2015 FR3.5 silly season

[Biscuits In A Red Bull]

Well, I thought we'd talk about all of the potential/confirmed driver signings for next season in one place.

de Vries has been signed by DAMS. As I posted on the "next big thing" thread, surely that's a recipe for success.

Although Autosport are reporting that a certain Stoffel Vandoorne may take a seat at that team. An all-McLaren junior pairing? Will de Vries be able to keep up? How much will he learn from imo the best prospect outside of Formula 1? Or will it even happen?

That's the nature of the silly season!

[kotkot]

I'm pretty sure Vandoorne would switch to the GP2 squad of DAMS.

[Rf1 Fan]

Gasly won't comeback in 3.5 series next year.

[chunterer]

Presuming it's a french talent in the other DAMS and not Nato then maybe Vaxviere?

That would be a tasty line up!

[chunterer]

List of drivers

de Vries confirmed at DAMS
Tunjo apparently confirmed at Pons...


Those likely to be back:
Rowland (won't have the funding for GP2)
Vaxviere
Ghiotto
Visser
Stockinger
Laine
Van Buuren
Amberg
Mavlanov
Nato (might slip off to sportscars as what else can he do if he can't win with DAMS?)
Fantin
Jafaar

Part season guys from this year:
Latifi
Ocon

Newcomers?
Cao
Blomqvist
Rosenqvist
King
Auer
Fuoco
Seralles
Giovanazzi
Visiou
Fontana

[kotkot]

+ The new Eurocup crop, of course. Olsen, Pizzitola, Bonifacio, Orudzhev and others have tested yesterday, Olsen, Pizzitola or Orudzhev could easily snatch top seats, while I can see Bonifacio in Draco, since the team has Brazilian leadership.

Looking forward to see Strakka's lineup, they have established quite a system, from karting to Formula Renault and sports cars. Should they pick British drivers as usual, King, Parry, Stoneman or Aitken might end up there.

[bella]

you say that as if all of them have got the budgets immediately available to them...

i see bonifacio at draco too. it makes sense. how much money do either pizzitola or olsen have though? imo olsen should hang around in eurocup and pitch at the title, i think he could do it opposition dependant next season.

i don't really see what nato would have to gain by staying in 3.5 for another year but i'm not sure what he could achieve in gp2 either.

[kotkot]

Pizzitola's aim is admittedly FR3.5, but he will test in GP3 thanks to his Manor connections. Considering his age and nationality (there was not a single French driver in GP3 since Dillmann in 2011), I'd say 3.5 is more likely. However, he also has some Porsche ties, so he might end up there.

I don't think Olsen would have problems with graduating, he has those Red Bull ties after all, I wouldn't even be surprised to see him being announced as a new member to their junior team over the winter.

[Biscuits In A Red Bull]

Will Olsen replace Gasly as a RBR junior in FR3.5? Along with Lynn?

[WSR Fan]

I'd personally be surprised to see Olsen stepping up to FR3.5. I think he'll end up doing European F3 with Prema - he's already tested for them and I just have a hunch he'll end up there - you heard it here first

I can easily see Orudzhev stepping up due to his Russian SMP backing and like others have said, Bonifacio at Draco seems to fit quite well. Pietro Fantin has said he's likely to be back for 2015 and if he stays at Draco, I think he would be a good yard-stick for Bonifacio to learn from.

I'd also like to see what Vaxiviere could do with a second season - you have to say that since he came back from his injury break he was one of the form men in the latter-part of the championship (whilst also jetting around the world racing a Porsche in the WEC might I add!)

Also, as this is the silly season thread and for those who might have missed it, here is the 2015 FR3.5 calendar that was released on Sunday:

25/26 April Motorland Aragon, Spain
24 May Monte Carlo, Monaco
30/31 May Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
13/14 June Hungaroring, Hungary
27/28 June* Red Bull Ring, Austria
29/30 August* Silverstone, Britain
12/13 September Nurburgring, Germany
26/27 September Le Mans Bugatti, France
17/18 October Jerez, Spain

* Dates TBC

[bella]

they didn't pin a date down for the red bull ring date so i'm not sure where you got that one from!

[WSR Fan]

Originally Posted by bella

they didn't pin a date down for the red bull ring date so i'm not sure where you got that one from!

http://worldseriesbyrenault.com/The-...aled-4573.html

Near the bottom of the article

[Rf1 Fan]

Blomqvist,Gelael, Giovinazzi are moving in 3.5 series this year according to Autosport.

[ivanalesi]

So Carlin might come back? I don't know if they have sold their cars & transporter?

[Biscuits In A Red Bull]

Giovinazzi will be one to watch given a decent pre-season. Same with Blomqvist.

Surely Latifi will return given his end of season form in the series?

[snowdog140]

Heard on the European F3 coverage that Seralles is planning on going back to the States to race over there so I doubt he'll be involved over the winter in 3.5, unless it's to have time in the car to stay fresh.

[Rf1 Fan]

I don't know if Olsen will move to F3 with Prema as according to Autosport the most likely trio for next year should be:
Fuoco-Stroll-Maisano

[bella]

what's maisano been up to this season? he seems to never really make any progress into bigger cars... is he ferrari still?

[Rf1 Fan]

Originally Posted by bella

what's maisano been up to this season? he seems to never really make any progress into bigger cars... is he ferrari still?

formula 4, he was helping stroll making strides in car racing

he has done all the tests with prema f3 team since vallelunga bar the fia f3 collective test at imola.

[Formulahistory]

Originally Posted by snowdog140

Heard on the European F3 coverage that Seralles is planning on going back to the States to race over there so I doubt he'll be involved over the winter in 3.5, unless it's to have time in the car to stay fresh.

Serralles will drive Indy Lights for Belardi

[Formulahistory]

So my guess:

DAMS: Nyck de Vries - Jimmy Eriksson (?)
Fortec: Jazeman Jaafar (?) - Egor Orudzhev (?)
Arden: Jordan King (?) - Dean Stoneman (?)
Zeta: Roman Mavlanov (?) - Artur Janosz (?)
Lotus: Matthieu Vaxivière (?) - Alex Fontana (?)
Strakka: Matthew Graham (?) - Jake Hughes (?)
AVF: Beitske Visser (?) - Nick Cassidy (?)
ISR: Felix Rosenqvist (?) - Gustav Malja (?)
Tech-1: Richard Gonda (?) - Andrea Pizzitola (?)
Draco: Pietro Fantin (?) - Bruno Bonifacio (?)
Comtec: Andrea Roda (?) - Steijn Schothorst (?)
Pons: Oscar Tunjo - Robert Visoiu (?)

[bella]

yeah, we've had words about your guesses before. they're so far off the mark that they're just fantasy grids...

[ivanalesi]

OK, but Giovinazzi goes with Galael and he's very young, only in his 3rd season in cars and next season he might be fighting for podiums in F3 while Giovanazzi goes for the title. They are a bit like Stroll & Maisano, they go in package.
It will be interesting to see what Auer will do? GP2 or FR3.5 or full focus on LMP2?

[Biscuits In A Red Bull]

I'm sorry but there's absolutely no chance that either Matty Graham and Jake Hughes will race in the same team! Hughes is the only one with a remote shout at a race seat, but as I said somewhere he'll probably go for a Eurocup title campaign.

[kotkot]

There were rumours about the KFC squad going to GP3 because that way all of them can be in the same team (Gelael, Giovinazzi, Blomqvist). That would not happen in FR3.5 but of course we can't rule it out.

Nick Cassidy would be weird given he has been massively struggling with budget and even if he had some chance, he didn't really take them.