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.

British race ace Adrian Quaife-Hobbs brought his GP3 Series campaign to a finish at Monza at the weekend with a stirring performance at the historic Italian track. The 20 year-old took his second pole position of the season on Saturday, after being consistently in the top three in Friday’s practice and in race two on Sunday passed a staggering 18 cars to take sixth, and clinch fifth in the points table.

The Marussia Manor Racing driver went into the final two rounds with a mathematical chance of lifting the title. And, after setting the early pace with the second fastest time in morning practice, he headed into the afternoon session confident of improving.

However a coming together with another driver on lap six brought his charge to a premature end. Despite that the Tonbridge racer still finished third quickest of the 30-car field.

Heading into Saturday’s qualifying, Quaife-Hobbs was once again on fine form, settling in to sixth place on his first run on old tyres. As he ventured out for his final attempt at pole on new tyres though, he found the rest of the pack also out on track, and it looked like being an impossible task to repeat his previous form.

However, on the run onto his final tour, he managed to make a gap to the car in front, and in the closing minutes of the session, dialled in the perfect lap to clinch pole position and earn two valuable championship points.

Starting from the front row for the first of two races Quaife-Hobbs made the perfect getaway to take an immediate lead, gradually extending the gap over the first four laps. On lap five however, he began to struggle with oversteer and dropped to fourth. Then entering the Ascari bend on lap ten the oversteer worsened and he was pitched off the circuit, hitting the wall and severely damaging his car.

With the car repaired overnight and despite his championship title hopes over, the BRDC Rising Star took to the circuit for race two on Sunday morning, lining up 24th. A staggering start allowed him to pass ten cars as the packed filed into Ascari for the first time, but a collision ahead caused the car in front to brake heavily, leaving Quaife-Hobbs nowhere to go. The resultant impact damaged his front wing and lost him four places in the process, dropping him to 18th.

Over the remaining laps, he reeled in and passed another 12 cars to finish sixth at the flag, gaining an additional point and earning him fifth place in the points table.

“Overall it was a pretty good weekend, in that we had good pace throughout,” said Adrian. “I did all I could to win here this weekend. After the pole time I really believe we could have finished second in the championship.

“Testing started well and we were immediately quick but in the second session, I got hit by another car, which pushed me off into the gravel and ended my run. We were still third though and I’m certain I could have gone quicker had I been able to do more than six laps.

“In qualifying I was sixth on my first run and it became obvious that to get a quick time I would need a tow from another car. But, when I came back out with new tyres ready for the run, the whole field was on track, it was like a GP3 car park out there. So, on the penultimate lap, I backed right off and found a gap to the car in front. Then it all came together, a perfect lap, and good enough for pole.

“Race one was disappointing to say the least. After getting the pole spot, I knew I could still win the title, or at least take second and for the first four laps, it was all going according to plan, until lap four when I started dropping down the order. Then on lap ten I oversteered off the track and into the wall, taking off two corners.

“We knew going into the second race it was going to be tough starting so far back but I was determined to end the season on a high. I made a great start, passing ten cars before we went into Ascari, although a collision ahead resulted in the car in front braking heavily and I hit the back of him damaging my front wing, and allowing four cars to retake me. After that I managed to pick off a car a lap and get up to sixth. So overall a pretty good race after starting so far back.”

In what should have been a double podium-winning weekend, Adrian Quaife-Hobbs left Spa-Francorchamps today with fourth place in his pocket and fifth in the GP3 Series points with two rounds remaining. The BRDC Rising Star from Tonbridge, Kent, had been in a podium finishing position in both races, running third in Saturday’s race, but claiming fourth at the flag, and second today before a mechanical issue sidelined him.

The 20 year-old lined up fourth for the first of two races at the Belgian circuit high in the Ardennes region, despite having just two flying laps in which to set a lap time. Going into the qualifying session on the back of fourth quickest in Friday’s practice session, Quaife-Hobbs had been the fastest during the opening minutes but when he pitted for new tyres, he was sent to the weighbridge, costing him valuable track time.

