Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Charouz Racing System

  • PHM Racing to take over Charouz Racing System

    The FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3 Championship promoters announce that German team PHM Racing will take over Charouz Racing System’s entries and assets from the 2023 F2 and F3 seasons.

    Founded in 2021 by Paul H. Muller, PHM Racing took part in the Formula 4 Championship in the United Arab Emirates, the German ADAC F4 and the Italian ACI F4 Championship in 2022.

    PHM Racing will be operated by Charouz Racing System in 2023, and the team will race under PHM Racing by Charouz in both Championships.

    The German outfit will be making its first appearance when Formula 2 and Formula 3 return for pre-season testing at the Bahrain International circuit, on February 14th to 16th.

    I would like to welcome to PHM Racing to Formula 2 and Formula 3. Although they are a young team, they are eager to prove they have what it takes to embrace the challenges of our championships. I would also like to thank Toni Charouz and everyone at Charouz Racing System. Toni has been a great partner throughout the years and Charouz Racing have been valued members of our paddock since 2018. They will operate PHM Racing in both categories next season, so the Charouz name will remain on the grid in some capacity for another year.

    FIA Formula 2 Championship CEO, Bruno Michel.

    Joining Formula 3 and Formula 2 is the next step in our evolution as a comprehensive development program for young driver talents. We are excited to offer drivers a team that can take them from karting all the way to the doorstep of Formula One.

    Paul H.Mueller, owner of PHM Racing adds.

    I’m really glad to announce this partnership with Paul and his team. PHM Racing is a quite new name in the motorsport landscape but they already showed how professional and competitive they can be in Formula 4 and I’m sure, with all our knowledge and support, that they can do as well in the FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3 championships.

    Toni Charouz, Team owner of Charouz Racing System.

  • Mansell in for Charouz

    Christian Mansell is racing for Charouz Racing System this weekend in Budapest. The Czech team confirmed that Mansell would be competing in both Rounds 6 & 7 of the season in Budapest and Spa in place of Zdenek Chovanec in the #15 car.

    The 17 year old, has been racing in EuroFormula Open this year and is currently second in the Drivers’ standings. He has secured multiple wins and podium finishes already this season, including runner-up results at both Hungary and Spa.

    The Australian driver, who is racing under a British license said that he was looking forward to the challenge of jumping into a Formula 3 car and his hoping his experience would bode well around both upcoming circuits.

    I’m super excited to be joining FIA Formula 3 with Charouz Racing System. This is a fantastic opportunity for me to put myself against an incredibly talented grid of drivers and get my name out there racing on the Formula 1 weekends. It will be my first time in the car so there will be a lot to learn from the start, but I like both circuits so I will be able to hit the ground running with those. I’m mega excited and can’t wait to get started this weekend in Hungary.

    Mansell on his opportunity this weekend.

    I’m really happy to welcome Christian in the team and I’m looking forward to see him in the car. He’ll need all of our support to get confident with a single-seater different from the ones he already raced with, but I’m confident that it will happen very naturally and very quickly given how talented he is. The fact that he already had experiences at both Hungaroring and Spa-Francorchamps is definitely an optimum starting point for his debut. The team and I are really excited to have him on board, I’m sure that he’s excited too and he’ll show everybody what he’s capable of.

    Antonin Charouz, team owner.

  • Zendeli replaces Schumacher

    Lirim Zendeli will be returning to the Formula 3 Championship this weekend, as he replaces David Schumacher with Charouz Racing System.

    Schumacher himself replaced Ayrton Simmons in the Barcelona test and second round at Imola, but this weekend he has other commitments as he races in DTM for Mercedes-AMG Team Winward.

    Zendeli is no stranger to the team as he has taken the ADAC Formula 4 title with the Czech team, they then stepped up together to FIA F3 under the Sauber Junior team by Charouz in 2019.

    After moving to Trident for the 2020 season, the German driver scored his only victory in the category in the feature race at Spa-Francorchamps.

    Zendeli then went on to Formula 2 last year, but it fell short due to a lack of budget, he has not raced since Sochi.

    I’m really happy to be back and drive again. We have to be realistic, I haven’t been in a car for ten months and it will not be easy having only have 45 minutes of practice before quali, but I’ll do my best and try to help the team as much as possible.You can never leave out some surprises but let’s focus on the weekend and get the best possible result.

    Lirim Zendeli on racing this weekend.
  • Bolukbasi not to race in Imola

    Bolukbasi not to race in Imola

    Cem Bolukbasi will not be racing this weekend in the third round of the 2022 Formula 2 season after picking up an injury during the in-season test at Barcelona last week.

