2015 GP2 Pre-Season Test (Bahrain) Preview

GP2 Revs Up for Final Pre-Season Test

After topping the time sheets in the last pre-season tests, Stanaway has earned himself yet another test in the Status GP car. Personally I think he fully deserves the role and a good test could lead to a race drive for the season. The New Zealander who fought for the GP3 title last year had a poor end to last season only managing 8th. However; his loyalty to the Status GP squad could be a good progression for the former German Formula Three Champion.

Also joining the drivers is Nick Yelloly, after testing for Jota Sport LMP2 team, he later left and will now look to continue his career elsewhere. Yelloly came 6th in last years GP3, picking a victory in the final race of the year. He will joining Hilmer Motorsport for the test. He will be partnered with the experienced Melker who replaces Jefferies, as Canamasas takes Ghirelli's seat at MP Motorsport for the test.

Carlin had a poor test last time out so will be hoping for a return to form as Leal and Sorensen get used to the car. But more focus will of course be on the championship contenders of Evans, Gasly, Rossi, Marciello and Vandoorne. Vandoorne himself was competing in the 73rd Goodwood Members Meeting driving the McLaren Cosworth M23 a few weeks ago. With more promotional events for the McLaren youth, could we see him more associated with McLaren in times to come.

April 1st - Day 1 - Morning Session: 9:00-12:00 // Afternoon Session: 14:00-17:00
April 2nd - Day 2 - Morning Session: 9:00-12:00 // Afternoon Session: 14:00-17:00
April 3rd - Day 3 - Morning Session: 9:00-12:00 // Afternoon Session: 13:00-16:00

Line up for the Second Test:

DAMS
01. Pierre Gasly (FRA)
02. Alex Lynn (GBR)

Carlin
03. Julian Leal (COL)
04. Marco Sorensen (DEN)

ART Grand Prix
05. Stoffel Vandoorne (BEL)
06. Nobuharu Matsushita (JAP)

Racing Engineering
07. Jordan King (GBR)
08. Alexander Rossi (USA)

RUSSIAN TIME
09. Mitch Evans (NZL)
10. Artem Markelov (RUS)

Trident
11. Raffaele Marciello (ITA)
12. Rene Binder (AUT)

Campos Racing
14. Arthur Pic (FRA)
15. Rio Haryanto (INA)

MP Motorsport
16. Sergio Canamasas (ESP)
17. Daniel De Jong (NED)

Rapax
18. Sergey Sirotkin (RUS)
19. Robert Visoiu (ROU)

Arden International
20. André Negrao (BRA)
21. Norman Nato (FRA)

Status Grand Prix
22. Marlon Stockinger (PHI)
23. Richie Stanaway (NZL)

Hilmer Motorsport
24. Nick Yelloly (GBR)
25. Nigel Melker (NED)

Lazarus
26. Nathanaël Berthon (FRA)
27. Zoel Amberg (SUI)

Key: Contracted for the Season // Only Confirmed for the Test
 
So what are we expecting?

Probably more of the same with Vandoorne. However, Lynn's performance shows he should be good competition for Gasly. Sirotkin and Arden International performed better than expected and will be the ones to watch. After a few seasons of struggling for pace, have Arden found a good line up in the form of Nato and Negrao.

Who should be fastest?

After setting the fastest time last time, Stanaway will be hoping to continue his run of form. However; this is similar to the unexpectedly quick times we saw from Lancaster last year. Could Stanaway suffer the same fate, or will his performances in tests carry over to the racing.

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Is GP2 good for drivers to get to F1?

Does it really help their careers
 

I bring this up because of an article on Max Verstappen recently that said he didn't want to do GP2. "I thought about what happened with Raffaele Marciello," going on to say "He (Marciello) was the king of formula 3," said Verstappen, "but suddenly his career stalled in GP2." He said this was a major influence on his move to Torro Rosso and not Mercedes.

To add there have been other drivers who jump through the order and struggle when they get to GP2. Look at Daniel Abt, who after 2 years clawing point at the back of the grid, gave up and moved to Formula E. Since then the driver has experienced a bit more luck, having recently finished 3rd in the Miami ePrix after leading for much of the second half of the race.

Herck for DPR in 2008

However; some drivers have struggled after their moves to GP2 and have seen their racing career come to a halt. One notable example being Michael Herck. He won Formula Junior 1600 Spain and the Austrian Formula 3 championship early on. But spent 3 1/2 years at the back of the grid in GP2 and retired from motorsport after a disappointing 2011 season.

