Photo: MRF Challenge

The final race of the 2013-14 MRF Challenge season at Madras has not yielded a definitive series champion as the outcome of the title battle between Rupert Svendsen-Cook and Tio Ellinas will now come down to the result of the Briton’s appeal.

The duo went into the reverse-grid finale level on points, lining up in fourth and fifth respectively. Expectedly, that made for a very close title showdown, as Svendsen-Cook and Ellinas spent most of the race close by. After 15 laps, which included a safety car period, the British driver crossed the line in second, leading his championship rival by five seconds and seemingly sealing the title.

However, the fight for the series crown would instead continued off-track as Ellinas lodged a protest against Svendsen-Cook, stating that the Brit rejoined the track in an unsafe manner on the opening lap and forced the Cypriot off. After a lengthy period of review, the stewards announced that Svendsen-Cook would receive a post-race penalty, which would drop him down to P12 and give the championship to Ellinas.

Shortly thereafter, Svendsen-Cook confirmed that he would be appealing the decision, stating on his personal Twitter: “I did my job and won the championship fair on track… I hope a fair outcome with racing/sporting sense prevails in the hearing”. The date and the procedure of the appeal is yet to be disclosed, leaving the name of the series champion shrouded in uncertainty.

Meanwhile, amidst all the title drama, it was Sam Dejonghe who took the checkered flag first, picking up his second victory in the series. Reverse-grid polesitter Ben Anderson managed to keep the lead off the start, but soon picked up his second jump start drive-through of the weekend, allowing the Belgian to soon take over in the lead.

Behind the initial podium finishers, Dylan Young took fourth, managing to narrowly keep Gaurav Gill at bay. Harry Tincknell had an early-race incident with Narain Karthikeyan but managed to recover to sixth, while Oscar King beat Vikash Anand to seventh. Formula Ford racers Sam Brabham and Max Marshall completed the top ten.

* Rupert Svendsen-Cook has appealed his post-race penalty, decision pending

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Photo: Auto GP World Series

MRF Challenge guest driver Narain Karthikeyan powered through to victory in race four of the final round of the series at Madras, while Tio Ellinas nullified Rupert Svendsen-Cook‘s championship lead.

The experienced Indian spent most of the race hanging back in third behind the duo of title challengers and then established himself as a victory contender during the final laps after a safety car restart.

He first picked off Svendsen-Cook and then made it past Ellinas on the penultimate lap to take over the race lead and cross the line in first.

Ellinas had to settle for second and the fastest lap of the race, which, combined and given Karthikeyan’s ineligibility for points, allowed him to completely negate third-placed Svendsen-Cook’s points advantage.

Race two winner Sam Dejonghe took fourth, ahead of the round’s surprise performer Dylan Young. Brits Ben Anderson, Max Marshall, Harry Tincknell, Sam Brabham and Laura Tillett made up the remainder of the top ten.

Coming into the final race, Svendsen-Cook leads Ellinas on victory countback, with the pair level on points.

Race results

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Photo: MRF Challenge

Two victories and a podium in three MRF Challenge races on Saturday allowed Brit Rupert Svendsen-Cook to seize the championship lead from GP3 race winner Tio Ellinas coming into the final day of the season at Madras.

Svendsen-Cook started the first race of the round on front row behind Ellinas and managed to defeat the Cypriot in a race-long fight for victory. Narain Karthikeyan, having started from third, fell behind Oscar King during the opening lap but managed to make his way back onto the podium as the race went on.

Single-seater returnee King finished fourth, ahead of compatriot Harry Tincknell, Gustavo Myasava and Raj Bharath. Asia-Pacific Rally Championship title holder Gaurav Gill took eighth, with Ryan Cullen and Sam Brabham rounding out the top ten.

Ellinas’ title ambitions were struck a huge blow in race two when he retired after tangling with Bharath on lap nine. Up ahead, the race wound up contested between Svendsen-Cook, Tincknell and Sam Dejonghe.

The Belgian, who largely sat out the 2013 junior single-seater season, came out on top in the final laps, with Tincknell taking second and Svendsen-Cook settling for third. Cullen and Dylan Young made up the top five, ahead of Autosport’s Ben Anderson, Brabham, Max Marshall, Laura Tillett and Abdulla Al-Thawadi, who completed the points in a retirement-heavy race.

Anderson got reverse-grid pole for race three but was ruled out of contention right away with a drive through penalty for a false start. Meanwhile, Svendsen-Cook and Tincknell charged their way to the front and finished the race more than 30 seconds ahead of the rest of the pack, with the former taking the victory.

