Spoiler: it’s Taki Inoue.

Make no bones, Inoue was a driver who didn’t belong in Formula 1, even if under the current points system he would be a greater success than Brendon Hartley and Sergey Sirotkin combined. Alas, he did make it, and what he influenced on his way there and after he left can be felt to this day.

Inoue’s career started in Britain’s national Formula Ford championships, encompassing 28 rounds a year, and it was also where it – along with his life – briefly ended. Surprise.

In a session at Snetterton, where Inoue was as usual setting a unremarkable pace, his Van Diemen went off at Russell corner.

“BAM. Car is upside down,” Inoue says. Reader beware, this is a man who uses a lot of sound effects.

“That corner, Van Diemen made a huge amount of money from. Every test day: BAM, car destroyed. BAM. Van Diemen expanded and expanded, became a huge company, because of that corner.

“I broke my cheekbone. It’s still painful. But on other side [of my face], no nerves. So you can slap me, no problem. This side. I feel nothing.”

It’s an unusual situation for a journalist to be in, but Formula Scout keeps a serious tone and gives a few moderately powered slaps to Inoue’s face. There is no reaction.

Photo: Mark Werrell

“I went to the hospital, and during the night I woke up and saw so many nurses. Nice blond hair, and so on. Every two hours they woke me up. The nurse: ‘What is your name?’

“I wake up, and ‘ah, another different girl. Very nice’. Then I sleep again, and two hours later: [Inoue slaps himself and wakes up in a recreation of the scene] ‘Yes, Taki Inoue’. The Nurse: ‘What is you address?’. I then sleep again. And every single time it’s a different girl waking me up. I thought I might be in heaven again, it was very good.

“I think I died. Because my heart had stopped [before he woke up].

“Two weeks later there was a Donington race. The team were pushing me to race. My face was still bleeding everywhere, I couldn’t fit my Arai helmet. The team bought a Bell helmet for me, and it had more space. I put the helmet on for the Donington race – my face is still bleeding a lot. Then the team charged me for the helmet. £745. I clearly remember.”

Inoue describes FF1600 as an “incredible” experience, and he was personally assisted by team boss David Sears once he starting running short of pocket.

A return visit to Snetterton for a British Formula 3 test was stymied by wet weather, and so Inoue headed to home country Japan.

“I left my suitcases and everything. It’s still there in David Sears’ house. He keeps saying: Taki, can you come over and pick up your suitcase. Still haven’t done it.”

Photo: Heroes of FF1600

With zero money, and in a country going through a damaging boom phase of the economic cycle, Inoue hustled his way on to the back of a Japanese F3 grid with around 60 cars.

“First five races, didn’t qualify. 64 cars, to qualify was top 32 . Then the top 15, they race. It was impossible to always qualify.”

During his failed first season, Inoue struck up a relationship with Italian businessman Gian Paolo Dallara, then just a few years shy of dominating the F3 chassis market. According to Inoue, his involvement led to the beginning of that success. Dallara has told Formula Scout otherwise.

“In that time Dallara was a small company. I went to Gian Paolo, who was staying somewhere like a warehouse on a small farm.

‘Taki, this is our windtunnel.’
‘This is not a windtunnel. Windtunnels are big ones.’
‘No, this is our windtunnel.’

“It was a 25% windtunnel. The guys were really no good [at the time]. Back then, the cars had pullrod [suspension]. They had only designed for the Pirelli tyres. In Japan we used Bridgestones, which were a lot thicker.

“That means even the longest of pullrods, still the rideheight is like this [high]. So I asked: can you make it a pushrod?”

Dallara embarked on a redesign according to Inoue, and two years later its monodamper-fitted pushrod car had a near monopoly in F3. The technology was not implemented because of Inoue though, as it was handed down from the Scuderia Italia F1 car it had designed several years previous.

Inoue started to qualify more regularly in Japanese F3, and he became a points scorer in his third and fourth seasons when he convinced David Sears to run him. International Formula 3000, the Formula 2 of its day, was on his mind though.

“I said: hmm, I have to go to the International F3000. How [do I do it]? I asked Andrea Toso [of Dallara]:

‘Is it possible to do F3000?’
‘WHAT? You want to do F3000?’
‘Taki, are you crazy?’
‘Well yeah, maybe’

“At that time International F3000 was huge. Very competitive. You had Reynard, Lola chassis, and different types of engines.

“Then I went to Sicily, to see Crypton Racing. At that time Luca Badoer was very quick [and won title with them]. Maybe if I get into this team then I’m quick.

Photo: GP2 Series Media Service (Super Nova celebrates GP2 victory in 2005)

“I asked: can I race for you? They said: fuck off. So I went to the UK, and asked a couple of the teams, and everybody says: fuck off.

‘I have the money [to race].’
‘Show me the money.’
‘Well, ah, you see.’

“Then I went to see David Sears.

‘Can you help me? I want to race in F3000.’
‘Taki, if you have the money I can set up the Super team.’
‘It’s a Super team? It sounds very good’.
‘If we have the budget, I can set up a Super team for you.’
‘Really now?’

“In that time, David Sears was running only like Formula Vauxhall Lotus [and F3]. He’d never run a big formula. Anyway, I went to [Companies House] in London, I put in the £1 and set up the company Super Nova Racing.”

This is another dubious Inoue tale. But it has entertainment value.

Super Nova, which took the latter part of its name from the Japanese Nova schools group that backed Inoue, went on to win nine International F3000 titles. It was then successful in F3000’s successor GP2, carried Nico Hulkenberg to the 2006-07 A1GP title, and ran the Trulli GP team in the inaugural season of Formula E.

Inoue finished the 1994 F3000 season in a pointless 21st place, and was reunited with his old FF1600 friend and fellow David Sears regular Vincenzo Sospiri as team-mate. Sospiri had endured over three seasons with struggling teams, and was keen for Inoue to launch Super Nova.

Towards the end of the season, Inoue claims that he was “quicker than Sospiri”, and ambitiously thought podiums would be possible in a second season. Sospiri’s more impressive performances – which left him fourth in the standings – had made Super Nova an attractive team, and it had already signed rising star and British F3 race-winner Riccardo Rosset for ’95.

Sears wanted to retain Inoue for ’95, the financially safe option, but Inoue was aware that would then put his friend Sospiri out of a drive. As a result, Inoue set his mind on F1, while Sospiri gratefully took up the second seat and won the ’95 title in a Super Nova one-two.

Inoue started looking for a full-time F1 seat, having made his debut at home with Simtek in the ’94 Japanese Grand Prix, and discovered that many of the teams at the back of the grid were facing bankruptcy. None seemed to be bothered by Inoue’s lack of driving talent.

Arrows – then known as Footwork thanks to Japanese investment – was also in desperate need of a budget, and apparently said yes to Inoue straight away. The team also wanted to run Gianni Morbidelli for a second season, with Arrows designer Alan Jenkins having drawn the Footwork FA16 around the 5’4″ Morbidelli.

When signing for the team, Inoue accepted the decision. He was aware of his own talent shortfall, and that the team had tailored its car to a driver it deemed quick. He quickly found though that it was too small to drive in, demonstrating the lack of comfort and space to Formula Scout with some uncomfortably realistic noises.

After complaining to the team, Inoue was told to live with it. Further complaints led to a compromise that after three races the steering column would be shortened. It turned out that with a rudimentary paddle-shift system, and a stubborn designer, that was easier said than done.

Once that was sorted, Inoue was then plagued by mechanical issues, including several fires. Each time, he was quick to ensure it was extinguished to protect the monocoque from heat damage, as the team did not have a spare.

Despite 12 retirements, and a not entirely serious approach to his racing, Inoue picked up two top 10 finishes.

The majority of retirements didn’t come from spectacular crashes, as semi-automatic gearboxes prevented drivers from getting wheelspin to get their car turned around after accidentally spinning. Even worse, the gearboxes didn’t enable drivers to engage neutral with ease in those circumstances either, making many of Inoue’s offs even more embarrassing.

After his driving career ended, Inoue embarked on different avenues of motorsport – each of which he claims to be behind some sort of major success – and once those opportunities dried up he went back into business with Sospiri.

After his own driving career faltered, Sospiri set up a squad with Fortec Motorsport to run in Euro F3000, which later evolved into Auto GP. He then reunited with Sears, and Euronova entered a wide number of single-seater series that included the Formula Renault Eurocup, International Formula Master, Italian F3 and Formula 4.

It even entered the heavily populated Japanese F4, another sideplot which Inoue tries to claim credit for.

“Four or five years ago, [Japanese car manufacturer] Dome called me up:

‘Taki, we have to build a FIA F4 car. Can you help?’

