Photos: FIA F3 European Championship

The recent upturn experienced by the FIA F3 European Championship reached another high in 2014, with a highly-competitive field headed by numerous top-line drivers, including some incredibly strong rookies.

Its reputation had already grown before Max Verstappen was handed a Formula 1 seat while he was still 16. That brought yet more attention, but Verstappen’s rivals deserve their fair share – none more so than the fellow teenage newcomer that won the title, Esteban Ocon.

All the drivers in the top ten at least are capable of and deserving of going on to bigger and better things. Below, PaddockScout reviews the top 20 in the final standings in detail.

1. Esteban Ocon

France, Prema Powerteam, age 18

478 points, 9 wins, 21 podiums, 15 pole positions, 7 fastest laps

Plenty was expected of Lotus F1 junior Ocon as he stepped up to F3 from Formula Renault 2.0 with champion team Prema, but by winning the title in relatively dominant fashion, he far exceeded those expectations.

He led the standings from just the second race, and his margin grew to 82 during the first four rounds, when he won at each weekend, and took 11 podiums from 12 races. He responded perfectly to Verstappen’s trebles at Spa and the Norisring with one of his own in Moscow, opening his lead to a season-high of 116. His run-in was a little wobbly in comparison, but he still did enough to wrap things up with a round to go.

Verstappen hogged much of the limelight, but Ocon was still an F3 rookie and is only a year older. And the hype around his rival boosts his standing too, with his Gravity management, Mercedes and the FIA all pushing for him to get F1 chances of his own sooner rather than later. A GP2 move seems likely for 2015. Season rating: 9/10

2. Tom Blomqvist

United Kingdom, Jagonya Ayam with Carlin, age 20

420 points, 6 wins, 15 podiums, 6 pole positions, 9 fastest laps

Being recruited to the Jagonya Ayam roster of drivers backed by Ricardo Gelael and KFC Indonesia allowed Blomqvist to get a seat in a Carlin machine and prove what he was really capable of, following a tough couple of seasons in under-resourced teams.

His season couldn’t have started better, beating Ocon to the win in the first of the 33 races, but his title bid took an early hit thanks to the draconian engine change rules, giving him three-ten place penalties and denying him two poles at Hockenheim. That took him from three points behind Ocon to 61, but he finished the year just 58 adrift – and nine ahead of Verstappen – with ten podiums from the last 12 races.

Of course his experience and maturity helped, and his talent isn’t as great as Ocon’s or Verstappen’s, but there’s absolutely no shame in that. Finding space for him further up the ladder will be harder for Jagonya Ayam, but he fully deserves to take the next step and get a quick package underneath him once again. Season rating: 8

3. Max Verstappen

Netherlands, Van Amersfoort Racing, age 17

411 points, 10 wins, 16 podiums, 7 pole positions, 7 fastest laps

Verstappen had made a strong impression in early single-seater tests and races, but jumping straight into the ultra-competitive F3 series for his first full campaign out of karts – and with a team that scored just one podium in 2013 – meant little was expected.

He was immediately among the frontrunners on pace though, and although predictable first-lap incidents hampered him at first, it took until just six races before he won. His six wins in nine days in June across and Spa and Norisring were simply incredible. He looked like he might threaten Ocon’s title, but was hindered by technical problems, grid penalties and some general raggedness, before he lost P2 to a faster Blomqvist on the final day. But winning more races than anybody else was the most remarkable achievement.

Confident and competent in his first F1 outings so far, anything other than a positive first impression in 2015 will be a surprise. His long-term potential is huge, it will be interesting to see whether he can make the most of it. Season rating: 9

4. Lucas Auer

Austria, Mucke Motorsport, age 20

365 points, 3 wins, 13 podiums, 1 pole position, 2 fastest laps

Fourth last year, Auer made the bold decision to leave Prema over the winter and move to Mucke. To not improve his championship position may have left him feeling disappointed, but understandable when faced with some almighty competition.

Most of the time, Mucke didn’t seem to be a match for Carlin or Prema. They were left behind in a terrible first weekend at Silverstone, but Auer promptly won the next race at Hockenheim. His later wins would also come on German soil, at the Nurburgring and the season finale back at Hockenheim. He comfortably outscored his more experienced team-mate Rosenqvist even if they were many times when they were inseparable. He probably should have beaten him to win in Macau, but for repeated braking errors.

The nephew of outgoing FIA single-seater chief Gerhard Berger, FR3.5 seems far more likely than GP2/3 for next year, and has already tested there. He’s also sampled Endurance, but Auer falling off the single-seater ladder would hardly be a good start to Berger’s legacy. Season rating: 8

5. Antonio Fuoco

Italy, Prema Powerteam, age 18

255 points, 2 wins, 10 podiums, 2 fastest laps

After claiming the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps title in his rookie season out of karts, Ferrari Driver Academy member Fuoco stepped up to F3 for 2014 and made a very bright start, heading an all-rookie podium in race three at Silverstone ahead of Verstappen and Ocon.

Unfortunately, while Ocon and Verstappen went on to even headier heights, Fuoco couldn’t maintain that kind of form. There were six non-scores in the next seven races, partly caused by a tough weekend at Pau thanks to a practice crash. After another poor spell in the middle of the year, he inherited his second and final win at Spielberg. Good pace and podiums after that was matched by more incidents, culminating in a clumsy penultimate race crash, a disqualification and a broken thumb.

Ignoring Ocon and Verstappen, fifth would usually still be a decent effort for an F3 rookie in only his second car racing season, and he should start 2015 as the title favourite. But doing a sophomore campaign with Prema is surprisingly not a forgone conclusion and he’s testing GP3 next week. Season rating: 7

6. Antonio Giovinazzi

Italy, Jagonya Ayam with Carlin, age 20

238 points, 2 wins, 7 podiums, 2 pole positions, 3 fastest laps

Much was expected of Giovinazzi in 2014, joining Carlin after a promising end to an otherwise tough rookie F3 season. He got a second-place in the fifth race of the season at Hockenheim, but that would be his only podium from the first 21 races.

He had cracked his chassis in a collision at the Norisring, and a replacement together with a fresh engine revitalised him immediately at Spielberg, where he was the quickest over the weekend and would have won twice, but lost the first to Fuoco for a safety car infringement. Another win followed a fortnight later at the Nurburgring when Verstappen broke down while leading. The final two weekends weren’t quite as strong, but in all he racked up six podiums from the last 12 races.

That form would easily make him a title contender for 2015, but rumour suggests his Indonesian backers are looking to move him, Blomqvist and Sean Gelael all on, perhaps up to FR3.5. Season rating: 7

7. Jordan King

United Kingdom, Carlin, age 20

217 points, 7 podiums

British champion, top European rookie and sixth overall last year, King will be disappointed to have not made more progress in his second year in the series with Carlin. He certainly made a step forward in terms of podium finishes, with seven instead of two.

However, despite his four second-places, he lacked that last bit of speed to become a race winner, and up against some tougher competition than last year, he slipped back one place in the standings. Most of his podium finishes came from further back on the grid, only twice qualifying inside the top three, while Blomqvist and Giovinazzi did show that Carlin had a strong one-lap package.