Australian racer Young started the race from front row and managed to keep a number of drivers behind to take his maiden podium in the series. King and Ellinas fought their way up to finish just one second off the podium, ahead of Cullen, Dejonghe and Myasava. Local racers Vikash Anand and Bharath completed the top ten.

Svendsen-Cook leads the standings with 185 points to Ellinas’ 176 coming into the final two races on Sunday.

Race one results

Race two results

Race three results

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Photo: Malcolm Griffiths / GP3 Media Service

MRF Challenge points leader Tio Ellinas has topped the qualifying session for the final round of the season at Madras.

The Cypriot put in a benchmark lap early on and would go unmatched for the remainder of the session, managing a last-minute improvement to put pole position beyond doubt.

Series guest Narain Karthikeyan spent most of the qualifying in second, but was demoted to third in the final minutes by Ellinas’ chief championship rival Rupert Svendsen-Cook.

Sam Dejonghe continued to figure among the series frontrunners by taking fourth, ahead of single-seater returnee Oscar King and F3 Sudamericana regular Gustavo Myasava. Local racer Raj Bharath pipped newly-signed sportscar racer Harry Tincknell to seventh, while Asia-Pacific Rally Champion Gaurav Gill led Ryan Cullen in ninth.

The MRF finale will feature five races. Ellinas provisionally leads Svendsen-Cook by 24 points, with Arthur Pic, who remains between them in the standings, missing the round as he focusses on his upcoming GP2 season.

Session results

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Photo: FIA Formula 3 European Championship

British racer Harry Tincknell has finalized a deal to graduate to sportscar racing in 2014, as he will contest both the full European Le Mans schedule and the prestigious 24 hours of Le Mans race in the Jota Sport’s LMP2 machinery.

Tincknell, 22, has been an ever-present frontrunner in Formula 3 racing over the recent years, taking five race victories in British F3 and one win in European F3 with a best result of fifth in both championships’ standings.

Prior to that, Tincknell racked up race victories in the now defunct Formula Renault 2.0 UK and took the title of the category’s Winter Series.

Jota took third in the 2013 European Le Mans LMP2 category, fielding a car for former junior single-seater star Oliver Turvey and Simon Dolan, who will be retained for 2014.

The announcement seems to confirm that the reliable Brit will not reprise his role as team leader in Carlin’s FIA F3 lineup. The frontrunning British squad has already confirmed five drivers for 2014 – Jake Dennis, Ed Jones and the KFC Asia-backed trio of Antonio Giovinazzi, Sean Gelael and Tom Blomqvist, with Jordan King expected to take the final seat.

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Photo: MRF Challenge

MRF Challenge frontrunners Tio Ellinas and Rupert Svendsen-Cook added to their victory tallies in round three of the series at Sakhir, each winning two of the four races.

Ellinas was quickest in qualifying, but, having lined up on the front row alongside him for race one, it was the Brit who jumped into the lead during the opening lap. From that point on, he kept Ellinas at bay for the race distance, eventually crossing the line in first to pick up his third victory in the championship.

The Cypriot, running in second, came under pressure from Arthur Pic in the closing stages of the race, even letting him through at some point, but wound up taking the spot back with the Frenchman rounding out the podium. Renan Guerra and Sam Dejonghe rounded out the top five.

In race two, reverse-grid poleman Shinya Michimi managed to maintain the lead off the start, but soon found himself challenged by a charging Svendsen-Cook. The Brit briefly took over in the lead early on, but was then tagged out by Michimi when the latter attempted to retake the lead.

The incident between the leaders allowed Ellinas to jump into the lead and the Cypriot controlled the race from that point on. Having finished second, Michimi was then demoted out of the points due to a post-race penalty and, as such, it was Pic who inherited second and Dejonghe who rounded out the podium. Guerra was again fourth, while Harry Tincknell took fifth.

The roles were reversed on Saturday. While it was Svendsen-Cook who started the feature race from pole, Ellinas soon took the lead and wound up comfortably winning the race, while the Brit kept busy holding off the third-placed Pic. Tincknell took fourth, with Dejonghe securing another fifth.

Again, Michimi lined up on reverse-grid pole for the second race of the day and, yet again, Svendsen-Cook soon took over in the lead of the race. This time it went off without a hitch for the Briton, with trouble hitting for his rivals instead – Ellinas had his race undone by a drive-through penalty for jumping the start, while Pic retired after colliding with Guerra.