‘Really, what can I do?’

‘We can’t design the car’

‘You have lots of designs, you’re Dome.’

‘Can you show us [Sospiri’s] Tatuus F4 car, then we can copy everything.’

“Basically they sent me to Vincenzo’s workshop, taking all the photos of everything and getting a parts list, and then they went back and immediately they build the car.”

As with Inoue’s Dallara stories, we’re really not convinced. Dome’s F4 chassis has proven incredibly popular in its own right, and this year it will be used for a special support event at the Japanese Grand Prix.

While the best Japanese drivers are usually backed by local manufacturers and then Formula 1 teams such as McLaren or Red Bull once they move abroad, there have been two talents over the last decade that have had to count on the support of Inoue instead. Surprisingly, both have done quite well.

Kimiya Sato was a winner in Japanese F4 predecessor Formula Challenge Japan, and took an overall podium Japanese F3 despite running in the National class. He then became a decent performer in the F3 Euro Series and German F3 with Motopark, before becoming the most frequent winner in Auto GP history with Euronova.

After a failed GP2 season and Sauber F1 test, Sato returned to Japan to forge a career in the secondary class of Super GT.

Photo: Auto GP

His namesake Marino Sato drove for Sospiri in Italian F4, winning once, before a fruitless two-season spell with Motopark in FIA European F3. For this year he and the team switched across to Euroformula Open, which he has a commanding championship lead in despite being up against several Red Bull and Honda juniors.

Unlike the other success stories Sato has supposedly had a role in, he refuses credit for his work as a driver manager.

“I just get their state together, that’s all. Because I can’t tell him how to drive the car, otherwise they would be a shit driver.

“I know how to fuck up, because I fucked up so many times. That’s why I never succeeded.

“But because I know how to fuck up, that means when drivers do it: ‘No, no, that way you fucked up, because I did it that way’.

“So it’s the other way round. Normally just a good driver: yes, you drive like this. Or you do it like this. Always telling them how to succeed, right. I’m always telling them: don’t do that, don’t do that. You fucked up. And this [management method] works now.”

When pressed on Marino Sato’s 2019 improvements have come from – he has four wins and four poles from eight attempts – Inoue has no answer, although Motopark team principal Timo Rumpfkeil believes it to be a point of application. After three years with the team, Sato is finally taking its advice on board and reaping the benefits.

Photo: Fotospeedy

Sato himself is not thinking of the title, despite carrying a points lead that would allow him to skip the next round at the Hungaroring while staying at the top of the standings. According to him, any points he’s gained on his opposition so far can be lost.

It’s difficult to measure Sato’s talent, given his underwhelming career prior to this season, but he’s had strong opposition in Euroformula and if you isolate his performances he has been superb.

If Inoue were to take on another single-seater talent, he’d be picky over which series they race in. He’s fiercely loyal to ‘traditional’ F3, but interestingly thinks that the new halo-shod cars are ideal preparation tools for drivers who look to GT racing after their single-seater dreams fade.

This view may be led by the fact that his friend Sospiri has taken his team out of single-seaters and into the sportscar arena.

There are several other lengthy and humorous anecdotes from Inoue, all of which are highly entertaining and intriguingly insightful. As with the ones already mentioned in this article though, there are a lot of claims that require substantial additional research.

As for Marino Sato, who was evaluating a move to Formula 2 for this year after testing the current Dallara F2 2018 car, it will be interesting to see whether he can show the same-title winning prowess of Kimiya Sato, the ability to hustle his way to F1 like Inoue in the coming years, or even both.

Photo: Fotospeedy

The post The 1990s F1 embarrassment behind 2019’s surprise F3 star appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: ACI Sport

Ferrari junior Guan Yu Zhou celebrated a treble of race wins in his only second car racing weekend of his career in Italian F4 at Monza.

The 16-year-old had a storming start to convert his pole into the lead but the race was almost immediately neutralized when two separate incidents brought out the safety car.

Starting from third, Aron made small contact with Robert Shwartzman and David Beckmann in the first two chicanes respectively, leaving the latter with a broken suspension, but the Estonian’s car miraculously stayed intact and he only dropped down to sixth.

Another incident involving multiple retirements started with Alex Peroni being spun around the second chicane with several others such as Julia Pankiewicz, Kikko Galbiati, Fernando Madeira and Ali Al-Khalifa piling up behind his car.

Zhou stayed first ahead of Lando Norris after the restart and the duo started to pull away, soon joined by the quickly-recovering Aron.

He quickly found a way past Norris as well and although he was all over Zhou in the closing stages, he settled for second.

Norris completed the podium with Shwartzman taking fourth after passing Mauricio Baiz, who failed to make it to the top ten, having been taken out by Bar Baruch later on.

Joao Vieira finished fifth followed by Baruch, Matteo Desideri, and Marino Sato, while the final point-scoring positions were taken by Marcos Siebert and Giuliano Raucci.

Full results to follow

The post Zhou fends off Aron to complete hat-trick at Monza appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photos: GP2 Series Media Service

GP2 enjoyed a bit of a renaissance in 2014, thanks significantly to the arrival of hotly-rated drivers backed by McLaren and Ferrari.

Stoffel Vandoorne was the best rookie for years on his way to the runner-up spot, and Raffaele Marciello was also a winner, as were Lotus-supported mid-season addition Marco Sorensen and another FR3.5 convert Arthur Pic. There were two victories for Mitch Evans, Felipe Nasr found winning ways and Jolyon Palmer was a pretty convincing champion, even if he was in his fourth year.

Experience does still count for quite a lot and driving strength isn’t as deep as it has been, but this was definitely a more positive season than the past couple. Here, we deliver our verdict on the top 20 drivers from GP2 2014.

1. Jolyon Palmer

United Kingdom, DAMS, age 23

276 points, 4 wins, 12 podiums, 3 pole positions, 3 fastest laps

Returning for a fourth year in GP2, the form man of late 2013 swapped Carlin for DAMS and did what he had to do by winning the title in style. The ground work was done early on, leading the championship from round one and holding a 46-point lead after just three rounds.

Palmer’s consistency meant his lead never fell below 29 after that, and he put the title beyond doubt with three races to go. He wasn’t perfect – he only once converted pole into a win, twice losing out to Vandoorne off the line – but he only failed to make the podium on one weekend, and scored points in every race until the title was secured. Maturity and focus enabled him to pair consistent speed with an ability to stay out of trouble despite an aggressive approach to racing, as he wisely attempted to impress in each race, not just over the season.

With F1 grid numbers decreasing and the available seats having gone for figures that not even Palmer and his father can match, it seems he will have to make do with a reserve role at best in 2015. But he has matured into a top racer who can go on to enjoy success elsewhere. Season rating: 9/10

2. Stoffel Vandoorne

Belgium, ART Grand Prix, age 22

229 points, 4 wins, 10 podiums, 4 pole positions, 3 fastest laps

After finishing second to his fellow McLaren protege Kevin Magnussen in FR3.5 in 2013, Vandoorne made the switch to GP2 and although expectations were modest because of his status as a rookie and ART’s struggles in recent years, he impressed massively.

He burst out of the traps with victory in his very first race in Bahrain, but then suffered a five-race barren spell due to stalling in Barcelona and a strategy cock-up by his team in Monaco. Feature race podiums in Spielberg and Silverstone were followed by a double at Hockenheim, before finally returning to top spot in the Hungary sprint. A record four consecutive poles followed, which he converted into wins in Monza and Abu Dhabi to steal the runner-up spot at the last weekend. Clearly the quickest in the field by the end, he wasn’t as clinical as Palmer but that’s excusable given the experience gap.

There’s no doubt Vandoorne is ready for F1, but with a logjam at McLaren actually forcing him to be demoted from his role as chief reserve driver, he will have to stay on for a second season in GP2. He can only improve by being champion, which should provide practice in delivering a title under pressure. Season rating: 9

3. Felipe Nasr

Brazil, Carlin, age 22

224 points, 4 wins, 10 podiums, 1 pole position, 1 fastest lap

Nasr was another entering a must-win season in GP2, as he returned for a third year after finishing fourth in 2013. That he could only manage third must therefore count as a disappointment, although the Brazilian did show improvement, notably taking four wins.

Remaining with Carlin, the former Formula BMW and British F3 champion had failed to win races in his first two seasons, but quickly got that monkey off his back in Barcelona. That opened up the floodgates, with further victories coming at Spielberg and Silverstone. But serious questions were asked after Hungary, where he was passed by Palmer in both races and complained about those legitimate moves. He responded well to the criticism with win number four at Spa, but failed to capitalise on Palmer’s woes in Monza and then couldn’t prevent the relentless Vandoorne relegating him to P3.

