Driver Database News

Alexander took a commanding win in the opening round of the series and came home in second position in race two at Motorland Aragon earlier this month. With a current total of 43 points and a 15 points lead over his nearest rival, Alexander now heads to Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Rossi a past winner at Spa in 2009 Formula Masters and 2nd in 2010 GP3 Championship is no stranger to what’s considered by drivers and fans alike to be one of the most challenging race tracks in the world.

Alexander Rossi comments, “Coming off the opening rounds in Aragon a few weeks ago, I can confidently say that the team and I met our goals to open the season. However, we are still looking to improve a few key aspects of our overall performance to ensure that we can maintain this current momentum. I am very much looking forward to the event in Spa this week as it’s personally one of my favourite circuits and I have a good track record there in previous championships. The weather always plays a factor at Spa, but we feel that our wet set-up is on par with other teams, so we are relatively confident in that respect. Our focus this weekend remains the same as always, to win, but with the added pressure of coming in as Championship leaders, we cannot get complacent. We need to keep pushing, there’s a lot of work to do.”

Jamie Dye, Team Manager, Fortec Motorsport, concludes, “Alexander’s pace over the winter, and in race rounds 1 and 2 earlier this month, shows that he is one of the men to beat this season. We go to Spa this weekend leading the Drivers’ and Teams’ World Series by Renault Championships and will aim to take away maximum points once again. Spa is another circuit where we have a good set-up, so for the Fortec team our goal is to extend the lead in both points tables and keep up the fight at the business end of the grid. Good luck to our drivers and the team and we hope to see plenty of fans support in Spa.”

World Series by Renault rounds three and four, April 30th – May 1st, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.

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.

Eighteen year old American, Alexander Rossi, showed his abilities this week at Circuito de Jerez, Spain for the first collective GP2 winter test. Rossi wasted no time transitioning to the 600 horsepower V8 Renault as the lone American returning to GP2 series since 2005.

Rossi, using the experience of the GP2 car as preparation for his BMW Sauber F1 test at Jerez taking place, December 1st – 3rd. Finishing his first day with Piquet GP, Alexander posted the 12th quickest lap of 25 drivers. The top 12 drivers were separated by only 1 second with many having much more GP2 experience than young Rossi.

On Thursday, Rossi drove for DAMS, the 2008 GP2 Asia Championship winners. Alexander finished a strong 9th overall, 7/10ths off the quickest time. In the morning session, Rossi was quickest in wet conditions until a hydraulic pump failure ruined the American’s chances to hold the top spot.

“Considering his very low racing experience, Alexander did a really great job”, Eric Boullier, DAMS – Team Principal. “He impressively outpaced the whole field in the morning in the wet conditions and show everybody a very strong speed during all the day. His car control is remarkable and he adapted very well to the 600hp-GP2 car driving. Last but not the least, he fitted nicely within the Dams team.”

“On Tuesday with Piquet GP, I learned so much about the complex Bridgestone tire and carbon brakes, which gave me a lot of confidence heading into my second opportunity to drive the car,” Rossi commented. “As I prepared for my F1 test, my goal over the two days was to learn as much as possible about the car and the circuit, which I feel I accomplished. On Thursday, I believe DAMS had the pace to be P1, however extrenuating circumstances prevented it from happening.”

“Getting a clean lap was very difficult at times due to repeated red flags and slower traffic, but this is a part of racing which everyone has to deal with,” Rossi added. “It was an honor and privilidge to drive for two highly respected teams and I believe we developed some strong relationships for the future. I am pleased with the results and found the GP2 car quite comfortable to drive.”

“Alexander learned the GP2 car very quickly”, commented Andrea Bergamini – Piquet GP – Managing Director. “In Jerez this past week, our team was impressed with Alexander’s ability. He is quick, precise and proved he’s ready for the transition to GP2. We would be delighted to run him in 2010.”

Team Rossi is currently in the midst of sponsorship acquisition and fall testing plans for Alexander. For 2010, many options have been presented and are now being assessed very carefully. It is the goal for Rossi to gain more experience in a GP2 car, before his BMW Sauber F1 test. If the opportunity becomes available, he will participate in the GP2 test at Paul Ricard, France – November 10 -12th.

