. He made it to fourth in a hard race, followed by another fourth and a dominant Spa win. That was taken by another infringement, and it wasn’t until a tyre management masterclass at Jerez almost ruined by a erroneous radio message that he was on top again and won the title. He was handed a Sauber F1 seat for 2018, then one at Ferrari this year. He already has two wins and seven poles.

Billy Monger’s recovery from the loss of his lower legs in a British F4 crash in April was utterly inspiring, and it was a huge story when he returned to a race car in July. Once amble on prosthetics, he did a Brands Hatch track walk with British F4.

2018

Photo: Andy Hone / FIA Formula 2

F1’s star rookie crop – Red Bull Racing’s Alex Albon, McLaren’s Lando Norris and Williams’ George Russell – attracted a lot of attention in 2018 with their F2 title battle. It was a story with a happy ending for all three, despite two of them losing out.

Norris, driving for Carlin, started the season with victory from pole, a win that was to be the only of his season. DAMS’ Albon and ART’s Russell picked up their first wins in Baku, and Russell won the feature races at Barcelona and Paul Ricard. Albon took three poles, but started slow in Spain and lost a Monaco win to a pit-entry crash. After 10 races, Norris still led the points.

A win and a second place at the Red Bull Ring finally put Russell in the lead, which was when his victory run ended and Albon’s begun. He won the Silverstone and Sochi features and the Hungaroring sprint, but Russell, voted?driver of the year, responded with the Monza and Sochi sprints. Norris was out of title contention, but already had his McLaren F1 seat in the bag.

Russell dominated in Abu Dhabi to win the title, having earned himself a Williams F1 seat before the season finale, while Nissan e.dams Formula E signing Albon lost second in the points to Norris. One day later, Toro Rosso signed Albon for F1.

Norris’s wet-weather charge in the Hungaroring feature contributed to it being the best?race of the year, with Nyck de Vries putting in a similarly impressive performance for a dominant win in a race of changing conditions and lots of overtaking.

The Toyota Racing Series started the year with a close title battle between M2 Competition team-mates Robert Shwartzman, Richard Verschoor and Marcus Armstrong. Shwartzman won the title with consistency, taking one win and always finishing fifth or above. Verschoor was fastest, winning six races, but as in 2017 he was denied the title by bad luck. Armstrong used local knowledge and maturity, but a last lap car issue in the final race cost him a podium and the title in the super close series.

2019

Photo: Fotospeedy

Little over two years after his life-changing crash, Monger made sport history by becoming the first disabled grand prix winner.

The 20-year-old pulled a strategic blinder in Pau, choosing to pit for wet compound tyres at the end of the warm-up lap after rain started to fall. An early safety car meant he lost no time with his decision, while most of the field remained on slick tyres, and he scythed his way through the grid as the rain continued with an advantage of up to two seconds per lap.

When the leading Motopark duo crashed, Carlin’s Monger was promoted to the lead but he had to deal with a safety car restart and a crash of his own that bent his steering. Despite that, he stretched out a lead to take his first single-seater race win.

Liam Lawson may have won that race had he not hit his Motopark team-mate Julian Hanses, but the rookie still had a good year which began by triumphing in a title battle with Ferrari junior and M2 team-mate Armstrong in TRS.

Each won five races, and massively impressed their team, but tension built between the two after some robust on-track fights and this culminated in the title-deciding New Zealand GP. A side-by-side battle for the lead, where both pushed the envelope of risk a little too far, resulted in Lawson going off. He rejoined in fourth, but was back behind Armstrong after a restart. The leader was then penalised for the scuffle, leaving Lawson to take the grand prix and the title behind the displeased Armstrong.

W Series made an impactful debut in 2019, with the story of its all-female line-up run by Hitech GP proving popular in the grandstands and giving some deserved attention to drivers who otherwise may not have received it.

Formula Scout’s top driver of 2019 will be revealed on December 31. You can view the rest of the 2019 Top 50 here.

The post Formula Scout Review of the 2010s Part 2: 2015 – 2019 appeared first on Formula Scout.

The 20-year-old Swiss raced in ADAC Formula 4 for two seasons, picking up two wins, before stepping up to the FIA European F3 championship last year with Motopark.

He took one pole position at Silverstone and two fastest laps and was 14th in the standings.

