Indholdsfortegnelse for 27/09/18 i Autosport

New blood at the top of any sport always keeps the interest levels up, and with that in mind it’s great to see the elite teams of Formula 1 taking a punt on Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly for 2019. Leclerc is dubbed by many as an F1 world champion of the future, and our cover story by Scott Mitchell on page 18 investigates what his arrival at Ferrari – and the Scuderia’s long-overdue U-turn on its aversion to young talent – means for the team. Pierre Gasly’s promotion from Toro Rosso to Red Bull in place of Renault-bound Daniel Ricciardo is good news too. Edd Straw analyses his arrival in Milton Keynes on p26, and gives his opinion on p16 on the difficulties of anyone arriving at the top…

FORMULA E Formula 2 ace Alexander Albon will partner Sebastien Buemi at the Nissan e.dams team for the forthcoming Formula E season. The Japanese manufacturer, which has taken sister company Renault’s place in the e.dams entry, had attracted much speculation regarding its driver line-up over the FE off-season. Buemi and former team-mate Nico Prost were given contracts that covered the 2018-19 season, but the team’s definitive line-up remained uncertain over the summer and Prost left the team at the end of the 2017-18 championship. Rumours pointed to possible problems with Buemi’s Toyota World Endurance programme and a mooted F1 return with Toro Rosso being issues, while Nissan was widely expected to have one of its own proteges in the team. Albon, who is currently third in the 2018 F2 standings…

“I rather doubt,” an Italian colleague murmured on race morning at Monza, “that Kimi is going to help Sebastian very much today.” How so? “Well,” my friend went on, “this could be his last chance to win a grand prix – and they’ve told him he’s out…” Raikkonen and Vettel get along well, which is one reason why Seb has always been keen for Kimi’s one-year Ferrari contracts to be renewed; the other, more significantly, is that if asked, he has long proved willing to ride shotgun, and that really sits well with Vettel. Right enough, though, at Monza Raikkonen – starting from pole – was clearly in business for himself, and if Vettel hoped for an easy ride at the first chicane, he didn’t get it. Having taken that…

Sebastian Vettel is a passionate student of his sport’s history and something of an Anglophile. If he was a professional footballer, rather than one of Formula 1’s greatest-ever drivers, he would know all about Sir Matt Busby. The Manchester United legend followed up his on-the-pitch success with a trophy-laden managerial career driven by a youth-driven philosophy. That philosophy is responsible for an adage that has been universally adapted since: ‘If they are good enough, they are old enough.’ Vettel is one of F1’s most comprehensive justifications of grand prix racing’s version of that cliche, namely ‘if you’re quick enough, you’re old enough.’ Which may be why he greeted news of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari promotion for 2019 with (the slightly less catchy): “If you are fast and talented then the age…

While Charles Leclerc is the highest-profile product of the Ferrari Driver Academy, the Prancing Horse’s junior scheme has plenty more talent queueing up behind him – beyond next-person-most-likely Antonio Giovinazzi. Two proteges in particular are creating waves in the third tier of motorsport: GP3 Series ace Callum Ilott needs no introduction after his three years of Formula 3, and the lesser-known Marcus Armstrong has starred in his rookie season in the Formula 3 European Championship. The 18-year-old New Zealand South Islander currently lies third in the points behind Dan Ticktum and Mick Schumacher, and as well as his speed he has been notable for a remarkable maturity that’s been on display since his karting days. He even started racing cars aged 13. “I learned the old-school way,” says Armstrong. “My…

Venturi has been here before – an ex-Formula 1 star making the switch to new electric pastures in Formula E. But where Jacques Villeneuve failed – after just three events and two race starts in the 2015-16 championship – the Monaco manufacturer is hoping that new recruit Felipe Massa can succeed. In fact, after an intense expansion process in recent months, which included launching the Next Gen driver academy and hiring ex-DTM racer and Williams F1 test driver Susie Wolff as team principal, the squad is aiming for a spot in FE’s upper echelons. That ambition is part of the reason why Massa has been signed to a three-year deal. But the 11-time grand prix winner has his own reason to enter FE: he’s not done with racing. “I don’t…

