WSR Round 4 - Hungaroring

[WSR Fan]

After a mammoth 7-week break, the World Series is back this weekend at the Hungaroring, near Budapest, Hungary. Here's a re-cap of the standings after Monaco (Round 3):

Drivers' Championship

1. Sebastian Vettel 58 Pts
2. Alvaro Parente 51
3. Filipe Albuquerque 29
4. Mikhail Aleshin 27
=. Milos Pavlovic 27
6. Ben Hanley 26
7. Salvador Duran 25
8. Marco Bonanomi 20
9. Davide Valsecchi 18
=. Alvaro Barba 18

Teams' Championship

1. Carlin Motorsport 85 Pts
2. Tech 1 Racing 57
3. Epsilon Euskadi 47
4. Int. Draco Racing 45
5. Prema Powerteam 26
6. Interwetten.com 25
7. RC Motorsport 23
8. Victory Engineering 20
9. Pons Racing 12
=. KTR 12


While Vettel and Parente seem to have broken away from the pack, the action behind them is looking extremely interesting with just 11 points covering third to tenth place in the standings, so the Top 10 could look very different after the weekend. And despite the long break, there's only been one driver change with Celso Miguez leaving Eurointernational to be replaced by former Comtec driver Jaap Van Lagen.

So, what do people expect from the weekend? Personally I hope that Parente can close the gap on Vettel a little, because if Sebastian establishes a decent lead, I think it will be difficult for Parente and Tech 1 to catch up, given the experience & resources that Carlin have at their disposal. I'd also like to see Clivio Piccione do well because despite showing some good speed, he's had a nightmare start with four retirements in five races and just three points on the board. He's raced at the Hungaroring twice before in GP2 so hopefully his track knowledge can lead to a couple of decent points finishes.

And, as always, I hope Ben Hanley and the other Brits can achieve some decent results too


Weekend Schedule

Thursday 12th July

09:00 - 11:00 - Collective Testing 1
14:00 - 16:00 - Collective Testing 2

Friday 13th July

09:00 - 09:45 - Free Practice 1
13:40 - 14:25 - Free Practice 2

Saturday 14th July

09:00 - 09:20 - Qualifying (Group B)
09:25 - 09:45 - Qualifying (Group A)
14:55 - Race 1 (25 laps)

Sunday 15th July

13:00 - Race 2 (25 laps)

(All times are local Budapest times)

[bella]

from parente's point of view all it'll take is for vettel to get caught up in traffic in the race 2 grid reversing exercise and to score a non finish, and he's in a good position.

equally, which team is more likely to have a dodgy weekend?

albuquerque (he'll never get to f1 with a name like that!) is a bit more of an outside bet, but again, all it takes is a couple of dodgy races... he could be Quite Good if his gp2 performance is anything to go by!

[WSR Fan]

The difference between Vettel and Parente so far this year is not very much at all - They've each had one win, three podiums and both have completed every lap in the five races to date. Vettel has the slight advantage because he also has a fastest lap to his name and has earned ten points from qualifying to Parente's six.

Vettel also has an advantage because he can potentially use his team-mate, Mikhail Aleshin, to take points away from Parente, whereas Alvaro's team-mate Julien Jousse is routed in the mid-field and thus unable to help him in his title challenge.

But AFAIK, Sebastian and Alvaro have both never driven at the Hungaroring before, and it's also the first time the World Series has visited the track, so neither can claim to have any prior track knowledge going into the weekend.

[JamesRamone]

Thoughts of what the race will be like?

Hungary not known for overtaking, and its usually dry

Come on Hanley!

[Daisy]

Jaap van Lagen will drive for Eurointernational in Hungary. It's a one weekend race offer only.

[chunterer]

Bout time Duran got his season back on track too, looked very promising at the beginning but seems to have fallen away?

Really looks like a two horse race though doesn't it. Top 2 are the class of the field.

Like bella said, I was interested in Albuquerque's progress at Silverstone's GP2 races. Looked a solid little pedaller to me and pretty much on level of Villa straight away. Not sure what that saus about either of them though!!

[Russfeld]

Originally Posted by WSR Fan

Vettel also has an advantage because he can potentially use his team-mate, Mikhail Aleshin, to take points away from Parente, whereas Alvaro's team-mate Julien Jousse is routed in the mid-field and thus unable to help him in his title challenge.

The flipside is Vettel could lose maximum points to his teammate, and Parente will always be the top scorer under his awning.