With a decent budget behind him, King will be moving on next year, and is testing in both FR3.5 and GP2. He’s capable of doing well in either – he’s good driver, but was just a bit overshadowed in such exalted company this year. Season rating: 7

8. Felix Rosenqvist

Sweden, Mucke Motorsport, age 23

198 points, 1 win, 2 podiums, 1 pole position, 3 fastest laps

After running Raffaele Marciello pretty close for the title last year, Rosenqvist should have been moving on from F3, to bigger single-seaters or to a professional opportunity with a roof over his head. That chance didn’t come, and he was forced into a fourth year in Euro F3.

Only the title would have been good enough, and he was so good in 2013 that simply maintaining that form ought to have seen off the kids. But instead, he finished the season a disastrous eighth. After a difficult start, he took victory in the title race at the Pau Grand Prix, but a third in the next race would be his second and last podium of the campaign. He was regularly in the points, but too rarely in the top places and too often in some sort of trouble – his causing or not.

A convincing victory in the Macau Grand Prix has ended his year on a deserved high and repaired some of the damage done to his reputation. Hopefully, it will be enough to impress potential backers from Asia, Sweden or Germany to advance his career as he’d previously deserved. Season rating: 6

9. Jake Dennis

United Kingdom, Carlin, age 19

174 points, 3 podiums

Dennis was unable to win races like his fellow Formula Renault 2.0 graduates Ocon and Fuoco, but he still enjoyed a decent rookie F3 season. Unlike the other rookies. he was way off the pace at Silverstone, but made good progress as the year went on.

At Pau he used his experience from FR2.0 to enjoy his best weekend of the year, with two fourths and a third. He maintained good form through the next rounds, and after podiums at Spa and Spielberg he was up to sixth in the standings. The final three weekends were tough, but he arguably deserved better than ninth in the final reckoning.

He will be a title contender next year, and the Racing Steps Foundation has decided to move him over to Prema. Should Fuoco return, it will tough to beat the Italian in his own team, but joining the Mercedes-supported squad is perhaps better for his career than staying at, and leading, Carlin. Season rating: 7

10. Nicholas Latifi

Canada, Prema Powerteam, age 19

128 points, 1 podium (30/33 races)

Latifi came into the season after showing glimpses of promise in 2013 with Carlin, making a relatively late switch to Prema to replace Alex Lynn, and winning races in the Florida Winter Series at the start of the year.

Things began very promisingly at Silverstone with a second-place finish in race two, as well as a sixth and fourth. He sat fourth in the standings at that point, but things quickly went downhill. Never on the podium again, he struggled for qualifying pace relative to team-mate Ocon and was involved in a lot of incidents, with ten non-finishes. He ended his time in the series on a relative high with fourth at Imola.

He missed the final round at Hockenheim, opting to instead see out a three-round spell in FR3.5. It was the right call, as he finished second in the season finale, and was then very quick in testing, so the outlook is much better for 2015. 2014 ended with a clean and quick run to fifth in Macau. Season rating: 6

11. Gustavo Menezes

United States, Van Amersfoort Racing, age 20

91 points, 2 podiums, 1 pole position

Menezes stuck with Van Amersfoort for his graduation up from German to European F3, but found himself heavily overshadowed by Verstappen early on, scoring just two points from the first ten races. After that though, he certainly didn’t disgrace himself.

It was one of the championship’s most challenging venues of Spa that marked a turning point for Menezes. Pole in race two might have come in wet conditions, but he still ended the weekend with two third-place finishes in races that were dry. He couldn’t repeat those kind of highs for the rest of the campaign, but scored points in ten races from the last six rounds.

With so many of the drivers ahead of him in the final standings set to move on for 2015, Menezes would do well to stay in the series for another year. Verstappen has shown that Van Amersfoort can win races, though a move to a more prestigious team like Carlin could also be a possibility. Season rating: 6

12. Felix Serralles

Puerto Rico, Team West-Tec, age 22

82 points

After a nightmare end to his 2013 season with Fortec, Serralles gambled on a switch to series newcomers West-Tec – together with respected Fortec engineer Mick Kouros – for 2014. Taking on the category’s big boys wasn’t easy in those settings, but he did well.

He was a consistent points scorer from the very first round, making the top ten in 18 races overall. He only failed to score at one circuit, in a tough weekend at Spielberg as part of a six-race barren spell. His best result was a fourth at Spa – a circuit he has always gone well at – but that was the only time he could finish in the top seven.

There were still a few incidents when racing others, but overall, Serralles enjoyed a very respectable campaign and established West-Tec a fair way up the order. After a four-year spell plying his trade in Europe, he’ll return to the United States next year in Indy Lights, where his pace and experience should stand him in good stead. Season rating: 6

13. Ed Jones

United Arab Emirates, Carlin, age 19

70 points, 2 podiums (21/33 races)

Jones won the F3 Open title in 2013, but his full-time switch to the European Championship for 2014 would be a much tougher test. He began the year in strong fashion though, with an impressive eight podiums from 12 races in the Florida Winter Series.

That suggested he could mix it with the likes of Fuoco and Latifi in F3, and in just the second weekend at Hockenheim he scored a fine double podium. Sadly, his season was derailed soon after that when he suffered a fractured vertebrae in a crash in Pau. He missed the next four rounds, and the problem flared up again after his return. He scored in five of the last 12 races, with a best of sixth.

Jones’ original plan had been to move up to GP2 for next year, but a second season in Euro F3 would give him the chance to make the most of the promise he showed before his injury and get the higher championship result he’s capable of. Season rating: 6

14. Dennis van de Laar

Netherlands, Prema Powerteam, age 20

38 points

Another driver with a good run in Florida under his belt at the start of the year, van de Laar was expected to make a big step forward as he traded Van Amersfoort for Prema for his second season of European F3, but it wasn’t to be.

He scored points just nine times, which is a disappointing return for somebody with the champion team, and only tallied 18 points more than last term. He enjoyed a strong weekend early on at Pau, clinching his season’s best result of fifth, but failed to kick on from then. On the positive side, he only failed to finish races on three occasions, which is a respectable record given he was so often found battling hard in the midfield.

It remains to be seen where he goes from here. He has been sampling Porsches recently and sportscars may be a tempting career move, but does also have the resources to continue in single-seaters. Season rating: 5

15. Tatiana Calderon

Colombia, Jo Zeller Racing, age 21

29 points

Yet another to have begun the year by showing promise in FWS, Calderon had signed to race for the Signature-Renault project for 2014 but their struggles forced her into a very last minute move for the Silverstone opener into a car entered by Jo Zeller together with Mucke.

On the back foot without any testing in her new setup, the opening four rounds were tough and continued her point-less run from 2013, but she turned a corner at Spa with a superb run to fifth in race two from 11th on the grid. That started a very impressive run of picking up points in every single race weekend until the end of the season. Progressing well in races, more would have been possible with stronger qualifying.

Calderon may opt for another year of F3 next season – particularly with Mucke and Carlin likely to have openings for experienced F3 racers – but is also known to be evaluating GP3. Season rating: 6

16. Mitch Gilbert

Australia, Fortec Motorsports, age 20

28 points (18/33 races)

After a very difficult 2013 season with Mucke, the Kuala Lumpur-born driver hoped that a switch to Fortec – with whom he finished fifth in FR2.0 UK in 2011 – would see an upturn in fortunes. Things did improve, but not enough to stop him leaving the series mid-season.

After a tough opening round at Silverstone, he enjoyed a strong run to sixth at Hockenheim and then a successful weekend at Pau, ending with a sixth and a fifth. A couple more points followed in Hungary, but engine issues were then exposed at Spa and the Norisring, and were hard to solve.