His move to the new Formula 1-supporting FIA F3 series for 2019 with Sauber Junior Team by Charouz proved less successful, although he was the team’s top scorer.

?It?s a real pleasure to join WRT Team Audi Sport for the 2020 DTM,” said Scherer.

“Morevover, it?s a dream come true as I don?t think there is anything higher than DTM.

“It?s amazing to have this possibility and I thank you everybody who made it possible. I really look forward to 2020, I am really excited and I think we can achieve a lot.?

Scherer’s first taste of DTM machinery came in this week’s rookie test at Jerez, and he has been promptly signed by WRT alongside former IndyCar racer Ed Jones.

The team’s 2019 line-up consisted of Haas F1 tester Pietro Fittipaldi, now racing in Asian F3 as he seeks the FIA superlicence points needed to race in F1, and Scherer’s former European F3 team-mate Jonathan Aberdein.

South African rookie Aberdein finished 10th in the standings in his first season, and is reportedly highly rated by Audi. He has been on-track with Audi at Jerez, while F1 refugee Robert Kubica has been recording miles with BMW.

The post Sauber F3 junior Fabio Scherer earns WRT Audi DTM seat appeared first on Formula Scout.

Founded in 1996, Carlin Motorsport has been one of the biggest names in junior single-seaters since the turn of the century. With 1000 podiums under its belt, we look at the team’s top 10 drivers.

If you needed a measurement of Carlin’s success, it has been on the podium more times in just over two decades than Scuderia Ferrari has in 68 years. Admittedly the entirety of Carlin’s success has been outside of Formula 1, but there is no other team that has been competitive in as many series as Trevor Carlin’s eponymous team has.

Starting in British Formula 3, the team has since raced in GP2//F2, FV8 3.5, GP3, Formula Renault 2.0, Formula BMW, MSV and FIA Formula 4, A1GP, Formula E, Porsche Supercup, Indy Lights and of course its latest project: IndyCar.

It’s won titles in Britain, Europe and North America, won the Macau Grand Prix twice and has been one of the top teams in the F1 support paddock for the last few years.

This weekend it will be racing in Austria, England and Italy, and could add at least 22 podiums to its ever expanding tally.

Max Chilton ENGLAND?currently in IndyCar
84 races [excluding IndyCar] (4 wins, 9 poles, 5 fastest laps, 15 podiums, 602 points)

Photo: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography

Max Chilton’s long-term partnership with Carlin began with a race victory and fourth in the standings in his third year in British F3 in 2009.

Chilton moved to Ocean Racing Technology to make his GP2 debut in 2010, before re-joining Carlin he following year as it entered F1’s primary feeder series. Although he earned just four points in Carlin’s debut season, 2012 brought a change of fortunes as Chilton took a brace of feature race wins at the Hungaroring and in Singapore, as well as securing fourth in the drivers’ championship.

He was critical in turning Carlin into a GP2 frontrunner, allowing it to take Felipe Nasr within touching distance of the title just two years later.

Once Chilton’s F1 dream ended in 2014, he became the obvious choice to join Carlin’s first venture into America. Missing three races meant he wasn’t in title contention, but he still took the team’s first oval victory at Iowa. Chilton’s efforts earned him IndyCar promotion with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2016, the highlight of which was his long run leading the 2017 Indianapolis 500, but he reunited with Carlin when it joined IndyCar this year. There were no top 10 finishes, understandable in a learning year for the team.

Antonio Felix da Costa?PORTUGAL?currently in Formula E
33 races (9 wins, 2 poles, 8 fastest laps, 14 podiums, 135 points, 2 grand prixs)

Photo: GEPA pictures/Dutch Photo Agency

Antonio Felix da Costa is Carlin’s most successful driver at the Macau Grand Prix, beating Felix Rosenqvist to win in 2012 and 2016.

Their association started with a duo of GP3 race weekends in 2010 before a full season in 2012 led to third in the standings. The clear highlight was da Costa’s double win at the Hungaroring, a feat that has been unmatched in the series’ history.

He followed it with two second place finishes at Spa-Francorchamps the following round, and had it not been for technical issues in the feature race of the season finale at Monza, da Costa would have probably beaten Mitch Evans to the title.

