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An interesting race yesterday and a good strong performance from Regalia who disappeared after the safety car and took a comfortable victory.
The top 8 pretty much remained the same through out the race Bly changing when Kvyat’s car stopped out on track and Korjus relieved a drive through penalty.
Meanwhile, behind the front runners, Zamparelli seemed like the only driver interest in overtaking as he moved up from 16th to 10th in the first lap, getting a lightening start and moving up into the points.
Jack Harvey showed at ARTs good run of form continued but he was unfortunate not to be able to get past Ellinas to take second. Overtaking during the race seems to be a big issue this year. As the cars have incised in power and downforce over last years car the ability to overtake has decrease. A higher downforce has caused greater turbulence behind causing any car chasing down a slower car to loose front downforce and to slide around a lot more loosing tyre grip and speed into the corners.
At the back of the field on the first lap Sa Silva took out Lichenstein into the hairpin in spectacular fashion as the Carlin driver went onto the grass and side swiped the unfortunate Lichenstein. And at the final hairpin Eriksson collider with Webster almost tipped Webster’s car 90 degrees, the Carnot the Tarmac with a thump that complete bent the back of the car. Webster was taken to hospital for cautionary checks but he has been cleared to race in race two.
And where did Jorda finish I hear you ask? She didn’t she was black flagged. She failed to serve a drive through penalty and was subsequently shown the black. Although after only two laps after the safety car restart he was a good 8 seconds off of the back of the group. One can only presume that she is paying much over the 750,000 full amount fee for a GP3 seat to remain in the series. (I should be a little more careful about Jorda, she was sat behind me yesterday after qualifying)
So what can we expect from race 2. Sims starts on pole wi McKee alongside. I see Sims running off with this one as long as there is no contact at turn 1 it should be a pretty standard race upfront. With any action oping from the back of the field. I’m interested to see how Daly does starting from 10th as he does seem able to really hook together the start.
An interesting race yesterday and a good strong performance from Regalia who disappeared after the safety car and took a comfortable victory.
The top 8 pretty much remained the same through out the race Bly changing when Kvyat’s car stopped out on track and Korjus relieved a drive through penalty.
Meanwhile, behind the front runners, Zamparelli seemed like the only driver interest in overtaking as he moved up from 16th to 10th in the first lap, getting a lightening start and moving up into the points.
Jack Harvey showed at ARTs good run of form continued but he was unfortunate not to be able to get past Ellinas to take second. Overtaking during the race seems to be a big issue this year. As the cars have incised in power and downforce over last years car the ability to overtake has decrease. A higher downforce has caused greater turbulence behind causing any car chasing down a slower car to loose front downforce and to slide around a lot more loosing tyre grip and speed into the corners.
At the back of the field on the first lap Sa Silva took out Lichenstein into the hairpin in spectacular fashion as the Carlin driver went onto the grass and side swiped the unfortunate Lichenstein. And at the final hairpin Eriksson collider with Webster almost tipped Webster’s car 90 degrees, the Carnot the Tarmac with a thump that complete bent the back of the car. Webster was taken to hospital for cautionary checks but he has been cleared to race in race two.
And where did Jorda finish I hear you ask? She didn’t she was black flagged. She failed to serve a drive through penalty and was subsequently shown the black. Although after only two laps after the safety car restart he was a good 8 seconds off of the back of the group. One can only presume that she is paying much over the 750,000 full amount fee for a GP3 seat to remain in the series. (I should be a little more careful about Jorda, she was sat behind me yesterday after qualifying)
So what can we expect from race 2. Sims starts on pole wi McKee alongside. I see Sims running off with this one as long as there is no contact at turn 1 it should be a pretty standard race upfront. With any action oping from the back of the field. I’m interested to see how Daly does starting from 10th as he does seem able to really hook together the start.
It was an interesting qualifying from start to finish. Regalia delivered on his promise of a pole position this weekend and Tio Ellinas on only his first time racing at this circuit put in a superb performance in his Marussia Manor car.
Times fell over a second from yesterday’s fastest times as the track temperature was warmer with a clear blue sky overhead and from the previous days rubber.