With budget tight, Gilbert opted to switch his attention to a partial GP3 programme with Trident, where he has shown promise with his pace despite a lack of on-track preparation. Hopefully he can find a return to winning ways there in 2015. Season rating: 6

17. Roy Nissany

Israel, Mucke Motorsport, age 19

26 points

Nissany stuck with his long-time team Mucke for his second season in European F3 and made some progress, rising from 22nd to 17th in the standings and upping his points haul from 11 to 26. But a bit more could have been expected.

In the opening rounds, Nissany found himself having to come from towards the back of the large grid, but did well to get points in both Hockenheim and Pau. His best starting position was a sixth at the Norisring, which yielded a seventh in the race, and he got his best finish of sixth on his highest profile weekend at the Nurburgring.

Nissany recently joined his infamous father Chanoch in buying an F1 opportunity by testing an old Sauber in Valencia. He’s also sampled Auto GP, so a move to a larger car might be on the cards for next year. Season rating: 5

18. Sean Gelael

Indonesia, Jagonya Ayam with Carlin, age 18

25 points

Gelael used his move to Carlin to make a step forward after his learning year in 2013. Qualifying was a serious weakness versus his team-mates, taking until the final two rounds to starts races inside the top ten, but he often raced his way into the points.

His performances were some way behind his long-time team-mate Giovinazzi, but he’s still very young – not turning 18 until after the season ended – and is relatively lacking in experience, given he didn’t start karting anywhere near as early as many of his contemporaries. He did well to balance his education with a 33-race schedule too, no doubt visiting family and sponsors back home as well.

The rumoured step up to FR3.5 for the Jagonya Ayam project might suit Blomqvist and Giovinazzi, but it will throw Gelael into the deep end once again. But he’s been showing good progress and potential, and seems to be able to team that with patience too. Season rating: 5

19. Santino Ferrucci

United States, EuroInternational/Fortec Motorsports, age 16

24 points (21/33 races)

Having previously registered on the radar in karting and then gained his initial single-seater education in his native United States, Ferrucci had to wait until he turned 16 to make his European F3 debut after strong winter showings with EuroInternational.

When he finally got into action at Spa, his pace was strong and top results came the following weekend at the Norisring, with a stunning fifth and a fourth. His next two weekends were quiet, but then impressed in the wet qualifying at the Nurburgring with third, almost upstaging poleman and fellow teen Verstappen. He switched to Fortec for the final two rounds after winning with the team in a British series one-off, but couldn’t improve the team’s fortunes on the mainland.

Good times did come in Macau though, where he stayed out of trouble all weekend to finish a very creditable eighth. Hopefully he’ll be back next year, and in a car that can see him fight with the best in the field. Season rating: 7

20. Jules Szymkowiak

Netherlands, Van Amersfoort Racing, age 19

17 points

Szymkowiak made a big step up for his first proper season of single-seaters, moving from the Formula BMW Talent Cup to join Van Amersfoort. He might have been well outclassed by a fellow Dutch rookie, but had a respectable first season all the same.

The opening few rounds were tough for him, but he came good at the Hungaroring – a circuit he knew from FBMW – to finish sixth in the first race of the weekend from P14 on the grid. Two points finishes then followed at Spa. His best qualifying came at Moscow with seventh – his only top-ten start of the year – but he dropped out of the points. With just a few more points in Spielberg and the Nurburgring, he’ll be disappointed he didn’t carry on that progress from earlier in the campaign.

Nonetheless, his season was a good effort given his inexperience, and he certainly showed glimpses of promise. Hopefully he’ll be back next year to put what he’s learnt to use, and sticking with VAR would be good for continuity. Season rating: 6

The rest

John Bryant-Meisner joined management stablemate Gilbert at Fortec and picked up six points before encountering similar problems, staying on for one further round in Spielberg before also trying his hand at GP3. Alfonso Celis replaced Gilbert for Austria to make an appearance with Fortec for the second straight season, while Ferrucci was joined at Imola and then Macau by British champion Martin Cao.

Like Fortec, fellow British squad Double R also struggled with a single car for Felipe Guimaraes, who scored five points early on before a run of five straight retirements preceded his and the squad’s departure after the Norsiring.

T-Sport made it through the year with its two main drivers (though skipped Moscow) but didn’t fare much better in the scoring charts either. Spike Goddard showed some signs of progress in his second season and even led on wet tyres at the Nurburgring before being passed by Verstappen and the rest of the field, but his three points were all scored inside the first three rounds. Alex Toril mustered just one point after stepping up from F3 Open, and was involved in more than his fair share of incidents. The team gave Nick Cassidy a chance in their third car for the final two rounds, and although he didn’t get a top-ten finish in those six races, he then finished an almighty third at Macau.

West-Tec’s second car started the season in the hands of another F3 Open graduate Hector Hurst, who stayed out of trouble in Pau to net a point and took another two in Moscow before giving up his seat to Macau karting graduate Andy Chang for the final three events.

2012 Italian champion Riccardo Agostini returned to F3 for the start of the season with EuroInternational but quit after scoring just one point from three events, and enjoyed more success after switching to GP3. In the team’s second car, Michele Beretta was the only driver to do the full season and not score a point, as he found the step up from Formula Abarth to be too big, failing to finish a third of the races and usually only on camera for the wrong reasons. Once Ferrucci departed, Brazilian karter Sergio Sette Camara and GP2 veteran Stefano Coletti drove for the team in the final two rounds, Coletti using it as a qualifier/test session for Macau where he ended up a respectable sixth.

Sandro Zeller spent another year in the series – bar three rounds – with his family team but failed to score.

A significant one-off entry was that of Will Buller at Imola. By doing so he competed in F3 for a fifth straight year, but more importantly, he did so with Signature, who replaced the stillborn Renault engine with one from their former partners Volkswagen to return to F3 racing for the first time since 2011, finishing the weekend with a sixth.

The post 2014 FIA F3 European Championship season review appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: FIA F3 European Championship

Max Verstappen claimed his second win in the FIA F3 European Championship in an eventful first Spa-Francorchamps race that saw championship leader Esteban Ocon retire after contact on lap one.

Ocon retained the lead from pole position into the first corner but was passed on the Kemmel Straight by Verstappen. Ocon then found himself squeezed between Antonio Fuoco and Lucas Auer entering Les Combes, forcing the Lotus F1 junior into retirement.

Despite a mid-race safety car when Antonio Giovinazzi and debutant Santino Ferrucci tangled and crashed heavily at Les Combes, Verstappen appeared to have the margin to second-placed Auer under control, but he was then caught by the Austrian on the penultimate lap.

It took an aggressive defensive move on the Kemmel Straight and contact between the pair for Belgian-born Verstappen to remain ahead and claim the victory.

Felix Rosenqvist also looked safe in third as the clock ticked down but he came under attack from Jake Dennis. Dennis got past into the Bus Stop for the penultimate time, and although Rosenqvist did get back ahead, he then fell down to seventh at the flag. Dennis thus completed the podium, just ahead of Carlin team-mate Tom Blomqvist, who was able to take a chunk out of Ocon’s championship lead. Fuoco held off Gustavo Menezes to claim fifth.

Felipe Guimaraes was eighth, Jules Szymkowiak made it all three Van Amersfoort Racing cars in the top ten, and Jordan King battled his way into tenth after starting on the back row.