    David Beckmann will be taking Bolukbasi’s place in the Charouz car, last week Beckmann was called up by the team to contest the last of the F2 in-season test, with Bolukbasi having flown home for medical attention after a crash on the opening day.

    Beckmann is already well known with the team, having already driven for the team for the first half of the 2021 season, before family business commitments contributed to him leaving. He then stayed in F2 for two more rounds, as he joined Campos Racing.

    The German driver, ended his rookie season down in 15th in the standings after missing the final two rounds but he did manage to claim two sprint race podiums and was quick to get back up to speed in the car.

    Since not racing since September, Beckmann has had a busy 2022 so far as he has picked up the reserve and development driver for Andretti Autosport in Formula E, with his first track-side work having been at the Rome E-Prix event which took place just a few days before he was summoned by Charouz.

    At the moment, it is a one-off return to F2 for Beckmann, with it having been publicised in Europe that Bolukbasi will be back racing by round six of the season in Baku on the 10th to 12th June, but before then are two rounds in May at Barcelona and Monaco where his participation has not been confirmed yet.

  • Bolukbasi to not race

    Cem Bolukbasi will be not racing this weekend as he has been declared unfit after his crash yesterday.

    During free practice yesterday, Cem Bolukbasi crashed. It was a lengthy red flag and we saw Cem getting out of the car himself, after a little while.

    A statement then was released by the FIA after Free Practice as the driver had been transferred to a local hospital.

    A new statement which was released this morning declares that Cem is unfit and will not be racing:

    Following medical examination, the driver of car #23 was found to have suffered a concussion and remained in hospital overnight for further precautionary checks. He has been declared unfit to race and has therefore been withdrawn from the event by the team.

    Hopefully we see Cem back in the car at testing in a few weeks!

    Cem took to social media

  • F3 2022 Drivers

    The Formula 3 2022 grid is complete before the first round this weekend in Bahrain, the first of 9 rounds and 18 races across the year.

    There are 14 rookies this year, including Zak O’Sullivan in which his come of the back of 3 impressive year, being runner up in Ginetta Junior Championship, runner-up in F4 British Championship and GB3 Champion last year. Ollie Bearman, also comes inot F3 being the ADAC Formula 4 Champion and Italian F4 Champion.

    Which drivers should we look out for this season?

    Trident drivers, they are coming of the back of winning the 2021 Team standings, and no doubt will be wanting to do it again.

    PREMA, you can never ever count out, obviously they have won the drivers championship 3 years in a row. As well as this, Arthur Leclerc has already won one championship this year and it looks like F3 will now be his main focus.

    Martins and Collet, both with Alpine Academy will be looking to fight for the championship this year. It is their second year in F3 and will be hoping to move up to F2 next season if they provide the results.

    Juan Manuel Correa sticking with ART Grand Prix, hoping to fight for more points this year as he goes into his second year in Formula 3.

    TeamsDrivers
    TridentJonny Edgar
    Zane Maloney (R)
    Roman Stanek
    PREMAOliver Bearman (R)
    Arthur Leclerc
    Jak Crawford
    ART Grand PrixVictor Martins
    Gregory Saucy (R)
    Juan Manuel Correa
    MP MotorsportCaio Collet
    Alexander Smolyar
    Kush Maini (R)
    Charouz Racing SystemAyrton Simmons (R)
    László Tóth
    Francesco Pizzi (R)
    HiTech Grand PrixKaylen Frederick
    Isack Hadjar (R)
    Nazim Azman
    Campos RacingDavid Vidales (R)
    Hunter Yeany
    Josep María Martí (R)
    Jenzer MotorsportIdo Cohen
    Niko Kari
    William Alatalo (R)
    CarlinZak O’Sullivan (R)
    Brad Benavides (R)
    Enzo Trulli
    Van Amersfoort RacingFranco Colapinto (R)
    Rafael Villagomez
    Reece Ushijima (R)

  • F2 2022 Drivers

    Formula 2 has now had all their drivers confirmed for this year. The 2022 season will see a 14 round calendar, and 28 races across the year.

    Half of the grid are rookies this year, with reigning Formula 3 Champion, Dennis Hauger making the step up into F2. As well as many different drivers from all different F1 team juniors, but 2022 their will be no Ferrari Driver Academy drivers, with the most recent drivers graduating to other roles…

    Which drivers should we look out for this season?

    Definitley both PREMA drivers, they will be want to go for both the drivers and teams championship for a third year running.

    Liam Lawson moving to Carlin, is definitely one to watch, he had a few reliability issues last year, so if he doesn’t have those this year hopefully he can be a title contender.