Rossi has meetings the next couple of weeks in the United States, but will continue to reside and train in Pietrasanta, Italy while preparing for 2010.

Photo by Dawn Rossi – Team Rossi Motorsports

Alexander Rossi secured the International Formula Master Rookies’ Championship in dramatic style at Imola on Sunday, by winning a thrilling final race of the season. Alexander ended the season championship nine points clear in the rookies’ standings and fourth overall.

“My first season racing in Europe was something that I will never forget,” Alexander commented. “I came into the championship without any winter testing as well as a team change mid season, which caused some high moments, but just as many low moments throughout the year. However, what I learned and was able to experience is something that I will remember for the rest of my motorsport career. On top of this, finishing off the season with the rookie title and win number three was very rewarding and it just made me realize that one can never stop pushing in and out of the car even if the results are not always there.”

After crossing the line with what he believed was a 6th place qualifying effort, Alexander was shocked to learn that his on track performance was being reviewed. Later, he would be informed that he was to be given a questionable five-place grid penalty for using “too much road” on the exit of the famous corner Acque Minerali, thereby not “respecting the track boundaries.” Not allowing this to dissuade his focus, Alexander was motivated as he clawed his way back to the top of the order for the remainder of the weekend.

“I was obviously not satisfied with qualifying 6th, as the potential for the front row was there; however, we lost valuable time during my pit stop for the 2nd set of new tires,” Alexander said. “Additionally the stewards imposed a new rule immediately before qualifying, which was meant to prevent drivers from running four wheels over the white line on exit of Acque Minerali. I ran over the line and do not dispute that, but what was frustrated at the time given the fact that a large percentage of the field did the same thing. It is the quickest way through that corner and only myself and Josef Kral were penalized.”

As a result of the penalty, Alexander was relegated to 11th place on the grid for race one. This setback was certainly behind him as he drove a brilliantly aggressive race, overtaking six cars to finish 5th.

Alexander lined up fourth on the grid for race two. He had a brilliant start to the race overtaking two positions and was in second behind team-mate Erik Janis by the exit of Turn 1. For the next 11 laps, Alexander targeted a move for the lead but had to patiently wait for the right opportunity while withstanding pressure from Josef Kral in third place. Alexander overtook the lead on lap 12 with an amazing move to the inside entering the 2nd chicane Villeneuve. Once free from Janis, Alexander was immediately able to stretch a gap and received the chequered flag with a 1.7 second advantage ahead of Kral 2nd, Afanasiev 3rd and Janis 4th.

“Sunday’s race win was probably Alexander’s best drive of the season,” says ISR team principal Igor Salaquarda. “He was under pressure for a long time, but he didn’t make a single mistake for the whole race. It was a very good way for him to end the season because it proved what a good driver he is.”

While Imola was the final event of the International Formula Master 2009 Championship, Alexander has a commitment to participate in the GP2 Main Series Collective Tests at Jerez, Spain, October 6-8th and Paul Ricard, France, November 10- 12th. Rossi will use these tests to better prepare for his Formula One test with BMW Sauber also in Jerez, December 1st – 3rd.

Rossi is currently residing in Marina di Pietrasanta, Italy where he trains daily with Beppe Sebastiani, preparing for the tests mentioned above and the 2010 season. Rossi will have short holiday in December when he will come home to California.

“I am looking forward to my schedule for the next couple of months as the opportunities that have presented themselves are incredible,” Alexander commented. “I will be pushing very hard to do a good job in both the GP2 tests as well as the Formula One test. My fitness program is being increased all the time and I am very confident that I will be ready to maximize my potential in cars of such calibre.”

Five days after winning a Formula One support race at Spa-Francorchamps, Alexander Rossi was back on-track at Oscherslaben for rounds 13 and 14 of the International Formula Masters series. The 17-year-old from Nevada City, California, had never previously raced at the 2.28-mile track in Northern Germany.