Lando Norris ENGLAND?currently in Formula 2
98 races (22 wins, 22 poles, 21 fastest laps, 53 podiums, 1298 points, 2 titles)

The driver who broke Prema’s six-year stranglehold on European Formula 3 with a stellar championship winning season – picking up 20 podiums from 30 races including nine victories.

The groundwork was laid in his first year with Carlin in 2015, where he bounced back from missing out on the Ginetta Junior Championship in his first year in cars, to win MSA Formula (now British F4) in style.

His first year in Europe provided instant success with?Josef Kaufmann Racing, winning both the Formula Renault Eurocup and Northern European Cup while he continued his domestic success with Carlin part-time in British F3 – eight podiums from 11 appearances.

After taking his fourth successive title as a rookie in three years with his European F3 conquering, Norris set his sights on Formula 2 – gambling by continuing with returnee Carlin.

It proved to be the right decision from the very first race, which he won by over eight seconds despite a slow pitstop and a suspected engine issue. Although it’s his only win to date, adding seven further podium finishes has placed him second, just 22 points behind George Russell.

When Fernando Alonso announced his retirement from Formula 1, and Stoffel Vandoorne failed to live up to expectations, Norris was the obvious choice to join McLaren for 2019. Norris is still only an 18-year-old, and his F1 drive is a testament to the impression made by his success with Carlin over the last four years.

Takuma Sato JAPAN?currently in IndyCar
52 races (21 wins, 12 poles, 22 fastest laps, 28 podiums, 474 points, 1 title, 1 grand prix, 1 Masters of F3)

In 2001, Takuma Sato delivered Carlin’s first ever major championship title by beating future F1 team-mate Anthony Davidson to the British F3 title.

Sato’s rookie season in 2000 made him the favourite for the following year. Despite a difficult start, Sato soon turned things around, winning five of the last nine races.

He showed his real strength in racing conditions, taking 12 wins from just six pole positions. Sato capped his brilliant year with victories at both the Macau GP and the Masters of F3 at Zandvoort, taking Carlin’s first win in both.

This fiery, fast attitude was enough to convince Jordan to hand Sato his F1 debut in 2002. He spent just over five seasons in F1, taking one podium, before switching to America to become a Indy 500 and Long Beach GP winner.

Felipe Nasr?BRAZIL?currently in IMSA
70 races (11 wins, 5 poles, 9 fastest laps, 33 podiums, 696 points, 1 title)

Photo: GP2 Media Service

Felipe Nasr’s relationship with Carlin yielded the British F3 title in its first year, a dominant campaign helping him comfortably beat team-mates Kevin Magnussen and Carlos Huertas. He stayed with the team for Macau, and missed out on victory by just 0.359 seconds.

He switched to DAMS to make his GP2 debut in 2012, but found much greater success when he re-joined Carlin in the series a year later. Teamed up with eventual 2014 champion Jolyon Palmer, he battled for the title until a rough second half of the season and a lack of victories grounded him to fourth.

Nasr remained for 2014, participating in a thrilling season-long duel with DAMS driver Palmer, although unlike the previous year Nasr was bested by Palmer, and a late-season charge allowed Stoffel Vandoorne to nick second.

However, Nasr’s efforts were still enough for him to secure promotion to F1, and even though he lost his seat at the end of 2016, he’s made a career in sportscar racing in America.

Narain Karthikeyan?INDIA?currently in Super Formula
52 races (4 wins, 4 poles, 6 fastest laps, 13 podiums, 265 points, 1 super prix)

Perhaps not the first name you’d associate with success or Carlin, but an important figure in the team’s history nevertheless.

The Indian raced with Carlin back in 1998, in only the team’s second year in British F3, impressing with two podiums, the team’s first, in a part-time campaign.

1999 saw?Karthikeyan undertake his first full year and he earned Carlin its first win in the series in the second race at Brands Hatch, a day after also taking its first pole and fastest lap. He followed it up with another win at the circuit two months later.

He left to join Stewart at the end of the year, but re-joined Carlin three years later when the team entered Formula V8 3.5. Once again, Karthikeyan was Carlin’s leading driver and he earned fourth in the drivers’ championship with four podiums.

Possibly the most remarkable part of Karthikeyan’s time at Carlin was when the partnership raced on street circuits. He made his Macau debut in 1998, finishing 11th. He showed his true pace in 2000, setting pole and taking fastest lap in the Qualifying and Main race, but ultimately finishing in 13th. In 2002 he also set fastest lap for the Qualifying race, and finished third, but crashed on lap three of the main race.