Race results

The post Verstappen wins frantic first Spa race as Ocon crashes out appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: FIA F3 European Championship

Gustavo Menezes and Esteban Ocon will start from pole position in the second and third races respectively at the FIA F3 European Championship weekend at Spa-Francorchamps.

The qualifying?was immediately interrupted by a red flag, caused by a crash for Mitch Gilbert. By the time the qualifying resumed, the track was completely wet, forcing the drivers to use wet tyres.

The fastest lap was recorded in the last second by Gustavo Menezes to complete a one-two for Van Amersfoort Racing with Max Verstappen, who ended up in second.

Lotus junior Ocon will start third and will share the second row with Swede John Bryant-Meisner, one of the benefactors of the chaotic session.

Felix Serralles secured fifth, followed by Alex Toril and Felipe Guimaraes, who both took their best qualifying positions of the season.

Mucke Motorsport duo Lucas Auer and Felix Rosenqvist had to settle with eighth and ninth and the top ten was completed by Michele Beretta.

The pole for race three returns to?Ocon with Bryant-Meisner joining him on the front row. Serralles and Guimaraes took third and fourth respectively, followed by Verstappen and Menezes.

Tatiana Calderon gained four positions compared to her race two position with Beretta, Nicholas Latifi and Rosenqvist rounding the top ten out.

Results

The post Menezes and Ocon claim poles in wet second Spa qualifying appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: FIA F3 European Championship

Karting graduate Max Verstappen set the overall fastest time in the practice sessions for the 2014 FIA F3 European Championship’s fifth round at Spa-Francorchamps.

Although in the first session the 16-year-old youngster only finished fourth, the following practice saw huge improvement from almost every driver, especially from Verstappen, who went more than two seconds faster compared to his time from session one.

Mucke Motorsport’s Felix Rosenqvist was on top in the first practice, beating second-placed Jordan King and third-placed Antonio Fuoco, who were the fastest Carlin and Prema drivers respectively, by 0.4s.

Verstappen secured fourth with Briton Jake Dennis and Canadian Nicholas Latifi not far behind. Team West-Tec’s Felix Serralles ended up seventh fastest.

It was a difficult first session for the leading trio in the standings, as Tom Blomqvist was eighth, Lotus junior Esteban Ocon finished in 12th and Lucas Auer was not able to complete a time. The top ten was completed by Spike?Goddard and Antonio Giovinazzi.

In the second practice Verstappen dominated the field with beating the whole field by more than 0.7s. Ocon fought back to end up in second, closely followed by his teammate Ferrari junior Fuoco.

Rosenqvist remained the leading Mucke driver in fourth, while Van Amersfoort’s Gustavo Menezes and Double R’s Felipe Guimaraes secured fifth and sixth.

Giovinazzi and Serralles took seventh and eighth respectively and the top ten was completed by Alex Toril and Dennis.

This weekend American driver Santino Ferrucci has been added to the grid as he finally turned 16 and is allowed to race in the series. Ferrucci, who is graduating from the American F2000 Championship Series, started his weekend in a promising way with 14th fastest, beating his teammate by a second.

Results

The post Rosenqvist and Verstappen fastest in FIA F3 practice at Spa appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: FIA Formula 3 European Championship

British racer Tom Blomqvist delighted the local fans at Silverstone by taking his first race victory in European F3 from pole position in the opening race of the 2014 season.

The Jagonya Ayam with Carlin racer controlled the race from the very start and was untroubled at the front throughout despite a safety car disruption.

Fellow front row starter Esteban Ocon held on to second at the start, while Jordan King made his way up to third from sixth on the grid throughout the opening lap. Further down the field, there were some incidents, as Max Verstappen picked up front wing damage and had to pull into the pits, while rookies Alex Toril and Michele Beretta came together and were left stranded in the gravel.

The race was put under safety car due to the latter incident and, when the track went back to green flag, Blomqvist got an excellent restart to keep the lead. Ocon, meanwhile, came under pressure from King, who was briefly ahead of the Frenchman on the main straight, but wound up settling for third into turn one.

From that point on, race leader Blomqvist kept a good deal of distance between him and his chasers and would comfortably cross the line in first. Ocon had to fend off further attacks from King, but kept second, with the Carlin man rounding out the podium.

Ferrari junior Antonio Fuoco enjoyed a solid debut in the series in fourth, while Lucas Auer managed to overtake Nicholas Latifi after the restart to claim an eventual fifth.

The Canadian struggled for pace but ultimately kept a number of drivers at bay to take sixth. Felix Serralles overhauled Ed Jones for seventh, while Felix Rosenqvist saw off Felipe Guimaraes to take ninth, despite having made contact with Spike Goddard earlier on in the race.

Race results

The post Blomqvist takes maiden FIA F3 win on home turf at Silverstone appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photos: FIA Formula 3 European Championship

Last year the European F3 scene was revitalised, with the rebranding of the Euro Series into the FIA F3 European Championship leading to the grid doubling in size. The quality of those drivers was decent, but this year the amount of talent on display has increased further with a number of very promising drivers joining the field. New engine regulations are set to shake up the established competitive order between the teams.

PaddockScout takes a look at the squads and drivers taking part in the 2014 season.

Prema Powerteam

In 2013, Prema drivers won 17 out of the 30 races of the regular season, took the drivers’ and the teams’ title and won the Macau Grand Prix. However, the off-season hasn’t been kind to the Italian team. Despite having signed two exceptionally highly-rated Formula Renault 2.0 graduates, the team came up short on actual established title challengers – with Lucas Auer leaving for Mucke and Alex Lynn blindsinding them with a Red Bull contract and a GP3 switch. Instead, their two experienced names are those who haven’t proved they can fight for the title – but it doesn’t mean they can’t.

1. Nicholas Latifi

Age: 18
Nation: Canada
2013: 15th in FIA F3

Latifi’s 15th place in 2013 doesn’t really paint an accurate picture of his debut year in European F3 – indeed, while he struggled for consistency and wouldn’t exactly match his more experienced teammates, almost all experts picked up on his flashes of frontrunning pace.

Still, whether the deserved a deal with Prema was another question – that is, right until the Canadian joined the Ferrari-run FWS and picked up four victories in 12 races. At this point, the Canadian could very well be Prema’s best bet in the drivers’ championship. He was solid in the pre-season despite the Mercedes engine’s shortcomings and his own car catching fire at the Hungaroring to sideline him for the entire event.

He’s still not the most consistent driver around, but given the 33 races this season, there’s little doubt that race wins will come Latifi’s way.

2. Esteban Ocon

Age: 17
Nation: France
2013: 3rd in Eurocup FR2.0

In his two years in single-seaters, Ocon has become a Eurocup race winner, finished third in the series behind FR3.5 star newcomers Oliver Rowland and Pierre Gasly and built up a reputation as Lotus F1’s most promising protege.

Ocon’s partnership with Prema is a good move for both sides. It makes sense for the Frenchman because, unlike Rowland and Gasly, he doesn’t seem ready for 3.5 yet, still somewhat lacking consistency and struggling to convert his blistering testing pace into actual results. It makes sense for Prema, because there isn’t a team in F3 whose lineup wouldn’t be strengthened with a driver of Ocon’s calibre.

His most realistic goal is probably coming out on top in the rookie classifications, but there’s also almost no doubt that he’ll be fighting for race wins and showing up series veterans soon enough. He showed a glimpse of what he could achieve when he finished tenth on his debut in Macau after dropping to the back at the start.

