Jordan's Track Talk

Category: 2023

  • F3 – RND 6 – Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-

    Marti retained his lead off the line, but Oliver Goethe didn’t pull away cleanly as he dropped down from fourth to 27th, where as Aron was flying and got up to third by the end of the first lap.

    On Lap 2, Trident’s Gabriel Bortoleto dropped down to 14th having been in ninth after a slow exit out of Turn 3 but the Brazilian was quick to start his fightback, taking 13th from Mari Boya and then 12th from Dino Beganovic.

    The Safety Car was deployed on Lap 11 after contact between Oliver Gray and Rafael Villagomez at Turn 4. The VAR driver was spun around following contact with the Rodin Carlin car, where the Brit had nowhere to go to avoid him.

    Aron had closed on Marti gradually lap after lap following the restart and on Lap 18, he cleared the Spanish driver into Turn3 3, fending off Mini in the process who’d put them all three-wide entering the corner.

    Collet dived to the inside of Marti at the final corner on the penultimate lap to move himself into third, and O’Sullivan capitalised on his lost momentum to pass Marti for fourth.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Aron, P2: Mini, P3: Collet, P4: O’Sullivan, P5: Edgar, P6: Marti, P7: Frederick, P8: Beganovic, P9: Montoya and P10: Bortoleto.

    Day 3-

    Gregoire Saucy held onto pole from lights out whilst Bortoleto had to fend off pressure from Paul Aron to keep hold of third. Further back, Gabriele Mini had slight contact with Luke Browning at Turn 4. The Hitech driver was sent across the gravel and was left out the race, which prompted a safety car on lap 2.

    Racing got back underway entering Lap 5 with Saucy able to build up a small gap to Dino Beganovic behind him. The ART driver couldn’t escape the one-second DRS window though, and the Swede was through for P1 on Lap 7 under breaking at Turn 4.

    Aron made a late dive down the inside of Bortoleto at Turn 3 to take third position on Lap 10. One lap later he tried the same on Saucy but had no room to make it stick.

    In the fight for the lead, Bortoleto was able to slipstream his way past Beganovic for P1 into Turn 4 on Lap 13, while Aron was finally forced to out for a new front wing due to contact.

    Further back, Caio Collet and Sebastian Montoya made progress up the top 10, passing Kaylen Frederick to take fifth and sixth places.

    The full top 10 are- P1: O’Sullivan, P2: Bortoleto, P3: Collet, P4: Colapinto, P5: Beganovic, P6: Edgar, P7: Mansell, P8: Barter, P9: Marti and P10: Fornaroli.

  • RND 10 – Austrian Grand Prix

    The Austrian Grand Prix is now complete, lets take a look at how race number 10 went!

    Max Verstappen make its 5 wins in a row, and a clean sweep of wins and poles across this jam-packed weekend as he showed a dominant display today, he led home Ferrari driver, Charles Leclerc and teammate Sergio Perez in third.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Perez, P4: Sainz, P5: Norris, P6: Alonso, P7: Hamilton, P8: Russell, P9: Gasly and P10: Stroll.

    Great results for Red Bull, finally Sergio Perez having a decent result! Only thing is to see if he can do the same next weekend including a good qualifying result too.

    Good result for Ferrari also, nice to see Leclerc back on the podium aswell. They needed a strong weekend as a whole for both drivers and they finally got it. So let’s hope this happens again and we see some closer battles.

    A really good result for Lando Norris too, the new upgrades clearly work so hopefully we can see both McLaren boys up in the points more often now!

    Not the best weekend for Mercedes, the car just did not like this track. Lewis struggled turning round corners which resulted in him getting a 5 second penalty for track limits. And then George, had to work his way through some of the pack because he didn’t have the best qualifying result on Friday.

    However, not everything stays the same. A new classification for the race has been released after the FIA handed out penalties to eight drivers following the conclusion of the race.

    Aston Martin had lodged a protest over the provisional classification shortly after the 71 lap encounter.

    The eight drivers are: Sainz, Hamilton, Gasly, Albon, Ocon, Sargeant, De Vries and Tsunoda all being hit with penalties.

    The new top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Perez, P4: Norris, P5: Alonso, P6: Sainz, P7: Russell, P8: Hamilton, P9: Stroll and P10: Gasly.

    We haven’t got long to wait till the next race as it’s just around the corner, where we race at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix next weekend!

  • F2 – RND 8 – Day 1

    Free Practice-

    Enzo Fittipaldi kick started the second half of the season in great form as the Rodin Carlin driver topped the opening practice session in Spielberg. Setting a 1:15.216 before the halfway point, the Red Bull junior remained at the top of the pile throughout.

    With track temperatures approaching 40˚C at the Red Bull Ring, Roy Nissany set the initial pace, which put him ahead of Fittipaldi and Maloney by just 0.025s.

    The first Red Flag was thrown with 11 minutes left on the clock after Pourchaire spun out a Turn 4. The Frenchman dropped a wheel into the gravel, sending him into a pirouette and he was unable to restart the car.

    Green flag conditions resumed with six minutes to go. As the field jostled for track position behind him, Virtuosi Racing’s Amaury Cordeel spun off at Turn 1. With less than four minutes remaining, practice was red flagged once again and did not resume.

    Qualifying-

    Victor Martins threw down the gauntlet early on in Qualifying around the Red Bull Ring on his way to claim his second Formula 2 pole position of his rookie campaign.

    The ART Grand Prix driver led from his first flying lap, improving to a 1:14.643 on his third attempt to retain the top spot. Championship contenders Frederik Vesti and Theo Pourchaire had to settle for second and third.

    The full top 10 are: P1: Martins, P2: Vesti, P3: Pourchaire, P4: Maini, P5: Doohan, P6: Fittipaldi, P7: Cordeel, P8: Leclerc, P9: Daruvala and P10: Crawford.

    Heading the field out of the pits, Roman Stanek was the first driver to take a turn in the top spot, before Vesti put himself ahead with a 1:15.134.

    Meanwhile, Practice pace-setter Fittipaldi looked to continue that form as he moved up into second, before a track limit violation demoted him to the bottom of the timing sheets. But he wasn’t the only one to get caught out by track limits.

    After a lengthy stay in the pits, the field immediately scrambled for track position as they headed out with just 11 minutes left.

    Vesti tried to wrestle provisional pole away from the Alpine junior but couldn’t quite manage it, ending up a tenth down on Martins.

  • RND 10 – Austria Sprint

    Sprint Shootout-

    Max Verstappen secured pole position for the Sprint Shootout at the Austrian Grand Prix with a stunning display at the end of a damp-dry session.

    He headed Red Bull teammate, Sergio Perez and McLaren’s Lando Norris in third.

    The full top 10 are: P1: Verstappen, P2: Perez, P3: Norris, P4: Hulkenberg, P5: Sainz, P6: Leclerc, P7: Alonso, P8: Stroll, P9: Ocon and P10: Magnussen.

    A good result for the Red Bull team, finally seeing Perez up there with his teammate, but ideally it should be for the race on Sunday as theirs not much points on offer today.

    Big result from number 4, Lando Norris again, like I said yesterday he likes this track a lot.

    The Haas duo both done well both in the top 10, so they will be hoping to score some points this weekend.

    Not such a good result for Mercedes, neither driver in the top 10, Hamilton had a shock SQ1 exit, as the times just kept on improving which dropped him down and then he had traffic on his final lap so couldn’t improve.

    Whereas for George Russell he got into SQ2 but, he had a hydraulic problem and subsequently confirming that he would be taking no further part in the session.