EUROPEAN FORMULA 3 RED BULL RING (A)  SEPTEMBER 22-23 ROUND 9/10 Mick Schumacher has been transformed from rank outsider for the final Formula 3 European Championship title to overwhelming favourite within just two race weekends. To his triple win the previous time out at the Nurburgring, he added two victories and a second last weekend at the Red Bull Ring. It was totally convincing, the domination of his Prema Powerteam Dallara-Mercedes and the sister car of Robert Shwartzman, who took a first-time win in the finale, leading to despair elsewhere in the paddock – not least Dan Ticktum, who had been leading the points prior to the weekend. To ‘despair’ you can add ‘disquiet’. Red Bull Junior Ticktum went on Instagram to air his views on Sunday night, and hinted…

BRITISH GT Jonny Adam’s record-breaking third British GT title has confirmed him as the most successful driver in the series’ history. His fourth place with Flick Haigh and Optimum Motorsport in last weekend’s Donington Park season finale sealed the Aston Martin factory driver his third crown with as many co-drivers and teams: Adam partnered Andrew Howard at Beechdean AMR in 2015, and Derek Johnston at TF Sport in ’16. Adam also accompanied Howard to his ’13 series title, but was docked points for a driving infringement at Snetterton, meaning Howard was credited as a solo champion. Adam’s second victory of the season at Brands Hatch last month, his 14th overall, already made him the championship’s most successful driver in terms of wins. “It’s a nice feeling to do it with…

HISTORIC FF1600 Ex-Formula Ford champion Linton Stutely returned to the cockpit in last weekend’s Brands Hatch round of the Historic Formula Ford 1600 Championship. Stutely – the boss of preparation firm Enigma Motorsport – had not competed since 2015, but took the chance to race the title-winning Jamun T2 of Richard Tarling in repayment for rebuilding the car, while Tarling raced in the Heritage Formula Ford event. Stutely qualified second in the wet at Brands. He took fourth in the first race before a broken radiator put him out in race two. “I’ve got a Mygale Formula Ford which I’m building for myself, and I said to my dad, ‘Lets get rid of it and get a historic car instead’,” said Stutely. “I enjoyed the weekend. Everyone was friendly and…

RX-8 TROPHY The Classic Sports Car Club has announced its first one-make race class for the Mazda RX-8, which will start in 2019. Called the RX-8 Trophy, it will cater for road-legal examples of the series-one coupe built from 2003-08 and will run as a class within the New Millennium series. The RX-8 Trophy will join the field of post-2000 production cars and share its 40-minute, mandatory-pitstop and one/two-driver format. Running to a heavily restricted set of regulations, it is intended to offer value, entry-level motorsport. Club director David Smitheram said: “I am aware of the barriers that stop people racing. It’s usually a combination of time, money and space. Hopefully this is the answer to all three. “Last year I ran in a one-make BMW championship and learned a…

GT CUP The GT Cup will run four races per weekend next season after a survey of drivers and teams found that many wanted more track time. This year the GT Cup has run practice, qualifying and two sprint races on a Saturday and then a warm-up, qualifying and a 50-minute pitstop race on the Sunday of its two-day meetings. But for next year there will be shorter practice and qualifying sessions, a 25-minute sprint race and a 50-minute pitstop race on each day. This means drivers will now get three and a half hours of track action each weekend. “We had a huge response to our survey, and people phoned us too,” explained championship director Hannah Wilson. “We listened and took on board everything that everybody said and one…

DONINGTON PARK BRITISH GT SEPTEMBER 22-23 The mark of a champion is to keep your cool when others lose theirs, and Flick Haigh’s resolve was certainly tested by the chaos surrounding her at Donington Park. Needing only to finish sixth to secure the British GT title for herself and Optimum Motorsport Aston Martin team-mate Jonny Adam, a cautious Haigh found herself being elbowed down to fifth by the time of the pitstops, but championships are won by being sensible on your off-days and not by making rash moves that lead to contact. Even with closest title rivals Phil Keen and Jon Minshaw upholding their end of the bargain by taking victory in their Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini, fourth was enough for Haigh to claim her first British GT title, while Adam…