Frustratingly, Nasr is still far from the finished article, but with his backers realising it’s probably now or never for his F1 chances, he’s secured a Sauber seat for 2015. As ever, he’s got the talent to do well, but he must mature quickly. Season rating: 8

4. Mitch Evans

New Zealand, Russian Time, age 20

174 points, 2 wins, 6 podiums, 3 fastest laps

In just his second year in GP2, Evans proved he’s good enough to mix it with the best. The 2012 GP3 champion left Arden to join a Russian Time squad that underwent much change over the winter, with iSport returning to the fold to to run the team.

A period of readjustment for them probably contributed to Evans getting just two points from the first two weekends before he came second to Palmer in Monaco. Back-to-back feature race victories soon followed, defeating Palmer late on at Silverstone and out-foxing the Briton and Vandoorne on strategy at Hockenheim. He didn’t win again, but after a blip in Hungary, he kept up his strong feature race form with a fifth at Spa followed by podiums in Monza, Sochi and Abu Dhabi as he solidified a fine fourth in the standings.

With his delicate funding situation, there’s probably little choice other than to stick with Russian Time next year and the presence of Vandoorne and others will make winning the title tough, but he should prove again that he’s among the very best at this level despite still being relatively youthful. Season rating: 8

5. Johnny Cecotto

Venezuela, Trident, age 25

140 points, 2 wins, 5 podiums, 1 pole position

2014 saw veteran bad-boy Cecotto mellow somewhat into a better performer thanks to a return to Italian team Trident. Those more comfortable surroundings quickly yielded a return to the top step in the Barcelona feature, making the most of an alternate strategy from 16th.

After two fourths in Monaco (which was almost disappointing for a circuit master arriving on a high), another win came in the sprint race in Spielberg after starting the weekend with pole. He started the year having lost his plentiful sponsorship from back home over the winter, but did enough to get it back for Germany where, interestingly, things started to fall apart again. From there, he failed to finish on five occasions, but pulled another top weekend out of the bag at Spa, where he was third and second in the two races.

Despite the positives, let’s not pretend Cecotto is F1 material like those around him. He’s gone over the 100-start mark now. He says he’s finished with GP2 at last, and although he still has F1 dreams, it’s hard to see that coming to much. Season rating: 7

6. Stefano Coletti

Monaco, Racing Engineering, age 25

136 points, 2 wins, 5 podiums, 4 fastest laps

After Coletti’s spectacular collapse in 2013 – where he led the championship after three wins in the first four rounds but then scored only once in the last seven rounds – it was a bit of a surprise to see him return, but he began positively with fourth in the opening race.

Despite his experience, he didn’t have it in him to help Racing Engineering challenge for a second straight drivers’ title, but after a couple of wobbly weekends, he hit his stride in the middle of the season. In Austria he finished fourth, then second, and repeated those results at Silverstone. After another fourth at Hockenheim, he went one better on the Sunday, producing a great win after starting on slicks on a wet track. At Monza he took second in the sprint race from ninth on the grid, and he won the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Although he hasn’t matured in a complete driver, he proved himself to be a great racer as he regularly fought his way through the order.

Acknowledging his time in GP2 is now up, he is now looking to see what opportunities lie elsewhere. Sportscars have always seemed like a good fit, but he may also keep his single-seater ambitions alive having recently tested an IndyCar. Season rating: 7

7. Arthur Pic

France, Campos Racing, age 23

124 points, 1 win, 3 podiums, 1 fastest lap

Pic arrived in GP2 having never really set the world alight in his three-year stint in FR3.5, but his rookie season in his new category was impressive. Particularly given that he did so leading the Campos team on their return.

As Vandoorne proved, the step from FR3.5 to GP2 isn’t massive, but Pic showed well by doing more than just adapting to a new car. He finished all of the first six races inside the top ten, and five of them in the top six, putting him fifth in the standings. The next three weekends were much tougher, but in Hungary he made the podium for the first time in some style, winning the feature race after a safety car played into his strategy of pitting early. Come Monza he showed out-and-out pace, qualifying and finishing second to Vandoorne, before tying with the in-form Belgian for pole in Sochi. His third podium came in the season finale at the end of another strong scoring run.

On that form, the early decision to stick with Campos for 2015 looks like a wise one. Fighting Vandoorne for the title seems unrealistic, but he’s proved he’s not far behind. Season rating: 7

8. Raffaele Marciello

Italy, Racing Engineering, age 20

74 points, 1 wins 4 podiums, 1 pole position, 1 fastest lap

After he won the 2013 European F3 title, Ferrari opted to place their leading Italian protege in GP2 with champion team Racing Engineering, and much was expected after strong testing performances.

He proved to be spectacular and quick, even if he only had six points finishes. Although he was qualifying well enough, incidents meant he didn’t score in the first three rounds, but seemed to get his season started with two third-places at Spielberg. He promptly qualified on pole at Silverstone, only to suffer a car failure. He was quick and on the winning strategy in the next two feature races, but lost out due to a pitlane stall and a speeding penalty respectively – the latter of which understandably irritated his bosses. He put things right next time out at Spa though, to beat Vandoorne to the win in the wet. A fourth podium came in Sochi, but his run-in was otherwise more of the same.

Marciello proved time and again he was one of the quickest racers in the field, but you need more than that to succeed in GP2 and he has a fair bit of maturing to do. To Ferrari’s credit, they continue to support him and have secured him a Sauber reserve role next year, but he’ll need to make progress in his sophomore GP2 campaign. Season rating: 7

9. Stephane Richelmi

Monaco, DAMS, age 24

73 points, 1 win, 2 podiums, 1 pole position

Richelmi stayed with top team DAMS for a second season but failed to make much progress on 2013 while his new team-mate won the title. He helped the outfit win the teams’ crown, but lost a place in the drivers’ standings and scored 30 fewer points.

He did make progress in one important statistic by netting his first win, and it couldn’t have come in a better place than his home streets of Monaco in the sprint race, as part of a clean sweep of victories for DAMS that weekend. He had earlier claimed a second GP2 pole in Barcelona but was one of several caught out in an aborted start. Richelmi lost the consistency that marked him out in 2013, scoring just nine points between his Monaco win and a strong weekend at Monza, where he collected a fourth and a third.

He’s indicated his time in single-seaters has come to an end, and has already explored alternatives with two rounds in the Blancpain Sprint Series in an Audi with veteran compatriot Stephane Ortelli, claiming a podium in Baku. Season rating: 6

10. Julian Leal

Colombia, Carlin, age 24

68 points, 2 podiums, 1 fastest lap

Leal moved from Racing Engineering to Carlin for his fourth season in GP2 and started very well, getting the better of Palmer to finish second in the opening race before taking third in the sprint race. That put him second to Palmer in the standings.

He would maintain that position through the Barcelona weekend with another strong performance, with a fourth and a fifth. He still held a top six place after Silverstone, but after that he would score just two further points with a ninth place in Sochi. A fourth year driver in a top team should score points more often than that, and although there were times when he was able to rival his team-mate Nasr on track, he simply couldn’t get the same good results.

Tenth is his best championship position in his four stint in GP2, but that progress doesn’t justify his decision to come back for a fifth season, remaining with Carlin. As he goes over the 100-start mark he’ll need to start winning races, although it would be better for the series if he didn’t interfere with the big names. Season rating: 6

11. Marco Sorensen

Denmark, MP Motorsport, age 24

47 points, 1 win (7/11 rounds)

Sorensen endured an even tougher third season in FR3.5 in 2014 than his second had been, after his year had started positively with the arrival of Saxo Bank as a sponsor and a promotion up the ranks at the Lotus F1 Team as a result. But he took the chance to redeem himself.

He secured a GP2 seat with MP Motorsport for Silverstone and doubled their number of points finishes for the year so far by scoring in both races there. He did the same again in Germany, including a fourth place in the wet second race. After two P10s in Hungary, Spa was tougher but he claimed another sprint race P4 in Monza and then won in Sochi from reverse grid pole, holding off Vandoorne to get the team’s first win.

Sorensen’s GP2 performances have hopefully been enough to retain his new source of funding for 2015, and given his performances with a fairly unfancied team, he could do some great things if given a top seat. Season rating: 7

12. Andre Negrao

Brazil, Arden International, age 22

31 points (10/11 rounds)

Negrao didn’t adapt to GP2 as quickly as fellow FR3.5 exports Vandoorne, Pic and Sorensen and after Hungary he had still failed to score a single point. But he ended up with 12th place in the standings and was the highest scoring driver not to make the podium.