    Sprint-

    Max Verstappen emerged victorious in an action packed Sprint race at the Austrian Grand Prix, where he survived some early drama to claim an ultimately dominated win on Red Bull’s home soil.

    He was followed by Perez in 2nd and Sainz rounding out the top three in third.

    The full top 10 are: P1: Verstappen, P2: Perez, P3: Sainz, P4: Stroll, P5: Alonso, P6: Hulkenberg, P7: Ocon, P8: Russell, P9: Norris and P10: Hamilton.

    Verstappen lost the lead to teammate Sergio Perez as the start but quickly fought back and settled into a rhythm up front, cruising away from the competition.

    A change in the starting order saw Charles Leclerc demoted from sixth to ninth – which then promoted the Aston Martin pair and Alpines, Esteban Ocon.

    Lando Norris was a big loser at Turn 3 of lap 1 as he got caught behind the squabbling Bull’s and then suffered a slow exit – where he fell from 4th to 10th.

    With eight laps, to go, Russell reported that conditions were not far off slicks and moments after making that call, he headed for the pits.

    The start was not ideal, a bit of wheelspin, but after that, after Lap 1, once we got back in the lead, it was good. We were just managing the tyres, knowing that if it wasn’t going to rain anymore, then you know 24 laps on an intermediate is quite a lot, but they were hanging in there. I think of course the last five laps the slicks were quite a bit faster, but I think for us, so far in the lead, it didn’t make sense to pit. We just hung in there with the inters which worked well.

    Verstappen on winning the Sprint.

  • F3 – RND 6 – Day 1

    Free Practice-

    Gabriel Bortoleto hit the ground running in Spielberg, setting the track record with a 1:19.410 to top the free practice session for Trident.

    The Brazilian driver was 0.148s quicker than Jenzer Motorsport’s Taylor Barnad, while Gabriele Mini left it late to take third for Hitech Pulse-Eight.

    Once the tyre preparation laps were complete, Paul Aron set the initial benchmark to beat with a 1:21.998 on his first effort. The Estonian’s 1:21.205 was three-tenths quicker than PREMA Racing teammate Dino Beganovic, who had a heart-in-mouth moment shortly after.

    With just over 16 minutes remaining the red flags were out after Sebastian Montoya beached his Hitech car in the gravel trap on the outside of Turn 7.

    Once the session resumed with 12 minutes remaining, everyone returned to the track. ART Grand Prix’s Saucy was the first in the queue with prime track position and set a 1:20.306 for the rest to beat.

    Qualifying-

    ART Grand Prix’s Gregoire Saucy secured his first Formula 3 pole position in Spielberg after a dramatic qualifying session around the Red Bull Ring. PREMA Racing’s Paul Aron had ended the session fastest of all but dropped to P4 after exceeding track limits.

    His demotion moved Saucy up into P1 and PREMA teammate Dino Beganovic onto the front row. While Championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto secured third place in his Trudent.

    With patches of rain on the weather radars, everyone was out immediately at the green light. Caio Collet led the way as the rest jostled for Track position and the Van Amersfoort driver set the first time to beat.

    With 15 minutes gone, Beganovic headed up Aron, Gabriel Bortoleto, Josep Maria Marti and Gabriele Mini in the top five. After everyone returned to the pits to fit a fresh set of the soft Pirelli tyres, the track was busy once again with under 10 minutes remaining.

    There were improvements throughout the field, but nobody could leap ahead of either PREMA driver prior to the final two minutes of the session.

    The full top 10 are: P1: Saucy, P2: Beganovic, P3: Bortoleto, P4: Aron, P5: Collet, P6: O’Sullivan, P7: Colapinto, P8: Goethe, P9: Frederick and P10: Mansell.

  • RND 10 – Austria Qualifying

    Qualifying is now complete for the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday, let’s take a look at what went down at the Red Bull Ring.

    Max Verstappen made it three pole positions in a row for the Austrian Grand Prix, getting the better of the Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in an action-packed session.

    Verstappen overcame deleted lap times in Q1 and Q2 – with plenty of drivers falling foul of the track limits – to make it into the top 10 shootout and deliver his pole-grabbing effort of 1m04.391s.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Sainz, P4: Norris, P5: Hamilton, P6: Stroll, P7: Alonso, P8: Hulkenberg, P9: Gasly and P10: Albon.

    Perez was absent from the Q3 battle, as he dropped out in the second phase of qualifying with successive deleted times. Not a good start to the weekend for the Mexican driver, with him starting 15th on Sunday his got a bit of work to do which isn’t needed for the team or himself.

    A good result for Lando, P4 for number 4! Hopefully he can turn it into a better result on Sunday as we all know he likes this track and does well here.

    Brilliant result for the Ferrari’s! Is it too early to say their back? Hopefully they can get at least a podium/ possibly two on Sunday and grab some important points for the team in the Constructors!

    Also a good result for both Nico Hulkenberg and Alex Albon who make it into the top 10 for another race weekend in a row, hopefully they can grab points when it matters.

    Predictions for race-

    My top five predictions for Sunday’s race are: P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Hamilton, P4: Sainz and P5: Alonso.

    With a few drivers not in the right position it will be interesting to see how they will do and how well they will come through the field. One thing we have to look out for though is track limits, some drivers might be pushing and then result in a time penalty…

  • Austrian Grand Prix

    We are back racing this week, as we have a jam packed month coming up and it starts off with a double header, where we head to Austria this weekend, where it’s Red Bull’s home race.

    Can Red Bull make it a 1-2 on home turf? Or will another team take the win and end RB’s streak?

    With the Sprint back this weekend, there’s more opportunity for our drivers to score more points, will some take risks? And will they work out?

    Who needs to shine?

    Sergio Perez, there has been some talk about if he doesn’t keep performing well, he may loose his seat, as we all know what Red Bull are like. His had a couple of rough races, from qualifying to the actual race, he just needs a clean weekend this weekend and get some good points so he can build a gap back to Alonso whose third in the drivers championship.

    Lance Stroll, with his teammate performing so well this season grabbing podiums and qualifying on the front row, it’s a bit bittersweet for the team if they have one driver starting 2nd and then the other in 7th for example, yes it’s still a good result but why can’t it be 2nd and 3rd? So Stroll has a bit more work to do as he needs to score points to get further up the standings also.

    The Alfa Romeo boys, they’ve had a bit of a rough start to the season so far this year, with Bottas only scoring in Bahrain and Canada and Guanyu Zhou in Australia and Spain, they’ve still got a lot of work to do.

    Times for the weekend-

    Friday 30th June-

    • Free Practice F3: 08:55am – 09:40am (BST)
    • Free Practice F2: 10:05am – 10:50am
    • Free Practice 1 F1: 12:30pm – 13:30pm
    • Qualifying F3: 14:00pm – 14:30pm
    • Qualifying F2: 14:55pm – 15:25pm
    • Qualifying F1: 16:00pm – 17:00pm

    Saturday 1st July-

    • Sprint Race F3: 09:00am – 09:40am
    • Sprint Shootout: 11:00am – 11:44am
    • Sprint Race F2: 12:45pm – 13:30pm
    • Sprint F1: 15:30pm – 16:00pm

    Sunday 2nd-

    • Feature Race F3: 07:25am
    • Feature Race F2: 08:55am
    • Race: 14:00pm

  • Austria Tyre Selection

    We are back racing this week and Pirelli have chosen the tyres for this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, which is Round 10 of 23.