DONINGTON PARK MSVR SEPTEMBER 22-23 Linus Lundqvist’s grasp on the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship suffered a huge blow at Donington Park as the Swede endured a nightmare weekend, while his main title rival Nicolai Kjaergaard took a brace of wins. Lundqvist held a 111-point lead as he arrived at Donington and only needed to extend it by a further five to seal the title, but instead his gap has now been cut to just 50 points with one round left at Silverstone. “It’s been a disaster of a weekend, nothing has gone right,” he said. Problems with the engine in qualifying put the Double R Racing driver down in 14th for race one as Kjaergaard lined up second behind Carlin team-mate Billy Monger, who was racing at Donington for…

BRANDS HATCH HSCC SEPTEMBER 22-23 Hillman Imp derivatives ruled the roost on Brands Hatch’s Indy circuit as Saturday’s rain changed the Historic Touring Car championship’s dynamic. Gunning for a fourth title, points leader Adrian Oliver and reigning champ Steve Platts (Singer Chamois) capitalised on their rear-engined cars’ traction, winning once apiece as more powerful opposition was blunted. When the forecast rain came, Oliver and Mike Gardiner (Lotus Cortina) shot past front-row qualifiers Rick Belcher (Cortina) and Bob Bullen (Anglia 105E) at the start of the opener and stayed there, with Platts awarded third when Larry Warr (Cooper S) was among three Mini men excluded for technical infringements. Oliver fell off at Surtees on lap one of the sequel, but hurtled back to second behind Platts, retrieving his car from extravagant…

“IT’S EASIER TO MARKET A JUNIOR IN A MERCEDES AND A FERRARI” FORMULA 1 Does Formula 1 need three-car teams? That’s the latest question as Mercedes boss Toto Wolff tries to find somewhere to place Esteban Ocon and George Russell in 2019. F1 faces a shortage of seats, and hence a lack of opportunities for young drivers. “I feel like F1 is currently lacking at least two teams,” noted Formula 2 championship leader Russell (above). “We only have 20 cars on the grid, and trying to break into that 20 is extremely difficult. The idea of a third car, or something along those lines, gives the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull the chance to throw their young drivers in without any major issues.” But at a senior level,…

FORMULA 3 The FIA’s new International Formula 3 category has long been fixed for 2019 – it effectively becomes a merger with the GP3 Series, and takes the slot at the bottom of the Formula 1 bill. Teams will be notified next week of whether they have gained an entry, although no-one has seen the car yet… But as far as the rest of F3 in Europe is concerned, confusion has reigned over the summer. Perhaps at last things are beginning to crystallise: Formel 3 Vermarktungs, the subsidiary of the DTM-promoting ITR that has run the FIA’s Formula 3 European Championship since 2013, has now gone public on its plan to continue a series for the current-generation F3 car for one more year until its FIA homologation expires at the…

Felipe Massa’s Formula E driving duties with Venturi are not the sole motorsport responsibilities making up his post-Formula 1 career. Massa is also the president of the FIA’s international karting commission. He would like to see young drivers spending more time competing in karts before jumping onto the single-seater ladder, and has outlined his preference for a simplified international structure of pre-car racing. The karting and electric-motorsport fields will meet on a previously unlikely stage in 2018: the Youth Olympics. The event will take place next month in Buenos Aires and the FIA has announced that it will showcase its road-safety campaign and introduce electric karting to local communities in the capital of Argentina, a step that has earned Massa’s approval. “Electric is part of the future – karting, cars,…

MOTOGP MOTORLAND ARAGON (E) SEPTEMBER 23 ROUND 14/19 Honda must be wondering what it has let itself in for by pairing Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo in its squad for the 2019 MotoGP season, following last weekend’s tumultuous Aragon Grand Prix. Marquez scored his sixth win of the campaign at the Motorland track, taking another step towards his fifth premier-class title. But it was the chaotic sequence of events at the first corner that made the headlines as Lorenzo was parted from his Ducati and sent tumbling through the air. Afterwards Lorenzo verbally attacked Marquez, saying the Honda rider had “destroyed my race and destroyed my foot”. Lorenzo suffered a dislocated big toe on his right foot and fractured the metatarsal of his second toe. Lorenzo continued: “He destroyed also…