Alex Fontana went third in the Jenzer and yes you guessed it floundering at the bottom of the table like a fish out of water was Carmen Jorda the Spanish stunner was stunningly slow…again.
The cars, however, we’re quick, lap times were down by 5 seconds on last years cars making the times incredibly competitive and thus qualifying very enjoyable. I’m certainly looking forward to the race, especially with the drop off at turn one things could get very interesting.
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An interesting practice session dominated by Sims, his first time in the GP3 car and he storms to claiming the fastest time out on track. Lichenstein comes a close second just a hundredth of off Sims and Zamparelli in 3rd, th first time this season he has out paced his more experienced GP3 team mate Tio Ellinas.
It was initially a battle between Sainz Jr (his famous rally driver father watching on from the GP3 hospitality tent) and Williamson in the Bamboo. Sainz spurred on by the promise of a seat at the young driver test pushed hard but Williamson easily matched his pace and bettered it. It looked set to be a battle between the two but as the track developed and the cars became optimised for conditions the time sheets lit up with a whole host of different drivers moving up the table.
However, of course, it was no surprise to see Carmen Jorda floundering at the bottom some 6 seconds of off the pace.
The final few minutes became very exciting as Zamparelli started setting the fastest first sector times, and Sims the second and third. Zamparelli’s blistering first sector pace was unfortunately balanced with his final sector being just 2 tenths of off Sims and ultimately denied him the top spot on the time sheets. It was fantastic to see the Anglo-Italian fighting for the fastest time after an unfortunate Silverstone weekend, gladly it was nice to see that a poor weekend also time out hadn’t dampened his spirits, and if anything he was ready to really show his worth on the track.
Although this really wasn’t the most intriguing part of the practice session, it was Sims’ pace. In a car that in previous races had seemed like it had a fundamental flaw, he shone whilst Webster hung limply close to the bottom showing that the team has the pace, but, until this weekend, not the right drivers.
And we’re at the German Grand Prix, it was a long day of travelling yesterday to get here but worth it as this morning we did the track walk. Usually the trck walk for gp3 and gp2 are separate to that of formula one but it was a nice surprise this morning to be walking the track with Roman Grosjean, Heiki Kovalinen, Paul di Resta and Max Chilton, as well as Dino Zamparelli and Tio Ellinas of Marussia Manor Raing.
The weather at the Nürburgring is notoriously dynamic, but fortunately we were lucky enough to be walking the five kilometre circuit in the sunshine just finishing as heavy black clouds dominate the sky above the circuit.
One thing that as a racing fan I didn’t realise about the Nürburgring from the television is e extreme camber of many of the corners. Even just walking the track you a drawn into walking the racing line and following hitting the apex with the camber.
We are looking forward to a good weekend of racing. Qualifying is going to be very important here as it is a fairly narrow track with some of the the team bosses remarking it could do with being a little wider to encourage overtaking, however it’s still a great track and should bring out some fine overtakes.
So venutrini wins the second race, Zamparelli and Daly both had holes punched in the gear boxes after an incident at turn 3 of lap one, looking at the car inside the marussia manor garage you could literally see the gears through a whole the size of a small melon.
The biggest controversies in the paddock among the drivers and the teams and also those as spectators and commentators were the penalties dished out the previous day on Carlos Sainz Jr. And Kujala. Kujala had a horrible incident where his front wheel touched the rear wheel of fumaneli which in turn dragged kujala’s car up and over the trident driver, flipping Kujala into the air and landing upside down, an unfortunate incident which really should have been a racing incident with perhaps a 5 place grid penalty which however resulted in a race suspension. Sainz’s 10 place grid penalty was, however, a travesty of stewardship. It was plain to see Sainz knowingly force Williamson off of the track, willingly forcing a driver onto the grass which could of resulted in a horrific accident which fortunately didn’t happen, Sainz used his car as a weapon and broke a cardinal rule of leaving enough space for a car, an incredibly dangerous move and very easy to see he did this knowingly yet he escaped with a ten place grid penalty. Speaking to some teams before the second race many agreed that the penalties should have been the other way around but it appears this season after the gp2 race in Barcelona that the stewards are failing to see that some drivers are actively using their cars as weapons.
