Driver Database News

Max Chilton took a dominant pole position in Portimao today, ahead of round 18 of the 2009 British F3 International Series. The Carlin racer took provisional pole on his first flying lap this afternoon only to go quicker again and seal his fourth pole position of the season. Championship leader Daniel Ricciardo was also on the pace to qualify second, making it a Volkswagen powered Carlin front row lock out.

Having set the second quickest time in first qualifying, Chilton was one to watch as the drivers took to the track to set the grid for race two tomorrow. As the session got underway, it was the visiting F3 Euro Series drivers that held the top of the timesheets, but Chilton immediately showed his true speed, setting the quickest time on his first flying lap and pushing the F3 Euro Series racers down the order. Chilton went even quicker on his next lap to confirm his position at the top of the time sheets.

One of the last to leave the pits, Ricciardo was also immediately on the pace with his first flying lap putting his second only to Chilton. A red flag with only four and half minutes to go disrupted proceedings, but once the session went live again Ricciardo couldn’t match Chilton’s time.

Philip Major meanwhile couldn’t quite replicate his position in the first qualifying session and will line up 10th in the British F3 International Class, with team mate Henry Arundel just behind in 11th. Carlin’s new National Class driver Joe Ghanem repeated his first qualifying performance to take a competitive third place on the National Class grid for race two tomorrow.

Race two pole sitter Chilton said, “I was so pleased with that session; the car felt very good and I think I really got everything together on my best lap. It was a really good feeling. We’re in a great position now for the races, with two opportunities to go for a race win, so I’m feeling confident about some strong results tomorrow.”

Team principal Trevor Carlin added, “Max delivered his best performance of the season today, he totally outclassed the field and even Daniel struggled to match him in the second session. Daniel is of course in a great position ahead of tomorrow’s races where the championship is clearly his focus. The team have done a great job so far.”

Carlin driver Max Chilton will line up second for round 17 of the 2009 British F3 International Series tomorrow, at the Portimao circuit in Portugal. The 18 year-old racer looked to have claimed pole with a stunning lap in the first half of the session and was the first driver to dip below 1m38s on his third lap. In the end, Chilton was just edged out into second place, while team mate and championship leader Daniel Ricciardo claimed a comfortable fourth place on the grid for the first race tomorrow.

With Ricciardo having topped the timesheets in yesterday’s practice session and Chilton close behind, both Carlin drivers were among the possible pole sitters ahead of today’s first qualifying session. Chilton proved the predictions true when he became the first of the front runners to take the track. His third lap of 1.37.892 was the quickest ever time set by a British F3 car around the Portimao circuit up until that point, and it was only in the dying minutes of the session that Renger van der Zande went quicker thanks to a tow.

Red Bull racer Ricciardo will line up fourth for tomorrow’s race, just behind F3 Euro Series points leader Jules Bianchi, but is in a strong position to maintain a comfortable cushion in the championship standings.

Philip Major continued to make his way up the time sheets following a strong performance this morning. The Canadian qualified 12th for round 17 of the season, but actually lies seventh in the International Class – made up of the regular British F3 racers. Henry Arundel meanwhile endured a tough session having been caught up in traffic after a red flag half way through the session, and lies 19th overall and 12th in the International class.

Lebanese racer Joe Ghanem made an impressive debut in his first official F3 session, putting his Carlin National Class car third on the grid in his class.

Speaking about the first qualifying session of the day, Chilton said, “I was pretty surprised when I saw the time to be honest, as I didn’t think it was going to be that quick. The tyres came in very quickly, so I’ll be ready for that in the second session. I don’t think it was a perfect lap and it feels as though there’s still more to come from the car, so I think we can do even better in second qualifying this afternoon.”

Qualifying for round 18 will take place at 15.35 local time.