Saturday’s opening race was held on a wet track and a great start by the Marussia Manor Racing star put him third on the opening lap. A ding-dong battle ensued for the final podium spot with Nigel Melker, the pair swapping places several times during the race right up to the penultimate lap, when a lack of pace late in the race, meant Quaife-Hobbs was forced to concede the position.

Race two on Sunday saw him line up fifth and in dry conditions was able to get the jump on the row ahead, entering the first corner in third place. A superb move on Nico Muller put Quaife-Hobbs second and into a strong position to chase down the leader.

However the next lap he began to lose power and was forced to pit. A valiant attempt by his mechanics to solve the problem unfortunately proved fruitless, when a valve inside the turbo was found to have broken causing his instant retirement.

“The weekend could have produced two podium finishes at least so it’s a little disappointing to say the least,” said Adrian. “Free practice went well, we only did half an hour due to the weather and were fourth quickest. We made a few changes for qualifying and were feeling pretty confident and the session started very well.

“However when I came in for new tyres, we were called to the weighbridge, which cost us track time. On my second lap I was third fastest but I was among the first to take the flag and two others went faster, dropping me to fifth. With da Costa’s penalty, I took up fourth on the grid for race one and had a good start into third. The pace wasn’t quite there though and when Melker got past for the final time, I just wasn’t able to get him back.

“In race two I had another good start to get up to third, then passed Muller for second and was feeling quite confident of taking the position, until I began to lose power. I pitted but unfortunately it was the wastegate that had failed giving me no turbo pressure, and there was nothing the team could do to fix it in time.

“Nevertheless I think we underlined our pace once again, and although the results didn’t necessarily reflect that, we take something positive from the weekend as we head into the final two rounds in Monza.”

The final rounds at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, take place over the weekend of 10/11 September.

Adrian Quaife-Hobbs returned to the podium in Hungary this weekend, after a stunning opening lap in race one saw him storm from ninth on the grid to finish third. The 20 year-old backed that up with a strong tenth in race two, recovering from a slow getaway off the line, which had dropped him to dead last.

The weekend started well for the Marussia Manor Racing driver, after a strong performance in the opening, damp free practice on Friday netted the fifth fastest time. In the second, dry session Adrian struggled slightly with the handling and balance but with a few tweaks made to the car overnight remained confident ahead of Saturday morning’s qualifying session.

The early part of the session showed promise of a place within the top two rows and before his stop for new tyres Adrian was third fastest. However, over the remaining minutes of the session, in which the tyres produce opportunity for just three fast laps, the Tonbridge racer caught traffic, losing three and a half tenths of a second on his fastest lap, to wind up ninth.

Saturday dawned dry and sunny for the opening race, and Adrian made his customary good start to pass three cars before turn one. At the fifth corner, he made up two more places to cross the line third at the end of the first lap. Thereafter Adrian drove a mature race to the flag, to notch up more valuable championship points with another podium-winning performance.

Race two on Sunday was held in very different track conditions, early morning rain soaking the track and making conditions tricky. At the lights though Adrian was unable to make the most of his third row start, as he stalled off the line, dropping him to dead last of the 30-car field, and with a battle on his hands to make progress through the field.

A stirring drive by the BRDC Rising Star however allowed him to pick off drivers on virtually every lap, eventually crossing the line tenth.

“The weekend started off pretty well and we were quick in the opening practice in the damp conditions, although we lost a bit of pace in the dry,” said Adrian. “Qualifying was looking pretty good too, after running third before we pitted, I was confident of being able to continue at the pace on new tyres.

“Unfortunately on my three fastest laps, I caught traffic, there were blue flags shown virtually all the time, and I spent much of the time having to pass cars. My flying lap was looking good for third, but then I caught a car in the chicane, costing me over three tenths of a second, but still ninth wasn’t too bad.