It’s a long break between the qualification this morning and the first race to afternoon, it gives plenty of time for reflection for the drivers and also to fulfil other commitments. Dino Zamparelli and Ryan Cullen made an appearance at the Silverstone Racing Club to speak whilst the members enjoyed some refreshing beverages, they provided a first hand insight into the difficulties of qualifying especially when there is 27 drivers with speeds differing up to 6 seconds a lap. Dino explained that he really struggled with traffic which led to him qualifying in 16th whilst Ryan was happy just to get some more experience under his belt as this is the first time he has driven the Silverstone circuit in aero-package car.
Meanwhile in the paddock again the mood has been laser although the ART team haven’t yet taken to playing tennis again.
With the very busy schedule on track it takes along time for the gp3 cars to return to the paddock after qualifying. Parc-ferme is in the new paddock and the teams are based in the old. Today, it took around 3 hours for the cars to be back leaving very little for e mechanics to do.
The drivers however, as I mentioned previously, have their commitments, and it’s very rare you see any relaxing. Fontana was pacing the paddock on his phone evidently speaking to the press back home, the Jack Harvey, as the highest qualifying Brit has been very busy with press interviews as have many drivers and all also have to go throu their data from the qualifying session to learn for the race later today.
I apologise for my absence although I have been at both th Catalonia GP and Valencia gp3 GP the Internet connections have been appalling. Fortunately we seem to be able to do it properly when we host a GP in England. I’ve just had a walk down the pits and as I mentioned earlier it I incredibly quiet amongst the gp2 and gp3 teams, especially with gp3. The double pit lanes at Silverstone make things very interesting logistically for the teams with the support series being hosted in the old paddock the teams have to catch a bus as their drivers head out in their cars to the new pits where they line up amongst the formula 1 teams.
Nick Cassidy has also made it to the paddock although I am very sorry to say that he isn’t driving, watching him in Spain an Portugal Preseason I really felt he would be a title contender this season but its nice to see him again.
This weekend four of the British drivers will be sporting the inboard cameras so be sure to tune in on sky sports f1.
Gp3 practice starts just before 6 this afternoon, the track currently is still damp and at 17 degrees, should be a fun event and the mood in the paddock is currently very relaxed, 4 of the at team members are sat across from me joking around as there isn’t a lot to do remembering its a long day until the gp3 cars get out.
Jorda, it seems, after some very disappointing test sessions is in GP3 because of money not down to skill, unfortunately, like F1 GP3, is a business and these teams do need to stay afloat financially and Jorda is the contribution to this, which, for the sake of a full grid, I am okay with, unless come the races Jorda becomes a hinderance to the rest of the field at which point I would feel her time as a racing driver should be over
Silverstone Day 2 The Afternoon session
The afternoon session started much slower than the morning. Korjus was the first to set a competitive lap time and that clocked in at over one and a half seconds slower than the fastest of the morning times posting a 1:46.771. With over forty-five minutes of the session gone only eleven drivers had actually set lap times and many of those much slower than their morning pace.
The next fifteen minutes saw most of the cars brave the cold as a gentle flurry of snow came down. The track got busier and times started to drop as drivers battled for clear air and track position. At an hour it was Tio Ellinas in the Marussia Manor car once again setting the timing screens alight. With purple sector times he’d moved to the number one spot with a 1:46.287, 0.153 seconds ahead of Venturini and 0.189 ahead of his Manor teammate Nick Cassidy.
Whilst lap times continued to be set, it finally came clear why Samin Gomez hadn’t been out in the morning and wasn’t out on track in the afternoon as she tweeted that her health wouldn’t allow her to race today.
Shortly after the one hour mark a battle for top position seemed to be unfolding as Jack Harvey set a time just 0.021 seconds faster than that of Ellinas.