His delay in getting on the scoreboard wasn’t helped by an injury sustained by falling off his bike, ruling him out of Barcelona where Tom Dillmann proved the pace of his car by putting it on the podium. The points haul began in Spa, where he finished ninth in the feature race, only losing the reverse grid pole for the sprint race a lap from the end. Eighth followed in the sprint race before an even more competitive showing at Monza, with two fifths. There were then two sixths in Sochi.

Negrao seems happy at Arden, spending all of post-season testing with them, suggesting he will stay there for 2015. He’ll hope to maintain his scoring form and to get up onto the podium. Season rating: 6

13. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs

United Kingdom, Rapax, age 23

30 points, 1 podium, 1 fastest lap (9/11 rounds)

Quaife-Hobbs was unable to build upon his rookie season, finishing in the same 13th position and only making the podium on one occasion versus three in 2013. Rapax wasn’t an ideal team given their late-’13 struggle and it showed in their lack of qualifying pace.

This meant that Quaife-Hobbs started feature races no higher than 17th before his season was cut short by injury with two rounds to go. To therefore make the points eight times from 18 races showed his strength on race days. He was particularly good in the opening three rounds, where he finished all six races in the top ten despite starting the weekends much further back. Things were quieter after that, but he did claim a remarkable second place in the strategic Hungary feature race from 22nd on the grid.

Quaife-Hobbs is good enough to drive for one of the top teams but his limited funding makes that seem unlikely. It would therefore not be a surprise to see him call time on GP2 and race something a little less expensive. Season rating: 6

14. Sergio Canamasas

Spain, Trident, age 28

29 points, 1 podium (10/11 rounds)

There was much amusement when Trident revealed that Canamasas would pair up with Cecotto from Barcelona onwards, but both quickly shut everybody up. The Spaniard did his bit in Monaco where he finished fifth in race one and then second in race two.

Canamasas – who despite his decent pace had only scored points twice from 32 starts prior to 2014 – sadly reverted to form a little after that. For a while he generally stayed out of trouble but lacked the same pace as his team-mate to challenge for points, but at Monza he showed his dangerous streak again and was black-flagged for the second time. He promptly responded with his second most competitive showing of the year in Sochi, qualifying tenth and finishing seventh, before his car failed while on course for another podium on Sunday.

Whether he will be seen again next year remains to be discovered, but he wouldn’t be missed by his fellow drivers, judging by their reactions to his Monza shenanigans. Season rating: 6

15. Rio Haryanto

Indonesia, Caterham Racing, age 21

28 points, 1 podium

Haryanto came into his third campaign off the back of very strong winter testing with the Caterham team, but once the season started, the team struggled badly. Haryanto was able to outscore team-mate Alexander Rossi before the American departed mid-season.

He got a fifth place finish in Barcelona and then went very well in Monaco, even topping his qualifying group to line up on the front row alongside Palmer. He slipped back to seventh in the feature race but was able to end his weekend with a podium. Those, however, would be his final points until Abu Dhabi. His qualifying form was poor in the middle of the year, but in Yas Marina he started and finished ninth.

In three years in GP2, Haryanto’s failed to repeat the promise he showed in GP3, but he’s been affected by struggling teams for the past two seasons and his rookie campaign with Carlin remains his best yet. In Abu Dhabi he tested with Racing Engineering for the second year in a row, but also with the Campos team he raced for in its Addax days. Season rating: 6

16. Daniel Abt

Germany, Hilmer Motorsport, age 22

27 points (10/11 rounds)

Abt suffered a nightmare rookie GP2 season with ART in 2013 but was more positive following a switch to Hilmer Motorsport and a strong winter with his new team. But although he made some progress, it was another disappointing season for him.

He confirmed his pre-season pace by qualifying third for the opening race in Bahrain, but it wasn’t until Silverstone that he finally scored a solitary point, after misfortune and incidents in the opening three rounds. He scored two fifth-place finishes at the Hungaroring, and continued his scoring run through the Spa round. But he then suffered more non-finishes in Monza and Sochi when he was again hit by rivals during the feature races, wrecking his weekends.

Abt chose to skip the final round to focus on his commitments in Formula E with his family team. Although affected by bad luck, the man who missed out on the 2012 GP3 title by just two points just hasn’t adapted well to GP2 and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him move on elsewhere. The door at Audi will always be open, but he seems keen to continue his single-seater career in IndyCar and has tested with top team Andretti. Season rating: 6

17. Simon Trummer

Switzerland, Rapax, age 25

26 points, 1 podium

Rather like Leal, Trummer’s 2014 season began with some major progress. After starting from the pits after stalling, he showed strong pace on a late-stopping strategy to finish seventh, before leading the sprint race and finishing second, putting him a lofty fourth on points.

He failed to build upon that maiden podium though, and scored points on just one further occasion, with sixth at Hockenheim. While Quaife-Hobbs struggled badly in qualifying, Trummer actually started ninth in Germany, eighth in Belgium and fifth in Italy, but failed to make the most of those latter two opportunities.

In terms of points and championship position, this was Trummer’s best season yet, but a third-year driver has to do better than that. Now 25, it’s perhaps time to move on, but having tested with Racing Enginering and Trident, that doesn’t look that likely. Season rating: 6

18. Takuya Izawa

Japan, ART Grand Prix, age 30

26 points, 1 podium

Izawa arrived in GP2 at the age of 29 thanks to the new tie-up between ART and the revived McLaren-Honda partnership, but with six years and three wins in the Super Formula series under his belt, he wasn’t to be underestimated.

He quickly showed what he could do by going from 23rd to sixth in the opening race in Bahrain. After a couple of tough rounds he scored points in both races in Spielberg and then made the podium in the Hungary feature race from last on the grid. In Sochi, he qualified a fine third. It’s telling that his best performances came at the two new circuits, as well as Bahrain and Abu Dhabi where he tested pre-season. Elsewhere, he had a massive circuit knowledge deficit to the competition and it showed in qualifying, but his race pace was often good.

It would make sense for Izawa to be allowed a second of GP2 to show some progress now he knows the tracks, but a couple of his compatriots were tested in his place in Abu Dhabi and they may offer better long-term options for Honda. Season rating: 6

19. Tom Dillmann

France, Arden International/Caterham Racing, age 25

18 points, 1 podium (4/11 rounds)

Dillmann was left without a seat by the off-season changes at Russian Time following the death of its founder Igor Mazepa and the severing of ties with the Motopark team, but he was an obvious choice when Arden needed a late replacement for Negrao for Barcelona.

He quickly got up to speed with his new team and he claimed eighth in the feature race, before taking third in the sprint race from the reverse grid pole. He would be back four rounds later when Alexander Rossi split with Caterham. At Hockenheim he qualified a fine fourth, and bettered that in Hungary with second, but in his three-round stint with the team, race pace was a struggle and he only scored points once.

He left the team ahead of Monza to concentrate on his burgeoning career in Porsches, which saw him finish third in the French Carrera Cup. Hopefully he can forge a career for himself there, but he’ll no doubt remain a popular GP2 sub. Season rating: 6

20. Nathanael Berthon

France, Lazarus, age 25

17 points

It was a surprise when Berthon did a deal with Lazarus for his third GP2 season in advance of pre-season testing, and it proved to be a fairly fruitless campaign, matching the 20th position he had in 2013 with Trident.

With qualifying form a struggle, it wasn’t until Hockenheim that Berthon scored the team’s first points of the season with eighth. Wet weather prevented him making anything of reverse grid pole on the Sunday. He kept up his 100 per cent record up making the points in the Hungarian feature race and claiming a front row spot for the sprint race – this time taking fourth after his P2 and victory in earlier years. He scored a final point of the year in the Sochi feature race.

While his GP2 career has never got far off the ground, Berthon impressed with his pace in early sportscar outings this year, and it would be wise to focus his time and resources fully onto that next year. Season rating: 6

The rest

Alexander Rossi was expected to be a title contender but scored points just twice from the opening ten races with Caterham, before leaving after Tony Fernandes sold the F1 team. He scored points on a one-off with Campos at the following round at Hockenheim, while a switch to Marussia nearly yielded his F1 race debut on at least three occasions.

Jon Lancaster started the season with MP Motorsport after strong testing performances, but no points in Bahrain led to his replacement by GP3 graduate Tio Ellinas. The Cypriot adapted quickly, finishing seventh in his first race in Barcelona, and tenth in Monaco, but lost his drive to Sorensen for Silverstone.

He would get one further outing in place of Quaife-Hobbs at Rapax in Sochi, with Kevin Giovesi doing the same honours in Abu Dhabi.