As Svendsen-Cook took the win, Michimi and Dejonghe picked up the remaining podium positions. Tincknell took fourth, while Ryan Cullen picked up his best finish of the series in fifth.

In the standings, Ellinas leads Pic by 16 points, with Svendsen-Cook a further six behind, with one four-race round remaining.

Championship standings

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Photos: FIA F3 European Championship

The inaugural season for the revamped European F3 championship was met with a lot of excitement from all sides involved, but, ultimately, wound up being the expected evolution of the F3 Euro Series – a great grid with some fascinating racing, yet still mostly dominated by Prema and Mucke despite the involvement of the two big British squads.

It was a Marciello – Rosenqvist show, but that didn’t mean there weren’t lots of people to watch all around the grid – veterans, regional F3 graduates and ambitious upcomers from ADAC Formel Masters and Formula Pilota China alike. Below, we give you the rundown of the drivers who headlined FIA F3’s first year…

1. Raffaele Marciello

Italy, Prema Powerteam, age 18

489.5 points, 13 wins, 19 podiums, 12 pole positions, 7 fastest laps

After lighting up the F3 Euro Series with a powerhouse debut season in 2012 following two decent campaigns in Italian single-seaters, the pressure was on Marciello in 2013 as the Ferrari protege came into the championship as the favourite (further bolstered by Pascal Wehrlein’s DTM promotion).

Over the first four rounds he took six wins from 12 races despite losing one due to a technical infringement. Many were ready to call it there, but a dreadful weekend at Spielberg severely decreased his lead. The pattern continued for the rest of the year. A phenomenal weekend at Nurburgring would be followed by an absolute shocker at Zandvoort and, due to the inconsistencies, he had to wait until the last round to officially become champion.

It was not perfect – he noticeably struggled when not in the lead and seemed to falter when Prema wasn’t the best car at a given round. But he was often so eerily untouchable that you tend to forget the bumps. Having set the pace in GP2 and Formula Renault 3.5 testing, he looks set to continue his winning ways next season with the latter series his likely destination. Season rating: 8/10

2. Felix Rosenqvist

Sweden, Mucke Motorsport, age 22

457 points, 10 wins, 18 podiums, 4 pole positions, 10 fastest laps

2013 marked Rosenqvist’s third year in European F3, after a stellar debut in 2011 and a very up-and-down 2012. After Wehrlein was called up to DTM, the Swede quickly slotted into the status of Mucke’s chief title hope and fully lived up to that title as the season went on.

The severely rainy opener at Monza wound up being his worst showing of the year, as from that point on he began reliably increasing his points tally. When Marciello faltered at Spielberg, Rosenqvist took advantage with a stunning triple victory and then scored more points than anyone at the Norising. Just like Marciello, he also had some crucial points losses, stalling on the grid at Nurburgring and going off in qualifying at Vallelunga. Still, each time, the Swede fought his way back into the points, fighting for every single position.

It wasn’t enough in the end, but it sure made an impression. His F3 tenure should be over now and, while he hasn’t been that prominent in post-season testing, he would be a very welcome addition to the GP2 or the FR3.5 grid. If not, his Mercedes and Mucke ties should create a DTM opportunity. Season rating: 8

3. Alex Lynn

United Kingdom, Prema Powerteam, age 20

339.5 points, 3 wins, 14 podiums, 5 pole positions, 4 fastest laps

After three years with Fortec, which included a Formula Renault UK title and a solid debut season in British F3, Lynn secured a Prema deal for his European move and was soon one of the potential title contenders.

The first rounds went rather according to plan, as he reliably made the points and fought for podiums, even taking a maiden pole at Silverstone. At another British track – Brands – he finally took his first victory and later added another at Norisring. There were some issues and inconsistencies mid-season, but that was ironed out quick, as he made the top eight in the final eleven races of the championship, adding yet another victory at Vallelunga. Having secured third in the standings, he then confidently won the prestigious Macau Grand Prix.

Another year of F3 seemed to be the plan, but after the Macau triumph, the Briton instead lined up a switch to GP3 with Carlin. He’s also been accepted into the Red Bull Junior Team, which should provide a clear path of progression for his career. Season rating: 8

4. Lucas Auer

Austria, Prema Powerteam, age 19

277 points, 1 win, 9 podiums, 3 fastest laps

Auer might be the nephew of the President of FIA’s Single-Seater Commision – one Gerhard Berger – but nepotism has nothing to do with where he is right now. He broke into FIA F3 on merit, having taken the 2011 JK Racing Asia title in his debut year and then finishing third in German F3 in 2012.