25. Antonio Fuoco

Age: 17
Nation: Italy
2013: FR2.0 Alps champion

Anyone who followed last year’s Formula Renault Alps season knows that Ferrari protege Antonio Fuoco is, plain and simple, the next big thing in single-seaters.

Despite having lacked any sort of substantial experience in cars (apart from a stint in the Panam GP Winter Series), he took the Alps series by storm, easily seeing off the challenge from his two highly-rated teammates or any Eurocup regulars that made guest appearances in the series. Then, in the off-season, he won four races in the Florida Winter Series, arguably being the championship’s most consistently rapid driver.

Ferrari certainly seem to have a lot of faith in the youngster and, as such, have placed him in FIA F3 in the footsteps of Italy’s other big hope Raffaele Marciello. Just like Ocon, he’ll be aiming for the rookie title, albeit he’s probably even more likely to pull off some major upsets against series veterans, given his uncanny ability to adapt to new challenges.

26. Dennis van de Laar

Age: 20
Nation: Netherlands
2013: 20th in FIA F3

Dutchman van de Laar is definitely the dark horse of Prema’s 2014 lineup, not having the reputation of the two rookies or the flashes of record pace that elevated Latifi’s status.

At the same time, the 20-year-old is definitely no pushover. He was solid in FR2.0 NEC and German F3, he held his own next to his teammates at Van Amersfoort Racing in FIA F3 last year and he won the first race of the Florida Winter Series.

At Prema, a sophomore driver like him will definitely be expected to deliver victories, which may very well happen. However, going by the pre-season test, making the top ten in the standings is probably the most realistic goal he can be setting.

kfzteile24 Mucke Motorsport

German team Mucke Motorsport are almost inarguably the most successful team in European F3 history that still doesn’t have a drivers’ or a teams’ title. And, despite the fact they’ve gone from four cars to three, 2014 will represent their best chance thus far to correct that particular statistic. Out of the top four finishers in 2013, two have left the series, while two will drive in Mucke’s orange colours in 2014.

3. Lucas Auer

Age: 19
Nation: Austria
2013: 4th in FIA F3

Auer’s move from Prema to Mucke easily became the main event of the FIA F3 off-season – a driver of championship potential switching from one elite team to another.

The Austrian prodigy hasn’t exactly shown any allegiance to particular teams over his single-seater career – before taking fourth in FIA F3 with Prema, he was the JK Racing Asia Series champion with EuroInternational and took runner-up in German F3 with VAR. Despite being a well-recognized talent on the junior ladder, he is also yet to sign with any F1 junior programme.

In 2013, he was obviously quick, but would struggle to find that extra tenth to consistently run at the front. He also had a fair share of incidents, although they were far from frequent enough to overshadow an excellent campaign. Despite both the Merc engines and, to a lesser extent, himself struggling in the pre-season, it’s hard to imagine he’ll be content with anything but the title in six months’ time.

4. Roy Nissany

Age: 19
Nation: Israel
2013: 22nd in FIA F3

Nissany is another driver who has become inseparable from Mucke over the recent years, having spent his every season in cars since 2011 with the German team.

There’s little surprise in the fact that the partnership has endured – Nissany, after all, finished on the podium in his very first race with the team in ADAC Formel Masters and would go on to take a respectable 11th in his rookie year. Since then, he hasn’t really managed to live up to that standard – he was only 9th in his sophomore campaign in ADAC and, despite scoring one point more than respected teammate Mitch Gilbert, had a generally anonymous first season in FIA F3.

He’ll be likely facing another tough year ahead – giving the absurdly strong level of his teammates – but the experience is likely to help and, at the very least, he should be aiming to deliver points on a regular basis.

27. Felix Rosenqvist

Age: 22
Nation: Sweden
2013: 2nd in FIA F3

If his teammate Auer hasn’t exactly stuck around with any single team for more than a year, Rosenqvist is the polar opposite – 2014 will be his fourth season in European F3 with Mucke.

Over his three campaigns in the series, the Swede has amassed 15 victories, won the Masters of F3 on two occasions and recorded a best finish of second in the standings. His return to the European F3 series for 2014 was a bit last-minute as opporunities further up the ladder failed to materialize. The 22-year-old, as such, will be the 2014 grid’s most experienced driver by quite a large margin.

Rosenqvist has shown, time and time again, that he’s remarkably quick and that he works well with Mucke. But, as it goes, nobody will take those factors into consideration if he doesn’t take the title on his fourth attempt.

Carlin

In 2013, the addition of Carlin proved to be massive for the rebranded FIA F3 championship, as the British squad were the only ones in the field who were reliably capable of breaking up the monotony of a Prema – Mucke dominance. However, being the proverbial “spoiler” and fighting for individual race successes only is clearly not enough for their ambitions and, during the pre-season, the leading VW-engined team showed just how well they prepared for this year. In addition to fielding three cars under the banner of KFC sponsorship, which formally make up a separate team, Carlin will also run three extremely promising drivers under their own banner.

5. Jordan King

Age: 20
Nation: United Kingdom
2013: 6th in British F3, British F3 champion

Having always been regarded as a serious talent, King still managed to raise his profile big-time in 2013, winning the British F3 series and finishing as the best non-Prema rookie in the regular FIA F3 season.

But, even before his two podiums in FIA F3 and sixth overall in the standings, he finished runner-up in FR2.0 NEC and took a podium finish in the ultra-competitive Eurocup.

Being one of the drivers expected to factor in the title hunt this year, he was expectedly quick in the pre-season, albeit somewhat overshadowed by drivers from Carlin’s KFC-sponsored lineup. Still, he’s proven he can win races and, given how strong Carlin seems to be, he should mount a serious title challenge.

6. Ed Jones

Age: 19
Nation: United Arab Emirates
2013: F3 Open champion

A graduate of the well-regarded Intersteps championship in 2011, Jones had a difficult first year outside of Britain, only notching up 2 points in a full-time Eurocup campaign with Fortec.

He really got going in 2013, though, notching two podiums in the Eurocup and winning the F3 Open title on his first attempt. In the off-season, he took part in the Florida Winter Series and, despite taking no wins, was on the podium in eight of the 12 races.

His switch to Carlin is a bit of a surprise – his career has been mostly tied to Fortec up to this point – but it seems to have been the correct decision, as he’s reliably figured in the top ten in pre-season testing. For his rookie season, a good finish in the standings and potentially a couple of podiums could be reasonable goals.

28. Jake Dennis

Age: 18
Nation: United Kingdom
2013: 4th in Eurocup FR2.0

The fact that Jake Dennis is a huge acquisition for the 2014 FIA F3 grid should be evident right away due to the fact that he is backed by the notoriously selective Racing Steps Foundation.

Apart from that, he also won titles in both of his first two years in cars – InterSteps in 2011 and FR2.0 NEC in 2012 – before taking fourth in Eurocup’s famously stellar 2013 grid.

He is a great signing for Carlin, as evidenced by his stellar pace in the pre-season, and should be able to contest podiums and wins on occasion throughout the season. Also, he is eligible for the rookie standings and is likely to seriously challenge the likes of Ocon and Fuoco.

EuroInternational

Seasoned team EuroInternational didn’t really have a perfect debut year in European F3 in 2013, fielding only one car for Tom Blomqvist, who did well enough but couldn’t really fight for wins or leading positions in the series. 2014, however, is very much looking up – while, given a full-rookie lineup, they probably won’t be looking for any title glory, the adjusted goals should allow for positive resuls with what is a very promising trio of drivers.