In 2000 he won the Korea Super Prix, around the challenging Changwon Street Circuit. from pole. He and team-mate Sato were also winners in cameo appearances in French F3.

Jean-Eric Vergne?FRANCE?currently in WEC and Formula E
50 races (18 wins, 15 poles, 15 fastest laps, 28 podiums, 624 points, 1 title)

Jean-Eric Vergne put together one of the most dominant British Formula 3 title campaigns ever, taking at least one victory at eight of the 10 rounds, including a clean sweep of three wins at Spa.

He beat James Calado by 99 points to take the title, before continuing with Carlin into Formula V8 3.5. A collision with fellow Carlin driver Robert Wickens in the season finale denied him the championship, but it was Vergne who received a Formula 1 call-up for the following year.

Although his 2012 Toro Rosso team-mate and 2010 FV8 3.5 runner-up Daniel Ricciardo missed two rounds of the 2011 season, Vergne regularly had the upper hand over the Australian regardless, and the pair’s rivalry came to the boil at Monza in a thrilling duel. Although a 10-second penalty would deny him victory, Vergne triumphed on the track in their wheel-to-wheel dice despite having a partially broken front wing.

Vergne also competed at Macau and in the Masters of F3 with Carlin, finishing seventh and fourth as a F3 debutant.

Robert Wickens?CANADA?currently in IndyCar
40 races (6 wins, 8 poles, 7 fastest laps, 15 podiums, 314 points, 1 title)

Photo: Diederik van der Laan / Dutch Photo Agency

At 18 years old, Robert Wickens joined Carlin to make his Formula Renault 3.5 debut. A part-time campaign in 2007 warranted a full-time stint the following year.

A Silverstone win was the among the highs, but inconsistencies left him 12th in the drivers’ championship. Wickens finished runner-up in Formula Two and GP3 over the next couple of years, with his only appearances with Carlin coming in the shape of a one-off British Formula 3 weekend – he took a podium in race two.

2011 finally brought Wickens a championship title to show for his efforts, and Carlin its first FV8 3.6 championship success, as it?scored more than double the points of Fortec, who finished second in the teams’ championship. Carlin’s Wickens and Jean-Eric Vergne utterly dominated, winning 10 of the 17 races between them.

The duo headed into the season finale separated by just two points. Wickens converted pole position into the win in the opening race, and then the title protagonists controversially collided in the final race, leading to them both retiring and handing Wickens the title.

Wickens has since starred in the DTM and IndyCar, and is currently in rehabilitation after a scary crash in the Pocono 500 earlier this year.

Antonio Giovinazzi?ITALY?currently in Le Mans 24 Hours
72 races (10 wins, 6 poles, 9 fastest laps, 29 podiums, 650.5 points, 1 Masters of F3)

Photo: FIA Formula 3 European Championship

Antonio Giovinazzi nearly winning 2016’s GP2 title in his rookie season was a shock to everyone apart from those at Carlin.

After an average debut European Formula 3 season with Double R Racing in 2013, Giovinazzi instantly found success when he joined Carlin for a second campaign in the series.

At the time, Carlin had a six-car fleet, with Giovinazzi running under the banner of his long-timer supporter Jagonya Ayam. Tom Blomqvist shined brightest at the team in 2014 but Giovinazzi stepped up the following year, pushing title rivals Charles Leclerc and Felix Rosenqvist all year before eventually coming second to Rosenqvist.

It was a title push which started with nine consecutive podiums including wins at Hockenheim and the Pau Grand Prix. He added victory at the Masters of F3, and finished fourth at Macau. He actually finished first on the road in the Qualifying race, but was penalised 20 seconds for contact with Daniel Juncadella, relegating him to a 10th place start for the grand prix itself.

Ed Jones?UAE?currently in IndyCar
57 races (8 wins, 13 poles, 6 fastest laps, 20 podiums, 757 points, 1 title)

Photo: Andersen Promotions

Ed Jones was an instrumental player in helping Carlin crack America. His 2016 title triumph over Santiago Urrutia was arguably the closest fought battle the Mazda Road to Indy has ever seen.