    ART Grand Prix, have a very strong line-up this year, Pourchaire will be wanting to go for the drivers championship, and Vesti will be wanting to help as the team and possibly fight for the team championship.

    Jack Doohan, Olli Caldwell, Jake Hughes and Clement Novalak all stepped into F2 seats last year with some scoring points rather quickly. These 4 are ones to look out for, with scoring points consistently.

    Formula 2 is back next Wednesday the 2nd of March in Sakhir, Bahrain for pre-season testing, then 2 weeks later is the first race of the season!

    TeamsDrivers
    PREMA RacingDennis Hauger (R)
    Jehan Daruvala
    VirtuosiJack Doohan (R)
    Marino Sato
    CarlinLogan Sargeant (R)
    Liam Lawson
    HiTech GPJuri Vips
    Marcus Armstrong
    ART Grand PrixThéo Pourchaire
    Frederik Vesti (R)
    MP MotorsportClément Novalak (R)
    Felipe Drugovich
    Charouz Racing SystemCem Bölükbasi (R)
    Enzo Fittipaldi (R)
    DAMSRoy Nissany
    Ayumu Iwasa (R)
    TridentCalan Williams (R)
    Richard Verschoor
    Campos RacingRalph Boschung
    Olli Caldwell (R)
    Van Amersfoort RacingJake Hughes
    Amaury Cordeel (R)
    (R)- Rookie

  • Fittipaldi returns!

    Enzo Fittipaldi will remain with Charouz Racing System for his first full campaign of Formula 2, he will be partnering up alongside Cem Bolukbasi.

    The Brazilian made his F2 debut with Charouz in Monza last year before scoring his first points in the penultimate round at Saudi Arabia. An injury suffered in Jeddah ruled Fittipaldi out of the finale in Abu Dhabi, but he is now set to return to action next month.

    As well as making his F2 debut last year, he was also an F3 podium finisher in Race 2 at Budapest.

    He first made his car racing debut in the 2016 Ginetta Junior Championship, Fittipaldi moved into single-seaters the following season before taking his first title in 2018, running a dual campaign where he won the Italian F4 and came third in ADAC F4.

    The 20 year old then went to join the Formula Regional European Championship for 2019, he finished as runner-up to Federik Vesti, the following year he went on to F3 with HWA Racelab before his switch to Charouz the year after.

    “For me, it’s a pleasure and an honour to be able to continue my adventure in Formula 2 with Charouz Racing System,” said Fittipaldi. “Last season they gave me the opportunity to debut in this category after a good first part of the season in Formula 3 and this will allow me and the team to work immediately on the performance as from the first test sessions. It will be a long and demanding championship and the level of competitiveness has never been as high as this year, so it’s a great advantage not to have to spend the first testing days to get familiar with the car. We definitely aim to be a regular presence in the top 10 positions, and we’ll certainly try to seize every opportunity to get some podium finishes and maybe some wins.”

    Team Owner Antonín Charouz added: “The team and I are delighted to be able to work again with Enzo for this coming season. Last year, he proved that he deserved the chance to step up from Formula 3 to Formula 2, despite the bad luck that hit him at Jeddah. Now that he’s back in shape I’m sure this will only motivate him further to show what he’s capable of. Starting the season in an environment with which he is already familiar is certainly an advantage for both the team and the driver, and we will try in every way to take advantage of this condition to find the speed and be in the top 10 right away.”

  • Simmons first full F3 campaign

    Charouz Racing System have completed their line up for Formula 3 2022 season, in which they announced that Ayrton Simmons will join Laszlo Toth and Francesco Pizzi.

    Simmons, first debuted in F3 with Charouz in the season finale at Sochi last year on the back of a season in GB3, where he finished as runner up to rookie Zak O’Sullivan. Simmons won four times, and finished on the podium on five occasions.

    The British driver arrives to F3 with 6 years of single-seater experience including title challenges in British F4 in 2018 and in BRDC British F3, as well as competing in Asian F3 and opening races of the Euroformula Open Championship.

    “I’m very grateful to Antonín and the whole Charouz Racing System team for this opportunity,” said Simmons. “Having my first full season in the FIA Formula 3 will be a demanding and exciting challenge for me, I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel and try immediately to find a good feeling with the Dallara in order to start off on the right foot from the first race in Bahrain. It will be interesting to race against some of the best young drivers in the world and to race on legendary tracks like those on the calendar, especially at Silverstone which will be my home race. A good result there would be a dream, but we’ll obviously try to give our best in every round and take every opportunity to end in the top positions.”