    The tyres which are available for the teams are: C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium) and C5 (Soft), just like last time out in Montreal.

    This weekend will be the second grand prix on the calendar featuring an F1 Sprint. With the Sprint Shootout deciding the grid for the Sprint, and only having three short sessions that make up the Shootout. Teams will have to fit new tyres and use the medium compound for Q1 and Q1 and only in Q3 the soft compound will be used.

    The Red Bull Ring has only 10 corners, with the shortest lap time of any track on the championship, with the lap record being held by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, with a time of 1m05.619s in the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix.

    Most drivers made two stops last year, starting on the medium tyre ahead of two stints on the hard. There was plenty of overtaking, particularly in the midfield, with five cars competing for the places just off the podium.

    The elevation changes at the Red Bull Ring put it second only to Spa-Francorchamps in terms of variation. There’s a change of more than 60 metres between the lowest point on the track – just before Turn 1 – and the highest point, after Turn 2.

    The Red Bull Ring is a circuit where tyres get no rest. The cars race through the track’s 10 corners in a lap time of just over a minute, and the few straights mean that there is little reprieve for the tyres. The asphalt has a fairly high micro and macro roughness, due to the age of the surface, while grip is high at the start of the lap. Traction and braking are key elements, while particular attention will have to be paid to managing tyre overheating. Drivers who manage not to cool their tyres properly may find it difficult to defend against attacks from rivals, especially in the first and last sectors. An important factor in this will be ambient temperature, with weather conditions traditionally somewhat variable. Last year’s race was largely a two-stopper using the medium and hard compounds, but a one-stopper could also be an option this year if degradation is not too high.

    Mario Isola – Motorsport Director.

  • Alpine secure backing from investors, including Ryan Reynolds

    Alpine have secured a €200 cash injection from a group of investors, including Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds, to support the French operation’s sporting ambitions in Formula 1.

    Alpine are currently fifth in the constructors’ championship – one place lower than they finished the last campaign – and have been searching for investment to help close the gap to F1’s leading teams.

    The Investor Group – formed of Otro Capital, RedBird Capital Partners and Maximum Effort Investments – have acquired a 24% stake in the F1 team.

    The group has worded with NFL side Dallas Cowboys, America’s National Football League (NFL), French football club Toulouse FC and Welsh football team Wrecham AFC.

    Reynolds brought Wrexham in November 2020 and along with fellow actor and co-owner Rob McElhenney, has overseen the club’s rejuvenation, which peaked with earning promotion back to the English Football League after 15 years.

    The investment centres around the F1 team only, with Renault’s engine division in Viry not part of the transaction and remaining entirely owned by the Renault Group.

    The news comes as part of a wider announcement from Alpine that sees them set a target of achieving €8 billion in revenue in 2030 and to break even in 2026.

    Formula 1 and Alpine are strategic assets for Renault Group. Over the past two years, we have re-ignited Alpine, capitalising on its iconic A110 sports coupe, boosting it by entering Formula 1, where it aims to become a championship contender. This partnership will accelerate Alpine F1 development by diversifying revenue drivers and increasing brand value.

    Renault Group CEO, Luca de Meo.

    This association is an important step to enhance our performance at all levels. First, Otro Capital, RedBird Capital Partners and Maximum Effort Investments, as international players with strong track record in the sports industry, will bring their recognised expertise to boost our media and marketing strategy, essential to support our sporting performance over the long term. Second, the incremental revenue generated will in turn be reinvested in the team, in order to further accelerate our Mountain Climber plan, aimed at catching up with top teams in terms of state-of-the-art facilities and equipment.

    Alpine CEO, Laurent Rossi.

  • Round 12 – Portland E-Prix

    FP1-

    NEOM McLaren’s Rene Rast finished the first free practice session of the Southwire Portland E-Prix fastest, as the Championship broke several records around the new stateside circuit.

    Rast who has not been in the top five in any practice session this season, set a time of 1m09.054s which put him quickest of the grid. The DS PENSKE of Jean-Eric Vergne was just 0.172s behind him to finish second, with the NIO 333 of Dan Ticktum completing the top three.

    As the grid got to grips with the 3.221km circuit, the times tumbled. Seconds were being taken off each lap, and just minutes into the session the McLaren of Rast become the first driver to break Sacha Fenestraz’s all time Formula E average speed record.

    Several drivers found the limits and exceeded them in this first practice, with the like of DS PENSKE’s Jean-Eric Vergne and NIO 333’s Dan Ticktum each taking a journey off the circuit over the 30 minute session.

    FP2-

    Nissan’s Norman Nato finished the final practice session before qualifying at the top of the timesheets, as the Frenchman set a time of 1m09.101s. The Nissan powertrain seems to be very happy in these hot conditions and on a traditional track.

    Maserati MSG Racing’s Maximilian Guenther finished FP2 in second with the young driver keen to replicate his victory last time out in Jakarta. Jaguar TCS Racing’s Sam Bird had a late start to the session but ended up third.

    Vergne had an unusual off at Turn 1 during the session, as he bailed on the corner and instead decided to venture down the escape road. He later did the same, kicking up dust in the DS PENSKE when finding the limits of the 3.221km circuit.

    He wasn’t alone as in the session the NIO 333 of Dan Ticktum had an identical incident and went on the grass, with Robin Frijns treating his ABT CUPRA like a lawnmower across the runoff.

    Qualifying-

    Avalanche Andretti’s Jake Dennis took Julius Baer Pole Position and the driver’s World Championship lead ahead of the Portland E-Prix Round 12, beating a flying Sacha Fenestraz in the final.

    Going up against the Nissan of Sacha Fenestraz was going to be tough, with the rapid French-Argentine a three-time Formula E record breaker. In addition, Dennis had lost all three final appearances this season, with this being his third consecutive final in a row, and finally managed to bag the all important P1.

    Despite learning that he was starting in the pit lane, as DS PENSKE had installed RFID scanning equipment at pit entry this morning that was able to collect live data from all cars, Vergne still took part in his quarters duel with Nato.

    In the Semi’s it was the battle of the Nissans, and there not strangers to a duel against one another, and the last time this happened was in Monaco when the French-Argentinean Fenestraz won, leaving Nato settling for third on the grid.

    Round 12-

    Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy clambered from 10th to the top step of the podium in an enthralling inaugural Southwire Portland E-Prix Round 12, heading home the TAG Heuer Porsche of Antonio Felix da Costa and Jake Dennis. Just seven seconds split the first 17 runners, while the race produced some 403 overtakes.

    Cassidy measured his race to perfection from P10 on the grid as the 22-strong field jostled for superiority over the 32 lap encounter/

    Polesitter Jake Dennis led the opening stages but wouldn’t time his late-race charge as previsely as Cassidy managed to. The Avalanche Andretti driver would settle for second, though, as that proved to be enough for the Drivers’ World Championship lead as things stand.

    On his birthday, Mitch Evans recovered from 20th on the grid to fourth – ensuring his still in the fight for the title with four races left in Season 9.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Cassidy, P2: Dennis, P3: da Costa, P4: Evans, P5: Buemi, P6: Gunther, P7: Bird, P8: di Grassi, P9: Wehrlein and P10: Nato.

    We now have a few weeks break, as we head to Rome, Italy for Round 13 & 14 on the 14th to 16th of July.

  • Season 10 provisional calendar confirmed

    The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will be racing on the streets of Tokyo for the first time next March as the series targets more world cities to host debut races in its landmark 10th season.