But surely this is just motorsport. Surely it's just competition. These drivers struggled because the class is higher. After all, GP2 is the last step before F1 and it's probably unsurprising to say that these are the best, non-F1, single seater drivers. Drivers aren't going to have immediate success because it's a large step up. I highly rate Marciello and considering he finished 8th in his first season is actually impressive. Only on 3 occasions have we seen drivers win GP2 in their first year; Rosberg (2005), Hamilton (2006) and Hulkenburg (2009). These drivers have become a staple of F1 and stars of the motorsport world.

While F1 becomes increasingly based on, who has the deepest pockets, it's clear to see that some talent is not rewarded. With the recent announcements that Evans and Yelloly going into Endurance racing, it's clear that drivers with shallower pockets are looking for seats elsewhere. So while results aren't always as important, they do give us a true test of who is better in equal machinery.

I've heavily critisised Torro Rosso in the past for choosing Verstappen over Gasly and Lynn, so this season will give everyone a true sense of what his pace actually is compared to Sainz and the field. But, the question remains, would Verstappen have struggled when he got to GP2 and what would have become of his racing career.

As for Marciello, now the Sauber reserve, he's looking for a route into F1 as well. But for him, he'll be aiming for the GP2 title this year with McLaren Young Driver; Vandoorne and Red Bull Young Driver; Gasly as well as 23 other competitors.

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2015 GP3 Pre-Season Test (Estoril) Day 2

Borschung impresses for Trident

Ralph Boschung - Estoril © GP3

With the teams having picked up valuable data from day 1, day 2 was all about working the best out of the car. Many drivers were straight out to make the use of the dry track. Times tumbled quickly as the morning went on with Celis, Jr. then Gilbert and Kirchoffer topping the timesheets. However the pace was interupted as Ceccon stopped at T1.


With the session restarted, no-one really improved on their time with 1hr 15min remaining. The exeption was Borschung who went top and stayed there for the remainder of the session. 

As the afternoon got underway, the three Carlin drivers went top, once again proving their pace. Half way through the session, there were only 16 times on the board with Gilbert still top, this being despite the sunny day. Times did not tumble as most drivers focused on long running pace, meaning it was the Carlin driver who stayed as one of the few men in the 1:28s for much of the session.

Pos.	Driver	Nat.	Team	Morning	Afternoon
1	Mitchell Gilbert	AUS	Carlin	1:28.312	1:28.517
2	Matheo Tuscher	SUI	Jenzer Motorsport	1:28.601	1:28.628
3	Emil Bernstorff	GBR	Arden International	1:28.049 [3]	1:28.751
4	Luca Ghiotto	ITA	Trident	1:28.366	1:28.786
5	Pal Varhaug	NOR	Jenzer Motorsport	1:28.848	1:28.953
6	Ralph Boschung	SUI	Jenzer Motorsport	1:27.789 [1]	1:28.962
7	Kevin Ceccon	ITA	Arden International	1:29.239	1:29.120
8	Alex Fontana	SUI	Status Grand Prix	1:29.015	1:29.126
9	Artur Janosz	POL	Trident	1:29.866	1:29.406
10	J. Mardenborough	GBR	Carlin	1:28.520	1:29.611
11	Oscar Tunjo	COL	Trident	1:29.091	1:29.630
12	Adderly Fong	HGK	Koiranen GP	1:29.052	1:29.682
13	Seb Morris	GBR	Status Grand Prix	1:28.941	1:29.811
14	Sandy Stuvik	THA	Status Grand Prix	1:28.594	1:30.086
15	Zaid Ashkanani	KUW	Campos Racing	1:30.846	1:30.257
16	Matthew Parry	GBR	Koiranen GP	1:28.772	1:30.450
17	Aleksander Bosak	POL	Arden International	1:29.932	1:30.749
18	Esteban Ocon	FRA	ART Grand Prix	1:28.546	1:30.763
19	Alex Palou	ESP	Campos Racing	1:28.749	1:30.925
20	Antonio Fuoco	ITA	Carlin	1:28.268 [5]	1:31.102
21	Marvin Kirchhöfer	GER	ART Grand Prix	1:27.967 [2]	1:31.283
22	Jimmy Eriksson	SWE	Koiranen GP	1:28.050 [4]	1:31.454
23	Alfonso Celis. Jr	MEX	ART Grand Prix	1:29.031	1:32.236
The Positions are the results of the Afternoon Session [1] – Position in Morning Session (only top 5 shown)

Conclusions from the Test

Many, including myself am surprised at Borschungs pace, but after 2 tough years in Formel ADAC, it will be good for the young Swiss to get some strong results. Also, a note to Bernstorff and Gilbert who have been much more consistant this test, espeecially today. But surprisingly poor times from Ocon/ Erikkson/ Fuoco/ Kirchhofer suggests they've more to give. ART GP as well also were terribly slow. However; more will be revealed at the next test in Valencia.