“The weekend started well,” says Alexander. “I was second quickest in the opening practice session on heavy fuel and used tires, so I was confident to be competitive in qualifying and the race. Qualifying is always important in racing, especially at Oschersleben, it is quite narrow and twisty making it difficult to overtake. It reminds me of a big go-kart track.”

Rossi’s ISR Racing Team improved their cars performance over curbs, which there were many at Oscherslaben, and the results were positive. Alexander qualified third, 0.3s shy of pole position. In qualifying Rossi stayed out additional laps than anticipated and in closing laps of the session, when lightest on fuel his Tattus / Honda misfired from lack of fuel pressure.

“I really wanted pole position,” says Alexander, “and I thought this strategy was a risk worth taking. Unfortunately, we were just a bit too low on fuel and the engine misfired through three corners on my final and fastest lap. Without that, I think we had pole. The whole ISR team gave me a great race car all weekend, I was very happy with it.”

From third on the grid, Alexander made a great start in race one to challenge Fabio Leimer for the lead at Turn 1. Rossi looking to overtake the lead, he opened up radius which allowed Sergey Afanasiev and Erik Janis to pass, dropping Alexander to fourth place.

“In 49 laps of racing during the weekend the end result could have been better, but some weekends just go that way,” says Alexander. “There were just two overtaking moves during both Formula Master races, that is how difficult it was to pass at Oschersleben. I was very happy with my speed and sector times in traffic, however overtaking is another story unless the driver in front make a mistake. Both Erik and Sergey drove great ”

The reverse grid for race two saw Alexander start from fifth place on the grid and, once again, he made a clean get-away. He was pushed onto the grass at the exit of Turn 2 by Afanasiev and dropped back to seventh, which once again was the finishing order ot the 21 lap race.

“I’m not upset with Sergey for putting me out on the grass,” says Alexander, “He did the right thing and gave me no room. I was vulnerable on the outside, but I was not about to give him the corner, that’s racing. My only regret from the weekend is that I didn’t settle for second place at the start of race one, instead of challenging Leimer for the lead at Turn 1 and coming off second-best. Hindsight a great thing and I have learned a lot about Oschersleben.”

Alexander now lies fifth in the overall championship table, 14 points away from Afanasiev in second place.

With only two races remaining it is still possible to take second in the overall championship and the rookie title. “I will be pushing in Imola to make it happen and look forward to challenge,” Rossi commented.

Germany behind him, Alexander is already focused on tasks ahead, leaving for Italy immediately after race to prepare with his trainer Beppe Sebastiani. Alexander is training 5-6 days a week preparing for final International Formula Master rounds in Imola, fall testing plans and F1 test with BMW / Sauber, December 1 – 3rd.

“My training with Beppe is very rigorous,” says Alexander. “I want to be as physically prepared as possible for my BMW Sauber Formula One test at the beginning of December, I am leaving no stone unturned.”

Next up for International Formula Master are Rounds 15 and 16 at Circuit Imola, Italy, September 18 -20th. Live coverage to found on Eurosport TV and Live streaming at www.formulamaster.net.

Photo by Dawn Rossi, Team Rossi Motorsports

American, Alexander Rossi scored his second win of the season in Round 12 of the International Formula Masters Series at Spa- Francorchamps on Sunday. Performing in front of the Formula One teams for Belgium Grand Prix, the 17-year-old took the lead on lap 5 of 12 and was never challenged.

Practice: 2nd – Qualifying: 2nd – Race 1: 5th – Race 2: 1st

“After Saturday’s turn 1 incident at the start it was great to have a clean getaway Sunday and take the win”, Rossi said. “With the safety car circulating the field the first few laps due to an incident with Sims and Snooks, I had to work at maintaining temperature in the tires and brakes. This enabled me to make a good re-start and take the lead from Pal Varhaug exiting ‘Eau Rouge’. ISR Racing gave me a perfect car this weekend and I owe a big thanks to the whole crew.”

Rossi controlled the pace from the front with some late pressure from championship leader Fabio Leimer, holding a 1 second margin at the end. It was a fitting end to a weekend in which Alexander had been one of the fastest drivers in the field. He set the second fastest time in practice and qualifying, but was denied a podium finish in race one when contact was made by Josef Kral in a turn 1 incident.