The session halted for the first time int he afternoon as Alex Fontana’s trident developed a fault and stopped on the pit straight, the Silverstone team scrambled the recovery truck and within ten minutes the lights changed to green and practice resumed. Facu Regalia then took his turn once more to go quickest on a 1:46.194 with only an hour remaining of the session. Then, as the battle continued, Ellinas set the first, and only time it would turn out, to dip below the 1:45.821.
With the chequered flag fallen it was Marussia Manor with all three of their drivers inside the top ten who showed to have dominated the weekend on overall performance and Ellinas who conquered on individual driver status setting purple times for all three sectors. Whilst Sainz Jr., now with proper ballast in his car, floundered in 17th and 1.693 seconds of the pace.
Silverstone Day 2 – Morning Session
Yesterday started cold and the hopes were high for this mornings session to begin under better circumstances, however the weather had other ideas. A light snow travelled down over the Silverstone circuit but fortunately it caused little hinderance. The track temperature also settled in favour of the drivers, even with the sun hiding behind a thick white cloud blanket, settling at a rather chilly three degrees centigrade. With many of the drivers heading out to do shake down runs.
Visoiu, Harvey and Sainz Jr. were first to brave it out on track, but it was Facu Regalia who set the first competitive lap time at 1:47.627 only to be beaten by David Fumanelli to replace him at the top with a 1:47.324. With an hour gone the order remained the same with Fumanelli leading Regalia, Venturini, Visoiu and Webster, that is until the driver who was disqualified at the end of yesterdays session, Carlos Sainz Jr. returned with a 1:46.671.
With many of the drivers out on race simulation runs or qualifying runs an hour into the morning session it was the slowest driver from yesterday who stopped play for everybody else. Carmen Jorda, the Spanish Bamboo Engineering driver, had spun and stopped out on track bringing out the red flag as the recovery truck went to collect her stranded car. And after practice resumed it was Jack Harvey in the ART who split the top two with a 1:46.350.
Vainio was the first to challenge the times set in the afternoon session yesterday, setting a 1.46.226 just shy by a hundredth of a second off Tio Ellinas’ table topping time. However with that aggressive driving stance that made Tio so enjoyable to watch last year he quickly started to challenge Vainio’s time and eventually move up to second just 0.055 of a second off the leader.
Adderly Fong then took his turn to stop any running apparently running out of fuel, but the recovery team were quick to move him off the track to let running resume once again, and it was Dino Zamparelli who shook up the timing sheets with a very impressive 1:46.157 setting the fastest time of the two days and laying down the gauntlet for the other drivers. Regalia quickly responded allowing Zamparelli only just enough time to get from his car and see his name at the top of the timing screens. Regalia’s 1:45.855 was the first to drop below the 1:46 mark then Fumanelli responded with a 1:45.213 almost a second faster than Zamparelli who by this point was in fifth.
With ten minutes to go the red flag is waved once more and once again it is Carmen Jorda who spins out. With just under three minutes to go a few cars head out before lunch but with little time to get the heat into the tires times remain the same.
The big difference this morning, in regards to time, has been the track temperature, the slight increase has allowed for much faster times, the cars are already setting times over three seconds faster than last years GP3 cars, and I for one am looking forward to this afternoon’s session.
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and youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/granvillewolfeThe times
Fumanelli 1:45.213
Regalia 1:45.855
Fontana 1:46.040
Sainz Jr. 1:46.107
Zamparelli 1:46.157
Vainio 1:46.226
McKee 1:46.262
Ellinas 1:46.281
Venturini 1:46.282
Cassidy 1:46.336
Harvey 1:46.350
Visoiu 1:46.339
Kujala 1:46.406
Daly 1:46.437
Yelloly 1:46.468
Guimaraes 1:46.526
Kvyat 1:46.539
Niederhauser 1:46.888
Zonzini 1:47.039
Korjus 1:47.312@wsrgo still at Silverstone, will be updating on tomorrows proceedings after each session. Don’t forget to check out https://www.facebook.com/pages/Granville-Wolfe-Films/116409448533821 for other updates or check out David Ayres wonderful photos at http://www.picturesports.co.uk