Lancaster returned to action for Silverstone when GP3 runner-up Facu Regalia had a messy split with Hilmer Motorsport after failing to score from the first four rounds. Lancaster didn’t fare much better, unable to repeat his two wins from 2013 with the team and instead scoring points just once. Nicholas Latifi replaced Abt in the other car for Abu Dhabi and did well given he hadn’t driven the car before free practice.

Russian Time protege Artem Markelov predictably struggled with the step up from German F3, scoring points only with a brilliant run to seventh in the wet Spa feature race. He regularly qualified at the back, but often impressed in racing conditions.

Rene Binder‘s only points in his second full season came in the two Bahrain races, and he was otherwise overshadowed conclusively by rookie Arden team-mate Negrao. Daniel De Jong was the worst full-season driver, with his only two points coming with tenth places at Spa and in Abu Dhabi.

Conor Daly did the majority of the season alongside Berthon at Lazarus but scored points just once, with seventh in the Hungary sprint race. Auto GP regular Sergio Campana replaced him for Monza and Sochi. Kimiya Sato took until the Sochi sprint race to net points for Campos, though did skip Hockenheim to focus on winning the Auto GP title.

Axcil Jefferies was the last-placed of the 34 drivers with his GP2 plans only lasting the opening round for Trident, but the final mention is reserved for Pierre Gasly.

The Formula Renault 3.5 runner-up became the first Red Bull Junior to compete in GP2 for years when he did the final three rounds for Caterham. No testing made things difficult, but he did qualify a fine sixth in Abu Dhabi. Even more impressive things were to come the following week, when he stepped into Palmer’s DAMS car and set the pace in four of the six test sessions. Definitely one to watch next year.

The post 2014 GP2 Series season review appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Auto GP

Despite some notable flaws, the 2013 Auto GP season was quite thrilling as it delivered a season-long close fight for the championship. In the end, four drivers went into the finale with a shot at the title and it was Vittorio Ghirelli who emerged victorious after a breakthrough season.

2014 promised more of the same, with a number of potential championship contenders landing seats in the series. Kevin Giovesi and Tamas Pal Kiss returned after great part-time stints in 2013. Sergio Campana, who had finished that season in third, was also back. Former F2 frontrunner Markus Pommer landed a coveted Super Nova seat. Finally, despite some clashing GP2 commitments, 2013 runner-up Kimiya Sato was back as well.

All of that made for excellent intrigue, but the suspense in the title fight was short-lived. While some of the individual races were great, the champion would become obvious after just three rounds.

The champion

Having narrowly missed out in 2014, Sato made the most of his second shot at the Auto GP title (Photo: Auto GP)

Kimiya Sato started off the season by qualifying in fifth place at Marrakech, which was quite promising for those worried that last season’s runner-up came back to dominate. Unfortunately for them, it was a false dawn.

The Japanese driver won a crazy opening race to take the lead in the championship, which he maintained by finishing on the podium in the next three races.

But his biggest hit to the opposition was delivered at the Hungaroring. He seemed to have hit trouble in qualifying, caught out by a red flag to start ninth. But it took him one lap to take fourth and, eventually, he fought through to the win. Eighth on the grid for the second race, he won that one as well.

It should’ve been over after that, but a glimmer of hope for his opponents surfaced when he missed the Monza round. Yet he’d come back at Imola to take victory again. At Spielberg, he took his first pole and actually lost the lead off the line, but bounced back to win yet another feature race.

Finally, at the penultimate Nurburgring round, brake problems in qualifying forced Sato to start last. But, as he fought through and those around him picked up penalties for yellow flag infringements, he’d again be the winner. The day after that, he crowned champion.

The fact that he missed four races speaks volumes about his dominance. He was on the podium in all but two of his outings, one of which included a suspension failure when running in third.

The regulars

After losing two wins via post-race decisions in 2014, Giovesi finally got one to stick this year (Photo: Auto GP)

There might not have been much of a title fight, but those in Sato’s shadow did manage to put on a solid scrap for the runner-up spot, which seemed to change hands every weekend.

The first two rounds of the season saw qualifying locked out by Kevin Giovesi with the new Eurotech squad. He led much of the first race at Marrakech, but lost the lead to Tamas Pal Kiss and subsequently forced the Hungarian and himself into the barriers.

After nearly stalling on the grid in race one and then spinning out, Super Nova’s Markus Pommer lined up on race two pole and comfortably won his first race. Kiss and Giovesi didn’t take long as well, celebrating their first victories at Paul Ricard.

Out of the three, Kiss was the most consistent. He often finished on the podium and did not record a DNF since the opener. However, an Imola weekend full of technical difficulties was followed by the Hungarian leaving Zele Racing for Virtuosi for the three final rounds. He won two races with the British team and comfortably secured second in the standings.

Pommer was definitely the top man in qualifying, claiming four poles throughout the season, but struggled to convert that into race pace. In fairness, he also had a fair share of mechanical issues – with two pole positions undone by tyre issues (Hungaroring) and a first-lap failure (Imola).

Giovesi lost some top results to luck as well. At Monza, a pit stop issue robbed him of a podium, albeit he rebounded to win the second race. He was on track to win a third race at Spielberg, but his car’s wheel broke off, sending him into retirement.

Kiss and Pommer ended up taking centre stage in the fight for the runner-up spot (Photo: Auto GP)

When the Italian missed the finale, he ended up slipping back to fifth in the standings, overtaken by Andrea Roda. The Virtuosi driver enjoyed easily his best season in single-seaters yet, although it started with disaster when he crashed out of second on the final lap in the Marrakech opener. Still, he was classified in seventh and ended up enjoying a perfect point-scoring run. At Spielberg, when Giovesi lost his wheel, Roda picked up the pieces to get his first race win.

Michela Cerruti also enjoyed a bit of a single-seater breakthrough, quickly getting up to pace with the Super Nova team and eventually held off Giovesi at Imola to take her first Auto GP victory. She then fought her way up from the back of the grid in a retirement-heavy Spielberg race, claiming a second podium.

A word has to be said for the series’ regular journeymen Michele La Rosa and Giuseppe Cipriani, who both seemed to improve on the previous seasons and even got to stand on the podium, albeit only in the ridiculous Marrakech opener.

The part-timers

Michimi’s three-round stint culminated in a surprise win at Estoril (Photo: Auto GP)

It was a pleasant surprise to see F3 Open race winner Sam Dejonghe get a chance with Virtuosi after missing most of 2013. He had some tough luck during the first two weekends, hit by La Rosa at Marrakech and retiring due to mechanical failures at Paul Ricard. He did take a maiden podium at the Hungaroring, but lost the seat right after.

Sergio Campana was set to contest his third year in Auto GP, but crashed out in race one at Marrakech and was out with technical issues in race two. He left the series after the round, going on to race in FA1 for the rest of the year.

2011 CIK-FIA KF2 world champion Loris Spinelli got a chance to race with Eurotech. After finishing sixth in the opener, he led the Marrakech reverse-grid race early on before parking it in the barriers. Another reverse-grid chance was wasted when his gearbox failed at Paul Ricard and, after two further difficult rounds, he left the series.

Shinya Michimi was on course to take fourth on his Monza debut, but retired with a car issue. He did manage a solid points weekend at Spielberg and then won the Estoril finale due to a superb early stop strategy.

2013 champion Vittorio Ghirelli returned for three rounds and finished second twice. Meanwhile, 2012 runner-up Pal Varhaug made a one-off appearance at Imola, taking a fourth and third.

Ex-F1 driver Antonio Pizzonia and GP3’s Luis Sa Silva joined Zele for the Estoril finale and both got to stand on the podium in the reverse-grid race.

Future plans

After having spent 2014 with Campos, Sato went on to test with 2013 champions Russian Time (Photo: Dunbar / GP2 Series)

Sato’s concurrent debut season in GP2 was nothing to write home about but his Auto GP dominance should earn him another stab at the F1 support series. During the Abu Dhabi test, he ran with Russian Time for a day.

Kiss reportedly seeks the budget for an ELMS seat and apparently has offers from several teams.

Pommer might have failed to win the Auto GP series, but has the “small” consolation of a well-deserved German F3 title. He seems to be in Motopark’s good graces and could move up to FIA F3 with the Oschersleben squad.

Cerruti is currently racing in Formula E with Trulli GP, having recorded a best finish of 12th in the three races.

Giovesi retuned to GP2 for the season finale, but has not participated in the post-season testing. His compatriot Roda took part in a Porsche Carrera Cup Italy introduction test.

The post 2014 Auto GP season review appeared first on Formula Scout.

While the order of drivers can be considered to be quite important at the sharp end, much of this list is about giving the recognition that drivers deserve from a variety of different series, and that’s why it’s a Top 50 rather than 20 or 30.