Also a Happy Birthday to Marvin Kirchhofer.

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2015 GP3 Pre-Season Test (Estoril) Day 1

First, for the Ferrari Faithful

© GP3

Fuoco was one of the first drivers to sign for 2015 GP3 and has started off with a bang. He had earned the role of early title favourite, however; he set out to prove that despite the signing of experienced GP3 drivers and the man that beat him in F3, he is still a force to be reckoned with.

The day started out slowly with the wet conditions reducing early running. Having rained over night with only 6 drivers having set a time after 1 and 3/4 hours. More drivers came out towards the end with ART GP setting the pace before Tunjo retook top spot. The session ended under red flag as Ashkanani spun at T13. Most drivers had got out to set a time and Tunjo kept top spot from Fontana and Ghiotto.

It started to rain in the afternoon, but this didn't stop Mardenborough setting a new fastest time, quickly followed by Kirchhofer who stopped soon after. Janosz brought out another red flag soon after but as the session got going the cloud coverage increased. Kirchhofer's 1:28.482 was the fastest with 1 hour left, but times quickly tumbled. Fuoco made the most of this a took top spot early on. He was not beaten for the rest of the session as Tuscher interrupted final runs by stopping at T5.

In terms of timing it was good day for Carlin and should hopefully provide good rain data for the upcoming season, which will vital in a close field.

Pos.	Driver	Nat.	Team	Morning	Afternoon
1	Antonio Fuoco	ITA	Carlin	1:30.621	1:28.410
2	Marvin Kirchhofer	GER	ART GP	1:30.018	1:28.411
3	Emil Bernstorff	GBR	Arden International	1:29.959	1:28.433
4	Luca Ghiotto	ITA	Trident	1:29.577 [3]	1:28.516
5	J. Mardenborough	GBR	Carlin	1:29.680 [4]	1:28.595
6	Esteban Ocon	FRA	ART GP	1:29.805	1:28.626
7	Ralph Boschung	SUI	Jenzer Motorsport	1:30.000	1:28.638
8	Jimmy Eriksson	SWE	Koiranen GP	1:29.798 [5]	1:28.773
9	Oscar Tunjo	COL	Trident	1:29.061 [1]	1:28.994
10	Matheo Tuscher	SUI	Jenzer Motorsport	1:30.575	1:29.001
11	Seb Morris	GBR	Status Grand Prix	1:30.742	1:29.015
12	Mitch Gilbert	AUS	Carlin	1:29.926	1:29.169
13	Alex Palou	ESP	Campos Racing	1:30.967	1:29.304
14	Alex Fontana	SUI	Status Grand Prix	1:29.450 [2]	1:29.465
15	Matthew Parry	GBR	Koiranen GP	1:30.400	1:29.477
16	Kevin Ceccon	ITA	Arden International	1:30.137	1:29.599
17	Alfonso Celis, Jr.	MEX	ART GP	1:30.425	1:29.860
18	Pal Varhaug	NOR	Jenzer Motorsport	1:30.678	1:30.017
19	Sandy Stuvik	THA	Status Grand Prix	1:31.769	1:30.207
20	Artur Janosz	POL	Trident	1:31.607	1:30.393
21	Adderly Fong	HGK	Koiranen GP	1:30.660	1:30.448
22	Zaid Ashkanani	KUW	Campos Racing	1:32.381	1:31.879
23	Aleksander Bosak	POL	Arden International	1:32.787	1:33.201
The Positions are the results of the Afternoon Session [1] – Position in Morning Session (only top 5 shown)

What conclusions can we make?

Newly signed Jann Mardenborough and Ghiotto have both impressed. Carlin have done better than expected with Jann and Fuoco setting competitive times and Gilbert not too far off the pace. Although Bernstorff impressed, in general it was poor day for Arden, while rookie's Bosak and Ashkanani spent the day at the back. Ocon did not perform as dominantly as some were expecting, while Boschung has outperformed many peoples expectations.