DTM RED BULL RING (A) SEPTEMBER 22-23 ROUND 9/10 The miracle recovery of Rene Rast and Audi in the DTM continued at the Red Bull Ring last weekend. A second successive double win means Team Rosberg driver Rast enters the Hockenheim finale 30 points behind series-leading Mercedes man Paul di Resta, and 26 behind Gary Paffett. And no-one could have predicted that in Austria, bearing in mind the qualifying form. Reigning champion Rast is without question a stunning driver, but his success at the Red Bull Ring owed as much to nifty Audi tactics as it did to his own brilliance. Not to mention a hefty dose of controversy that left Mercedes’ Daniel Juncadella leaving the venue with a bucket-full of sympathy – and not a single top-10 finish. Rast…

EUROPEAN LE MANS SERIES SPA (B) SEPTEMBER 23 ROUND 5/6 Despite a nightmare outing in the Spa 4 Hours – which included a collision, a penalty and a lowly 14th-place finish – G-Drive Racing’s Andrea Pizzitola and Roman Rusinov wrapped up the European Le Mans Series LMP2 title with a round to spare. The TDS-run G-Drive ORECA started on pole thanks to a last-gasp effort from part-time team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne, giving the squad the best chance to make it four wins on the bounce. But that was soon undone as he forced the #88 Proton Porsche 911 RSR onto the grass on the approach to the Bus Stop while battling with Rebellion Racing’s Ryan Cullen. Vergne earned a two-minute stop/go penalty for avoidable contact, ending any chance for a good…

BRITISH GT British GT championship-winning team TF Sport will expand into GT4 next year, as well as continuing in GT3, after acquiring two new Aston Martin Vantage GT4s. The new GT4 machine completed its first shakedown at Turweston airfield recently in the hands of factory driver Ross Gunn and will be homologated along with the new GT3 model next March. Autosport understands the car will begin testing next week. TF, which has also ordered two GT3 models, has been joined by Optimum Motorsport (which won the 2016 British GT4 title with a Ginetta before stepping up to GT3) and existing Aston GT4 customer Academy Motorsport in placing an order for the GT4. “GT4 HAS BEEN A BIG PART OF THE BUSINESS FOR QUITE SOME YEARS” “It looks lovely, a nice…

PORSCHE CARRERA CUP GB Former British GT champion Michael Caine will return to the Porsche Carrera Cup GB for the series finale at Brands Hatch this weekend at the wheel of a Motorbase Performance-run machine. Motorbase rejoined the series this season with Valentin Hasse-Clot, who took part at Snetterton. Caine, who was runner-up in the Carrera Cup in 2010 behind champion Tim Harvey, last took part in the series in 2011. Caine began the season racing a Team Hard Volkswagen CC in the British Touring Car Championship, but left the team after the Rockingham round in August. “David asked me to race and I jumped at the chance,” said Caine. “I know it will put a smile on my face and I can really enjoy the weekend. I will not…

Jack Mitchell left it late to seal the GT4 title, uncomfortably so. Running fourth with 20 minutes to go, his Century Motorsport team delivered the news that a pit infringement – the earth cable had failed to connect when team-mate Dean Macdonald came in – would force him to serve a 10-second stop/go penalty and potentially swing the title the way of team-mates Ben Green/Ben Tuck, or Michael O’Brien/Charlie Fagg’s Tolman McLaren. Mitchell’s BMW M4 rejoined ninth, needing to reclaim eighth from Jason Wolfe’s Invictus Jaguar to take the crown. But even then glory wasn’t assured, as Finlay Hutchison’s Equipe Verschuur McLaren, started by Dan McKay, and the pursuing Fagg still had to complete one more lap. “It was tense because the McLarens were one-two and we were all thinking…