    The provisional calendar for Season 10 was published yesterday by Formula E and the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) following ratification by the FIA World Motorsport Council and with the support of local ASNs (National Sporting Authorities) for each host city.

    The race in Tokyo on Saturday 30th March 2024 will be the first FIA sanctioned world championship motorsport event held in Tokyo.

    Formula E and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government have been working together to bring the race to the city to support the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) initiative, part of the Zero Emission Tokyo strategy.

    RoundPlaceDate
    Pre-Season TestingValencia, SpainOctober 23rd-27th
    Round 1Mexico City, MexicoJanuary 13th
    Round 2Diriyah, Saudi ArabiaJanuary 26th
    Round 3Diriyah, Saudi ArabiaJanuary 27th
    Round 4TBDFebruary 10th
    Round 5TBDFebruary 24th
    Round 6Sao Paulo, BrazilMarch 16th
    Round 7Tokyo, JapanMarch 30th
    Round 8Rome, ItalyApril 13th
    Round 9Rome, ItalyApril 14th
    Round 10MonacoApril 27th
    Round 11Berlin, GermanyMay 11th
    Round 12Berlin, GermanyMay 12th
    Round 13TBDMay 25th
    Round 14Jakarta, IndonesiaJune 8th
    Round 15Portland, USAJune 29th
    Round 16London, UKJuly 20th
    Round 17London, UKJuly 21st

    Season 10 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will begin in Mexico City on Saturday 13th January following the success of a sold-out opening race to begin Season 9.

    Three rounds of the 17 race provisional calendar are listed as To Be Determined (TBD) while Formula E continues advanced discussions with a range of potential host cities that would see the championship create more showpiece race events in iconic global locations.

    Berlin will maintain its record as the only city to host an E-Prix in all ten seasons of the championship, consolidating its reputation as a popular venue for drivers and fans who witnessed a record-breaking 190 overtakes and 23 lead changes in Round 7 this season.

    We are excited to take Formula E to the streets of Tokyo next season. It is an iconic world city providing the perfect backdrop to showcase the unique qualities of our sport and will capture global attention. The Season 10 calendar represents our ongoing mission to create a dynamic schedule of new cities hosting races for the first or second time like Tokyo, São Paulo and Portland alongside established hosts like Berlin, Rome, London, Monaco, Diriyah and now Jakarta.

    Alberto Longo, Co-Founder & Chief Championship Office, Formula E.

    Tokyo will be a highlight of our historic 10th season. We are also in advanced discussions with many more iconic world cities who are keen to host a Formula E race and create blockbuster world championship motorsport events with us. We expect this to be reflected in the updated calendar published later this year.

    Jeff Dodds, Chief Executive Officer, Formula E.

  • Aitken to make Envision return

    Envision Racing has announced that Jack Aitken will be jumping back into their car in Rome, with teams set to once again field rookies – this time in a Free Practice session.

    Aitken, completed 19 laps during his first run-out in Berlin, assisting the team as they continued to gather data and insights into the new Gen3 car.

    The British-South Korean racer will now have a further opportunity to test that machinery as the team’s season reaches a title-challenging climax.

    Teams can field someone who’s sampled Formula E machinery before but they must be drivers included on the Season 9 Entry List and they must not have competed in a Formula E race in their career before.

    The idea is to give the best young talent a pathway to race at the very top of the motorsport ladder with a taste of Formula E and the opportunity to impress prospective teams in the world’s leading electric race series.

    The choices the teams have put forward to Formula E and the FIA will be revealed in the lead up to Rome.

  • RND 9 – Canadian Grand Prix

    Round 9 is now complete, with a few retirements in the 70 lap race, and a driver who showed a dominant drive.

    Max Verstappen made it six victories from eight races, with a dominant display, he lead home the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, as Red Bull maintain their 100% winning record for the season so far.

    The full top 10 are: P1: Verstappen, P2: Alonso, P3: Hamilton, P4: Leclerc, P5: Sainz, P6: Perez, P7: Albon, P8: Ocon, P9: Stroll and P10: Bottas.

    Verstappen’s lights to flag triumph also gave Red Bull their 100th victory in the sport, 18 years on from the team’s debut, whilst the Dutchman made more history by drawing level with legend, Ayrton Senna on 41 wins.

    A good result for both Alonso and Hamilton, would’ve been interesting to see if Alonso could battle Max for the win if he didn’t have a rear brake issue which he was nursing, and if Lewis would’ve joint in to?

    Mr George Russell, he had a crash early on in the race which caused some damage to his car and dropped him to the bottom of the order, with the Safety Car coming out which lead to some split strategies.

    A good haul of points from Ferrari, I think we were all unsure on their strategy when they didn’t pit during the Safety Car but it worked out in the end, but I don’t know if not swapping Leclerc and Sainz around was the right idea, we might’ve seen Sainz show his pace he thought he had during the race.

    A good result for Alex Albon, he battled hard to keep his position and he deserves the points he got today! Whereas for his teammate it wasn’t meant to be, Sargeant had to retire as he was asked to park his car in the early stages of the race.

    Now, Round 10 isn’t for two weeks, so not too long to wait but it will be a double header. Our first stop will be in Austria on the 30th June to 2nd July.

  • RND 9 – Canada Qualifying

    We had a very wet qualifying session, which brought out a few shocks both being good and bad.

    Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix, as the wet weather dominated the session. Nico Hulkenberg was a surprise second for Haas due to a well-time effort, only to loose the position later on. Alonso rounds out the top three.

    Before any penalties are applied the full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Hulkenberg, P3: Alonso, P4: Hamilton, P5: Russell, P6: Ocon, P7: Norris, P8: Sainz, P9: Piastri and P10: Albon.

    With penalties applied, the grid for today’s race is: P1: Vertappen, P2: Alonso, P3: Hamilton, P4: Russell, P5: Hulkenberg, P6: Ocon, P7: Norris, P8: Piastri, P9: Albon and P10: Leclerc.

    A good result for the Mercedes duo, second row start for both drivers so they’ll be looking to see if they can get a double podium again this weekend, or possibly for the win?

    McLaren’s duo done well also, both cars in the top 10, hopefully they can get a couple places up the grid and score some decent points.

    Sainz, Tsunoda, Stroll and Hulkenberg all have 3 place grid penalties, the first 3 drivers all for impeding other driver’s during qualifying. Hulkenberg fora red-flag infringement during qualifying.

    Not a good result for the Ferrari’s, Charles starting 10th and Carlos 11th, they will be hoping to grab some points this weekend and hope to make up for a disappointing session yesterday.

    Sergio Perez starting in 12th isn’t what he or his team wanted, his got some ground to work up in today’s race. I also think that Red Bull maybe getting a little annoyed with the Mexican, as he isn’t where his meant to be on the grid, especially as he started the season of so well.

    Predictions-

    My top five for the race are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Alonso, P4: Russell and P5: Ocon.

    I feel like we might have some drama this race, quite a few drivers out of position so there might be a few clashes and safety cars which could change some drivers strategies.

  • Canadian Grand Prix

    We are back racing this weekend after a week break, and we are heading to Canada, for Round 9 of 23, where it’s Lance Stroll’s home grand prix.

    Will it be another win for Max this weekend? Or can Sergio Perez make a mark on this weekend and get a win on the board after a few rough weekends for the Mexican driver.

    Or can Aston Martin and Mercedes get that win they’ve been looking for this season?

    Who needs to shine?