A title decider with drama?and controversy that rivalled IndyCar’s thrilling 2016 climax as Carlin team-mate Felix Serralles allowed Jones past on the final lap to take the title at only Carlin’s second time of trying.

Jones’ first involvement with Carlin was in 2014, where he raced part-time in one of the most competitive European F3 seasons ever, frequently scoring points but only occasionally troubling the podium prompting his bold switch to America the following year.

He became Carlin’s lead driver in its first adventure across the pond, finding speed on the oval courses as well as the more familiar road and street tracks. His stellar rookie year, in which he won the first three races, led the foundations for his 2016 success and surely will always leave the possibility of the Indy 500 podium finisher to one day reunite with Carlin in IndyCar.

The post Top 10 Carlin drivers appeared first on Formula Scout.

50. Yifei Ye

Photos: DPPI/FFSA

New entry

China ? age 16

French Formula 4 champion

To be racing in French Formula 4 for a second season is always a considerable advantage, since so few do it, but Ye rammed that advantage home with a level of dominance rarely seen at this level.

He won all but three of the first 17 races, allowing him to wrap up the title in the 18th despite a non-finish. A fourth place would be his only top-10 finish from the final six races, but it didn?t matter. He was almost unbeatable in qualifying, bettered only at the final round.

The level of competition in French F4 this year was probably not the greatest, and Ye failed to make a significant impact in a parallel campaign in the Italian series, scoring just two podiums, but he?s proved he?s more than a one-trick pony with top test showings in Formula Renault, where he?will drive?for top team Josef Kaufmann Racing next year.

He doesn?t yet have the F1 affiliation that fellow Chinese racers Guan Yu Zhou and Sun Yue Yang have, but with the form he?s already showing aged just 16, Ye has to be considered just as decent a prospect.

49. Arjun Maini

Photos: GP3 Media Service

New entry

India ? age 19

10th in GP3

For Maini, an attempt at a second season in European Formula 3 (switching to T-Sport after a strong run in Macau last year) didn?t work out, and he managed just a couple of lowly points finishes in the first four rounds before pulling the plug.

He impressively recovered his season however with a move into GP3, where he was immediately competitive despite no testing whatsoever, while driving for the relatively unfancied Jenzer Motorsport outfit.

He came eighth in his first race ? having qualified third ? and scored in five of his first six, including second in the Hungaroring reverse-grid race.

A top 10 finish overall was impressive in a season where there were around 15 potential race-winners. The nine ahead of him are all very good and all older, yet he regularly mixed it with them.

A full winter testing programme and a move to one of the top teams ? he placed in the top four with both Trident and ART in post-season testing ? could yield much more in 2017.

48. Gustav Malja?

Photos: GP2 Media Service

New entry

Sweden ? age 21

13th in GP2

Malja is a man making some fine progress: in two years, he?s gone from the end of a lacklustre stint in Formula Renault to notching up eight consecutive points finishes (including two podiums) in the second half of his first full GP2 season.

From scoring on his debut at Spa last year to qualifying sixth at the opening round of 2016 at Barcelona, he has been quick from the off in GP2 machinery.

It took a while for him to start stringing results together, with just three points on the board after 12 races, but he then scored 50 in the next eight.

At Spa he was best of the rest in qualifying behind the Prema pair, and was passed only by?Giovinazzi from pole in the sprint race. That he came third in the next race at Monza was thanks to a big slice of luck from the safety car bungle, but he was on the pace too.

He’ll?move from Rapax to Racing Engineering for 2017, when this well-supported Swede will have more GP2 experience under his belt than many of those driving for?top teams.

47. Ed Jones

Photos: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography

Down 2

United Kingdom ? age 21

Indy Lights champion

Jones? title-winning Indy Lights campaign wasn?t a classic, but it was enough. Just.

The Dubai man did a lot of the groundwork in the first part of the season, or at least after a dreadful opening round in St. Petersburg, where and Carlin had won twice on their debuts Stateside 12 months earlier.

With two wins and two second-places from the next four races, Jones went 23 points clear at the top of the standings, but he wouldn?t win again. Despite five further pole positions, there would only be four more podium finishes in 12 races, yet he was only outside of the top six twice in that same period.

His championship was summed up by the deciding race. He started from pole, made a good start, but was shuffled back to fifth later in the opening lap. When team-mate Felix Serralles moved over on the final lap (the only sensible thing to do), fourth was enough for him to win the title.

