Driver Database News

Adrian Quaife-Hobbs successfully completed the Young Driver Test at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday at the wheel of Marussia Virgin Racing’s MVR-02 F1 car. The Tonbridge racer was rewarded for his performance this season in the sister Marussia Manor Racing GP3 team with the opportunity for a third test in the F1 car, completing 30 laps in the morning session, in temperatures of 25?C.

“I would like to say a very big thank you to Marussia Virgin Racing for this fantastic opportunity today,” said Adrian. “It’s been a great experience and I’ve learned a lot. This morning I began with some CSL (constant speed limiter) runs on the straights so the team could conduct some aero measurement work and then I got into the programme properly”.

“I ran two sets of new tyres and just began chipping away at the lap times as I learned more about the car and how it reacts. Overall I’m pleased with the day and it’s been a huge experience for me.”

The 20 year-old has already successfully tested twice for the John Booth-led F1 team, carrying out aero-testing at Idiada Proving Ground in Spain and RAF Cottesmore in Leicestershire, clocking up around 350km collectively.

However Tuesday’s test was more than just an appraisal of outright pace. The team had prepared a detailed evaluation programme designed to examine every aspect of a driver’s all-round potential, including decision-making, quality of feedback and an appreciation of engineering procedure.

The programme also facilitated the testing of 2012 developments, including gearbox and engine installation parts. John Booth, Team Principal of Marussia Virgin Racing was pleased with the performance of his GP3 racer Adrian, and fellow racer Charles Pic.

“Both Adrian and Charles followed a very similar programme, which was designed to ease them into circuit running in an F1 car,” said John. “We’re very happy with how both of them have performed today. Both used the Soft Pirelli tyre, with Adrian perhaps slightly disadvantaged by the track temperature and Charles by only using one new set.

“We specifically chose to use the same tyre compounds as used by the race drivers last weekend to give the drivers a better reference, rather than using the Supersoft compound which has clearly been shown to be the quicker tyre over one lap today. All in all, a good job from both drivers.”

Adrian will now conduct a testing programme over the coming weeks, including two days at Motorland, Aragon in a Formula Renault 3.5 car on 29/30 November, as the BRDC Rising Star continues to evaluate his options for 2012.

To watch the video from Yas Marina, please visit the Marussia Virgin Racing website at the following link:

http://www.marussiavirginracing.com/news/503/

British race ace Adrian Quaife-Hobbs will undertake his third Formula One test at the wheel of the Marussia Virgin Racing F1 team’s MVR-02 car in Abu Dhabi in November. The 20 year-old will complete the opening day’s F1 rookie tests immediately following the Grand Prix, which takes place on 3 November, as reward for his performance in the 2011 GP3 Series.

Quaife-Hobbs has already successfully tested twice for the John Booth-led F1 team, carrying out aero-testing at Idiado Proving Ground in Spain where he completed around 150kms and then at RAF Cottesmore where he clocked up over 200kms at the Leicestershire airforce base.

Now, as the most successful driver in the team’s sister GP3 Marussia Manor Racing team, Quaife-Hobbs from Tonbridge, Kent will take to the track on which he successfully completed a GP2 session last year, to complete his first proper F1 circuit test.

“I’m very excited about the prospect of driving the MVR-02 again following my two aero tests and welcome the chance to drive around a proper circuit,” said Adrian. “In Idiado and RAF Cottesmore, it was purely straight-line testing, which was a fantastic opportunity to be part of the team’s ongoing development, but now it will be proper testing and I can’t wait.

“I finished the season as top Manor GP3 driver and it’s nice to have your results recognised in this way. Previously I was helping the team to carry out development work, but now it will be more about them testing me. However, after a successful performance in the last two tests, I feel confident that I can continue to improve as I get more used to the car, and hopefully produce some reasonable lap times.”

With the 2011 GP3 Series now over, following the F1 test Quaife-Hobbs will carry out a full testing programme over the coming months in a variety of cars as the BRDC Rising Star evaluates his options for the 2012 season.