As the daylight dwindled during the final race of the weekend, it would have been difficult for the remaining spectators to make out what cars were on track. But a lack of sunlight was only part of the challenge as 21 cars of different shapes, sizes and marques competed in the British Racing and Sports Car Club’s two Saloon and Sportscar Trophy races. It was similar to an event held at the same circuit in 2016, also as part of the British GT finale. Five classes meant there was a wealth of vehicles on show from a Porsche Boxster to Mazda MX-5s, a TVR Sagaris and a Renault Clio Williams. “It’s quite good [grid numbers] but we had the potential to have a full grid,” said Dominic Ostrowski, competitions director…

Billericay’s Sean Brown has raced fast Fords for donkey’s years, and sons Daniel and Robert share his passion for their stunningly prepared Brown & Geeson Escorts. Having finished 1-2-3 on Brands Hatch’s Grand Prix circuit earlier this year, they repeated that on the Indy layout when the Escort’s 50th anniversary was celebrated close to home and Ford’s Dagenham factory. Ford of England’s competition heritage had been given a huge boost by the three-wheeling Lotus Cortinas in which Formula 1 world champion Jim Clark won the 1964 British Saloon Car title with Team Lotus and Sir John Whitmore added the ’65 European crown with the factory-assisted Alan Mann Racing squad. The Escort moved things on from 1968, Australian Frank Gardner (AMR’s champ with an American Falcon Sprint V8) switching from a…

SILVERSTONE BRSCC SEPTEMBER 22-23 If James Murphy didn’t have a favourite corner before, Silverstone’s Club chicane may now hold that honour. The finest margins separated victory from defeat in the Caterham Roadsport championship. Murphy’s winning cushion was just one point and it was a mere 0.028 seconds that denied title rival Daniel French. That was the margin by which French, who dominated race two to win by 26s, missed fastest lap – and the crucial bonus point – to Tom Allen. Murphy’s defining moment arguably came in race one, as he hunted down wet-weather specialist French in inclement conditions and grabbed a last-lap victory with a bold lunge under braking for Club. “Dan is the benchmark in the wet,” said Murphy. “That’s why making that move makes me so proud.”…

DTM Mercedes DTM racer Daniel Juncadella may have lost out on 25 points after being stripped of his win in last Saturday’s race at the Red Bull Ring, but his penalty was far outweighed by the outpouring of sympathy. The Spaniard, who took his maiden DTM victory last month at Brands Hatch and had claimed pole position for the wet race in Austria, appeared to have controlled a late double-file restart, and was leading on the final lap when notification came through that he was being given a drivethrough penalty for a restart infringement. This was converted to a 30-second time addition, dumping Juncadella to 14th in the results. Juncadella was deemed to have accelerated too soon – in a narrow ‘corridor’ between the finish line and the first of…

THEMES TO WATCH SOCHI IS A MUST-WIN RACE FOR VETTEL “If we win every race from now we are safe, so that is what we need to aim for,” said Sebastian Vettel after the Singapore Grand Prix. With a 40-point deficit to Lewis Hamilton, the fightback needs to start at Sochi. Failure is no longer an option for Vettel and Ferrari. BOTTAS’S BIG CHANCE Things haven’t gone so well for Valtteri Bottas in recent races, but Sochi is a track that suits him. He usually goes well on this type of surface, and took his first grand prix victory here last year, so where better to hit form? FORCE INDIA ORDERS After their collision at the start of the Singapore Grand Prix, Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon have been banned…

Ticktum needs to focus on himself The comments made this week by Dan Ticktum regarding the recent upturn in form of Mick Schumacher in the European F3 Championship (autosport.com) reek of sour grapes to me. Ticktum, who is a fantastic driver and worthy of his Red Bull Junior status, has admitted that talks linking him to an F1 seat at Toro Rosso had distracted him from his main job of winning the Euro F3 title, and in the meantime Mick and the Prema team have been working hard on eradicating his flaws, specifically qualifying, and now all the hard work has paid off in a big way. I think Dan needs to focus on his own performances within his Motopark team, where team-mates Juri Vips, Jonathan Aberdein, etc have proved…