    Charles Leclerc will be wanting to get in the points this race 2 DNF’s and a finish outside the points, where as if you look at his teammate, the only time he hasn’t scored in in Australia…

    Even though Alonso is having a really really good season, last time out in Spain isn’t what he thought he’d get, he finished 7th and his now more determined not to have another race without a podium…

    With Guanyu Zhou scoring points back in Spain, this means now that Alfa Romeo and Haas are equal on 8 points each and considering both teams always start around each other, all four drivers will be wanting to push themselves even more so they can grab points for the Constructors and put them ahead.

    Times for this weekend-

    Friday 16th-

    • Free Practice 1: 18:30pm – 19:30pm (BST)
    • Free Practice 2: 22:00pm – 23:00pm

    Saturday 17th-

    • Free Practice 3: 17:30pm – 18:30pm
    • Qualifying: 21:00pm – 22:00pm

    Sunday 18th-

    • Race: 19:00pm

    Predictions for qualifying-

    My top five for qualifying are: Pole: Verstappen, P2: Alonso, P3: Hamilton, P4: Perez and P5: Russell.

    To be honest it could go any different way in Canada, but I reckon it will be close between Verstappen and Alonso for pole. There is rain forecasted for Qualifying tomorrow at the moment, so that could bring a few different possibilities into qualifying.

  • Canada Tyre Selection

    We’re back with another race week and the tyre compounds have been chosen by Pirelli for this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix. Those being: C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium) and C5 (Soft).

    The Gilles Villeneuve circuit is a 4.361-kilometre semi-permanent track built on the artificial Notre Dame island in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, close to Montreal. Outside of the grand prix its used as a leisure facility for cycling, roller skating and walking.

    The first Canadian Grand Prix held on this track was in 1978, with Gilles Villenuve emerging as the winner. The track was renamed in memory of the Canadian driver a few weeks after his tragic death in 1982.

    The race runs for 70 laps, consisting of six left turns and eight right turns with three straights. Average speed is relatively low, thanks to the frequent changes of direction caused by the close succession of corners, with continuous braking.

    The softer compound is usually seen only in qualifying, as was the case last year when just the medium and hard compounds were used in the race. The strategy preferred by most drivers was two-stop strategy but some opted for a one-stopper with a very long initial stint on hard.

  • Alfa Romeo announce James Key as Technical Director

    Alfa Romeo have made another change to their F1 organisation after announcing James Key as their new Technical Director, replacing Jan Monchaux.

    Key, who will officially start work on September 1st 2023, previously represented the Hinwil-based operation as Technical Director for the then Sauber team from 2010 to 2012.

    Marking Key’s first role since his exit from McLaren earlier this year, his appointment has been described as “a statement of intent” by the squad ahead of them becoming Audi’s works team in 2026.

    Key has represented several other teams, including Jordan Grand Prix, where he became F1’s youngest ever Technical Director at the age of 33 in 2005, the following guises of Midland, Spyker and Force India, as well as stints at Sauber, Toro Rosso and McLaren.

    I am delighted to be returning to Hinwil to work with old, and new, colleagues at Sauber; I have very fond memories of my time there before. I am looking forward to leading the technical side of the team at one of the most critical junctures of its long history as we head towards a new and exciting future. There is a huge amount of work ahead of us, but I am confident that every single member of our team working in Hinwil will have the commitment, determination and hunger to get us to the top. We know it will require time, effort and perseverance, and the dividends from this work will only arrive over the next two seasons and beyond, but we have a journey ahead of us and a roadmap to follow which I am eager to get started. I am grateful to Andreas [Seidl] for the confidence he has placed in me and look forward to repaying his trust and working closely with him on the challenges and ambitions ahead.

    Key on the new role.

    I am delighted to welcome James back home to Hinwil as he joins us to shape the future of this team. The operation he will find has changed a lot since his time here, but the same drive, the same commitment that contributed to making the team successful in his previous experience are still the same: I am sure that, together with this very talented and committed team, we will be able to continue on the path of growth on which we have embarked. James’ appointment is a crucial step on this journey: he has an outstanding amount of experience in the sport, not just as Technical Director, but also in various other roles within the technical organisation of a team. He will lead the transformation process of the technical side of the team, giving us the tools and direction we need to tackle the future. I also want to thank Jan for his precious contribution to taking Sauber to where it is now, following our most successful season in a decade, in which we climbed to sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship.

    Sauber Group CEO, Seidl.

  • McLaren sign Rob Marshall from RB

    McLaren have signed Rob Marshall as their new Technical Director, Engineering & Design, with the long-time Red Bull man set to join the Woking team on January 1st, 2024.

    Marshall’s role, which has been confirmed in the wake of James Key departing as Technical Director, will sit within the F1 Technical Executive team, alongside Peter Prodromou and David Sanchez, reporting directly into Team Principal, Andrea Stella.

    He will be supported by Neil Houldey in the newly-created role of Deputy Technical Director, Engineering & Design, to complete the senior technical structure, the pair due to “assess and establish the highest technical standards required to design winning F1 cars”.

    Marshall will make the move to McLaren after 17 years with Red Bull, most notably as Chief Engineering Officer, with McLaren describing his appointment as “one of the fundamental steps taken by the team to underpin their journey towards the front of the grid”.

    I am incredibly pleased that Rob will be joining McLaren. With over 25 years working in motorsport, Rob comes to us with a wealth of expertise and experience, elevated by his tenure and track record at Red Bull Racing. Rob’s appointment is one of the fundamental steps and a natural fit to aid the team’s journey to get back to our winning ways. We are a team with the ambition of fighting for championships, but over the last couple of seasons we have not shown a steady upward trend from an on-track competitiveness point of view. Over the last few months, we have worked towards inverting this trend. The approach we have adopted is comprehensive and is based on strengthening the team from a people and expertise point of view, along with the ongoing projects to upgrade technology and infrastructure that will shortly come to fruition. People and culture are our most important resource. We have recently invested and worked towards developing and empowering the internal talents available at McLaren, and we already perceive and measure the positive impact. In parallel, we have been strengthening our roster by bringing new talents on board. The list was already strong and encouraging, and the addition of a high-end and skilled individual like Rob will further consolidate our ability to establish the highest technical standards at McLaren and be in condition to design winning F1 cars. We look forward to welcoming Rob in the near future.

    Andrea Stella.

    In addition to McLaren’s press release, Red Bull released a communication of their own to confirm Marshall’s departure and pay tribute to him through team boss, Christian Horner.

    We would like to thank Rob for everything he has done for the team over the past 17 years. His work on the generation of cars that gave us four incredible championship doubles between 2010 and 2013 was truly outstanding. In the years since he has continued to be a key figure at the team and in 2016 took on the broader role of Chief Engineering Officer which has seen him involved in other projects across the business. His influence will be missed but once again we thank him for all he has done and wish him the very best in his new role.

    Christian Horner.
    https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs34rKbo0Xh/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

  • F3 – RND 5 – Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-

    Reverse pole sitter, O’Sullivan instantly defended the inside line, giving compatriot Browning a slip stream down into Tyrn 1. Despite that, Browning had to yield to his fellow Williams junior on the exit of Turn 2.

    A fast starting Paul Aron rocketed up from P8 to P5 by the time the Safety Car was deployed at the end of the opening lap after Rodin Carlin’s Ido Cohen found the barriers at Turn 9.

    Racing resumed on Lap 5 and O’Sullivan bolted away early through Turn 12, allowing him to pull clear from Browning. After qualifying down in P18, Gabriele Mini was on the charge, the Alpine junior was brave on the brakes, diving past Christian Mansell through Turn 7 for 12th.