Carlin’s GP2 driver Max Chilton got his first taste of F1 machinery this week when he took part in a straight-line aerodynamic test for the Force India F1 team. The 20 year-old Briton impressed the team with his mature attitude during the test at Kemble
yesterday.

Standing in for the team’s race drivers who were otherwise engaged, Chilton helped the team carry out much of its programme and gathered valuable data which will be used in Singapore, although the day was cut short due to an exhaust problem.

Force India’s Oliver Knighton, who is race support engineer said, “We were able to record the important aero data, which we will analyse over the next few days.

“I’d like to say a special ‘thank you’ to Max, who enjoyed his first taste of an F1 car today. He prepared himself very well and adapted quickly to the procedures and systems on the car, all of which allowed us to make good progress with the programme.”

Chilton was delighted to have been given his first taste of F1, adding, “It was an amazing experience and I’d like to thank Force India for giving me the opportunity and for making me feel so comfortable in the car. I think I was able to help the team gather some good data – which of course was the priority. Getting any amount of seat time in an F1 car is a privilege and I’m extremely grateful for the experience.”

Photo by GP3 Media Services.

Nick Heidfeld who still has a valid contract as main driver with LRGP is set to continue legal proceedings before the High Court of London after LRGP has temporarily been allowed to let Bruno Senna drive in Nick’s place until a final decision at a full trial which will take place after the Monza Grand Prix.

Nick’s legal representative Dr. Stefan Seitz, Cologne, Germany: “The interlocutory decision of the court does not infringe on the fact that Nick has a valid contract to be one of the two main drivers of the team. This position is disputed by the team for apparently purely financial reasons. We do not intend to rest before Nick’s legal position has been fully restored.”

Nick’s manager Andre Theuerzeit: “I am disappointed that the team is allowed to let another driver take Nick’s seat for the next weekends. However, I certainly am confident that we will be able to enforce a fair solution for Nick in the further proceedings. We all hope that Nick will be back in the cockpit in Singapore.”

Also Nick Heidfeld stated his view: “I was surprised by the Team’s intention to replace me and regret that things have developed this way. I just wanted to be in the cockpit to get the best result for the team and me. I still have a clear contract and I want to drive.”

Adrian Quaife-Hobbs completed a successful maiden F1 test at the wheel of Marussia Virgin Racing’s MVR-02 Formula One car on Sunday, completing 146 kms of the Idiado proving ground in Spain. As part of the Marussia Virgin Young Driver programme, the 20 year-old helped the team in its first straight-line aero test carrying out detailed evaluation work with the updated aerodynamic package, which was introduced at the last round in Turkey.

The test was carried out with a view to extracting maximum performance from the car from next weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix onwards with the car running reliably throughout for the Marussia Manor Racing GP3 star.

Adrian visited the team’s Sheffield base for a briefing and seat fitting on Thursday and flew out early on Saturday morning for Sunday’s test, declaring the run a dream come true. “It was an incredibly special day for me,” said Adrian. “Driving a Formula One car is what every young driver dreams of from the moment you start racing, and it has been fantastic to finally experience that.

“I completed many runs for the team and helped them to collect a lot of data. I can’t thank Marussia Virgin Racing enough for this amazing opportunity, as it really allows me to gain experience and see how a Formula One team works. Experiences like this only make you hungry for more and it’s exciting to get a taste of what the future could hold.”

Team Principal John Booth, was equally happy with the team’s first straight-line aero test and Adrian’s performance. “Congratulations to Adrian on a very impressive debut in the Marussia Virgin Racing MVR-02 today. It really is extremely rewarding to put these young guys in the car and see how they respond to such an opportunity. He acclimatised well to the car and developed a strong rapport with the engineers and mechanics, so he should feel pleased with his first day’s work in a Formula One car.

“Overall it has been a very productive test for us, with the Idiada proving ground providing us with excellent conditions with which to test the updated package that we introduced at the last race. As we might have expected in its debut outing, we experienced a few teething problems in Istanbul and this test has provided us with the opportunity to understand more of the potential of the developments. We’re looking forward to seeing further signs of progress in Spain next week.”