We will publish the Top 50 Drivers over the next five days, with this first instalment covering the drivers from 50 to 41 and featuring top performances not just from Europe but also Brazil, New Zealand and Macau.

50. Andrew Tang

Photo: Toyota Racing NZ

Photo: Toyota Racing NZ

New entry

Singapore – age 20

Toyota Racing Series champion

Tang’s 2014 campaign was unfortunately cut rather short, but he began it in style by claiming the first title on offer each year, the Toyota Racing Series, become the first overseas driver to do so. He began his second crack at the five-week racing tour of New Zealand as an immediate frontrunner, despite having joined up with a new entrant to the category, Neale Motorsport.

He won the reverse grid encounter at the first round at Teretonga, and added another win the following weekend at Timaru. For the remaining three rounds he was consistently at the sharp end, claiming seven podiums including a further win, and that was enough for him to pip Jann Mardenborough to the crown by eight points.

Now hoping to prove himself in Europe, he was set for a second season in Formula Renault 2.0 Alps and made a late switch from Jenzer to Prema to boost his chances. He made a solid start with points in both of the opening races but sadly those would be his last of the season, forced out by compulsory military service that had been hanging over him during his TRS triumph. The timing is poor, but hopefully he can return to action before too long and be able to build upon his success.

49. Pedro Piquet

Photo: Duda Bairros/Vicar

Photo: Bruno Terena/Vicar

New entry

Brazil – age 16

F3 Brazil champion

A younger son of three-time F1 champion Nelson Piquet, Pedro made his entrance into single-seater racing at the start of 2014 in the Toyota Racing Series. His time in New Zealand only lasted two weekends due to an issue over the communication of his age, but he was able to spend the rest of the year making an impact in his nation F3 series.

The series was revitalised this year, with bigger grid numbers, but Piquet dominated. He began with a double victory in the opening round, and would repeat that feat (each time overcoming the reverse grid format) a further three times. In all, he won 11 of the 16 races. The quality of his opposition is obviously questionable – the only driver to beat him to the win more than once was fellow karting graduate Vitor Baptista in older B-class equipment – and this often allowed him to get away with some errors. But no matter what the competition was, to be the class of the field by quite a margin at his age and experience level shows he’s one to watch.

Of course with a name like that and associated backing, we can be sure that young Piquet will be able to go far if he’s good enough. He’s been testing in Europe with teams like Carlin and Van Amersfoort Racing, and after Max Verstappen lowered the entry barrier to the European series quite considerably, that’s a sensible move for him for 2015.

48. Nick Cassidy

Photo: FIA F3

Up 1

New Zealand – age 20

Third in Macau Grand Prix

Much of Cassidy’s year was quiet, but he just had to be included here once again after ending 2014 with the highest profile achievement of his career to date, confirming his abilities against top opposition. The Toyota Racing Series champion of 2012 and 2013 did just one round in the category this time, enough to claim a third straight New Zealand Grand Prix crown.

As in 2012, his pre-season efforts to break into Europe yielded a late deal for the start of the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 season, this time with Koiranen. There was promise, but it’s a tough series to nail at the best of times, particularly without testing, not competing in the regional series and without good knowledge of the tracks, and he managed just three points finishes from a ten-race stint. Opportunities were coming in F3 though, and after two single-round deals last year, he now got a three-event spell with T-Sport. Imola and Hockenheim brought a best finish of 11th, but he shone when it mattered most – in Macau. Despite no previous experience on the tricky street circuit, he was on the pace all weekend, stayed out of trouble and finished a magnificent third – having run second for most of the main race before eventually succumbing to Lucas Auer.

If that’s not enough to get a full-time shot in European F3 next year, I’m not sure what will be. Hopefully it may be enough to convince potential backers that he deserves the same chances as Evans and Stanaway before him.

47. Norman Nato

Photo: Jean Michel Le Meur/DPPI

Photo: Gregory Lenormand/DPPI

Re-entry

France – age 22

Seventh in Formula Renault 3.5 Series

For much of his second season in Formula Renault 3.5 with DAMS, Nato continued to struggle, with new team-mate Carlos Sainz providing just as tough a yardstick as Kevin Magnussen had done. But, in two of the 17 races, he was the class of the field, winning on merit, and he deserves his place here as recognition of that achievement.

He mustered just a single point from the first four races, but then came Monaco. For the man from Cannes, this was something of a home race. And if there is one event for any FR3.5 driver to do well in, it’s the race on the morning of the Monaco Grand Prix. Nato was quickest in practice, took pole and led the race from start to finish, completing a hat-track of wins for DAMS on the support bill that weekend. In the rounds that followed there were some solid points, but there were also weekends where he was anonymous again, like Moscow. He showed Monaco wasn’t a one-off though when he won race two in Hungary after a fast start from P3 on the grid. For most of the season he was disappointingly low key, but on two occasions he reminded the world of the driver that was the closest man to Stoffel Vandoorne in F4 in 2010, and took the fight to Daniil Kvyat in FR2.0 in 2012.

He did a full three days of GP2 testing in Abu Dhabi with a trio of good teams, and a move there might do him good if it’s viable. Alternatively, a future in something like LMP2 might suit him well.

46. Matthieu Vaxiviere

Photo: Francois Flamand/DPPI

Photo: Zone Rouge

New entry

France – age 20

Eighth in Formula Renault 3.5 Series

Vaxiviere scored six fewer points than his compatriot Nato in Formula Renault 3.5 this year, but gets a slightly higher spot courtesy of what was a pretty impressive rookie season in the category, re-establishing the reputation of this French F4 champion after a couple of disappointing years in FR2.0. And it came despite missing two rounds to injury.

He picked up some points early on in Aragon but his season was then derailed by a fractured vertebrae sustained on the first lap in Monaco. He made it back in time for the Nurburgring, where his form was even stronger, taking second place in race two. That would be the start of a run of seven points-scoring finishes from the last seven races, including a fifth in Hungary, third at Paul Ricard and fourth at Jerez. Eighth in the standings might not seem like much compared to his old rival Gasly, but it was still a strong performance and, in particular, a great recovery from his enforced lay-off.

He regularly set the pace in post-season testing, remaining with the Lotus-branded Charouz-run squad, and a second campaign in 2015 should see him move up the rankings. He enjoys some strong backing, and his main sponsor Francois Perrodo even gave him a Pro-Am Porsche drive alongside him in the World Endurance Championship this year. While that offers a good opportunity for the future, he’s earned a second season FR3.5 in the meantime.

45. Marco Sorensen

Photo: Sam Bloxham/GP2 Media Service

Photo: Sam Bloxham/GP2 Media Service

Down 11

Denmark – age 24

11th in GP2 Series
12th in Formula Renault 3.5 Series

Sorensen’s year started with him flying upside down after just one lap at Monza, and that would end up as a bit of a metaphor for his third season in FR3.5 – his worst yet. But he also took the chance to redeem himself in a part-campaign of GP2, where he was a consistent points-scorer from the off and claimed a race win.

Perennially underfunded, Sorensen landed support from Saxo Bank over the winter, leading to a Lotus F1 reserve role and another year in FR3.5, moving to Tech 1 after a tough 2013. His fortunes didn’t improve though – aside from repeating his P2 in Monaco, his best was seventh as he consistently struggled for pace. His GP2 opportunity was therefore something of a reprieve. Thrown in at the deep end at Silverstone with no previous running in the car, and with an unfancied team in MP Motorsport, he scored points in both races, stealing eighth from Stoffel Vandoorne in race two. He repeated his double scoring feat at the next round at Hockenheim, where he ran very well in the damp second race to claim P4. He would have another double points finish at Monza and then again in Sochi, where he won race two from the reverse grid pole.

Hopefully, his performances will earn him a full GP2 campaign in 2015 with a top team, although he was absent from testing. It will probably depend on Saxo Bank continuing their deal with Lotus though, and these things are often unpredictable.

44. Jann Mardenborough

Photo: Jakob Ebrey/GP3 Media Service

Photo: Sam Bloxham/GP3 Media Service

New entry

United Kingdom – age 23

Second in Toyota Racing Series
Ninth in GP3 Series

Mardenborough proved himself in single-seaters in his second year in 2014, narrowly missing out on a title and winning a race in GP3. He had shown promise in F3 last year – having only ended up there after impressive test outings intended to prepare him for Le Mans prototypes – but this time he was able to demonstrate his abilities.