FRENAULT EUROCUP HOCKENHEIM (D) SEPTEMBER 22-23 ROUND 9/10 Max Fewtrell took full advantage of a disastrous weekend for erstwhile Formula Renault Eurocup points leader Christian Lundgaard, taking a composed brace of victories at Hockenheim to establish a 10.5-point lead over Yifei Ye ahead of the season finale. A lights-to-flag win for R-ace GP driver Fewtrell by 0.7 seconds ahead of Ye in the opener set the tone for a momentum shift in the title race. Lundgaard retired after making contact at Turn 2 with Victor Martins and then going straight on at Turn 5. Lundgaard’s luck failed to improve the following day after a transmission failure while leading. Fewtrell moved ahead to lead home Oscar Piastri and Ye. Doureid Ghattas and fellow German Phil Hill split the spoils in the…

BRDC BRITISH F3 The BRDC British Formula 3 Championship will keep its current car for next year owing to the continued uncertainty surrounding the FIA’s Regional F3 concept. MotorSport Vision, which operates the championship, had explored the possibility of becoming an FIA Regional F3 series and switching to a new halo-fitted car for 2019. But since the FIA is yet to make a final decision and time is running out for teams to prepare for next season, MSV has decided to keep the current Tatuus-Cosworth car that was introduced in 2016. MSV group operations and engineering manager Giles Butterfield said: “It’s unclear how F3 Regional is going to develop in Europe even though we’ve been talking to the FIA about the concept for two years or more. We have made…

BRITISH HILLCLIMB Trevor Willis clinched his third British Hillclimb title after his closest rival failed to score in the penultimate round at Loton Park in Shropshire last Sunday. Willis, driving an OMS 28, took only fourth in the morning top 12 run-off but closest rival Will Hall, in a Force WH Xtec, overran in wet conditions at the track’s notorious Triangle Bend and failed to score, handing Willis the crown. Willis, who was also champion in 2012 and ’17 and took 12 wins this season, said: “I am so relieved to clinch the title as I only had a fragile lead coming into these last two rounds and Will was closing fast, however I do feel for him as he and his team are always hard to beat.” Hall said:…

“MONTEREY OFFERS MORE THAN ANY OTHER AUCTION” After the financial crisis of 2008, the smart money moved into classic cars as a way to protect assets from the imploding banks. As a result, prices for any significant motoring lots have skyrocketed in the past decade. If you fancied a McLaren F1 10 years ago, you had to be prepared to part with around £2.5million. Fast forward and, today, you’re unlikely to get a lot of change out of £10m. While much of the classic-car market has begun to settle in recent months, the top end is still firing on all cylinders. Leading auction house RM Sotheby’s flagship sale was proof enough. Held during the renowned Monterey Car Week in California, alongside the Pebble Beach Concours, the world-record fee paid for a…

The Porsche 935 achieved its crowning glory at Le Mans in 1979, locking out the podium in a year where Group 5 entries outnumbered out-of-favour and unreliable sports-prototypes. But the #68 machine of Ted Field/Milt Minter/John Morton and the #43 car of Claude Haldi/Rodrigo Terran/Herbert Loewe would remain clear of the limelight. They lined up for the race in 25th and 26th respectively, sharing the grid with the likes of Ferrari’s 512BB/LM and thoroughbred Lola T298s. Engine failure claimed the Field/Minter/Morton entry while the #43 car eventually wound up 11th, 36 laps down on the winning Kremer 935. For more great photographs, visit motorsportimages.com…

WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN? WHO IS THIS? This combustible star of a golden era played a key role in transforming his sport into must-view television. After starting out with Henry in traditional fashion, he became a leading light in a series where horse still went before cart. Away from the track he was selling the ultimate driving machines to the masses, but on it he used a very British take on French speed to move to the top stratum of the national scene. A change to a more familiar brand – and its hot new model – delivered the ultimate prize, but it was his tussles with his team-mate that drew the ratings. As the series grew, so he stood aside to concentrate on his thriving business, although he would…