Video footage of Adrian’s first F1 test with the Marussia Virgin Racing, together with additional imagery, will be available later this week on Adrian’s official website at www.quaifehobbs.com.

Adrian returns to racing action when he pilots his Marussia Manor Racing GP3 car in the next double-header rounds of the 2011 GP3 Series this weekend at the Catalunya circuit in Barcelona, Spain.

Adrian Quaife-Hobbs will get his first taste of F1 power when he carries out testing duties for the Marussia Virgin Racing F1 team at Idiada, Spain on Sunday. The 20 year-old GP3 racer competes for the sister Marussia Manor Racing GP3 team and as part of the Marussia Virgin Young Driver Development Programme will carry out approximately 300 kms evaluating the body work of the car used in the first three races of 2011.

Thereafter he will evaluate the new and updated car in preparation for the remaining rounds of the Formula One World Championship. Adrian will visit the Sheffield workshop on Thursday for a briefing and seat fitting prior to flying out early on Saturday for Sunday’s test which gets underway at 9am.

The Tonbridge racer is relishing his first outing in an F1 car and quick to thank the team for the opportunity. “I’m very much looking forward to driving an F1 car for the first time and must thank the Marussia Virgin Racing team for the faith they have shown in me in allowing me to carry out aerodynamic testing in their new car.

“It’s a great opportunity to get the chance to drive an F1 car as the team carries out computerised design testing with the new car. We’ll be testing lots of aero parts and I’m really proud to be playing a part in it. Doing aero testing there is no pressure to perform but it will give me a great opportunity to see how the F1 team works.”

Following the test, Adrian will return to racing action in the next double-header rounds of the 2011 GP3 Series which take place over the weekend of 20-22 May at the Catalunya circuit in Barcelona, Spain.

As Alexander Rossi prepares for his upcoming BMW/Sauber F1 test in Jerez, Spain, December 1-3, he joined the GP2 Main series at the final 2009 test at the famed Paul Ricard Circuit, November 10-12. Rossi originally slated to drive only the first day with DAMS and the third day with Piquet GP, was given the opportunity to take up a vacant seat on day two of the test when a driver for Piquet fell ill.

While perfection is something that is difficult to come by, it is necessary at times in GP2 series. This past week over the 3 days of testing, the time charts reflected the highly competitive nature of GP2, as often the top fifteen drivers were separated by merely half a second. The highly regarded premier feeder series into Formula 1, GP2 and Bridgestone have created a tire to have nearly identical characteristics to that of F1. This is by no mistake and is meant to prepare the next generation of F1 drivers for this important step as they learn to maximize the narrow window of the complex tire, often, the most critical element to putting in the penultimate lap in qualifying.

Rossi entered the Paul Ricard test with sights of perfecting his ability to maximize the highly sensitive Bridgestone’s, knowing this is a key element to his first F1 outing. With his F1 test only three weeks away, Rossi’s goal was to be more than ready to deliver the results expected of him.

“At this level of motorsport,” stated Rossi, “there is so much that goes into being able to find the maximum of the tire, as chances are you will only get one lap and one opportunity to string it all together. While many factors play a part in the ultimate lap, aside from race craft, I believe that fully understanding the tire is the most important aspect a driver must know. The Bridgestone this week gave me new meaning to the word ‘push’. I am just looking forward to being able to get into the BMW / Sauber and put all the key pieces together. This just further proves the fact that GP2 is really the best preparation any young driver can have before reaching F1.”

Most of the drivers at Paul Ricard experienced the difficulty of stringing a lap together at times due to traffic on the short test circuit, while optimizing the tire. In the highly competitive GP2 test, Rossi on Day 2 was just 4/10ths off the quickest time which placed him P10 in the morning, while 4/10ths placed him P14 in the afternoon, a very tight field indeed.

Rossi returned to Italy to continue his training regimen and final preparations for the F1 test. This test will be bittersweet as it will mark Alexander’s debut on the Formula 1 scene while being a sad departure of a fantastic manufacture from the sport.