After a four week break, Carlin’s British F3 team head overseas to Portugal this week, for the penultimate round of the 2009 Cooper Tires British F3 Series. The championship winning squad are aiming for the top again at the new Portimao circuit, where current championship leader Daniel Ricciardo could take the 2009 title. Racing alongside Ricciardo will be regular front runner Max Chilton, Henry Arundel and Philip Major. Joining Carlin’s British F3 team for the final two races of the season will be Lebanese driver Joe Ghanem who will compete in the National Class.

Ghanem returns to Carlin having made his European racing debut with the team in 2007 in the competitive Formula Renault Eurocup championship. Ghanem also raced for the team in the Formula Renault UK Winter Cup alongside Henry Surtees in October 2007. The 19 year-old racer will make his debut in British F3 in Alvaro Parente’s 2005 championship winning car when he joins the National Class grid in Portugal.

Last time out at Silverstone, Australian racer Ricciardo extended his lead in the championship standings to 45 points, with only four races remaining. If Ricciardo scores more or equal points to his championship rivals, the 20 year-old racer could wrap up the championship in Portugal.

However, championship contender Ricciardo is staying calm ahead of the Portimao race saying, “I’m not changing anything about my approach this weekend. I feel confident, but mainly I’m just looking forward to racing on a great track, with the added challenge of racing against some of the F3 Euro Series drivers. I think I respond well to pressure and a challenge, so I’m looking forward to racing against new drivers this weekend. It’s the kind of track that should suit my driving style and our car well.”

Speaking about his F3 debut, Ghanem said, “I’m really excited to be back with Carlin and racing again in the UK. The F3 car is such a nice car and I think the British F3 Series can prepare a driver for anything. These two races will be a learning ground for me and training for my 2010 season. Hopefully I can be fighting at the front of the National Class, but it is most important get race miles and learn a lot.”

Carlin team boss Trevor Carlin added, “Portimao will be a new experience for most of the British F3 teams, so it’s going to be important to get to grips with the circuit as soon as possible. In theory it is possible for Daniel to win the championship in Portugal, but we will approach the weekend the same as any other, with the aim to provide all the drivers with a car capable of winning. Joe makes a welcome return to the team, racing our National Class F3 car for the remaining two events. It will be a steep learning curve for him, but we believe he’ll do a good job for us.”

Henry Arundel showed his determined attitude behind the wheel this weekend, with a strong race performance at the challenging Spa- Francorchamps circuit in Belgium.  The British F3 racer recovered from a difficult start in race one to take a seventh place finish in the International Class, with a fifth place finish in race two to improve his position in the 2009 British F3 International Series standings.

Arundel started off the weekend well with a strong performance in free practice, but a small peak in tyre performance in the first qualifying session saw Arundel miss out on the most competitive times to qualify in a disappointing 17^th place.  The Links of London backed driver bounced back in second qualifying, putting in a time to line up seventh on the grid for race two.

Warm conditions at the start of race one saw grip levels rise, catching out a number of drivers at the start and causing Arundel and his team mate Chilton to stall on the grid. Both drivers managed to restart but lost several places in the process.  Arundel’s drive back through the field was strong however, and by the end of the race the British racer had recovered to take seventh place in the International Class.

Race two of the weekend was one of the most chaotic of the season so far, as the weather did it’s best to make conditions as difficult as possible for the drivers.  Despite the race start being delayed by ten minutes and declared a wet race due to a sudden rain shower, the majority of the drivers including Arundel took to the track on slick tyres. Arundel made a good start second time around, but was caught out on the challenging Pouhon corner on lap two as he ran wide and lost several positions.  Arundel’s comeback was masterful however, as the Carlin racer coped well with the intermittent rain showers to make up several positions.  As the race entered its final stages, Arundel was closing in on fourth but was held off by a slowing Renger van der Zande which also backed Arundel into team mate Chilton.  Despite a spirited battle right up to the final corner on the last lap, Arundel maintained fifth place as he crossed the line to take the chequered flag.