Not a lot of people mark their first race in a championship with a podium – but that’s what the Austrian managed at Monza, following it up with a similar success at Silverstone. He kept reliably bagging points throughout the first half and inherited his first victory when Marciello was disqualified at Brands.

There was a bit of pattern change in half two, as Auer reliably finished within the top seven, yet only managing the occasional podium. He briefly challenged Lynn for third in the standings, but wound up settling for fourth. He’s already sealed the deal to do a sophomore FIA F3 campaign, switching to Mucke, with who he’ll surely be expected to challenge for the title. Season rating: 8

5. Harry Tincknell

United Kingdom, Carlin, age 22

227 points, 1 wins, 2 podiums, 2 pole positions

Having been mostly UK-bound for the early years of his single-seater career, Tincknell had a big jump ahead of him in the switch to European F3, despite having two previous years in the British series.

But from race one Tincknell adapted exceptionally well. He scored in all three races at Monza and then held on to his first win in the series from pole at Silverstone. At Brands, he added another podium, but that’s where standout performances came to a halt as the Briton continuously put in solid but unremarkable weekends, before a return to form at Hockenheim with three fifth-place finishes.

He still seems to lack that one final tenth, but the fact that he’s second only to Rosenqvist in total points finishes is one to be proud of. Mentored by Allan McNish, Tincknell has been linked with a move into the LMP2 class of endurance racing and it’s hard to imagine a driver more perfect for the role.?Season rating: 7

6. Jordan King

United Kingdom, Carlin, age 19

176 points, 2 podiums, 1 fastest lap

The highest-placed driver without prior F3 experience in the standings, Formula NEC runner-up King was a more than welcome addition to the grid, but ended up surpassing expectations.

The initial adjustment phase, which yielded some quality finishes yet also a bit too many retirements, was over at Spielberg, where King snatched his first podium in the series. From that point on, he was reliably a force at the front, with four fourth-place finishes and another podium at Zandvoort.

Having also added the British F3 title to his CV in 2013, the young Briton really put himself on the market, testing in a number of series after the season was over. Still, he is expected to stay in FIA F3, where he could look to end Prema’s dominance. Season rating: 8

7. Tom Blomqvist

United Kingdom, EuroInternational, age 19

151.5 points, 3 podiums

Another Formula Renault UK champion in the field, Blomqvist scored a Red Bull Junior Team spot after a strong 2012 and stayed on for a sophomore year in FIA F3.

Having joined EuroInternational, who he knew from a grandiose part-time campaign in German F3 last year, Blomqvist was rather surprisingly left by himself, as the second seat of the car was unfilled for most of the season. That did not make things easy for him or the squad and, together, they were often rather inconsistent. Still, the talent and experience showed – he scored three podiums in the first three rounds and was generally a reliable points finisher, which allowed him to repeat his rookie year’s result of seventh place.

As Red Bull have been pretty ruthless when it comes to selection, in both past and present, one tough year proved enough for Blomqvist to lose his backing. Still, it seems he won’t be lost without it, as he’s heavily tipped to join Carlin for a 2014 campaign in FIA F3, with backing from KFC Indonesia alongside Gelael and Giovinazzi. Season rating: 7

8. Pipo Derani

Brazil, Fortec Motorsports, age 20

151.5 points, 3 podiums

After a promising rookie year in Formula Renault NEC was followed up by three difficult campaigns in various F3 championships, the Brazilian needed to perform big-time in 2013.

But, while his team-mates got up to speed in the FIA F3 championship rather quickly, Derani had a very tough adjustment period, scoring a rather paltry 18 points over the first five rounds. However, just when Fortec began losing drivers and struggling for results, something clicked for Derani. At Nurburgring, he was suddenly the team leader, taking two podiums as he doubled his pre-round points tally. More strong weekends followed, capped off with another podium at Vallelunga and, finally, he firmly took over as the top Fortec driver in the standings – something that seemed completely implausible halfway through.

His season culminated with a third-place finish in the prestigious Macau GP. Shortly after that, Derani announced a switch to Road to Indy’s Pro Mazda series for 2014. He’s earned that one fully. Season rating: 7

9. Sven Muller

Germany, ma-con/Van Amersfoort Racing, age 21

122 points, 1 podium

The 21-year-old ADAC Formel Masters graduate was tipped for great things in FIA F3 after a stellar rookie year with Prema in 2012. However, plans came undone when he was not retained by the Italian squad, forcing him to secure a quick move to the familiar ma-con squad.