“I know many of the drivers that will be at the Jerez official F1 test”, Rossi added. “This will be my first opportunity to introduce myself to Formula One. In motorsports an opportunity of this magnitude has far reaching potential and one I take very seriously. My goals for the test are to put in a fantastic performance while fully absorbing the whole experience. At the same time, however, I feel it is my duty to represent the BMW Sauber F1 team well at their last official test and I plan on delivering an excellent result, one which they can be proud of.”

Alexander Rossi will test for BMW-Sauber F1 Team, December 1 -3, Jerez, Spain.

Federation Internationale d´Automobile (FIA) visits Campos Meta at Dallara.
Campos Meta received the visit of the FIA delegates. The objective of the visit was to look into the evolution of the 2010 Formula One season cars. The meetings were held in the headquarters of Dallara. The members of Campos Meta and the FIA delegates reviewed all aspects of the project. The feedback from FIA has been extremely positive as all the steps and deadlines have been fulfilled. Campos Meta is ready to put the car on track mid-January 2010.

Campos Meta joins FOTA.
During the last Monza Grand Prix, Campos Meta confirmed FOTA its intention of being part of the Formula One Teams Association. In the following weeks, with the approval from the Executive Committee of FOTA, Campos Meta will become a full rights member. This week, Team Manager Adrián Campos, will be attending FOTA meetings in Singapore.

FOTA has the objective to promote the development of Formula One and enhance its worldwide image and reputation. By joining the association, Campos Meta reenforce their full implication in the 2010 Formula One season.

Campos Meta confirms Cosworth as engine partner.
Adrián Campos, Campos Meta Team Principal: “We are delighted to work together with Cosworth. They have an experienced and committed team working on the development of our engines and we are convinced they will deliver precisely what is needed to fulfill our objectives and a successful debut in Formula One.”

The young German race car driver Jackie Weiss met up with USF1 responsible Peter Windsor at the last Grand Prix in Valencia. In a short on the go interview, Windsor speaks about the new Formula 1 Team, USF1, and criticizes the American support for young American drivers with the F1 goal.

Jackie Weiss, race car driver: My question is especially about your drivers for the US F1 Formula One Team. I know you are doing the Grand Prix shoot-out and then you will push the Youngsters all the way up. And you want to do this for the other crew members like mechanics and engineers too, I heard…

Peter Windsor, US F1 Team, (he thinks a second): You know what? It´s a good idea…but: no, we haven´t planned on doing this on mechanics and engineers. Most of our mechanics and engineers for our race team will be guys that are very new to formula one. They all are going to be be American, and they all have experience from the United States. We believe there are a lot of pretty good guys there. There is a whole bunch of them already kean to come into the formula one, into the system of formula one and do a good job.  All of that team will be American. And the same applies to the engineers. What I just said.

As far as drivers go. Personally I have always loved trying to help young drivers and  find young drivers and talent. And I do that at quite a young age, with Nigel Mansell.

I discovered Nigel when he was in formula 3. And I took him all the way up to the formula 1. And I believe I can do that with other drivers too. Because we are doing an American Team I think it´s pretty logical and fair that we should focus on finding young Americans. But if I can also help drivers others nationality, not as certain in our team, but giving them advice and maybe helping them with sponsorship or whatever. I´d love to be able to do that. And certainly with a grand prix shootout, you mentioned that some very, very talented young drivers from Europe showed up in the first round – I love to be able to help them. I am not sure how I can, but I hope I can, in some form.

Jackie Weiss: I do have one more question about the reaction. You probably got a lot of Fan emails from the whole United States. Is it all positive, or are there some critics, and people who doubt?