    Team owner Antonín Charouz added: “It’s a pleasure for us to be able to continue to have Ayrton in the team after last year’s positive debut, a first experience that I’m sure will be of enormous value for him as he approaches this new and demanding season. With his reconfirmation, our Formula 3 team can now count on three drivers of undoubted talent and potential, with whom we’ll aim to get into the points from the very first races. The guys are already working really hard to prepare for the first test sessions, we’ll do everything possible to make the most of the three days at our disposal and get to the first round in the right conditions to show a good level of competitiveness.”

  • Pizzi steps up to F3

    Charouz Racing System has announced the signing of Francesco Pizzi who is making the step up from Formula Regional.

    The Italian racer only made his single-seater debut in 2020, but won the UAE Formula 4 title in his first season with three poles and 10 podiums, which includes 8 wins. In the same year, he also finished second in the Italian F4 where he had three wins and a further seven podiums.

    Stepping up to the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine. Pizzi endured a more challenging campaign but still managed to score 12 points and finishing 20th overall.

    Pizzi didn’t take art in the post season test, he has run MP Motorsport’s F3 car at testing in Jerez in 2020.

    “I am obviously very excited to be joining Charouz Racing System,” said Pizzi. “I really enjoyed the work we have already done together in the last few days at the factory. This is a great opportunity for me because the team has shown that it can be the right place for a young driver. I intend to make the most of this chance while doing the best possible job for the team.”

    Charouz Team Owner Antonín Charouz added: “We’re very pleased to add another important piece to our 2022 line-up. Francesco has already demonstrated with his past results that he has excellent potential, we’re sure that he will be able right away to do his best working with all the engineers and mechanics in order to prepare for the first races and show what he can do in such a competitive championship. The beginning of the season is approaching very quickly and the whole team is already working very hard to start off on the right foot and build a season that lives up to our expectations.”

    My Opinion-

    I am quite undecided on this, I feel like maybe competing for another year in Formula Regional would of been better but I won’t write him off as anything can happen in motorsport.

  • László Tóth stays in F3

    László Tóth stays in F3

    Lászlo Tóth has singed on the dotted line to stay in Formula 3 but he is switching teams however… He will be joining Charouz Racing System after being with Campos Racing last year.

    Like many, Tóth began his career in karting, before he made the step-up to single-seaters. He has gained experience in the Italian, Spanish and ADAC F4.

    The 21 year old competed in the 2019 FIA Motorsport games where he achieved the best results of the Hungarian delegation in the Formula 4 cup with fourth and seventh. In 2020, he moved to Formula Renault Eurocup where his best finish was seventh and then moved to Formula 3 from there…

    “I’m very happy to start working together with this team,” said Tóth. “Last week I was already in Prague, met the team members and started preparations with the sim. The circumstances are very good and there is a high potential in the team so I hope that we will have a successful season”

    Team Owner Antonín Charouz added: “We’re very happy to welcome László to Charouz Racing System, he’s a young and promising driver who’s already covered a notable mileage at the wheel of Formula 4 and Formula 3 cars in the past few years and I’m confident that his experience will be helpful for all of us all along next season. I’m sure it will be no problem for him to find the best way to work together with the team and get up to speed straight away from the first test sessions”

    My Opinion-

    I think this is a good choice for him, he didn’t have the best season. It’ll be good for him to get this year as more experience and hopefully some points finishes.

  • Cem Bölükbasi to race in F2

    Turkish driver, Cem Bölükbasi will be making his Formula 2 debut in the 2022 season, with Charouz Racing System.

    Cem, first stepped in an F2 car, back in the post season test in Abu Dhabi with Van Amersfoort Racing, he is making a step up from Euroformula Open.

    Joining during the season in Euroformula Open, proved no difficulty for the 23 year old as he won his first race at Hungary before taking going on to take seven more podiums which includes a second win, he finished 5th overall. Bölükbasi, took part in GT4 European back in 2020 where he finished 2nd.

    Cem hasn’t just took part in racing in real life, he has been an E sports driver too, he raced for McLaren in the 2017 Formula One eSports Series, where he finished 5th. In 2018, he decided to switch to Toro Rosso where he participated in 4 out of 10 races, he finished 12th overall. He also took part in 2019 too. Cem is the FIRST ever e-sports driver to make it into Formula 2!

    “I’m really, really happy to join Charouz Racing System for the FIA Formula 2 2022 season,” said Bölükbasi. “I worked so hard to get an opportunity like this and first of all, I want to thank Charouz for putting their trust in me, I’ll do my very best to honour it.