The partnership wouldn’t last all year as Muller, who was routinely quick but kept narrowly missing out on podiums and being involved in way too many crashes, switched to Van Amersfoort Racing come Zandvoort. While that didn’t dramatically improve his results, he found some welcome consistency and managed a great final weekend at Hockenheim where he finally took his first podium of the year.

It seemed rather likely that Muller could stick around as one of F3’s experienced drivers, but he wound up securing Porsche backing for a season in the Carrera Cup Germany, where he has the potential to build a long career in sportscars. Season rating: 7

10. Alexander Sims

United Kingdom, ThreeBond with T-Sport, age 25

112 points, 5 podiums, 1 fastest lap (12/30 races)

When T-Sport needed a replacement driver for the departing Buller, they wisely opted to call up McLaren GT3 man Sims, who further solidified himself as an exceptionally handy guest driver in 2013.

He made that especially apparently in his four rounds with T-Sport, as he climbed into the top ten in the standings with a very limited schedule. Stepping in at Norisring, he immediately showed frontrunning pace, confidently taking two top-five finishes. At Nurburgring, he gave the team their first podium of the year, and while Zandvoort didn’t go so well, he was the man of the moment at Vallelunga, taking podiums in all three races on a track generally dominated by Prema.

Combined with his outright brilliant guest showings in GP3, Sims has duly returned into the single-seater limelight, despite the rather above-average age. It’s fair to say he’s earned at least one crack at GP2 or FR3.5, but if he continues in single-seaters, another year at the F3 level is more likely. Season rating: 8

11. Felix Serralles

United States, Fortec, age 21

104 points, 2 podiums, 1 fastest lap

Fortec’s chief hope in F3 after coming within one round of the British crown, the talented Puerto Rican had some serious expectations to live up to in his first year in the European championship.

The season started well enough, too. As Fortec were coming to grips with the new challenge, Serralles delivered some good finishes in the first two rounds before hitting a jackpot at Hockenheim, where he finished runner-up twice. His season would completely come apart after that. He left Spielberg and Brands empty-handed and, following two decent enough showings at Norisring and Nurburgring, would not score again for the remainder of the year, consistently hitting trouble and seemingly struggling due to a back injury remission. The absolute lowpoint came at the Hockenheim finale when, after colliding with Estonian Kevin Korjus, he deliberately ran into the latter’s car and was excluded from the race.

Having missed Macau, Serralles has now joined series newcomers West-Tec for 2014. He’s surely talented enough to succeed, but there are issues that need ironing out. His career will hinge on whether he can do that as soon as possible. Season rating: 6

12. Josh Hill

United Kingdom, Fortec, age 22

56 points, 1 podium (15/30 races)

Coming out of what is perhaps the most successful racing family in single-seaters, Hill finally entered the big leagues in 2012 when he took third in Formula Renault 2.0 NEC. Pressure was again on to perform this year as he lined up the switch to European F3.

The first two rounds at Monza and Silverstone weren’t the easiest, as he often failed to maximize his pace and only took two points finishes. But at Hockenheim, it all suddenly clicked as Hill took a very impressive podium finish in race two. He’s remained largely on-pace for the next two rounds, despite some rather inconsistent performances.

Midway through the rather promising season, Josh officially called it quits on his motorsports career, instead focusing on music. Season rating: 7

13. Eddie Cheever, Jr.

Italy, Prema Powerteam, age 20

50 points

After a good sophomore year in Italian F3, Cheever was finally given the nod to the European scene, and remained with Prema for his rookie year in the FIA series.

As matching his teammates would probably have been a rather tall order, his occasional points finishes early on were a pretty decent start. However, there wasn’t much in the way of noticeable improvement at mid-season, where he had a seven-race non-scoring streak, as he continued to struggle with converting decent qualifying results into points. It wouldn’t have been a season to be remembered fondly, but his performance on home turf at Vallelunga was genuinely encouraging, as he took his best finish of the season in fourth and his second-best – a fifth place.

He might be done with single-seaters after this year, as news has been circulating that he’s lined up a seat in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. Season rating: 6

14. Pascal Wehrlein

Germany, Mucke Motorsport, age 19

49 points, 1 win, 3 podiums, 2 pole positions, 2 fastest laps (3/30 races)

After an outright stunning rookie year in F3 Euro, Wehrlein was set to come back for a title campaign, but was called up at short-notice by the Mercedes DTM squad.

He still got to do the opening weekend at Monza and showed just what we’d be in for if he stuck around, with a double pole and a victory in tricky conditions.