    Running in P4, Saucy ran wide out of the final corner, opening the door for Aron to get through. Unable to fight back out of Turn 1, the ART Grand Prix driver was left vulnerable to those behind and lost places to both Sebastian Montoya and Gabriel Bortoleto, dropping to seventh.

    Mini and Mansell’s earlier battle reignited on Lap 16, but this time the pair made contact. It sent Mansell spinning off at Turn 2 to bring out a second Safety Car. Mini was then awarded a 10 second time penalty for the collision.

    The full top 10 are- P1: O’Sullivan, P2: Browning, P3: Fornaroli, P4: Bortoleto, P5: Aron, P6: Colapinto, P7: Boya, P8: Marti, P9: Saucy and P10: Barnard.

    Day 3-

    Despite getting a strong launch from pole, Marti was forced to immediately dive to the inside to cover off Taylor Barnard. Making an impression on his first front row start and benefiting from the slip stream.

    After scoring his maiden podium in the Sprint Race, Luke Browning’s race came to an early end on the opening lap. Contact with Leonardo Fornaroli down into Turn 4 left the Hitech Pulse-Eight pulling up with broken suspension to bring out the Safety Car.

    Marti opten to make the jump early on Lap 7, trying to pull away from Barnard through Turn 12. The Briton was all over the Campos just after the restart but couldn’t sustain the pace and dropped out of DRS range by lap 10.

    In the battle for the final points, Sprint Race winner Zak O’Sullivan made an ambitious overtake attempt on Oliver Goethe around the outside of Turn 13. It put the pair three-wide with Gregoire Saucy on the start of lap 19.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Marti, P2: Colapinto, P3: Beganovic, P4: Bortoleto, P5: Aron, P6: Boya, P7: Montoya, P8: O’Sullivan, P9: Barnard and P10: Mansell.

    Unfortunately Formula 3 is not back until July… we will be returning for Round 6 in Spielberg, Austria on the 30th June to 2nd July.

  • Round 10 – Jakarta E-Prix

    FP1-

    Maximilian Guenther (Maserati MSG Racing) heads the way in Jakarta from teammate Edoardo Mortara, with the German well inside the fastest race lap set here last year.

    Guenther’s late lap was 0.8 seconds up on the fastest time from the race last year of a 1m 09.786s. His teammate was almost 0.2 seconds back in second spot. Reigning champion, Stoffel Vandoorne also did well on the dusty track as he slotted in third.

    Current Drivers World Championship leader and form man, Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing) finds himself down in 17th with work to do.

    FP2-

    Maserati MSG Racing’s Maximilian Guenther made it two in a row, as he topped second practice ahead of qualifying for the Gulavit 2023 Jakarta E Prix, Round 10.

    Championship contender, Jake Dennis finished in second with the Jaguar TCS Racing of Sam Bird who ended up in third.

    Maserati have been on form so far, until this free practice as Edoardo Mortara made one of the first mistakes of the weekend when he whacked his Gen3 car into a wall whilst on a lap. Due to the damage on the wheel rim he was forced to abandon his only lap and sit out the rest of the session.

    Championship leader, Nick Cassidy also brought out the yellow flags as he suffered a lack of grip towards the end of the session and had a little spin.

    Qualifying-

    Maserati MSG Racing’s Maximilian Guenther achieved his maiden Formula E pole position, dominating every session he’s taken part in so far.

    Having looked quick in FP2, Avalanche Andretti’s Jake Dennis finished his group quickest. The DS PENSKEs of Vergne and reigning champion Vandoorne also go through into the Quarter of the Duels.

    Maserati continued their streak as Guenther and Mortara made it through to the quarters alongside Wehrlein and Rene Rast.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Guenther, P2: Dennis, P3: Wehrlein, P4: Vergne, P5: Vandoorne, P6: Mortara, P7: Frijns, P8: Rast, P9: Muller and P10: Cassidy.

    Round 10-

    Long time standings leader, Pascal Wehrlein, lost top spot in the table last time out in Monaco but stamped his authority on the Gulavit Jakarta E-Prix, Round 10 with a controlled victory.

    With the TAG Heuer Porsche driver, leading Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti) and Maximilian Guenther (Maserati MSG Racing).

    Porsche’s Wehrlein started third and traded places for the lead with polesitter, Maximilian Guenther over the opening third of the E-Prix having first made his way by his compatriot on Lap 4.

    Dennis started second and finished second, with not quite enough in his Avalanche Andretti car to overpower the factory Porsche 99X Electric of Wehrlein out-front. His charge wasn’t helped by a late push by Guenther, who was trying to hassle the Brit for second.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Wehrlein, P2: Dennis, P3: Guenther, P4: Vandoorne, P5: Vergne, P6: Mortara, P7: Cassidy, P8: Da Costa, P9: Frijns and P10: Hughes.

  • RND 8 – Spanish Grand Prix

    Round 8 is now complete, where we had quite a civilised race with no safety cars/ yellow flags or red flags and no retirements again!

    Max Verstappen was victorious once again, as he controlled the race from lights out to the chequered flag making it his fifth win of the season. He led home the Mercedes of both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell making it their first double podium of the season.

    The full top 10 are: P1: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Russell, P4: Perez, P5: Sainz, P6: Stroll, P7: Alonso, P8: Ocon, P9: Zhou and P10: Gasly.

    A great drive from both Sergio Perez and George Russell, both starting from outside the top 10. Damage limitation that drive was and a good haul of points for both drivers.

    Not a good race for Leclerc, just an overall bad weekend for the Monegasque. Finishing 11th after starting 19th, which is a good move up but no points aren’t good, so hopefully he will have some good luck soon.

    Two points for Guanyu Zhou, which is fully deserved. He had a good race, some nice overtakes and his rewarded by getting points.

    Now, lets move on to Yuki Tsunoda, he was having a good race running in the points, making a few moves… And then it all went wrong, he got a 5 second time penalty for forcing Guanyu Zhou off track when he was overtaking. This dropped Yuki out of the points and finished 12th.

    With Round 8 now complete, we have to wait a little while till the next race, where we head to Canada for Round 9 on the 16th June to 18th June.

  • RND 8 – Barcelona Qualifying

    What a qualifying session, we have a very mixed up grid for the race but that’s what will make it all more exciting seeing a few driver’s battle their way through the field.

    Max Verstappen took his first pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix by comfortably getting the better of Ferrari rival Carlos Sainz and McLaren’s Lando Norris.

    The full top 10 are: P1: Verstappen, P2: Sainz, P3: Norris, P4: Gasly, P5: Hamilton, P6: Stroll, P7: Ocon, P8: Hulkenberg, P9: Alonso and P10: Piastri.

    Some bad news for Alpine, as Pierre Gasly may have qualified 4th but he won’t be starting 4th… He impeded both Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz where he was given 3 place grid penalty, twice, so he will be starting the race in 10th.

    Now looking a little further down the grid… Charles Leclerc is starting 19th as he dropped out of Q1 due to car complaints.

    Sergio Perez was another shock, as he got knocked out of Q2 due to taking a trip through the gravel, so he is due to start just outside the top 10 in 11th.

    We also have George Russell who is outside of the top 10, starting just behind Sergio Perez in 12th. During Q2 he had a bizarre incident with his teammate Lewis Hamilton, with the latter progressing on into the top 10.

    Predictions-

    My top five predictions are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Sainz, P3: Hamilton, P4: Ocon, P5: Alonso.

    I think the top five for tomorrow’s race will be mixed depending if there will be any safety cars/ red flags and who will optimise on others down fall.