7. Riccardo Agostini

Age: 19
Nation: Italy
2013: 10th in Auto GP

As of this writing, Agostini is the final champion in the history of Italian F3 and a very much well-deserved one at that, having clinched the title in his first year in the series.

Prior to that, he raced in Formula Abarth with mixed success, while 2013 saw his F3 title allow him to move into Auto GP with Manor. However,? as the Dutch team seemed to struggle, he cut his campain short, despite picking up a maiden podium at Hungaroring.

He’s a rather obvious signing for EuroInternational – talented and, well, Italian just like the team. Agostini appeared to be right on the pace of frontrunners in the pre-season and should lead EuroInternational’s 2014 efforts – after all, his biggest success thus far came in F3 machinery.

8. Michele Beretta

Age: 19
Nation: Italy
2013: 2nd in Formula Abarth

Another graduate of the Italian Formula Abarth series, Beretta finished runner-up in that championship in his sophomore season, losing out to rookie star Alessio Rovera.

His extensively tested in F3 over the off-season, but a direct promotion to FIA F3 with EuroInternational still came as a bit of a surprise – going from Abarths to the biggest Formula Three series out there is quite a leap.

Understandably, he wasn’t anywhere near the front in the pre-season testing, but he hasn’t been off the pace, either. 2014 will definitely be a learning season and scoring any substantial amount of points would already be a huge success.

29. Santino Ferrucci

Age: 15
Nation: United States
2013: 5th in F2000 Championship

You won’t see Ferrucci on the grid until at least Spa, but that’s not because he doesn’t have the money or because he isn’t ready – it’s simply because he is too young.

The 15-year-old made his car debut in the F2000 Championship Series in America last year after a grand career in karting. Despite joining the series halfway through, he finished all his races in the top five and made fifth in the overall standings.

Unofficially linked to F1 team McLaren, he was shockingly impressive in the off-season with EuroInternational, setting the pace in numerous private testing days. The Italian team, therefore, have already announced that he’ll be racing as soon as he’s eligible and, given his sheer pace, he could make some headlines.

Fortec Motorsports

Strong in Formula Renault at both 2.0 and 3.5 level, Fortec took the fight to Carlin in British F3 in 2012 but couldn’t really repeat that form in Europe last season. That wasn’t helped by a revolving door of drivers, and so this year the team has downsized to a two car entry.

9. Mitchell Gilbert

Age: 19
Nation: Australia
2013: 23rd in FIA F3

Gilbert’s 2013 season was all kinds of disastrous – while fellow German F3 graduate Auer took a race win and numerous podiums, the Aussie languished with Mucke, taking until race 21 to score his first points.

There was little reason to believe thsoe results where representative of Gilbert’s actual skill level, as, before that, he was great in karting, finished fifth in his rookie year in FR2.0 UK and wasn’t far off of Auer in ATS F3, taking fourth overall.

With Fortec, he has a fresh start in the biggest F3 category and, despite the teams’ downsizing, things should surely go better for Gilbert. He was rather inconsistent during the pre-season, but is expected to start racking up points in no time.

10. John Bryant-Meisner

Age: 19
Nation: Sweden
2013: 5th in German F3

There is little doubt that Swedish racer Bryant-Meisner was going to mix it with Auer and Gilbert in the 2012 German F3 season, but an early injury ended his promising campaign after one round.

After a lengthy recovery, he was back to the series in 2013 and finished fifth, picking up two wins along the way. He also made his debut in FIA F3 with Fortec for the last two rounds of the season and managed to make it into the points right away.

He was pretty level with Gilbert in the pre-season and, while Fortec seem to legitimately struggle for outright pace at the moment, the Swede completes a lineup that should get some regular points out of it.

ThreeBond with T-Sport

British squad T-Sport had huge ambitions for the 2013 European F3 season and, while it didn’t entirely go according to plan, a streak of late-season performances from guest star Alexander Sims proved the team’s immense potential. A lineup of consisting of a protege and a new arrival should help them build on their 2013 success.

11. Richard Goddard

Age: 21
Nation: Australia
2013: 31st in FIA F3

Inseparable from T-Sport since 2012, Goddard took their car to the British F3 National Class title that year and was one corner away from a race win in the series in 2013, just to be narrowly denied by a puncture.

His last year debut in FIA F3 wasn’t nearly as successful as he struggled to find consistent pace throughout and didn’t wind up scoring any points.

Just like fellow Aussie Gilbert, he’ll be hoping to significantly improve on 2013. His pre-season was quiet, but he’s got off to a good start in practice at Silverstone and will be hoping to break his dry run of pointless finishes in no time.

12. Alexander Toril

Age: 17
Nation: Spain
2013: 5th in F3 Open

In 2013, Toril was one of the most consistent drivers of the F3 Open grid, finishing all but one race in the points. At the same time, wins proved out of his reach and he didn’t get to stand on the top spot of any of his four podiums.

His contract with T-Sport was signed after extensive off-season testing and, as such, he should be very much prepared for the year, having reportedly impressed the team in private sessions.

He seemed pretty level with Goddard in the official tests and will be hoping to add his fair share of points to T-Sport’s overall tally.

Double R Racing

Originally founded by Kimi Raikkonen and his manager Steve Robertson, former British champions Double R had a challenging year in their first season in European F3 with an inexperienced driver line-up. They may have slimmed down their continental assault down to just one car this year, but have found a well-travelled driver to fill it.

14. Felipe Guimaraes

Age: 23
Nation: Brazil
2013: South American F3 champion, 4th in British F3

A podium finisher in A1 Grand Prix and GP3 in 2009 and 2010, Guimaraes re-emerged from the relative wilderness last year when he competed in British F3, bagging two race wins for Fortec.

He also notched up the South American title, and in January of this year claimed his second straight F3 Brazil Open win at Interlagos.

He now joins up with Double R, giving them the experience that they certainly lacked last year. However, there have to be doubts over whether a single-car team can take the fight to the larger multi-car outfits to score regular points or better.

Van Amersfoort Racing

Four-times champions in German F3, the Dutch team stepped up to European competition last year. They had a quiet first season but improved towards the end after bringing in Sven Muller, who got them a podium at Hockenheim. They’ve got an exciting line-up for 2014, promoting one driver from German F3 and bringing in a pair of promising Dutch youngsters.

15. Jules Szymkowiak

Age: 18
Nation: Netherlands
2013: 6th in Formula BMW Talent Cup

Szymkowiak makes the big step up to FIA F3 from the Formula BMW Talent Cup. He won the first scholarship prize for the 2013 intake and took several victories in ‘test races’ during the year. He could only finish sixth in the all-important grand final event however, after crashing out attempting to take the lead in race two.

Despite his inexperience, he has looked good in testing, benefiting from the competitiveness of the Van Amersfoort-VW package to go particularly well at the Hungaroring with the seventh quickest time on day two.

In his first season in a proper single-seater series he will no doubt find the going tough at times, but his pre-season form suggests that he’s got what it takes to shine on occasion. He’s advised by and trains with Adrian Sutil.

16. Gustavo Menezes

Age: 19
Nation: United States
2013: 4th in German F3

Menezes steps up to European F3 with Van Amersfoort after a strong season in German F3 last year. He did a respectable job to finish fourth behind the all-conquering Motopark trio, beating them to wins on two occasions.