His rookie year in DTM went alright after all, despite some rather noticeable bad luck. He’ll surely stick around for another year in touring cars at least, but, as we’ve seen previously, there’s always a chance he’ll be back to running open-wheelers at some point down the line. Season rating: N/A

15. Nicholas Latifi

Canada, Carlin, age 18

45 points

After a rather quiet, if promising, rookie single-seater year in Italian F3 and a TRS campaign, the Canadian youngster wound up making the huge FIA F3 jump with Carlin.

Surpisingly, it took Latifi just one round to adapt – in race four of the season, he suddenly took a very impressive fifth-place finish and then had a number of other standout results as the year went on.

There was not much in the way of consistency, which explains the 45 points, but the pace shown by Latifi was extremely promising for a single-seater sophomore. He deserves another year in FIA F3 at the very least and looks rather set to get the chance, potentially switching to Prema. Season rating: 7

16. William Buller

United Kingdom, ThreeBond with T-Sport/Fortec, age 21

39 points (15/30 races)

If Buller’s Formula Renault 3.5 venture was the really good part of his season, his fourth year in Formula Three, on the contrary, didn’t quite go to plan.

After some very promising pre-season tests with the T-Sport squad, he was expected to fight at the front, but the pace just wasn’t there. His brilliant opening race, where he went from 12th on the grid to fourth, wound up his best result of the year. Opting for a change of scenery after just four rounds, he signed up to race with Fortec, but, after his debut round with them yielded no points, the Northern Irishman called it quits on European F3, focusing on the British series instead.

While his F3 efforts this year have been extremely par for the course, he has shown something special in 3.5 and is expected to make the full-time switch in 2014. Season rating: 6

17. Antonio Giovinazzi

Italy, Double R Racing, age 19

31 points

After British F3 was scaled back, the ultra-promising Formula Pilota China champion wound up getting a European F3 drive in just his second year in single-seaters.

To say it was a challenge would be an understatement, as both he and the team lacked the experience to regularly fight for points. Yet Giovinazzi still looked very competent – he routinely finished on the outskirts of the top ten, picking up the occasional point and noticeably improving along the way. Much of his season was hurt by poor qualifying – he hadn’t started higher than tenth before the Hockenheim finale. The German track, however, seemed to suit him and Double R reasonably well and, having made it in the top ten for all three grids, he almost doubled his points total in one weekend.

Largely reliant on the backing of his teammate Sean Gelael, as the rookie duo will move higher up the field for 2014 by joining Carlin, where Giovinazzi in particular could shine. Season rating: 7

18. Lucas Wolf

Germany, URD Rennsport, age 19

28 points, 1 podium

A year ago, the underexperienced ADAC Formel Masters graduate surprised Formula 3 with a podium in his otherwise tough maiden season and, as such, was deserving of another European F3 campaign with family-run team URD Rennsport.

Admittedly, with a severely increased grid, it was always going be much harder to replicate the feat. And, for most of it, Wolf was achieving results par for the course – only managing to break into the top ten on one weekend and often involved in incidents. However, the Spielberg weekend midway through the season saw Wolf fight on an entirely different level. He qualified for all three races in the top three and, despite one DNF, managed to bag a podium.

It’s tough to see where 2014 will take the young German – it’d make sense to stay in F3, but he’s tried his hand at GT3 racing and might end up switching his focus. Season rating: 6

19. Michael Lewis

United States, Mucke Motorsport, age 22

23 points (27/30 races)

Having not been retained by Prema after an up-and-down rookie season in F3, American Michael Lewis struggled to find another seat on the grid and was not there for the opener, after a predicted deal with Romeo Ferraris fell through.

He was, however, the obvious choice for Mucke to replace the outgoing Wehrlein and stepped into the German’s seat from round two. Still, it was Rosenqvist’s year in the team, as the rest seemed to struggle – and the American was no exception. A quiet and ultimately disappointing second year saw him race mostly on the outskirts of the top ten, picking up the occasional points but failing to achieve standout results.

At 22, the California native could afford another year in F3, but looking for outside alternatives seems more sensible – he’s definitely capable enough to adapt to the Road to Indy racing scene should it come to that. Season rating: 5

20. Dennis van de Laar

Netherlands, Van Amersfoort Racing, age 18

22 points

Dutchman Dennis van de Laar was a surprise promotion for Van Amersfoort Racing, joining their FIA F3 squad after just one midfield year in German F3.

As such, rookie season struggles for inevitable. To van de Laar’s credit, he adapted rather quickly, scoring in the opening two races when the Dutch squad’s car was showing very promising pace.