Peter Windsor: Well, there are a few people with having doubts. And they are basically along the lines of ´is the team going to happen? which is a valid question. But here the answer is ´yes´. So it’s odd to deal with that. The other one is ´can American drivers actually wins in Formula One and can we really deliver Formula One drivers from the United States´. But the answer to that is: It´s not going to be easy, because it´s all a financial question. There are many drivers from Europe with full budgets to take to Formula One Teams like ours, but no Americans, with any budget at all. Because America itself hasn´t done a good job by looking after his young talents. Not many young Americans want to go to Formula One, instead they all want to go to Nascar. Because it´s very difficult to raise the money. And the reason for that is, that over the last ten, fifteen years the American IndyCar Teams, which is the number one single seater Championship in America, have done a very poor job of nurturing American talent. They tend always to run drivers from overseas to bring money to the teams, usually with unpronounceable names. For me it´s astonishing that an American Championship like that hasn´t had a self imposed rule, which says that each team must run at least one American driver. Because the way to build us here as up is to have big American stars.

That´s why Nascar works so well. They have great American drivers, and they are all big stars. That´s what IndyCar lacks. American Star drivers. Because of that we are coming into Formula One. And we are having to try to make up for sort of fifteen years lack of support for American drivers. So, it´s unlikely we will be able to take one in our first year, but we are still hoping to do that. But certainly year two I am pretty confident there will be up and running enough to be able to get an American in the car.

Jackie Weiss: I know you are here at the Street Circuit in Valencia for ‘Speed´ to cover the Formula One Grand Prix of Europe for America. Are you going to keep the job while doing your US F1 Formula One Team? It´s going to be difficult…

Peter Windsor (laughing): Well, if I do my job well…hopefully I have some really good people, doing everything and I will be able to relax and chill back, and do some work for ´Speed´ – that’s what I like to do. But, I don´t know yet, I have to see. I´d love to do work for ´Speed´. It´s a great TV-Channel, the biggest motorsports channel in the world. 90.000 square feet of high tech technology, devoted for motorsport. It´s a brilliant facility, brilliant company. And if I am not going to have to be asked to continue to work for them I certainly do what I can to take that up.

Jackie Weiss: Thank you for taking the time to speak with me.

Peter Windsor: No problem. Good questions!

By Jackie Weiss / Speed-Magazine.de

Carlin’s Formula Renault 3.5 racer Jaime Alguersuari was announced as F1 driver for Scuderia Toro Rosso this week and will take up his F1 duties at the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend – becoming the youngest ever driver to take part in an F1 event. The Spanish racer has spent nearly two seasons with the British Carlin Motorsport team in preparation for his F1 opportunity. Here we talk to him about how that experience has helped prepare for the highest echelon of single seater motorsport………

Do you feel your seasons in F3 and World Series have helped prepare you for F1?

British F3 is a really nice championship, you find really nice and difficult tracks, and of course the weather is sometimes a challenge! So you learn a lot. It’s a long championship with lots of testing, so there’s a lot of track experience. You also learn a lot about developing a car in F3, which I think will be helpful. British F3 has been very important in my career and I will never forget that.

I think World Series is completely different – some of the drivers have been in the championship for many more years than I have and I think that gives them an added benefit. In the end I am a young driver always in the top five and pushing hard so I think we are doing ok for our first year.

Do you intend to continue with your Formula Renault 3.5 programme at the same time as racing in Formula1?

I think that is the aim; I am a young driver, so I need to do as many races as possible. I need to experience as many situations as possible. For me, for sure it would be good because it would give me more experience and of course there are no clashes with Formula 1, so there is not really a reason not to do it. If it becomes an issue, then obviously we may have to reconsider.

Do you think it will be an issue switching from one car to another?

Usually it is better to stick with one car, but in this instance it may be best for me to be in two cars, learning as much as possible, and I know Red Bull will make the decision that is best for me. The main thing is to learn.

Obviously F1 should be and will be your priority now, but what are your aims for the remaining World Series races?

I am a very young driver at only 19, so I still need to do lots of races. I am really aiming to win in World Series. What I need is some more races and more experience. Every session we improve and get better. For sure after three more races I will be better and know more than I do now – that is surely good for my driving in F1.

Did you think 18 months ago when you testing an F3 car week after week in the rain in Britain that you might be making your F1 debut so soon?!

No never! It’s a dream come true. What I have to do now is just enjoy the moment and work as hard as possible. It’s a fantastic opportunity that I have been given, so I must enjoy it and reward the faith that Red Bull have shown in me.