Turn 1 incident in Round 11 caused Rossi to drop to seventh at start. However he demonstrated determination and car control, despite a damaged floor and aerodynamics. His damaged car was not optimum in sector two which is a series high speed left hand corners. Nevertheless he managed to overtake two cars and come home in fifth place.

Alexander’s once again proved his speed and tenacity this weekend to BMW Motorsport director, Dr. Mario Theissen, whom Alexander met after race 1 in the Formula BMW Members Lounge. “The most important thing is to be quick, and Alexander is that,” said Dr. Theissen. “Incidents at Turn 1 happen to the best drivers.”

At Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgium Grand Prix this past weekend, Dr. Theissen took the opportunity to present Alexander with his F1 Test suit that will be worn during his Formula One test at Circuit Jerez, December 1 -3rd.

“I’ve been looking forward to the F1 test with BMW since winning the world finals last December,” said Alexander. “My responsibility and preparations for the test are being taken very seriously, to ensure the best results.”

Prior to the F1 test with BMW, four rounds still remain in International Formula Master Championship. Rounds 13 and 14 are next weekend in Oschersleben, Germany, September 4-6th, supporting World Touring Car Championship. Alexander has tested at the 2.28-mile circuit in a Formula Renault.

“Oschersleben is an interesting track,” commented Alexander, “but not my favorite circuit. I’ve never raced there before, only tested and believe qualifying will be extremely important as it looks very difficult to overtake.”

Alexander Rossi finishes 3rd in Round 9 of International Formula Master Series main race after qualifying in 4th. This past weekend rounds 9 and 10 of International Formula Master Series were held at the Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary. This was the first of two opportunities on the IFM calendar for drivers to compete in front of the F1 team bosses and fans. The next opportunity at Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgium Grand Prix in August.

With the series standard Friday practice session eliminated by Formula One due to scheduling constraints, everyone headed straight into qualifying on Friday evening. Alexander and ISR Racing secured a fourth position on the grid despite brake issues the plagued the session.

“I was disappointed after the session,” says Alexander. “We have been struggling with rear brake problems since the beginning of our weekend in Brands Hatch and have continued to experience problems thus far in Hungary. The car and I had the pace for pole position, but we were not able to capitalize on this as we had to bleed the brake system during qualifying. Hopefully, we can resolve this issue in time for tomorrow’s race so that we may challenge for the victory.”

While the braking problems were solved in time for Sunday’s race, a front wing failure on lap 14 forced him to register his first retirement of the year.

“I’m pleased that we solved the brake problems,” said ISR team boss Igor Salaquarda, “but I’m very angry about the front wing failure because a part like that shouldn’t fail. I have informed Formula Master that I am going to make my own bolts for the front wing in time for the next race. As for Alexander’s performance, he drove very well this weekend and particularly in race one. He impresses me more each weekend and I hope he can keep this forward momentum going.”

RACE ONE: 17 laps / Grid 4, Finish 3
Alexander drove a great opening lap to overtake Earl Bamber in third place, after which he ran in a train of cars behind eventual race winner Josef Kral. Around lap 6 of the race his rear dampener failed, forcing him to back off, but he was far enough ahead of fourth-placed Alexander Sims not to lose a position.

“This podium is definitely filled with mixed emotions,” said Alexander after the race. “For sure, it is nice to be on the podium at a Formula One event. I was able to move into P3 at the start and ran with the lead duo for the first six laps or so until my left rear dampener failed in turn 9. I immediately had to begin to go on the defensive as I could no longer keep the pace of Kral and Leimer. Fortunately, I was able to keep my third position, but once again I know that the team gave me a car that was good enough for a stronger finish.”

RACE TWO: 17 laps / Grid 6, Finish DNF
Alexander made a good start from the dirty side of the grid, gaining one position off the line. He then showed consistent pace in the middle part of the race, overtaking race one winner Josef Kral on lap 8, before having to retire when the front wing fell off.