The promising start didn’t seem to lead to much and, by the end, he was outclassed by new teammate Muller, finishing with a best result of sixth to the German’s podium. Still, it was a decent enough rookie season and one that van de Laar will be hoping to follow up on, having secured a deal to race with Prema in 2014. Season rating: 6

21. Jann Mardenborough

United Kingdom, Carlin, age 22

12 points

There’s one thing that always prefaces any discussions of Mardenborough’s results – that being, his background. The GT Academy winner didn’t come from karting and, instead, is one of the “gamer turned racer” types. His first season in cars came in 2012, when he looked spectacularly sharp in British GT.

A new challenge beckoned for 2013 in the form of single-seaters and FIA F3 in particular. And, while Mardenborough doesn’t have the background to match any of his competitors, he’s shown a rather remarkable ability to adapt, being a rather consistent factor in the midfield from the get-go.

His best finish did come in the penalty-fest that was the Norisring opener and his 12 points pale in comparison to Latifi’s 45, yet, on sheer pace, he was mighty impressive. He has tested in FR3.5 and GP3 and looked impressively ready for a switch, but his single-seater efforts are probably not his main focus. Season rating: 7

22. Roy Nissany

Israel, Mucke Motorsport, age 19

11 points

After two midfield years in ADAC Formel Masters, Nissany opted for the rather huge leap to FIA F3 – admittedly, a move that worked out well in the past for others.

However, Rosenqvist was the only driver this year capable of consistently bagging points in the orange car and Roy was no exception. To his credit, it was a better season than expected – while he was often amongst the backmarkers, he was more than capable of fighting for the occasional point.

His middle of the season was probably stronger than the end, yet it still wound up painting a nice picture. He’s earned the chance to be retained by Mucke for 2014. Season rating: 5

23. Mitch Gilbert

Australia, Mucke Motorsport, age 19

10 points

After finishing fourth in his rookie German F3 year, Gilbert looked more than ready for the FIA F3 switch and lined up a very good seat with Mucke.

So, not much was indicating that a “nightmare” year was upcoming. But, in the end, that’s what happened. He was surprisingly lacking pace over the few opening rounds, often running with the backmarkers, and, while points and other decent finishes started coming in in the second half, it was not enough to salvage the year.

But those things happen. And, indeed, Gilbert has shown his considerable talent before and has what it takes to bounce back from a tough year. A change of scenery will suit him well for 2014, as he looks to be a prime candidate for a Fortec seat. Season rating: 5

24. Andre Rudersdorf

Germany, ma-con, age 18

3 points

German youngster Andre Rudersdorf came into 2013 after two titles the previous year, but, when compared to FIA F3, both were pretty minor (Austrian F3 and German F3 Trophy Class).

So, with a smaller team like ma-con, all Rudersdorf really needed to do was run on-pace and, for the majority of the running, he lived up to the mission.While let down by his qualifying efforts (making the top 20 on the grid only twice), he’s generally been neat and tidy in the races, which allowed him to pick up three points.

Should be retained by ma-con for 2014 and will hopefully strive to become a more prominent part of the top ten. Season rating: 5

25. John Bryant-Meisner

Sweden, Fortec Motorsport, age 19

2 points (6/30 races)

The Swede, recovering from an injury that sidelined him for pretty much all of 2012, spent most of this year racing German F3, but did try out the final FIA F3 rounds with a clear goal of stepping up to the category in 2014.

He’s made an impression, too, managing to mostly keep up with the other Fortec drivers in both qualifying and races. Reliably in the midfield on his debut, he would record five top-16 finishes and, among them, picked up two points. If this was the audition for 2014, you’d have to imagine that he passed it. Season rating: N/A

Daniil Kvyat

Russia, Carlin, age 19

1 win, 7 podiums, 5 pole positions, 2 fastest laps (21/30 races)

Red Bull Junior Team’s Daniil Kvyat was a surprise part-time acquisition by Carlin, as the Russian was simultaneously signed up for GP3.

Ultimately, it turned into a double campaign and one Kvyat could be mighty proud of. He took an against-odds pole during his first round and, while struggling with starts, still managed to convert that into a podium. He was masterful at Spielberg, taking a triple pole but ultimately finishing runner-up to Rosenqvist on all three occasions. Finally, he managed to convert his fifth pole into a win at Zandvoort and then capped off his campaign with several other strong finishes.