[bella]

only 2 seconds behind ammermuller in race 2 too. i think i've found my next bandwagon

[strider]

This Vettel/Parente thing puts me in a quandary. I tipped Vettel to win the title sometime last year (and was suitably mocked for it), but on a personal level would prefer to see Parente pull it off.

I think the smart money would still be on Seb, though.

[WSR Fan]

Originally Posted by strider

This Vettel/Parente thing puts me in a quandary. I tipped Vettel to win the title sometime last year (and was suitably mocked for it), but on a personal level would prefer to see Parente pull it off.

I think the smart money would still be on Seb, though.

I'd also love Parente to win the title. He's a very talented driver but IMO he doesn't always get the credit (or attention) he deserves despite his success in British F3, A1GP and WSR. Over on Interwetten.com they were quoting odds of 9/1 for him to win the championship so I took them straight away without hesitation.

On a side note, if Vettel was to win the title he cannot take the prize Renault F1 test because the winner is not allowed to have any links to a current F1 team, which Seb obviously has.

[WSR Fan]

Just a few weeks after GP2 announced it's new car for 2008, Renault have done the same with the World Series!

Renault Sport Technologies today revealed the first images of the new Formula Renault 3.5 which is due to make its track debut in the 2008 World Series by Renault. The new chassis, whose design was inspired by that of the Renault F1 R27, will be powered by a 24V V6 engine featuring flex fuel technology and capable of delivering up to 500bhp with E85 bioethanol. This will be a first at this level of motorsport in Europe.

The star category of the World Series by Renault since the series was created in 2005, the World Series Formula Renault 3.5 championship has established itself as one of the higher rungs of the ladder leading to Formula 1. After a three-year cycle, the current race car is due to be replaced in 2008: New Formula Renault 3.5 will be given the task of continuing this success.

Ever committed to the principles of controlled costs, and sporting and technical equity between competitors, Renault Sport Technologies has defined a new package which anticipates the changes set to be introduced in motorsport. New Formula Renault 3.5 has been developed to comply with a strict set of technical specifications covering aspects such as performance, reliability, safety, sustainable development and its appeal to drivers and teams alike.

Inspired by the shape of Renault F1 R27, Dallara has designed a new carbon bodyshell. Narrower than its predecessor, the bodyshell has a raised nose cone which delivers improved aerodynamic performance. The spoon-shaped front wing, hollowed sidepods and multiple side deflectors attest to the permanent drive to improve performance.

As demonstrated by the imposing rear crash-box, recent advances have been used to reinforce the car's safety features. New Formula Renault 3.5 has therefore been designed to meet F1-level safety standards. Based on the same block used on the current race car, the 3.5-litre 24V V6 engine will be fitted with flex fuel technology, which means that the car is able to run on either premium unleaded petrol (SP98) or E85 bioethanol. By totally redesigning the engine architecture, Solution F has increased its power from 425 to 500bhp. The efficiency of the ‘push-to-pass’ system has also been improved. However, reliability will be unaffected by these changes, since services will be scheduled every 4,500 kilometres.

In order to keep costs under control, several elements of the current Formula Renault 3.5 will be kept on the new car: the wheels fitted with Michelin tyres of identical dimensions, the semi-automatic gearbox and the entire rear suspension system, the carbon brakes, the Magnetti-Marelli electronic management and data acquisition system, etc.

The 2008 World Series Formula Renault 3.5 championship will be open to thirteen two-car teams. Prior to publication of the list of selected teams by the Organizing committee, New Formula Renault 3.5 will be unveiled to the public at the French round of this year’s World Series by Renault at Magny-Cours (September 22-23).

So, to summarise:

• Engine power is increased from 425 to 500 bhp (an increase of nearly 18%)
• Flex fuel technology, meaning the car can run on unleaded petrol or E85 bioethanol
• New carbon body shell, inspired by the shape of the Renault R27 F1 car
• 2008 championship open to 26 cars (Thirteen two-car teams)

I absolutely adore the design of the current car so I'm a little concerned when things like "hollowed sidepods" and "multiple side deflectors" are mentioned. I'll reserve judgement for the time-being though until I see some proper pictures of the new car.

It's also an interesting move to get rid of two teams and reduce the grid size to 26 cars (in line with GP2).

Opinions?

[Alex K]

FR3.5 don't need new chassis/ engine combo IMO. It's not GP2, they should controlling the costs, and as far as I see it the costs will go up again.