Reflecting on the weekend, Arundel said, “I was really disappointed with first qualifying; I just didn’t get the best out of the tyres, but I came back and put in a good lap to take ninth for race two.   I lost out in race one after I stalled on the grid, as the grip level was just completely different to what we expected and I think a few drivers were caught out by it.  Having said that I really enjoyed racing back the field; there were some good overtaking manoeuvres.

“Race two was really hard, the track clearly wasn’t ready for wets, but it was really slippery and I just pushed it a bit too far at one point.   Again, I had a good drive back to make up places and had a good fight with Max [Chilton] which was fun.  I was really held up by Zande, I think we could have challenged for third or fourth place, but there seemed to be some over-defensive driving going on.”

Carlin’s British F3 squad enjoyed a strong outing at Spa-Francorchamps this afternoon, as Daniel Ricciardo took another podium finish while Henry Arundel and Max Chilton took competitive fifth and sixth places respectively. In a race which saw rain showers throughout, the Carlin drivers did well to stay on track in the slippery conditions. Philip Major dealt well with tricky conditions and made his first pit stop when he stopped for wet tyres late on the race. Jake Rosenzweig unfortunately saw his strong weekend end early; when he tangled with several cars on lap one which put him out of the race.

Just as the cars headed to the grid for round 14 of the season, light rain began to fall making conditions on track treacherous. As the weather deteriorated, officials made the decision to postpone the start by ten minutes and declared it a wet race. 10 minutes is a long time in the Ardennes Mountains however and the rain eased as the start drew closer, prompting the majority of teams to switch back to slick tyres. Rosenzweig was an exception to the rule; the young American took a chance on wet tyres, in what was a nonchampionship race for him.

At the start, all Carlin cars made a good getaway. Ricciardo and race leader Buzaid made a good start, breaking away from the rest of the field, while Arundel also did well, moving up to sixth place on lap one from his ninth place grid slot. Chilton was also making a lot of progress having moved up three place on the first lap. Rosenzweig saw his race end early on; the young American was collected by a spinning car that promptly ended his afternoon.

Arundel was still on a charge; the Links of London backed driver was pushing hard, but went off on lap two. The British racer recovered his car and rejoined the field to slot in just behind team mate Chilton, who had moved up to eighth place. With the track drying, Ricciardo was catching Buzaid but as the rain started to fall again on lap five, the conditions deteriorated and Ricciardo backed off.

By lap six, Arundel, Chilton and Boyd found themselves in a three way battle, with Arundel coming out on top to pass both Boyd and Chilton to take fifth place as Chilton dropped to eighth. Arundel and Chilton both made up places on lap seven when Christodoulou crashed off track and Boyd pitted for wets. Major meanwhile was in 16th place and made his first F3 pit stop for wet tyres on lap seven. The order remained unchanged, until the final lap when Arundel and Chilton suddenly caught a slowing Renger van der Zande. Both drivers tried to find a way past but couldn’t despite a close battle at the Bus Stop on the final lap.

Ricciardo said, “I’m pleased with the result today, Buzaid drove well, but I was happy to come away with the points for second. It was actually a good thing to have someone in front – as I could judge the conditions and which parts of the track were very wet. It’s all good for the championship.”

Team principal Trevor Carlin added, “Spa has proved to be a happy hunting ground again for Carlin Motorsport, with yet another win to add to our British F3 tally. Daniel drove very maturely in the second race to bag the necessary points. Henry and Max had a super exciting race, mixing it lap after lap with the Hitech duo. Philip had a taste of his first pit stop, when we made a strategic tyre change and he dealt with this perfectly. A gamble on strategy with Jake unfortunately backfired and to add insult to injury, he was rudely forced off the circuit by another runner. Nevertheless he can be proud of his British F3 debut.”