A strong international karter, Menezes had concentrated on Star Mazda back home in the first two years of his car racing career in 2011-12, alongside selected Formula Renault 2.0 appearances.

Now, he’s focussed fully on Europe. He wasn’t able to reach the same heights as his considerably less experienced team-mates in pre-season – he’ll be hoping that trend doesn’t continue into the season and that he can impress.

30. Max Verstappen

Age: 16
Nation: Netherlands
2013: World KZ, European KZ and KF champion

Having won pretty much anything there was to win in karting last year and then stunned in his early single-seater tests over the winter, Verstappen steps straight into FIA F3 for his first full single-seater campaign.

He showed in the Florida Winter Series earlier this year that he could easily hold his own against many of the other FIA F3 drivers, and he’s continued to impress in pre-season testing – twice topping a session and regularly finishing in the top five. That’s not just down to the strength of the VW engine – his team-mates could manage nothing like that.

Despite his undoubted pace, Verstappen has still got lots to learn about single-seater racing, and is doing so at a far more competitive level than most. But if he can overcome that, he could show up a few of the most highly-rated drivers on the entire ladder. At the same time, it’s more important that he develops as a driver rather than just climb the ladder as soon as possible – his father Jos made it to F1 after two years but never fulfilled his potential.

Jo Zeller Racing

The plucky family team was set to continue to run a single car for Sandro Zeller, the son of the team boss. However, it has instead taken on a refugee of the delayed Signature-Renault project for the opening weekend. Zeller has entered two cars for the season, so it’s possible that Sandro could return to action.

17. Sandro Zeller

Age: 22
Nation: Switzerland
2013: 27th in FIA F3

Zeller has been racing his father’s F3 cars in one form or another since 2009, and this is set to be his third full season at European level. He’ll miss Silverstone to let Calderon drive, but the team has two entries so he should appear at some point.

Zeller finished 12th overall in 2012 with a best result of ninth, but the significant increase of competition last year saw him fail to score points. He’ll hope that another year’s experience will help him to get the better of the rookies, but testing form doesn’t suggest he’ll be making any big strides up the order should he race.

If he and Calderon can race together at the same time, having two cars with some decent experience behind the wheel should help to drive the team forward.

18. Tatiana Calderon

Age: 21
Nation: Colombia
2013: 32nd in FIA F3

Calderon had been set to race for the returning Signature team, but problems with the new Oreca-built Renault engine has meant that the team has withdrawn from the opening weekend.

Calderon has therefore made a last minute switch to Jo Zeller Racing. She had a tough season with Double R last year with the team lacking an experienced leader in its first season in Europe, but she has proven her abilities in the Florida Winter Series at the start of this year, winning a race against some of the best drivers in this field.

This is far from an ideal start to her F3 campaign however, and she’ll probably struggle to make an impression on her own at the small Swiss team, particularly arriving at such short notice.

Jagonya Ayam with Carlin

Sean Gelael’s Indonesian backers have helped him trade Double R for Carlin, establishing a separate entry whose name translates as ‘masters of chicken’ in deference to lead sponsor KFC (Gelael’s father runs their Indonesian arm). and bringing in experienced F3 racer Tom Blomqvist to work with Gelael and long-time team-mate Antonio Giovinazzi. With Carlin equipment underneath them and the VW engines looking fast, Blomqvist and Giovinazzi in particular could shine.

19. Antonio Giovinazzi

Age: 20
Nation: Italy
2013: 17th in FIA F3

Giovinazzi emerged as Formula Pilota China champion in his rookie car racing season in 2012. Although he’s still relatively under the radar, he coped admirably last year with the big step up to F3.

Having to lead the Double R team in its first season of European F3, his season took a while to get going, but when it did he became a regular presence in the top ten in the final two rounds. Making an impression on the competitive continental grid was tough but he was able to shine in British F3, taking the team back to the front with two wins and finishing runner-up. An impressive feat, even in a depleted competition.

Moving to Carlin thanks to Gelael’s generous backers, he should now be able to prove what he can do with a strong package underneath him. With VW’s engine looking as strong as it has in pre-season, Giovinazzi could be a dark horse for the title.

20. Sean Gelael

Age: 17
Nation: Indonesia
2013: 28th in FIA F3

Gelael has not been a match for Giovinazzi in their two years together on the junior single-seater ladder, but he’s still performed well for his age and lack of experience.

He won a race on his way to fourth in Formula Pilota China and scored podiums in British F3. That’s promising aged 15 and 16 respectively, even if his FIA F3 campaign was point-less.

He will learn lots at Carlin, and even though he is unlikely to match either of his team-mates, he will learn from Blomqvist in particular (who is, after all, getting his seat paid for with that purpose in mind) and should make a definite step up from last year. Testing suggests he’ll be in the top half of the field, and he should score points regularly if he stays out of trouble.

31. Tom Blomqvist

Age: 20
Nation: United Kingdom
2013: 7th in FIA F3

Blomqvist looked very promising when he won the Formula Renault UK title at 16, but his career has rather failed to kick on in the three years since. However, he can put that down to factors outside of his control.

A lack of funding has seen him with lesser teams for his two years in European F3. His 2012 campaign with Ma-Con was an extremely late deal for driver and team with no testing, while last year saw him in a single car entry with EuroInternational despite support from Red Bull. On his own in a team new to the series, he couldn’t match the might of Prema or Carlin.

If you can’t beat them, join them. Thanks to the new Indonesian support, he’s now got a place in a top team with a full winter’s preparation behind him. That should give him what he needs to deliver on his ability and experience. With team and engine looking quick pre-season, he starts as a definite title contender.

Team West-Tec

Having conquered the F3 Open last year with new Carlin recruit Ed Jones, British outfit Team West-Tec expands into the European championship for 2014. The capture of respected ex-Fortec engineer Mick Kouros – who got the best out of Pipo Derani last year and has brought Felix Serralles with him – should help the team to be competitive.

21. Felix Serralles

Age: 21
Nation: Puerto Rico
2013: 11th in FIA F3

Serralles had a tough 2013, starting promisingly enough but going severely downhill after that and ending the year with seven non-finishes from the last nine races, prompting him to withdraw from the trip to Macau.

It was a big shame that he failed to continue the momentum from his breakthrough British F3 campaign in 2012, when he came close to an unexpected title and also shone against European competition at the Norisring and Spa. Fortec struggled in their first full continental F3 campaign however, and Serralles suffered.

West-Tec are unlikely to be able to fight at the front right away, but this move gives Serralles the chance to take a step back and? then make the most out of the challenge of leading a new team. He’s looked decent in pre-season – even topping a session – but it remains to be seen where West-Tec sit in the real pecking order.

22. Hector Hurst

Age: 21
Nation: United Kingdom
2013: 7th in F3 Open

Hurst’s move into FIA F3 for this season came as something of a surprise given that he had previously announced a second year in the F3 Open (now Euroformula) for 2014. Like Blomqvist, he’s managed by Mark Blundell, and although there is little on his resume that immediately stands out, he’s shown some glimpses of promise in a slightly unusual career to-date.

Tenth in Formula 2 in 2012 was a decent result for a driver with only one season in Formula Renault BARC under his belt, and he was a regular fixture in the top ten before his season went awry at the end. Last year in F3 Open was a similar tale of starting strongly and then fading, but he was the strongest driver outside of the West-Tec and RP teams.