Jones has found it easier to get the funding in place for a full-time IndyCar graduation than many past Lights champions, and it will be interesting to see how he gets on. He’s a driver with good speed, even if he doesn’t?turn?it into results as often as he maybe should.

46. Aaron Telitz

Photos: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography

New entry

United States ? age 25

Pro Mazda champion

The top three USF2000 drivers of 2015 all stepped up to Pro Mazda for this season, and it was the last of them that made the most successful move.

Telitz joined Pelfrey team-mate Pato O?Ward as a winner on the opening weekend in St. Petersburg, before the second-year Mexican went on a fine winning streak while not having his budget confirmed to see out the season.

O?Ward would be able to complete the campaign, but back-to-back doubles on the fabled Road America circuit and the streets of Toronto in the middle of the year brought Telitz level with him.

Telitz then had the better of the Mid-Ohio event to pull a lead, and won the final race at Laguna Seca to secure the crown.

Having turned 25 last week, Telitz was a late-starter on the Mazda Road to Indy, but he?s making up for the lost time. Next stop: Indy Lights.

45. Sacha Fenestraz?

Photos: DPPI

New entry

France/Argentina ? age 17

Fifth in Formula Renault Eurocup and NEC

Fenestraz had already caught the eye as a car racing rookie in French Formula 4 last year (finishing second), and did so again in 2016 with a strong first season in Formula Renault.

His year actually began pretty poorly, with a seventh place his only top 10 finish from his first seven races across Eurocup and NEC.

Then came the Monaco race. Having taken two of his three F4 wins on the streets of Pau, Fenestraz went there as a dark horse, and once Lando Norris was disqualified and Ferdinand Habsburg took a grid penalty, the Franco-Argentine had pole, then held the lead through a messy and shortened wet race.

He didn?t get another chance to show his street circuit pedigree, but did show more wet weather class with his two further wins, in the final NEC and Eurocup rounds at Hockenheim and Estoril respectively.

He ended both series fifth overall, and top ?non-Norris? rookie. From there, he hopped into Norris? Josef Kaufmann Racing car and topped the post-season test day, sounding a warning for 2017, when he?ll hope to join brother-in-law Jose Maria Lopez as the winner of a Formula Renault Eurocup title.

44. Sergio Sette Camara?

Photos: Macau Grand Prix

New entry

Brazil ? age 18

Third in Macau Grand Prix

Sette Camara had always seemed a bit of a left-field choice as a Red Bull Junior Team member, and for most of 2016, he struggled to justify the status. He climbed just three championship positions ? from 14th to 11th ? merely matched his podium tally (of two), and was heavily overshadowed at Motopark by his rookie team-mates.

OK, so he was twice denied pole positions to 10-place engine change penalties, but when he was free of those, he couldn?t produce the goods.

Then came Macau, where after a late deal to join Carlin he repeated his?strong pace from last year, and progressed from sixth in first qualifying to third by the end of the qualifying race.

In the main event, he flew into the lead by the second corner, and it was only safety car restarts ? which a) he had no experience of, and b) are a lottery in Macau anyway ? and the tough, professional competition that denied him of a rather famous first car racing win.

After a performance like that you could forgive him for aiming high, but to have leapt?into a GP2 seat with MP within a week, aged 18 and without a single win on his CV is brave to say the least. It?s hard to see Red Bull getting behind it, just when he might have convinced it that he was worth keeping.

With clear promise and a bevy of Brazilian backers led by Petrobras, he remains worth watching, but?how long can he wait for?results?

43. Kenta Yamashita?

Photos: Japanese F3 Association

New entry

Japan ? age 21

Japanese F3 champion

For a while, it looked as though Yamashita would come up short in Japanese F3 for a third straight year, but he produced a perfect final weekend at Sugo to overhaul Jann Mardenborough for the title.

On paper, he should never have been troubled by the talented Welshman, who was mostly new to Japanese circuits despite his Nissan patronage. But Mardenborough ? and the local experts that came in and took wins off the two title rivals during the year ? had an ace up their sleeves in the Volkswagen engine, superior to the Japanese units such as Yamashita?s TOM?s-Toyota.