Carlin driver Daniel Ricciardo stormed to victory in the British F3 International Series today, in round 12 of the season at Spa-Francorchamps. The 20 year-old driver further strengthened his position in the championship, with a dominant victory to extend his lead in the standings to 34 points. Carlin’s regular Euro Series racer Jake Rosenzweig made an impressive race debut in the British Series, finishing fifth overall, which put him third in the Invitation Class. Max Chilton suffered early disappointment when he stalled off the line from his second placed grid slot, but a spirited drive through the field saw him finally finish ninth overall and fifth in the International Class. Philip Major took his best ever British F3 finish of his career, with an 11th place on the road and seventh place in the International Class standings, just in front of team mate Henry Arundel.

Following a strong qualifying session from the team yesterday, Ricciardo lined up on pole for the first race of the weekend, with Chilton alongside him in second. As the lights went out, Ricciardo made a good start to retain the lead in the drag down to the first corner. Team mate Chilton meanwhile stalled off the grid and was hit from behind by fourth place man Hywel Lloyd, sustaining a rear left puncture in the process.

As the cars exited the first corner, a crash involving Ricciardo’s championship rival Walter Grubmuller brought out the safety car. That benefited Chilton, who had limped back to the pits for a quick change of his rear left tyre before rejoining the rest of the field behind the safety car. At the restart, Ricciardo managed the field well to maintain the lead, while Chilton had already started his charge through the field and was up to 14th place by lap seven.

Behind Ricciardo, Rosenzweig was making up places to lie eighth after the restart and passed Diaz and Buzaid to take sixth on lap six. Major meanwhile was dicing in the mid field, lying in 15th place on lap eight, and moving up to 12th on lap 10. Having stalled on the grid Henry Arundel was also making his way through the field, overtaking to the final lap to come home in 13th place. Having taken the chequered flag, Rosenzweig, Major and Arundel all made up a place following the demotion of Carlos Huertas for a grid infringement.

With several additional entries into the British F3 event at Spa this weekend, the number of cars racing under ‘Invitation Class’ stood at five. With Invitation Class cars not counted in the championship standings, Ricciardo’s lead over the next British car on track stood at a full 10 seconds, while Chilton’s ferocious drive through the field was rewarded with a fifth place, with Major seventh and Arundel eighth.

Speaking about his fourth British F3 victory, Ricciardo said, “I had a good start but there was a safety car almost straight away and thankfully I got a good restart once it went green again. The first lap after the restart was what helped me I think, I pushed hard, I had a lot of grip on the new tyres which helped me break the elastic band so the drivers behind me couldn’t get a tow. Then it was about being consistent. I could see Renger [van der Zande] and Jules [Bianchi] fighting behind me; Bianchi finally got through and I saw him close in on me at the end, but it wasn’t enough to catch me so I didn’t take any risks. It’s a good result.”

Following a one minute penalty for sixth placed man Adriano Buzaid for a grid place infringement, Max Chilton, Philip Major and Henry Arundel move up one place in the final standings for round 13 of the 2009 British F3 International Series at Spa- Francorchamps.

Max Chilton consequently finished eighth overall and fourth in the International Class, Major moves up to 10th overall and sixth in the International Class, with Arundel 11th overall and seventh in the International Class standings.

Carlin Motorsport took a front row lock out today, for round 13 of the 2009 Cooper Tires British F3 International Series at Spa-Francorchamps. Current championship leader Daniel Ricciardo took his third pole position of the season, while Max Chilton qualified second to make it an all Carlin front row. Jake Rosenzweig qualified in a solid 10th place on his British F3 debut, while Henry Arundel will line up 17th tomorrow, with Philip Major 20th.

Conditions for today’s two free practice sessions took place in weather conditions typical of the Spa circuit, with a wet track in both sessions. Euro Series driver Rosenzweig was the surprise of the morning, setting the second fastest time in free practice. Ricciardo was also among the front runners throughout practice, while Arundel experimented with his set up to be within the top ten in both sessions.