“The opening race was good, I made a great start to make up three places but when I was up into third, I really couldn’t catch the cars ahead. Race two was frustrating. After the wheelspin we suffered in Germany, I was very careful not to do the same here but unfortunately it went the other way and I stalled.

“But once I got going albeit at the back of the grid, I was able to claw my way back through the field and up to tenth, which is not a bad showing. It’s all getting very close in the championship now, I’ve closed the gap to just six points away from second place, and now look forward to the next rounds where I hope we can keep pushing forward with a return to qualifying form.”

The next double-header rounds of the 2011 GP3 Series take place on 27/28 August at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit high in the Ardennes region of Belgium, where weather traditionally plays a major role in the outcome of the results.

Adrian Quaife-Hobbs underlined his pace from Valencia with a superb start to his home event, the British Grand Prix support race at Silverstone this weekend. The 20 year-old Marussia Manor Racing GP3 racer posted the fastest time in Friday’s free practice and backed that up with his maiden pole position on Saturday morning.

A stunning pace in the 30-minute session, put the BRDC Rising Star four tenths of a second faster than his rivals, to set himself up for a possible repeat of his maiden win last time out.

However in the weekend’s opening race Adrian was denied the chance to take up his front row start as the typically British summer weather put an end to his chances. As the field filed out on the formation lap, the predicted rain fell forcing Adrian and a further 18 cars rushing to the pits to change to wet weather tyres.

A superb fast tyre change by the team allowed Adrian to get back on track ahead of many of his rivals but still down in 13th spot. As the depleted grid got away Adrian joined the battle, and started his charge up the order. A spirited drive by the Briton over the opening laps saw Adrian pass ten cars to get up third place, but with his tyres going off in the final stages, he was forced to concede the position, eventually crossing the line fourth.

With the top eight reversed for Sunday morning’s race, Adrian took up his fifth place grid position, looking to take another strong finish. His confidence however was shortlived, when the starter motor failed on the grid, leaving him stranded as the rest of the pack filed away to start the green flag lap, leaving Adrian to be pushed into the pits.

With the problem quickly rectified by the team, Adrian rejoined the race, but down in 29th. A superb fighting drive saw him claw his way through the field, passing 14 cars and posting the fastest lap of the race to take 15th.

“Qualifying was a brilliant session and it felt great to finally end up on pole position and at our home race,” said Adrian. “It’s difficult to put into words how that felt, particularly after taking my first GP3 win last time out. The Marussia Manor Racing team once again did a fantastic job and we have definitely carried that momentum from our race in Valencia into this weekend.

“Unfortunately we didn’t get off to a good start in either yesterday or today’s race. I did everything I needed to do this weekend, we had the pace in practice and qualifying, after that the results were unfortunately out of my hands. We have once again demonstrated that we are fast, now we need to pull together as a team and work towards turning that pace into race results as we head into the second half of the season.”

The next double-header rounds of the 2011 GP3 Series take place over the weekend of 23/24 July at the super fast Nurburgring circuit in Germany. Prior to that however, Adrian will once again carry out straight-line aero testing for the Marussia Virgin Racing F1 team at RAF Cottesmore on Wednesday as part of its on-going development programme.

Adrian Quaife-Hobbs drove a faultless race to take a convincing lights to flag victory in the latest rounds of the GP3 Series in Valencia on Saturday. The 20 year-old started from the second row and after leaping into the lead at the start was never headed as he went on to record his maiden series win and the fastest lap of the race.

Adrian kicked off the weekend with a scintillating pace in qualifying, which saw him top the times for much of the session. However on his final flying lap the Marussia Manor Racing star was heavily baulked in the last sector, after setting the fastest time in the first two, dropping him to third fastest of the 30 runners.

In the race on Saturday afternoon, Adrian made a superb start to get the jump on the front row starters to take an immediate lead. A safety car period on the opening lap, when two cars tangled mid-field, failed to put Adrian off his stride and at the restart the Tonbridge racer made another impeccable getaway to hold position.