He’s unlikely to challenge the front in his rookie season in such a competitive series, but there are some experienced people in the team and Hurst will hope that this time he gets better as the campaign goes on and the squad finds its feet.

Calendar

Silverstone, United Kingdom – 19-20 April
Hockenheim, Germany – 3-4 May
Pau, France – 10-11 May
Hungaroring, Hungary – 31 May-1 June
Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium – 21-22 June
Norisring, Germany – 28-29 June
Moscow, Russia – 12-13 July
Spielberg, Austria – 2-3 August
Nurburgring, Germany – 16-17 August
Imola, Italy – 11-12 October
Hockenheim, Germany – 18-19 October

The post 2014 FIA F3 European Championship driver-by-driver preview appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: British F3 International Series

Brazilian Felipe Guimaraes has joined Double R Racing to contest this year’s FIA F3 European Championship.

The 22-year-old is a junior single-seater veteran, having raced in both continental and international championships since his debut in 2007. In 2008, he finished eighth in the Euroseries 3000 (now Auto GP), while two years later he was 16th in the GP3 Series with Addax, securing a maiden podium during his campaign.

His primary focus switched to South American championships during the recent years, as he powered his way to the F3 Sudamericana title last year and won the two most recent F3 Brazil Open finals.

He also raced in the shortened British F3 in 2013 and finished 4th with Fortec, picking up two victories along the way.

“Felipe is a fantastic young driver, we were very impressed by what we saw of him in British F3 last year”, stated team boss Anthony Hieatt. “He obviously did a fantastic job in the South American championship and he?s certainly got the experience to be very competitive in Europe this year, I?m hopeful of a very strong season from him.

“We always wanted to maintain an FIA Formula 3 European Championship programme alongside British F3 again this year, so we?re delighted to have agreed the deal with Felipe. Ideally, we?d like to run two or three cars in Europe ? hopefully we?ll be able to confirm our next signing very soon.”

Double R Racing ran a three-car programme in the 2013 European F3 season and took ninth in the standings, with the team’s top driver Antonio Giovinazzi picking up a best finish of sixth.

2014 FIA F3 European Championship lineup so far

The post Guimaraes joins Double R for FIA F3 European Championship appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Luca Bassani

Brazilian Felipe Guimaraes is planning to race in either Formula Renault 3.5 or the FIA F3 European Championship this year.

Speaking to PaddockScout after retaining his F3 Brazil Open title at Interlagos on Sunday, he said he is in talks with teams in both categories but admitted he still needs to finalise sponsorship.

“I have plans to race in Formula Renault 3.5 or in FIA F3,” said the 22-year-old former GP3 racer, who returned to Europe last year after two seasons away and finished fourth in British F3 with Fortec.

“We are in talks [with teams in those series], looking for the best option. In a couple days, I will travel to UK to meet some teams and to decide what we will do.

“For now, I have a big question mark too about sponsorship. But I have faith and I hope everything will be fine and I will be in Europe this year again.”

Guimaraes was pleased with how his year got underway with victory in the F3 Brazil Open weekend.

“It was a good weekend, very smooth,” said the reigning South American champion. “We were very quick in every session and I set the pace in the whole event. It was pretty good.

“This year, I had Victor Franzoni as my teammate. He was a good reference for me. He is young, but he is very quick and it was very good to have him as my team-mate. He forced me to my limit this weekend. But I am happy overall. Once again, we started a year with good pace and a win. And I hope for more this season.”

He believes that getting race wins under his belt in January is a great benefit.

“It is really very important. No one is racing in Europe right now. It is very cold there. Some drivers may be testing, but I think it is very complicated due to weather conditions. So, to be racing here in Brazil, with such good results, certainly is a step forward.”

Speaking about the costs of getting to and racing in Formula 1, Guimaraes added: “I think Formula 1 is not having a good moment. Every young driver needs lot of money and some talented drivers have no chance to drive. So, money is very important right now.

“I believe I am talented, so I will keep fighting to find a good sponsor for me.”

Guimaraes was speaking to Felipe Giacomelli

The post Guimaraes looking at FR3.5 and F3 options appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Luca Bassani

Felipe Guimaraes has won the 2014 F3 Brazil Open at Interlagos.

After an eventful pre-final race, the Brazilian cruised to an easy win on Sunday at Interlagos and secured back-to-back titles in the January event.

Due to two penalties on Saturday, Guimaraes started the final race only in fourth, but he was already in the lead after turn one. The Hitech man benefited from the fight for second place between Victor Franzoni and Dhzon Simonyan, allowing him to extend his gap and cross the finish line 12.2s ahead of his teammate Franzoni.

Franzoni finished second after a late battle with Simonyan. The Russian driver, who started last after a collision in the pre-final, had a good recovery race and passed the Brazilian on lap 16. However, Franzoni retook the second place with a move at turn four and finished as runner-up to Guimaraes. It was also a one-two finish for Hitech Racing.

Raphael Raucci was fourth after a late pass on Artur Fortunato. The Cesario driver lost his position, but inherited the Class B title after a mechanical failure in Leandro Florenzo?s car just two corners from the finish.

Lukas Moraes did not match his Saturday pace and finished sixth, followed by Victor Miranda and Nicholas Silva. Florenzo retired, while Fernando Galera did not start due to a gearbox failure in his car.

Race results

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Photo: Luca Bassani

Leandro Florenzo took a surprise win in the Pre-Final for the Formula 3 Brazil Open on Saturday at Interlagos.

The Capital Motorsport man was the second driver to take the checkered flag, however he was promoted to first place after Felipe Guimaraes was penalized due to a overtake under a yellow flag.

Guimaraes was actually penalized twice in the race. The Brazilian was earlier hit with drive-through after he jumped a restart after a safety-car period. The caution was then thrown out for a crash between Dzhon Simonyan and Raphael Raucci.

Guimares returned to the track in fifth, but did not take too long to work his way back up into the lead. However, when he was side by side with Florenzo, in the battle for second place, the yellow flag appeared at turn six caused by a spin by Nicholas Silva.

Guimaraes completed the manoeuvre but was once again penalized and received 20 seconds added to his race time. With the Hitech man relegated, Florenzo was promoted to the lead after mechanical problems for leaders Victor Franzoni and Fernando Galera. The Capital Motorsports driver held off Lukas Moraes, who started last, to win the race by only 0.697s.

Artur Fortunato was third, while Guimaraes was classified fourth. Only five drivers managed to cross the finish line, with Silva being the last of them.

Florenzo will start this Sunday?s Final race on pole, followed by Moraes, Fortunato and Guimaraes.

Earlier in the day, Guimaraes won heat two with no difficulties. The Hitech man led every lap and cruised to an easy win.

After a poor Friday, with so many problems in his Cesario machinery, Simonyan finally had a trouble-free race. The Russian had a good start, overtook Moraes on lap one and kept his second position during the whole race distance. However, he could not match Guimaraes? pace and finished 26s behind the leader.

Guimaraes? closest rival in heat one, Franzoni had a turbulent race. The Brazilian had too much wheelspin at the start and fell to fourth. However, the Hitech driver recovered his pace and put Moraes under heavy pressure. They went side by side on lap nine, but came together after turn three.

Raucci was the lucky man after the accident. The driver from Sao Paulo gained two positions and finished third. Fourth overall, Fortunato also benefited and won Class B in his Dallara F301. The 17-year-old driver was followed by Florenzo, Silva, Victor Miranda, Galera and Moraes.

Race Two results

?Race Three results

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