  • F2 – RND 7 – Day 1

    Free Practice-

    Frederik Vesti started the Barcelona weekend where he left off in Monte Carlo, ending the opening session of the weekend P1 for PREMA.

    The Dane set a 1:26.722 to lead from Oliver Bearman, as the Italian team looked comfortable around the circuit. Jehan Daruvala was third for MP Motorsport, 0.3s down on Vesti’s session topping effort.

    A red flag was thrown with just over 20 minutes to go following a spin for Victor Martins coming out of Turn 10. The ART Grand Prix driver lost the back end of the car and couldn’t get going again.

    Enzo Fittipaldi made a late improvement to jump up into third position until he lost his time for exceeding track limits, his next lap put him into the top five.

    Qualifying-

    Oliver Bearman denied Enzo Fittipaldi pole position by just 0.077s with a 1:23.546 in the final moments of Qualifying. The Rodin Carlin provisionally held the top spot until the PREMA Racing driver’s late effort was just good enough to beat the Brazilian. Jack Doohan will be hoping to realign his season, going from P3 on the feature race.

    Victor Martins led the field out of the pitlane as the light went green to get Qualifying underway. The Frenchman set the initial benchmark but that was swift beaten by those behind.

    PREMA Racing opted to run both of their drivers in the gap after the first efforts were complete, joined on track by only the MP Motorsport drivers. Hauger took the sport with a 1:23.923 while Jehan Daruvala lifted himself up to third.

    With 10 minutes left, the next flurry of laptimes arrived and it was Theo Pourchaire who went to the top of the times. That was until Enzo Fittipaldi set a 1:23.623 to put himself P1 once again.

    The full top 10 are: P1: Bearman, P2: Fittipaldi, P3: Doohan, P4: Iwasa, P5: Pourchaire, P6: Hauger, P7: Martins, P8: Vesti, P9: Crawford and P10: Amaury Cordeel.

  • F3 – RND 5 – Day 1

    Free Practice-

    Taylor Barnard took the top spot in Free Practice in Barcelona. After most opted to remain in the pitlane early on, the Jenzer Motorsport driver set a 1:28.831 to lead the way before a late red flag disrupted his rivals attempts to improve.

    With only a third of the running remaining, representative times began to be set. Luke Browning got his first attempt on the board with a 1:30.181, which was immediately bettered by teammate Sebastian Montoya with a 1:29.241.

    Barnard then put Jenzer Motorsport to the top of the timing sheets, breaking into the 1:28s to lead Caio Collet by 0.020s and edge a tenth ahead of fellow rookie Dino Beganovic.

    Turn 9’s fast nature proved to be a challenging point for several drivers. Piotr Wisnicki was the first Red Flag of the weekend, spinning off into the gravel at the top of the hill.

    Qualifying-

    Josep Maria Marti gave the Spanish fans plenty to celebrate already this weekend as he secured his maiden Formula 3 pole position on home soil.

    The Campos Racing driver’s 1:27.587 beat Jenzer Motorsport’s Taylor Barnard and Franco Colapinto from MP Motorsport by two and a half tenths.

    Keeping things neat and tidy, Leonardo Fornaroli briefly bagged the fastest lap, but Paul Aron quickly shot up into P1 with a 1:28.369 going over a tenth quicker than the Trident driver.

    With banker laps in the bag, drivers peeled into pits to change on to a fresh set of hard tyres and returned to the track with 18 minutes remaining.

    The full top 10 are: P1: Marti, P2: Barnard, P3: Colapinto, P4: Beganovic, P5: Aron, P6: Bortoleto, P7: Montoya, P8: Boya, P9: Fornaroli and P10: Saucy.

  • Spanish Grand Prix

    It’s race week once again! And this time were at the Spanish Grand Prix for Round 8, the home Grand Prix of Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz.

    Will Mercedes upgrades really show what their made of this weekend or will it be another RB dominated weekend?

    Can Fernando Alonso get that win he keeps talking about at his home race? And can Sergio Perez make up for what he did last time out this weekend?

    Who needs to shine?

    The Ferrari boys need a good weekend, yes they were in the points last weekend at the Monaco GP but they need to work as a team if they want to be further up in the drivers/constructors championship.

    McLaren will be wanting to do better, especially now Alpine have a podium under there belt and means the gap between them and McLaren is now bigger…

    Lance Stroll will be needing a better weekend, a DNF in Monaco, Miami scored no points as he finished in 12th and then looking back to the second race it was a DNF in Saudi Arabia too. With Alonso qualifying on the front row and finishing on the podium, he ideally needs his teammate there with him so they can make an impact on the Championship standings.

    Predictions for Qualifying-

    My top five for qualifying are- Pole: Verstappen, P2: Alonso, P3: Perez, P4: Hamilton, P5: Russell.

    I don’t think it will be a mixed up qualifying session, only if someone crashes which means there out of Q1 or if someone gets knocked out of Q1, but I find that hard to believe.

  • Jakarta Preview

    The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship turns to Asia and Jakarta, Indonesia this weekend for the 2023 Gulavit Jakarta E-Prix rounds 10 & 11.

    The trip to Jakarta marks Formula E’s second outing in Indonesia, home to 273 million people – a huge contingent of motorsport fanatics eager for another taste of the leading electric racing series as the city centre once again plays host on motorsport’s world stage after a more than memorable first visit to the nation in 2022.

    Last time out in Jakarta, it was uncharted territory for the championship’s grid of 22 drivers. Mitch Evans fended off the close attentions of Jean-Eric Vergne and Edoardo Mortara to take his third win of Season 8.

    The Circuit-

    The 2.37km, 18 turn circuit kicks off with a tight opening sector after a long run down the start/finish straight. There’ll be plenty of room for manoeuvre into the right hander at Turn 1 before drivers head into a flowing series of turns that swoop by Ancol Beach City.

    The final sector is a tricky complex following a fast right-hander at Turn 12 and another long straight into what will no doubt be a busy turn 13 hairpin come the race. An awkward left-hander at Turn 18 rounds out the lap with a strong slingshot required down that long home straight.

    jakarta-track-map-details

  • Barcelona Tyre Selection

    The tyres have been chosen for this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.

    The teams will have the C1 (Hard), C2 (Medium), C3 (Soft) at their disposal in Barcelona.

    The Montmelo track has undergone a major modification this year. The final chicane, Turns 14 and 15 that was introduced in 2007 has now been removed, with the track reverting to its original configuration.

    This key change to the final sector will make it more flowing and less severe for the tyres in terms of traction. The left-handed corners are mainly taken at low speed, while the right-handers tend to be flat out.

    Last year, Red Bull’s race winner Max Verstappen used a three-stop strategy like most of his rivals, alternating between soft and medium. With the introduction of the new hard tyre, this now adds another strategic factor into the mix.