Nick Cassidy?s struggles in Macau in 2015 had made the current weaknesses of the Japanese entries clear to see, and the decision was made to place Yamashita with British outfit T-Sport in its Tomei-engined car for 2016.

Yamashita was designated a dark horse and he lived up to that almost too well, spending the entire weekend in the top five, but not quite managing to make it onto the podium.

Still, second among the true juniors was a very strong effort, and proof he could do well in Europe. Toyota is more likely to deploy him on the domestic scene, though.

42. Egor Orudzhev

Photos: RPM Racing

Down 20

Russia ? age 21

Third in Formula V8 3.5

Orudzhev should have won the Formula V8 3.5 title this year. Experienced competition like?Tom Dillmann and Matthieu Vaxiviere meant he didn’t start as an overwhelming favourite, but it wasn’t the strength of the opposition that made life difficult.

Instead, it was just a disastrous start that wrecked the Russian?s hopes. Crashing out of the lead on the first lap of the very first race set the tone, and after four races he had just two points to Dillmann?s 76.

Orudzhev went on to win five times (compared to twice each by Dillmann and Louis Deletraz) and salvage third in the final standings, only 40 points off the top. And that?s a gap he could have wiped out with better consistency: only twice?did he pair one of his wins with a top-six finish at the same circuit.

Qualifying was already a clear weakness last season, and after that fateful first race, he wouldn?t score another pole. Near the end of the year he found a novel solution to this: rocket starts, which vaulted him from position five?on the grid to first by the first corner for three wins in four races across?Monza, Jerez and Barcelona.

Having now taken seven wins in the series in all (tying for second on the all-time list with Carlos Sainz and Antonio Felix da Costa) a move to GP2 would make sense for 2017, but he could yet stay where he is: a signal that backer SMP Racing may well be?preparing?him for?its upcoming LMP1 project.

41. David Beckmann?

Photos: FIA F3 European Championship

Up 5

Germany ? age 16

15th in FIA F3 European Championship

Beckmann?s decision to effectively step up to European F3 before he was even old enough was always going to put him up against it this year.

It meant missing the first two rounds and debuting on the narrow streets of Pau, but he impressed in just his second event in Austria, racing into the top seven and coming fifth in second qualifying. He made the podium in his fourth round, at Zandvoort.

A rougher period followed, but Beckmann demonstrated his class before the year was out. He edged out an otherwise dominant Lance Stroll for pole at Hockenheim, only to lose it for a floor infringement caused by kerb damage, before picking himself up for his second podium in race two of the weekend. He went well on his Macau debut, running inside the top 10 before an incident.

Beckmann?s 2016 won?t stand out on his CV as much as a title tilt in F4 would have done, but if?it makes him better in 2017 – and his performances made him hot property on the driver market before he signed for Van Amersfoort Racing – it will have served its purpose.

The post PaddockScout Top 50 2016: 50-41 appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography

After a two-race hiatus from Indy Lights, Felix Rosenqvist would not be denied pole position for the first of two races at the Exhibition Place Street Circuit in Toronto, Canada.

Returning to Belardi Auto Racing after missing both the Road America and Iowa rounds due to other commitments with Mercedes-AMG, Rosenqvist pulled out the fastest time in Saturday morning’s session with a 1:06.011 lap time in his first visit to Toronto.

The Swedish rookie’s only Indy Lights win so far came on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida in March. This is also Rosenqvist’s second pole position of 2016.

He’ll make up half of the ‘Felix and Felix Show’ front row for Saturday’s first race, with?Felix Serralles, the winner of last week’s?extraordinary race at Iowa Speedway, lined up second for Carlin Racing.

Santiago Urrutia qualified third-fastest, with?Zach Veach, the other player in last week’s astounding finish at Iowa, qualifying fourth. Championship leader?Ed Jones qualified fifth-fastest.

Andre Negrao‘s good run of form continues with the Brazilian qualifying sixth, ahead of?Kyle Kaiser in seventh,?Juan Piedrahita in eighth, and an all-Canadian row five with?Zachary Claman DeMelo?ahead of Toronto native?Garett Grist.?The third Canadian?driver in the field,?Dalton Kellett, starts thirteenth.

Championship contender?Dean Stoneman could do no better than eleventh-fastest, as Andretti Autosport stunningly locked out three of the last four positions on the grid.

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