In the Toyota Racing Series, a lack of consistency meant he had to settle for second, but with his first three single-seater wins he showed that he could now turn his speed into results. His opening two rounds of GP3 saw him get himself into strong positions, only to spin them away, and at Silverstone he failed get much out of a P4 grid slot and a great launch. But progress was made, and at Hockenheim he won race two from the reverse grid pole, and scored another podium a week later in Hungary. At Spa he was twice fourth, and more points followed in Sochi. The whole Arden team struggled in qualifying, but it was Mardenborough that often made the best race progress and he was their top scorer, ahead of two drivers who entered the series when the GT Academy graduate was embarking on his first year of racing.

He’s learning fast, but he still had a massive experience deficit to his competitors, and it’s clear what he could achieve given further seasons in single-seaters. But he’s also a dead cert for a part in Nissan’s new LMP1 project, given his performances in sportscars so far – the question is whether that will be a full-time WEC drive. He hasn’t done a lot of single-seater testing in recent weeks, but was very fast in Super Formula in Japan, a hotbed for LMP1 stars.

43. Pietro Fittipaldi

Photo: Paul Davies Photography

Photo: Paul Davies Photography

New entry

Brazil – age 18

Protyre Formula Renault champion
Ninth in Formula Renault 2.0 Alps

The grandson of Emerson Fittipaldi ended his second year of single-seater racing with a dominant performance in the Protyre Formula Renault series in the UK. After a dual campaign of Renaults and BRDC F4 in 2013, he focussed on the latter this year and capitalised on his year’s experience.

At the opening round at Rockingham he won race one, but it was the subsequent rounds where he really hit his stride, claiming eight consecutive wins across Donington, Brands Hatch and Snetterton. He winning run was ended at the penultimate round at Croft, but victory in race two there was enough to wrap up the title ahead of a relatively scrappy final round at Silverstone. Particularly impressive about his hit rate was that he was only on pole for two of the ten races he won, often holding his nerve as others messed up their starts, or winning out in racing combat. Later in the season, Fittipaldi tested himself against tougher continental competition in the Alps series and scored some top five finishes with his regular MGR Motorsport squad, before sampling top European squad Koiranen in the Alps and Eurocup finales.

While a full-time assault on the Eurocup is a possibility for 2015, it makes more sense after two years in FR2.0 machinery to make the leap into F3, and has been testing to that aim with Fortec.

42. Kimiya Sato

Photo: Auto GP

Photo: Auto GP

New entry

Japan – age 25

Auto GP champion

After finishing as runner-up in Auto GP in 2013, Sato’s season was supposed to be about him stepping up to GP2. But while that was a rather low-profile disappointment, a spontaneous dual programme in Auto GP saw him claim the title in dominant fashion despite only taking part in six of the eight race weekends, winning half of the races he started.

Returning with the same Euronova team as before (thanks to the relationship between his manager Taki Inoue and his ex-F3000 team-mate Vincenzo Sospiri), Sato won the erratic opener in Marrakech and finished second in race two, setting him up for a title challenge. A double victory at the Hungaroring gave him a large enough margin to skip Monza with his lead intact, before claiming main race wins at Imola, Spielberg and the Nurburgring to seal the crown with a round to go. In GP2, he seemed to adapt to the car quickly in pre-season testing but his campaign was one of various woes, and it wasn’t until the penultimate event in Sochi that he notched up what would be his only two points. As good as his Auto GP performances were – against a few other established and successful single-seater campaigners – his lacklustre GP2 showing tarnished his efforts.

Having another go at GP2 would make sense for Sato for 2015. Whatever is said about the level of Auto GP, it’s clear that he can drive a big car quickly and confidently, so there should be nothing stopping him. At the same time, at 25, it may be time to pursue options outside of single-seaters.

41. Sandy Stuvik

Photo: Fotospeedy

Photo: Fotospeedy

New entry

Thailand – age 19

Euroformula Open champion

It was a little puzzling that Stuvik returned for a second season in the rebranded Euroformula Open (previously F3 Open), given that he had finished second in 2013 and even tallied the most points, only to lose out to Ed Jones on dropped scores. But, he did the only thing that would have been acceptable upon his return, and that was to win the title. And he did so, eventually, in commanding style.

Early on though, he did make hard work of it. Defeated by car racing debutant Alex Palou in race one, it looked like things might be tougher than expected, and even though he won four of the next five races, a poor weekend at the Hungaroring led to him losing the points lead to his lesser-known team-mate Artur Janosz, with Palou not far behind. But Stuvik was a phenomenal force after that. Two wins at Silverstone. Two wins at Spa. Two wins at Monza. Title in hand, he claimed his 11th win from the 16-race season in the final round at Barcelona.

After this success, Stuvik must now test himself against tougher opposition. As last winter, he has tested in GP2 and Formula Renault 3.5, and it really would be a surprise to see him fail to make the jump this time.

The post PaddockScout Top 50 Drivers of 2014: 50-41 appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Sam Bloxham/GP2 Series Media Service

Marco Sorensen delivered his and MP Motorsport’s first GP2 victory in the sprint race of the Sochi weekend.

An eventful start of the race saw Sorensen keep first while Stoffel Vandoorne took second after passing Sergio Canamasas, however, the Belgian chose to give up second place after running off track.

Julian Leal had a storming start to get into fourth from ninth on the grid, only to lose his place due to a drive-through penalty for gaining an advantage by leaving the track.

Felipe Nasr also found himself at the sharp end after a great getaway, while it all went wrong for newly-crowned Jolyon Palmer, who dropped down the order after making contact with Raffaele Marciello.

As the race went on, Vandoorne put Canamasas under big pressure, however, the Belgian was unable to make a move on the Spaniard. Finally on lap 12, Canamasas was forced to retire due to possible mechanical issues.

A couple of laps later the safety car was required because of contact between Marciello and local driver Artem Markelov that left the Italian crashing out with a puncture.

The race restarted with two laps to go and Sorensen was able to keep the lead with Vandoorne having to settle with second.

Nasr passed Mitch Evans on the penultimate lap to complete a fantastic recovery race after starting from 17th. Arthur Pic also gained a position after the safety car, leaving Andre Negrao in sixth.

Kimiya Sato finished seventh to celebrate his first points in GP2, while the final point-scoring position went to the impressive Stefano Coletti, who improved 16 positions during the race.

Nathanael Berthon took ninth, while an eventful race for Palmer saw him rounding the top ten out.

Race results

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Photo: Sam Bloxham/GP2 Series Media Service

Stoffel Vandoorne claimed his third consecutive pole position in GP2 in Sochi as the championship’s maiden qualifying session in Russia came down to a thrilling dead heat between him and Arthur Pic.

Pic had gone to top spot with a couple of minutes remaining in the session, but his time was bettered by Vandoorne on the Belgian’s final flying lap.

Pic fought back though and matched Vandoorne’s time to a thousandth of a second, but will have to settle for second on the grid having set his time later – the pair therefore repeat the front row of the grid from the last round at Monza.

Vandoorne and the ART Grand Prix team dedicated their success to Jules Bianchi by showing off the #ForzaJules decal on Vandoorne’s helmet to the cameras. Bianchi spent four years driving for ART during his time in F3 and GP2.

Vandoorne’s team-mate Takuya Izawa put in a magnificent performance throughout the session, clearly benefiting from the level playing field created by racing on a new circuit having been at a disadvantage on the European tracks this year. He led the times for a while during the first half and then put in a late improvement to seal P3.

Championship leader Jolyon Palmer was another in the fight for pole, and led for some time during the middle of the session, but he would have to make do with fourth. Nonetheless, his main rival Felipe Nasr could only manage tenth, and Palmer only needs to outscore the Brazilian by eight points this weekend to wrap up the title.

Raffaele Marciello was fifth ahead of Mitch Evans, who appeared to have the pace for pole at the home event of his Russian Time team but failed to put a clean lap together.

Pic’s Campos team-mate Kimiya Sato was seventh ahead of Stefano Coletti, Andre Negrao and Nasr, who was tapped into a spin at the final corner by Coletti early in the session when the Carlin driver slowed.

Qualifying results

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Photo: Sam Bloxham/GP2 Series Media Service

GP2 championship leader Jolyon Palmer set the pace in the category’s first ever running on the Sochi circuit in free practice.

The DAMS driver, who will wrap up the title during this penultimate race weekend if he can out-score rival Felipe Nasr by eight points, went over half a second clear of the field towards the end of the session.

Arthur Pic was second quickest, ahead of late improver Andre Negrao and Stoffel Vandoorne, who had led much of the session.

Mitch Evans was fifth as Russian Time began their home race weekend, ahead of Pic’s Campos team-mate Kimiya Sato. Johnny Cecotto was seventh, followed by Nathanael Berthon and Nasr.

Tio Ellinas made a rapid return to the series for the first time since Spielberg as he completed the top ten, The Cypriot is standing in at Rapax for Adrian Quaife-Hobbs who has a neck injury.