“I was able to get off to a good start and moved into fifth during the opening lap,” reported Rossi. “Immediately the top five cars began to break away from the rest of the field, which made it easier for me to just focus on getting around Kral. I was able to do so about eight laps into the race, but that was as far as I could go as my front wing loosened over the next couple laps and eventually fell off under braking to turn 10. I do not understand how a front wing just fails when there is no contact. Right now I am focusing on Spa and knowing that the team and I can move on and establish a pace to be at the top.”

There is now a five-week break in the International Formula Master calendar, prior to the next race at Spa-Francorchamps, where the series will support the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix.

“We had a winning pace at Spa when we tested there in June,” says Alexander. “I am confident with the circuit and now with the brakes sorted there is no reason why we should not be on top. This is important in front of F1 teams..”

Up next for International Formula Master, with Formula 1 at Spa Francorchamps for Belgium Grand Prix, August 28-30 for rounds 11 and 12.

Photo by Dawn Rossi, Team Rossi Motorsports, LLC

Alexander Rossi scored a second place finish in the International Formula Masters series at Brands Hatch, Sunday’s race. Alexander’s second trip to the podium in two race weekends was bittersweet with the news that Henry Surtees, a driver in the Formula 2 series, had been severely injured in the race taking place about 3 hours earlier. Henry, at 18 years of age, died from those injuries and we would like to express our deepest condolences to the entire Surtees family.

As was the case at Brno three weeks ago, qualifying was a bit of a lottery due to rain. A heavy shower prior to the start meant that the track was drying throughout the 30-minute session and wet tire management became crucial to achieving a good grid position. Alexander finished in seventh position, despite being unable to communicate with his race engineer due to a radio malfunction.

“We haven’t been able to have a proper qualifying session at Brno or Brands Hatch due to the rain,” says Alexander. “It’s been a disappointment, but I know that we have the pace and just need to put it all together in qualifying. I am sure we can be competitive for pole positions.”

RACE ONE: 28 laps – Grid 7, Finish 7 – With the weather clearing for Saturday’s race, Alexander and the team went back to the softer, dry-weather set-up that had landed them P3 in the second official practice. However, a few changes led to some unexpected results and a slight brake problem in the closing laps of the race left Rossi unable to advance up the grid.

“We tried several new things on the car,” says Alexander, “although this is always a risk when going immediately into a race without a chance to determine for sure whether it will be a positive or negative change. Before the race, we had to put a new floor on the car and unfortunately this ran the car 8mm closer to the ground and we had a lot of problems with the car bottoming. This caused fairly drastic oversteer throughout the entire race, which is a difficult side-effect to handle on a high speed track such as Brands Hatch.”

RACE TWO: 21 laps -Grid 2, Finish 2 – Alexander’s start of Sunday’s race, marking the 40th in the history of the IFM series, saw a loss of position in Turn 1 to ISR team-make Erik Janis as Alexander had too much wheelspin. Alexander was much faster, however, and he passed Janis into Turn 8 midway through lap 4 to regain second position. At this time, race leader Alessandro Kouzkin, had established a 4 second lead which Alexander reduced to just 0.2 seconds by lap 16. Unfortunately, a brake problem that had occurred in Saturday’s race represented itself and Rossi knew that second place points were not worth risking.

“Following the two World Touring Car races,” says Alexander, “I anticipated that the track would have more grip away from the line. By the time I eventually got some traction, I couldn’t stop Erik from passing me into Turn 1 and I spent the early laps trying to pressure him into a mistake. This happened at Turn 8, where he ran wide, and I could then set about chasing race leader Kouzkin.

I was able to close the gap, but I couldn’t pass Alessandro because we continued to have braking difficulties with the rear system losing pressure which was causing my brake pedal to go to the floor.”

“Alexander is a very good driver,” says ISR team Principal Igor Salaquarda. “His inexperience showed during qualifying at Brands Hatch because he didn’t manage his tyres as well as the drivers in front of him on the grid, but he’s fast. He will win more races this year and I think he can go very well at the Hungaroring.”

Rossi tested at the track prior to the start of the season; however this will be the first time at the Hungaroring in an ISR prepared car.

Up next for International Formula Master is, Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary July 24-26 for round 9 and 10.