With the rain finally easing enough to allow the circuit to dry, the drivers took to the track to qualify for round 13 on slick tyres. Ricciardo and Chilton were immediately on the pace, and were P1 and P2 respectively when a red flag halted proceedings with 22 minutes to go. In a relatively uneventful session, Ricciardo and Chilton looked unchallenged for the remainder of the 30 minute session. Rosenzweig meanwhile made an impressive debut to qualify 10th, with Arundel 17th and Major 20th.

Pole sitter Daniel Ricciardo said, “I was pushing really hard straightaway as we thought it was going to rain, so I just thought I had to get my best possible lap in as soon as possible. We had a good lap, its great fun around here in an F3 car, its really rewarding when you get a good lap hooked up. Hopefully we can do the same again tomorrow.”

Speaking about his second place on the grid, Chilton said, “I’m really pleased to be back on the front row, we’ve had a couple of really tough races, so it’s nice to be back at the front again this weekend. There weren’t really many changes we could make as qualifying was our first dry session of the day, but I knew there would only be a short window of opportunity on the tyres and I really went for it. I got a small tow off Jake which helped me, but I’m confident we’ve got good pace in the dry here.”

Team principal Trevor Carlin added, “The team did a good job today. Daniel once again showed the quality of his driving, having been among the front runners all day. Max did a fantastic job to recover from two disappointing practice sessions and he should be very proud to have put together two very good laps when it mattered in qualifying. I’m very pleased with the way Jake has adapted to British F3, he was extremely quick in the wet this morning and did a brilliant job in qualifying on what was his first ever set of new slick Cooper tyres and I’m sure he’ll be even better tomorrow.”

Qualifying for round 14 will take place at 0900am local time tomorrow, while racing action will kick off with round 13 at 1410 tomorrow afternoon.

Jake Rosenzweig joins Carlin’s British F3 racers for this weekend’s round of the 2009 Cooper Tires British F3 International Series in Spa. The American racer comes fresh from his first F3 Euro Series podium in Zandvoort last weekend and will be hoping for a repeat performance on his British F3 debut. Rosenzweig will be racing alongside championship leader Daniel Ricciardo, Max Chilton, Henry Arundel and Philip Major.

Last time out at Donington, Daniel Ricciardo took a podium in race one to boost his championship standing, but lost out in race two having been the innocent victim of an over ambitions overtaking manoeuvre by Renger van der Zande. Chilton meanwhile came home in a strong sixth place in race one, adding a seventh place to that in race two. Having struggled in qualifying and suffering a clutch problem on the grid for race one, Henry Arundel fought back with a 13th place and a solid sixth place finish in race two. The newest member of Carlin’s British F3 squad, Philip Major, finished 15th in race one but was unable to finish the second race of the day following an incident on lap three.

Meanwhile team mate Jake Rosenzweig made it three podiums in three different countries for Carlin last weekend, with a well fought third place in race two at the Zandvoort circuit in the Netherlands. The American racer finished seventh in the first race of the weekend; earning him a second place grid slot for the reverse grid race on Sunday. From there, Rosenzweig raced hard to hold off fourth place man Christian Vietoris and take his first ever podium in Formula 3. Rosenzweig’s podium in Zandvoort followed podiums for Oliver Turvey and Jaime Alguersuari in the Formula Renault 3.5 race in Le Mans and of course Ricciardo’s third place at Donington.

Speaking about joining his Carlin team mates in the British series, Rosenzweig said, “I’m really excited to racing in Spa this weekend, it’s always good to get as much race experience as possible and it will be a new challenge to compete in a new championship on different tyres. It was a good confidence boost to finish on the podium at the last Euro Series round at Zandvoort, so I’m hoping to make the most of this opportunity in the British Series this weekend.”

Team Principal Trevor Carlin added, “Spa is always a highlight on the British F3 calendar and is a particular favourite of the team having been the location for our first ever 1-2-3-4 finish last season. As other teams have become more competitive we’re not expecting the same result this year, but we’ll still be aiming for the top step. Spa is a great challenge for all the British F3 drivers; let’s hope they can just get on with racing, rather than playing the team orders game which may have been the case at previous events this year.”