Sure, there were off rounds, but they weren’t due to any inherent lack of pace. And, with this kind of FIA F3 guesting on his resume and a GP3 title, Kvyat, who was promoted by Red Bull into an F1 seat for next year, can make that step with his head held high. Season rating: 8

The rest of the field

Double R’s Sean Gelael and Tatiana Calderon did not wind up scoring points, although it wasn’t for the lack of trying, especially on the Indonesian’s part. Gelael, thus, has probably fulfilled his goals for the huge step to FIA F3 and, at 17, remains a very interesting prospect.

Dmitry Suranovich began the season with Fortec, but ended up retiring from racing altogether after the first round. Alfonso Celis and Ed Jones both appeared in one-offs with the British team at later stages.

Mans Grenhagen was extremely promising in testing for Van Amersfoort Racing, but couldn’t convert the pace into any points and was replaced after one too many crashes. Spike Goddard was competent but quiet in his first season with T-Sport, albeit finding himself in a fair share of incidents in wheel-to-wheel racing.

Sandro Zeller had a tough year after a somewhat encouraging rookie season in 2013, while Romeo Ferraris couldn’t really find themselves in a position to fight for points during the several appearances with Gary Thompson and Michela Cerruti.

Kevin Korjus and Stefano Coletti checked off an appearance each to qualify for the Macau GP. Finally, Toyota Racing Series New Zealand double champ Nick Cassidy was very rapid on his two guest rounds, but never quite managed to convert the pace into a standout result.

The post 2013 FIA F3 European Championship season review appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: MRF Challenge

French MRF Challenge frontrunner Arthur Pic became the second double winner of the current series, picking up the victory in race two of the Sakhir round.

Lining up in fifth on the grid, Pic made it up to second by the first lap and then took the lead from reverse-grid poleman Yudai Jinkawa, who then tumbled way down the order over lap two.

FIA F3 race winner Harry Tincknell took over in second shortly, but couldn’t withstand the pressure from Tio Ellinas, giving up the place on lap six. The Cypriot then proceeded to chase after Pic, but, despite a pace advantage, ran out of laps before he could mount a serious challenge.

As such, it was Pic’s victory, ahead of Ellinas and Tincknell, who bagged his first podium in the series. Race one winner Rupert Svensen-Cook couldn’t manage to get past Shinya Michimi and ended up fifth, right behind the Japanese driver.

Sam Dejonghe secured sixth with an overtake on Sheikh bin Rashid Al Khalifa, who settled for seventh. Sam Brabham took the final point in eighth, while Dylan Young and Renan Guerra rounded out the top ten.

Race results

The post Arthur Pic wins reverse-grid Sakhir race appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: MRF Challenge

MRF Challenge frontrunner Rupert Svendsen-Cook became the first man on the grid to win multiple races in the current season of the championship, scoring a surprise victory in race one at Sakhir.

Starting on the second row, Svendsen-Cook managed a stellar opening lap that allowed him to comfortably lead ahead of front row starters Tio Ellinas and Arthur Pic early on.

An incident involving Sam Dejonghe then saw the safety car come out on lap two and, after the restart, Pic overtook Ellinas for second place, their battle allowing the Brit to maintain the lead.

A couple of laps later, Pic closed in on Svendsen-Cook, with Ellinas remaining close behind, but they found themselves unable to make a move. As such, the trio ran in formation for the rest of the race distance.

Harry Tincknell was five seconds down in fourth, while Renan Guerra finished fifth after a great first lap from tenth on the grid. Shinya Michimi fought his way up to sixth after early troubles, with his compatriot Yudai Jinkawa taking seventh.

Sam Brabham, Sheikh bin Rashid Al Khalifa and Carmen Jorda rounded out the top ten.

UPDATE: Renan Guerra received thirty seconds of additional time as a post-race penalty, which promoted Dylan Young into the points and demoted Guerra himself to 15th.

Race results

The post Rupert Svendsen-Cook clinches MRF race one victory at Sakhir appeared first on Formula Scout.

The Cypriot was dominant in the session, being the only driver to go below the 2:03 benchmark. He managed to do so twice and, as such, also took pole for race three, the grid for which is formed on second-best laps.

Rupert Svendsen-Cook, who won the reverse-grid race at Buddh International, took third, ahead of Formula Challenge Japan racer Shinya Michimi.

Briton Harry Tincknell, looking to make up some positions in the standings after an incident in the opening race, was fifth, while Sam Brabham took an impressive sixth.

Practice pacesetter Sam Dejonghe placed seventh, as Yudai Jinkawa, Ryan Cullen and Renan Guerra rounded out the top ten.

Session results

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