Posting fastest lap several times throughout the race, Adrian gradually pulled away at the front, opening up a 6.3 second advantage at the flag, and the fastest lap to add to his joy and gaining him an additional point.

With the top eight reversed for Sunday morning’s second race, Adrian lined up on the fourth row and at the start gained two places after another lighting getaway. However a master cylinder problem early on, which led to a braking issue, ended his chances of moving through the field and resulted in him having to brake far earlier into the corners.

This prevented him from achieving what would likely have been a podium finish, allowing two of his rivals through, and winding up eighth. Despite this, Adrian was very happy to have scored his first GP3 victory and delighted with a return to form as he heads into his only UK appearance on the year, at Silverstone in two weeks time.

“Winning is a fantastic feeling,” he said. “The team did an extremely good job this weekend, giving me a good car for qualifying, where I was consistently fastest for much of the session. Only when I got held up on my flying lap did I get pushed down to third, but I was very happy with our pace and confident going into the race.

“The car was perfect. I got off to a great start and took the lead early on and just pushed the whole way. I was gradually pulling away with each lap and ended up winning by more than six seconds and with fastest lap, which reinforces the superb pace we had.

“Today, however, after a great start where I was challenging for fifth, we had a problem with the master cylinder which meant I wasn’t able to brake as late as I should, and as late as the other drivers, which was frustrating. The car was great on the straights, very fast and I was very happy with that, but sadly I had to brake so early into the corners I was passed by a couple of drivers. Without that I’m fairly certain we could have had a podium. But overall it’s been an excellent weekend and great to win on a street circuit.

“We’ve shown great pace all weekend and it really bodes well for our home race in two weeks time. It shows how hard we’ve worked in the four days in testing and hopefully we can keep the momentum going forwards into Silverstone.”

The next double-header rounds of the 2011 GP3 Series take place over the weekend of 9/10 July at Silverstone’s British Grand Prix meeting in Northamptonshire.

More images and information can be found at www.quaifehobbs.com and www.virginracing.com/news/397/valencia-victory

Round two of Adrian Quaife-Hobbs’ GP3 season brought a step forward in terms of pace but a mechanical issue in qualifying hindered Adrian’s grid position. With competition so close it was difficult to overtake and a start problem in race two meant results were not as positive as indicated by the fast lap-times.

In testing, lap times were good and improving. A few laps into the second of two free-practice sessions, a driver pulled out of the pit-lane and hit Adrian, ending his session and leaving the team to work through the night to fix the damaged car.

The repairs included a gearbox change, and when Adrian went out for the qualifying session on Saturday morning, a minor gear change issue was costing time. It may have only been a small hindrance, but the estimated two-tenths of a second would have made a significant difference on a grid where the top twenty four positions were separated by just one second. Further difficulties were contending with numerous yellow flags and being unable to get a clear lap due to traffic. At the end of the thirty minute session, Adrian had secured 12th place on the 30 car grid.

Race one on Saturday afternoon was hard fought with overtaking extremely difficult. Despite lapping in the same time as the leading pack, Adrian was only able to overtake one car, nonetheless able to gain one valuable place on the grid for Sunday’s race two. Again circumstances were against Adrian when a clutch problem led to him stalling at the race start. Joining the back of the pack, Adrian again was one of the fastest on the track in terms of pace, but overtaking proved difficult and he crossed the line in 23rd.

“Although the weekend doesn’t look great from the results, we have improved a lot in terms of pace since Istanbul, so while results would have been good, I’m optimistic that I’ll soon be scoring points. The testing accident started things off badly and without the gear change problem I’m sure I would have been in the top six. Knowing that I can consistently lap in the same times as the front-runners is a big boost and I’m looking forward to showing what I can do at Valencia in June.”

Adrian’s next race event also takes place in Spain, on the Valencia street circuit over 24-26 June.

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.