It will be great to see people set some better on hopefully a drier track tomorrow. As the line-up for tomorrows session remains unchanged.

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2015 GP3 Pre-Season Test (Estoril) Preview

New Year, New Challenge

With GP3 starting in 50 days, they head off to Estoril, Spain for the first Pre-Season test. While in recent years driver announcements have been very last minute, with the recent back up of drivers trying to enter Formula One, we have seen drivers making deals earlier and earlier in the year. As a result, going into this new year, there are only 2 seats remaining for the 2015 GP3 season. This shows how hotly contested this is and how competitive the championship will be this year.

Like in Formula One, we have seen a reduction in the number of teams. With Murussia Manor Racing (GP3 team) in administration the FIA had left the space open for a new competitor however, with the current generation of GP3 cars set to be replaced at the end of 2015 the FIA has decided to run the season with 3 cars less and will introduce a new member next year.

Also coming on board this year are Campos Racing. After re-entering GP2 last year, they have extended their base by taking over Hilmer Motorsport who will focus their efforts on their GP2 team. Campos do bring a raft of experience and technology that could make them an underdog in the title fight. I definitely expect them to be fighting for wins.

As for the line-up for the test -

Wednesday 18th March: 09.00 - 12.00 // 2 hour break // 14.00 - 17.00
Thursday 19th March: 09.00 - 12.00 // 1 hour break: // 13.00 - 16.00

Carlin
1. Antonio Fuoco (ITA)
2. Jann Mardenborough (GBR)
3. Mitch Gilbert (AUS)

ART Grand Prix
4. Alfonso Celis. Jr (MEX)
5. Marvin Kirchhofer (GER)
6. Esteban Ocon (FRA)

Status Grand Prix
7. Seb Morris (GBR)
8. Alex Fontana (SUI)
9. Sandy Stuvik (THA)

Koiranen GP
10. Adderly Fong (HKG)
11. Jimmy Eriksson (SWE)
12. Matt Parry (GBR)

Arden International
14. Kevin Ceccon (ITA)
15. Emil Bernstorff (GBR)
16. Aleksander Bosak (POL)

Jenzer Motorsport
20. Pal Varhaug (NOR)
21. Matheo Tuscher (SUI)
22. Ralph Boschung (SUI)

Campos Racing
23. Zaid Ashkanani (KUW)
24. Alex Palou (ESP)
25. -

Trident
26. Artur Janosz (POL)
27. Luca Ghiotto (ITA)
28. Oscar Tunjo (COL)

Drivers who have contracts // Drivers just entered for the test


Who will be Champion?

In terms of speed, ART GP has certainly brought a talented line up as they look to claim back their constructors title. Lotus Young Driver, Estaban Ocon (2014: European F3 champion) and Marvin Kirchhofer (2014: GP3; 3rd) for the ART GP team are early favourites along with Ferrari Young driver; Fuoco (2014: European F3; 5th). As well as the other experienced GP3 drivers of Eriksson (2014: GP3; 4th) and Bernstorff (2014: GP3; 5th). While Euroformula Open champion; Sandy Stuvik and former Caterham F1 young driver's Seb Morris and Matt Parry will be gunning for the title.

What do we expect from the test?

It will probably be a chance for the teams to see what each others have brought, but will be more about the drivers getting used to the car. It will unsurprising to see the experienced GP3 drivers set fast times, but attention will be on those who can get the machine to set quick laps early on. Long run pace will also be important for the GP3 drivers.

Who will fill the remaining seats?

Well, with only 2 seats to talk of there isn't much speculation. However; it is unlikely that Mardenborough will keep the Carlin seat if he's choosing to focus on the WEC, however; considering the equipment and his ability, he would likely become a championship contender if he keeps the seat. As for other drivers, 2014 GP3 drivers, Agostini and Sa Silva have not got a drive for 2015.

Looking forward to a good 3 days of testing

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2015 GP2 Pre-Season Test (Yas Marina) Day 3

Stanaway sets fastest time of the Test

Photo: Jed Leicester/GP2 Series Media Service

Morning got underway in windy conditions with a red flag almost immediately as Markelov stopped at turn 7. However; unlike yesterday, many drivers were setting competitive laps early on with Vandoorne and Evans setting the early pace. However; Evans would soon find himself stopped at turn 9. After a short red flag, Marciello then Evans then Stanaway all went quickest on the super soft tyre. Few times were improved in the second half of the morning and Stanaway was on top at the end of the morning.