    Traditionally, Barcelona has been one of the most popular venues for testing: both for cars and tyres. It’s a complete track, featuring several different types of speeds and corners, and it also has a very long straight. As a result, aerodynamic efficiency is key to being competitive. The final sector has been modified for this year, reverting to the original layout without a final chicane. This makes it a much more flowing track now and also adds to the entry speed onto the main straight. There are two corners, Turn 3 and Turn 9, which are particularly demanding in terms of lateral forces exerted on the tyres. We’ve chosen the same three types of tyre as the season-opener in Bahrain, but it’s important to remember, when comparing to last year, that this year’s C1 is an entirely new compound, specifically designed to bridge the gap between the hardest tyre in the range (now called the C0) and the C2. In theory, this should hand the teams a wider range of strategic choices, given that the hardest available compound last year wasn’t used at all in the race. Another novelty is the chance that the drivers will have during the first two free practice sessions to try out two additional sets of hard tyres that feature the new construction that will be used from the British Grand Prix onwards. Apart from the use of some new material, which has already been homologated following an extensive test programme, the latest specification is identical to the previous version. Initially this was scheduled for 2024, but its introduction has now been brought forward to make the structure more resistant to fatigue, as the loads generated by the current cars have already reached the targets set for the end of the season after only a few races. This new construction has no impact though on the technical parameters or performance of the tyres. We also continue our 2024 testing campaign after the race, with Mercedes and Ferrari running over two days as we develop the compounds and constructions for next year.

    Mario Isola, Motorsport Director.

  • Merhi in at Mahindra

    Mahindra Racing have announced a change to their driver line-up for the remaining seven races of Season 9, as Oliver Rowland has departed the team. The team now welcome Spaniard Roberto Merhi, who recently drove for the team in the recent Berlin Rookie Test.

    Merhi will race for the Mahindra team, alongside Season 3 Formula E Champion Lucas di Grassi from the Jakarta E-Prix this weekend.

    The team stated that a “mutual agreement ” had been reached between Rowland Mahindra for him to step aside for the next seven races.

    Rowland has plenty of Formula E experience under his belt, with his first race being the 2015 Punta del Este E-Prix and has gathered 64 race entries under his belt. As well as achieving five Julius Baer Pole Positions and six podiums.

    However, Rowland currently sits 19th in the Drivers’ World Championship standings with nine points to his name in the new Gen3 era.

    Last time out in Monaco, Rowland had a great start to the race making up eight places. But, his race came to a premature end when a crash resulted in him sustaining a hard injury and being checked at a local hospital. Thankfully an X-ray showed that there was nothing serious and he was expected to race in the Indonesian double header.

    Roberto Merhi has a very impressive racing resume, having raced in Formula 1 with the Manor Marussia F1 Team in 2015, he also had success winning races in various championships including Formula Renault, Spanish F3, British F3 and Formula Renault 3.5 Series.

    As well as single seaters, Merhi also competes in endurance racing and finished the Asian Le Mans Series Drivers’ Championship in 2020.

    It’s a huge honour for me to step in and represent Mahindra Racing for the races in Jakarta. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity and I’m determined to make the most of it. I had a chance to drive the M9Electro at the rookie test in Berlin but Formula E is very different to any of the other series I’ve raced in so the learning curve will be steep. But I feel ready, excited and up for the challenge.

    Merhi on the opportunity.

    We are delighted to welcome Roberto to the Mahindra Racing team. Roberto has impressive experience in top-level racing and a good track record in major championships. He had a great run with us at the Rookie Test in Berlin last month and we could see he had the potential to become a great asset for the Mahindra Racing team. It’s not easy to jump in mid-season, but Roberto has experience of working with the team, so I’m sure he will slot into the team brilliantly.

    Frederic Bertrand, Mahindra Racing CEO

  • F3 – RND 4 – Day 3 & 4

    Day 3-

    Marti maintained the lead off the line to break away from Fornaroli, who found himself forced to go on the defensive from Taylor Barnard.

    The Safety Car was deployed on the first lap following contact into the opening corners at Sainte Devote where Jonny Edgar got sent into the barriers. His MP Motorsport teammate Mari Boya also suffered Turn 1 contact, resulting in retirement also.

    Out front, Marti looked untroubled, steadily building his advantage lap-by-lap. The Spaniard pulled over five seconds clear in six laps through the middle phase of the race. This left Fornaroli driving on his mirrors as Saucy closed up to the back of him, with Colapinto staying close to the Swiss driver also.

    As the chequered flag flew, Marti secured victory by an impressive 8.1s margin to Fornaroli with Saucy third. Colapinto made up one place to take fourth as Barnard added more points to his rookie tally with his best ever finish in fifth.

    Bortoleto hold on to sixth ahead of the HiTech Pulse-Eight duo of Montoya and Browning. Collect earned two points in ninth and Aron rounded out the top 10.

    Day 4-

    After earning his first Formula 3 podium in the Sprint Race, Leonardo Fornaroli didn’t get the chance to bring home more points again after the Trident driver stalled on the grid on the formation lap.

    When the five lights went out, Mini got a decent launch off the line to keep Beganovic behind. Fifth placed Collet immediately tried to put the pressure on Browning, but the Van Amersfoort Racing driver had to ease off as he ran out of tarmac.

    Ido Cohen lost his Rodin Carlin on entry to Turn 12, whilst battling with his teammate Oliver Gray and ended up in the barriers, triggering the Safety Car.

    Sebastian Montoya’s attempts at shaping for a move on Collet for fifth ended in heartbreak for both. With the Brazilian suffering from tyre degradation, the Red Bull Junior had great traction out of Turn 1 but made contact with Collet’s rear left tyre on the run up the hill.

    The final stages saw Beganovic pull back into Mini’s one second DRS window, but there was nothing the Swede could do to stop him holding on to claim a maiden victory.

    Despite Browning closing to within three tenths on the final lap, Aron managed to secure his second F3 podium. Bortoleto strengthened his hold on the Championship lead in fifth ahead of Colapinto and Zak O’Sullivan. Barnard’s penalty demoted him to eighth ahead of Marti and Greogoire Saucy, who rounded out the top 10.

  • Beckmann steps in at Andretii for Jakarta E-Prix

    Avalanche Andretti has announced that David Beckmann will replace Andre Lotterer at the Jakarta E-Prix, who will be spending the weekend with Porsche’s LMDh team preparing for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

    Named as the team’s reserve for Season 8 and 9, Beckmann got his first taste of motor racing in karts. In 2012 he won the DMV Kart Championship (KF3 class) and the European Bridgestone Cup.

    A year later he was crowned overall winner of the German Junior Kart Championship, beating Mick Schumacher. With this success under his belt, he advanced to Formula 4 in 2015, contesting championships in Germany, where he won the rookie classification and also in Italy.

    After two years in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, he switched to the GP3 series, where he finished fifth overall in 2018 with three race wins. Returning to the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, he clinched sixth overall with a string of strong performances. From 2021, he competed in FIA Formula 2.

    I’m super grateful for the opportunity to step in for André and represent the Avalanche Andretti Formula E Team in Jakarta. Formula E is an incredibly competitive championship, and I’m excited to showcase my capabilities in this unique racing series. I would like to thank Michael Andretti and the team for trusting me with this responsibility. I’m going to give my best to achieve a successful outcome for everyone involved.

    Beckmann on the opportunity.

    David has proven himself as a highly talented driver and we are delighted to welcome him back into the team for the Jakarta E-Prix. He was part of the team in Season 8 as the official reserve driver and he has not only demonstrated his capabilities during the Berlin Rookie Test, but also throughout the Porsche Motorsport development actvities. He will be an excellent replacement for the double-header weekend. We knew from the outset that André’s priorities lay within Porsche’s LMDh sportscar squad and were therefore supportive of his commitments outside of Formula E. David’s experience in both single-seater championships and as both the team’s and TAG Heuer Porsche’s Reserve and Development Driver will undoubtedly contribute to his seamless transition into the Formula E environment. We have full confidence in his ability to represent the team and have no doubt that he will make the most of this opportunity, contributing to our continued success in the championship.

    Team Principal, Roger Griffiths.