    I obviously can’t wait to get in the car for the testing sessions, after my first taste of an old GP2 car later last year. It’s as close as you can get to a Formula 1 car and I’m fully determined to give my 110% to learn how to master it and prove my potential as a driver. I also can’t wait to start working with the team, the season ahead is gonna be very long and demanding and establishing the best possible relationship with all the guys is going to be crucial for the final outcome.”

    Charouz Team Owner Antonín Charouz added: “We’re more than delighted to welcome a brilliant driver like Cem in our Formula 2 team. It will be a challenging and exciting new experience for him, but he has already shown that he has the numbers to learn quickly and get some good results in some of the most competitive and difficult Formula 1-feeder categories.

    “It’s going to be a long and tough season with 14 rounds, and that could be something he can take advantage of. On our side, we’ll obviously do everything we can to provide him with the best car and guide him in his learning path.”

    My Opinion-

    Ahhh I was waiting for this announcement! Personally I think its great that his been in F1 esports, and now his racing in F2 it shows you can work for both things and make them happen! I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do this year!

  • Verschoor back in F2

    Well, Mr Richard Verschoor is back in Formula 2 this weekend, he is filling in for Enzo Fittipaldi in the Charouz car.

    Fittipaldi suffered a broken heel and a lesion to his left eyebrow after a collision with Theo Pourchaire at the start of the Feature Race in Jeddah last Sunday, which means Fittipaldi wouldn’t be taking part in the final round of 2021 in Abu Dhabi.

    Verschoor, has had a really good first season in Formula 2 in which he won a Sprint Race at Silverstone earlier this year, his currently sat in 10th in the championship with 55 points. He drove six rounds with MP Motorsport before having to pull out form Formula 2 due to sponsorship.

    The Dutch driver has gained experience in ADAC F4, Italian F4, Formula Renault Eurocup and the Toyota Racing Series before spending two seasons in Formula 3 with MP.

    “First of all, I would like to express my thoughts to Enzo,” said Verschoor. “I hope he will recover well and very soon. I’m happy to be back racing and excited to do so with Charouz Racing System, hopefully, we can end this season together on a high.”

    Team owner Antonin Charouz added: “On the eve of the last round of the year, we have been forced to change our line-up, as a consequence of Enzo’s injury in Jeddah. On behalf of the whole team, I wish him again a speedy recovery, hoping to see him return on track as soon as possible. At the same time, I’m glad Richard will join our squad for this weekend in Abu Dhabi. We saw him racing during this year in the FIA Formula 2 Championship and I have to say he delivered some very interesting performances. At the wheel of the other car, we’ll continue to count on Guilherme, and we’ll do our best to support his hunt to first personal points in the series.”

    My Opinion-

    I’m so glad to see Richard back on track, none of the fans like to see a driver leave before the end of the season due to money especially one doing so well like Richard. I’m happy he gets this chance again, and hopefully this will lead to a confirmation on what he does in 2022.

  • Enzo Fittipaldi joins F2

    Charouz Racing System have announced today that Enzo Fittipaldi is set to replace David Beckmann from Monza onwards. This comes as David Beckmann announced on his social media today that due to financial reasons he can’t carry on with F2 this season.

    Beckmann departs with two podiums with Charouz, these were scored in the opening two round of this season. “I’m sorry to leave Charouz Racing System for the end of the FIA Formula 2 season,” said Beckmann. “It’s not an easy choice, but I had to do it because it’s the right thing. The financial situation has dramatically changed compared to the start of this project, but this doesn’t change the great work we did together.

    Enzo was with Charouz Racing in F3 until last weekend at Spa as it got announced he was being replaced, and now we know why he was replaced.

    He has a very good career so far in single seaters, which includes the 2018 Italian Formula 4 Champion, third place in the 2018 ADAC F4 championship and second in the 2019 Formula Regional European campaign.

    “I am extremely happy to be making my debut in the FIA Formula 2 championship,” said Fittipaldi. “I really want to thank Charouz Racing System and all my sponsors for this opportunity. We had a very solid first part of the F3 season together and I am looking forward to the next chapter.”

    Charouz are currently sat ninth in the teams championship with 25 points. The team manager Bob Vavrik added “We’re all very happy to welcome Enzo to the F2 squad. The plan was racing together for the 2022 season, with a winter training and testing program.”

    My Opinion-

    It’s not nice to see someone leave Formula Two because of money and it isn’t the first time its happened this season either, so it is a massive shame to see Beckmann leave but everything costs money nowadays.

    However i’m happy to see that its Fittipaldi, I did have a feeling he would be joining F2 next year, so this gives him this extra added experience for next year if he is to stay.