Many drivers decided to test pit stops and setting on their cars in the afternoon with few attempting to beat record times. Lynn set the early pace as Rossi and Zoel Amburg would later stop on track in separate incidents. Some drivers did try to set some quick laps towards the end with Sirotkin going fastest, however this was interrupted with Markelov becoming the 4th driver that day to stop on track. No improvements were made and the 3rd day of testing ended quietly.

Day 3 Results:
 

Pos.	Driver	Nat.	Team	Morning	Afternoon
1	Sergey Sirotkin	RUS	Rapax	1:49.023	1:49.158
2	Arthur Pic	FRA	Campos Racing	1:49.115	1:49.260
3	Alex Lynn	GBR	Dams	1:48.937	1:49.277
4	Nathanael Berthon	FRA	Lazarus	1:49.426	1:49.379
5	Norman Nato	FRA	Arden International	1:50.551	1:49.391
6	Rio Haryanto	IDN	Campos Racing	1:49.001	1:49.431
7	Pierre Gasly	FRA	Dams	1:48.605 [2]	1:49.532
8	Daniel De Jong	NED	MP Motorsport	1:50.885	1:49.859
9	Mitch Evans	NZL	Russian Time	1:48.717 [3]	1:50.097
10	Zoel Amburg	SUI	Lazarus	1:51.292	1:50.197
11	Sergio Canamasas	ESP	Hilmer Motorsport	1:51.134	1:50.227
12	Andre Negrao	BRA	Arden International	1:49.142	1:50.741
13	Vittorio Ghirelli	ITA	MP Motorsport	1:50.058	1:50.842
14	Robert Visoiu	ROM	Rapax	1:51.076	1:51.024
15	Rene Binder	AUT	Trident	1:49.767	1:51.084
16	Artem Markelov	RUS	Russian Time	1:49.693	1:52.058
17	Stoffel Vandoorne	BEL	ART Grand Prix	1:48.921	1:52.501
18	Marco Sorensen	DEN	Carlin	1:49.271	1:52.709
19	Raffaele Marciello	ITA	Trident	1:48.850 [4]	1:53.118
20	Jordan King	GBR	Racing Engineering	1:49.194	1:53.290
21	Nobuharu Matsushita	JAP	ART Grand Prix	1:49.679	1:53.296
22	Julian Leal	COL	Carlin	1:49.322	1:53.611
23	Malon Stockinger	PHI	Status Grand Prix	1:50.109	1:53.952
24	Alexander Rossi	USA	Racing Engineering	1:48.857 [5]	1:53.991
25	Richie Stanaway	NZL	Status Grand Prix	1:48.441 [1]	1:54.005
26	Axcil Jefferies	ZIM	Hilmer Motorsport	--	--
The Positions are the results of the Afternoon Session [1] – Position in Morning Session (only top 5 shown)

Who was the quickest?

In terms of one off lap time; Stanaway's 1:48.441 on the final day. However; Galsy and Vandoorne has been consistently near the front of the grid, as have Marciello and Evans. So, in terms of championship favourites, the front runners are no surprise.

Who was the surprisingly quick driver?

Despite finishing no higher than a midfield position for most of his GP3 career, Visoiu managed to get promoted. However; instead of running at the back he's put in some impressive times. It will be telling how he and teammate Sirotkin can do during the season. While fellow GP3 graduate Stanaway has raised some eyebrows with his one of quick time. Perhaps a future qualifying specialist.

Who has not met expectations?

Having not completed a lap, its hard to judge Jefferies, especially considering his back of the grid performance last year. Having had questions asked of him in FR3.5 last year, Stockinger would have hoped for a strong start, but one has not come. He'll have to hope results improve as the season progresses. While the Carlin team and drivers have been surprisingly slow compared to their experience.

Which non-contracted driver has earned himself a race seat?

Stanaway without a doubt has proved he is quick, but will need to prove his overtaking and consistently. While Amburg has impressed, even if he struggled to keep up with teammate Berthon, as has Ghirelli with MP Motorsport.

What do we expect to see in Bahrain?

I feel we're yet to see Rossi's true pace, even if we've seen occasional bursts. While we will keep an eye on Carlin to see if they really are struggling for pace or if it was a one session blip. With Gasly proving his speed, we might be up for a closer race for 1st than we thought. Vandoorne will have to watch his mirrors with Evans and Marciello showing they've taken a step forward.

Next test in Bahrain - 1/2/3 April

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