I see it has problems with quality, good, technically proved drivers. If not his testing commitments Vettel would drive in GP2 this season.

IMO they should entertain more quality drivers from F3, and them who don't have enough budgets, but are enough good to do WSR (Piccione). They don't need new car.

[runshaw]

Originally Posted by WSR Fan

It's also an interesting move to get rid of two teams and reduce the grid size to 26 cars (in line with GP2).

Why have they done that? I've always thought having 29-30 WSR cars was quite a spectacle, it's strange for a series to actually cut numbers. Fortec better hurry up and score some points then if they want to be selected as one of the teams to go through to next year.

[WSR Fan]

I don't want to post the actual images due to copyright issues etc. but if you go to the link below their are three artists images of the new car:

http://www.crash.net/news_view~cid~94~id~151099.htm

I was worried they might get rid of the distinctive drooped nose, but it looks like it's been kept. I know they are only rough images, but my first impressions are quite positive.

[OJB]

Looks like its a pretty open weekend so far - even Nunez and Iaconelli are showing well!!

Going to be hard to predict this one I reckon - I'll go for Fauzy or Bonanomi, just to be a bit different. Still think Vettel can come good when it matters, but it'll be good to see a mixed up grid this weekend.

I'm surprised they are reducing the grid to 26-cars - the spectacle of a 30-strong grid appeals to me personally and probably the fans who only have a fleeting interest in motorsport - quantity not necessarily quality matters if you don't follow motorsport. Plus with around 18 teams already applying for 15 places each year, Renault are missing a trick.

It shouldn't be trying to rival GP2 really, especially as Renault are involved with that anyway

[Channel Super]

Finally Fauzy got a Podium.The best results for him so far.Congrats

[Francis Albert]

Yep, and Albuquerque got his first win! Congratulations!

[Chewie-1990]

Indeed, congratulations to both, disappointment for Parente though, gives Vettel a fairly safe points lead

[WSR Fan]

Yep, congratulations Filipe!

He has really impressed me with his performances this season, and the fact he is regularly beating Valsecchi, who already has a years' experience at the team, is even more impressive. It's nice to finally see Fairuz Fauzy competitive too. In fact, he's scored more points in one race than he did in two full seasons' of GP2!

And yes, you have to say that was a bit of a disaster for Parente. The gap between him and Vettel has increased to 13 points, with Seb starting Race 2 in 7th and Alvaro way down in 25th place. Ouch..

You have to feel sorry for Marco Bonanomi too. He crashed in qualifying and didn't set a time, but because the Hungaroring has a 29-car grid limit, he failed to qualify. He should be back out tomorrow though because Alessandro Ciompi will not start Race 2 due to the accident damage he sustained today.

And one last thing to mention..... come on Ben!!!!

[P3ndula]

[runshaw]

Nunez won? Good on him!! James Walker and Fortec finally in the points.

[WSR Fan]

Wow, brilliant result for Núñez. Obviously the reverse grid helped a lot, but he held his cool in what looked like another incident-packed race, and his fastest race lap was also better than the likes of Vettel, Hanley, Piccione etc. Well done Alejandro!

If my calculations are correct, Vettel now leads Parente by a whopping 21 points, and Albuquerque is only 2 points behind second-place.

1. Vettel 74 Pts
2. Parente 51
3. Albuquerque 49
4. Hanley 45
5. Pavlovic 40

A special mention should also go to Fauzy, Moreau, Van der Garde and Jousse who all put in strong performances this weekend, and it's great to see James Walker finally making the points in Race 2. Can't wait for Spa next time out

EDIT: Looking at it again, Vettel actually has 74 points, not 72.

[Alex K]

Well mates, so it's not only family money involved in project Nunez, isn't?

[Morcilman]

well... would you say that there is a lot of talent? I think that is his first ever podium. he did well, but there are many circunstances, and if you read his career, he is not a star. The Comtec car must be VERY good the reverse grid, and the Hungaroring circuit made a special combo.

[OJB]

Is that a live timing screen P3ndula? I've been trying to find one all season - where did you get that one?

Thought Hanley was great this weekend and I'm pleased Fauzy managed to get on the podium too. Its nice to see Piccione in the top 5 too after all his problems.

Bit of a washout for KTR after their pace in practice and qualifying, but at least they have their home round coming up to hopefully make up for it.

As for Nunez, that is a bit of a surprise considering he did very little in Formula 3, but fair play to him. Am sure Comtec are relieved to get some points on the board...