Practice results

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Photo: FIA F3 European Championship

Max Verstappen enjoyed an impressive first weekend as a Red Bull Junior in the FIA F3 European Championship at the Nurbrgring. After outclassing the field in a wet qualifying session, he claimed his eighth win of the campaign in race one despite twice losing the lead on a drying track. In race two he took the lead off the start and soaked up the pressure of having four drivers behind him, until he suffered an engine failure just laps from the end. Faced with the first of three grid ten-place grid penalties in race three, he dodged first corner carnage on his way from 12th to third.

Antonio Giovinazzi showed his Spielberg form was no fluke, inheriting his second victory in the space of three races in race two of the weekend, after coming third in the first race. His race three ended in turn one contact with Esteban Ocon. The Frenchman improved on his failure to score in Spielberg, but was only sixth in race one and needed Verstappen’s misfortune to make the podium in race two. His championship lead has been cut to 77 points, but he will wrap up the title next time out in Imola if he maintains a lead of over 75.

Lucas Auer scored his first win for 23 races in the final encounter, and after a seventh and a fifth in the earlier races, is still in mathematical title contention. Closer than him is Tom Blomqvist, who after a fifth in race one, started both of Sunday’s races from pole. A poor start left him second to team-mate Giovinazzi in race two, while he was passed at a restart by Auer in race three. Though his haul could have been larger, he has closed to within 87 points of Ocon.

Antonio Fuoco stole the lead from Verstappen at the start of race one despite starting fifth, but a mistake cost him the lead and forced the Ferrari driver to settle for second. He added two fourth places in Sunday’s races. Spike Goddard also led that first race after starting on wets, but he dropped back again once the track had dried out.

Auto GP: Kiss can’t stop Sato sealing title

Photo: Auto GP

Tamas Pal Kiss twice took the chequered flag first in the penultimate round of the Auto GP season at the Nurburgring, but his efforts would not be enough to prevent Kimiya Sato from wrapping up the series title. Kiss initially appeared to have taken victory in race one after the other top drivers had all been handed drive-through penalties for setting personal best sectors under a yellow flag on lap two.

However, the Hungarian was given a similar sanction post-race, dropping him to fourth and handing the win to Sato, who had come from the back of the grid after crashing in qualifying, despite being one of those to be penalised. Kiss did manage to seal a victory for good in race two, but third for Sato and the fastest lap was enough to give the Japanese driver a 51-point lead, therefore putting him out of reach with one weekend remaining and only 49 points available. Sato has only contested six of the seven rounds so far this campaign.

Markus Pommer scored his fourth pole of the season on home soil, but would have to make do with third and second in the two races. Kevin Giovesi was second in race one and sixth in race two.

British F3: Two for Cao, one for Rao

Photo: Sarah Warwick

Martin Cao and Matt Rao continued their scrap for the British F3 title at Thruxton amidst a new-low grid of just five cars, with the Fortec duo locking out the top two positions in each race. Chinese driver Cao took his first two wins in the series the opening races, with Rao settling for second.

Rao got the better of his rival in the final race of the weekend, which was enough for him to leave Thruxton with a four-point lead in the standings with two rounds remaining.

With Sam MacLeod opting to focus on an appearance in Japanese F3 next weekend and Andy Chang switching to the European championship, Peter Li completed the podium in the first two races, while Camren Kaminsky finally grabbed his first rostrum appearance in race three. Formula Ford racer Max Marshall replaced Chang alongside Kaminsky at Double R and took a trio of fourths.

BRDC F4: Fielding is first ever triple winner

Photo: BRDC F4

Sennan Fielding claimed his maiden BRDC F4 Championship win as the series returned to Silverstone for round five, and proceeded to add two more victories as he became the first driver to ever net a treble win in the category. None of his wins came easy, with the winning margin being less than half a second on each occasion as he was forced to defend a late attack from behind. While he led the first and third races from pole, the second saw him charge from eighth on the reverse grid after gambling correctly on slicks on a drying track. He’s moved up to third in the standings, just 29 points off the lead.

George Russell retained the championship lead, despite only managing a fifth and two sixths, complaining of a mysterious handling issue at a circuit where he won twice on his debut in April. In the opening two races he came out on top of battles with chief rival Raoul Hyman, but the South African finished a close second to Fielding in race three, enabling him to close to within 11 points of Russell with three rounds remaining.

Struan Moore twice joined Fielding on the podium, following him across the line for second in race one and taking third in race three. It was Brazilian rookie Gaetano Di Mauro who pushed Fielding home in race two, while Arjun Maini and Will Palmer completed the podium in races one and two respectively, the latter coming from 20th on the grid on slicks after a race one retirement. Euroformula Open star Alex Palou showed pace on his debut for usual team-mate Sean Walkinshaw’s team, claiming a fourth and a fifth from the two main races.

Formula Masters China: Solomon gets two more wins

Photo: Formula Masters China Series

Matt Solomon closed on Formula Masters China Series leader James Munro as he added his third and fourth consecutive wins at Sepang. The Hong Kong driver beat his New Zealand rival in the wet opening race and the dry second encounter. Solomon then finished second in race three, with Munro only fourth. Munro, who began the year with six straight wins, is now 14 points ahead in the standings with two rounds remaining.

Jake Parsons impressed on his debut in the series, having previously won four from four in the AsiaCup opener at the same circuit. He claimed pole for the opening race but spun off, dropping him to fourth. He took third in race two, before overhauling Solomon to win the final race.

Dan Wells completed the podium in races one and three, but was unable to start race two due to a wishbone failure. ADAC Formel Masters regular Philip Hamprecht scored a best result of fifth on his maiden appearance.

F4 Sudamericana: Ponte picks up two wins at El Pinar

Photo: F4 Sudamericana

Experienced Argentinian driver Martin Ponte turned up to F4 Sudamericana’s return to El Pinar for round three and won both races. Points leader Bruno Baptista was third in the opening race and then second in race two, increasing his lead over fellow Brazilian Felipe Ortiz, who had to make do with a fourth and a third.

Uruguayan driver Miguel Wholer finished a close second to fellow debutant Ponte in race one, but finished sixth and last in race two, a lap down after an early incident.

Formula Renault Argentina: Mallo holds off rivals for two Resistencia wins

Manuel Mallo claimed his first two wins in Formula Renault Argentina at the Resistencia round. Starting from pole, he won the first by a narrow margin from Martin Moggia, and won the second also by less than half a second, this time in front of Guillermo Rey.

Championship leader Federico Cavagnero retired from race one, but finished third in race two to give him a 13-point lead over Mallo, who is up to second with Rey a further five back in third. Miguel Calamari and Felipe Schmauk have dropped to fourth and fifth after both failing to finish race two following top five finishes in race one.

F3 Cup: Sowery forced to settle for second at Brands Hatch

F3 Cup leader Toby Sowery had to make do with two second places at Brands Hatch behind experienced campaigner Tristan Cliffe. Car racing rookie Sowery twice took the lead off the start ahead of pole-sitter Cliffe, but lacked the same pace as the 33-year-old, who took his first two wins of the season. Lanan driver Sowery still has a 51-point lead over Cliffe in the standings, with two rounds remaining.

Star Driver: Sennan Fielding

Up to now, Fielding had been a frontrunner in BRDC F4 without being able to get a win, but he finally made that breakthrough in style at Silverstone. His speed wasn’t dominant, but he had to out-race a rival in a last-lap tussle on every occasion, managing to survive under pressure. If he can keep up something close to that form and be a consistent frontrunner, he could be a real threat in the title run-in.

Photo: BRDC F4

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Photo: Auto GP

Tamas Pal Kiss was victorious in the second Auto GP race of the series’ penultimate weekend at the Nurburgring.

The Hungarian driver assumed the lead during the second lap and comfortably kept pace throughout the remainder of the race to celebrate his second victory of the season.

Following Kiss for the bigger part of the race, Markus Pommer took second, finishing right ahead of Kimiya Sato, who completed the podium.

Having also recorded the fastest lap of the race, Sato ended up with a 50-points lead in the standings, which was enough to?officially win him the 2014 Auto GP championship.

Italian trio Andrea Roda, Michela Cerruti and Kevin Giovesi finished fourth, fifth and sixth respectively as the latter was closely followed by Euronova’s Yoshitaka Kuroda.

The race was completed by gentleman drivers Michele La Rosa, Giuseppe Cipriani, Francesco Dracone and Salvatore Deplano.

Sato is the fifth champion of the Auto GP’s current era, following in the footsteps of F1 driver Romain Grosjean, Italian Kevin Ceccon, GP2 race winner Adrian Quaife-Hobbs and Vittorio Ghirelli.

Race results

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