Felipe Nasr clinched the Sunoc Challenge with pole position at Donington Park in September (Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography)

Motors TV and Channel 4 are to broadcast a documentary program following Sunoco Rolex 24 at Daytona Challenge winner Felipe Nasr on his journey to the podium at Daytona International Speedway.

Brazilian Nasr won the 2011 British Formula Three International Series, also winning the Sunoco Challenge competition that offered a Daytona Prototype drive to one competitor from three British racing series using Sunoco’s race fuels.

Following the conclusion of the F3 season Felipe tested for Action Express Racing at Daytona before returning to the famous track, this time with Michael Shank Racing for the official test and the the 50th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Nasr, along with the rest of the four man team in the no.6 entry finished the race in third overall while Michael Shank’s other entry won overall.

The Hayfisher Productions made show will also feature Aaron Steele who won another competition organised by Sunoco to complete in the Grand-Am 200 Continental Tires Series race that supported the Rolex 24.

The show will premiere on Motors TV’s European network at 3:10pm and one Motors TV UK at 3:45pm on Saturday February 11. The first showing on Channel 4 will be at 7:30am a week later (Saturday Febraury 18).

A repeat is scheduled for 2:30am on Wednesday 22 February on Channel 4. The program will enjoy regular repeats on Motors TV – both in the UK and across Europe throughout February.

Malaysian Jaafar will contest his 3rd British F3 season with Carlin in 2012, while Brazil’s Pietro Fantin will look to build upon his successful debut season last year. The pair brings Carlin’s entries up to only 5 after the team pruned its entries from 6 after pressure from the series organiser SRO, and rival teams. Jaafar and Fantin will drive alongside Harry Tincknell, Jack Harvey and Carlos Sainz Jr.

Having already claimed a maiden victory on his way to 8th overall in his debut season, 20 year-old Fantin has raised his expectations for his first season with a front-running outfit: “I have no other objective but to win the championship. Of course I will need luck, I will need to give my best performance and the car needs to be great. Last year was my first full season in the championship – it was OK, top 10 was what I expected – and I gained a lot of experience with the tracks. Carlin was the wisest and best choice for me for 2012, and now I know that I have the best car on the grid, and that gives me extra confidence.

“I want to be the next Brazilian champion of British Formula 3. It’s possible – it is a matter of working hard, training hard and doing the best possible job.”

Jaafar meanwhile, is still only 19 on the verge of his 3rd British F3 season, and hopes his experience will help him finally launch a championship winning campaign. “There is still a lot for me to learn and Formula 3 is an ideal route for me. I’m still only 19 and I am looking forward to the challenge. I have the experience and I know the tracks, and I see no reason why I can’t be at the front. It’s a question of getting up to speed with the new car and as soon as all that is settled I think we will be at the front.

I will take it a step at a time. I don’t want to rush into it thinking it’s all about winning because I don’t want to carry too much pressure. I just want to focus and do the job and I am sure the wins will come.”

Carlin will run 5 brand new Dallara F312 cars for first of the official pre-season tests next month, with the opening round of the Cooper Tyres British Formula 3 International Series scheduled to take place on the 6-7 April at Oulton Park.

The news comes after a successful operation and continuing physiotherapy on the 19 year-old’s right hand knuckles, which were severely fractured as he was testing for Carlin at the Spa Francorchamps circuit last November.

Both the team and Tincknell however, believe the Exeter-based driver will be back at his best for the 2012 pre-season tests scheduled for early March:  “It was a hefty shunt and a bad injury – the specialist said it was one of the worst he had seen – but I’m really happy with the way my recovery has been going and I’m making progress daily and I’m getting back the full range of movement in my hand. Unfortunately it has interrupted my winter training programme and I’m having to play catch-up now.” Harry said.

“The plan is to hopefully get out on track in a junior car towards the end of the month to make sure my hand can cope with the vibrations and stresses, and then to progress from there. I’m confident that by March I will be back to top form.”

A race-winner at Brands Hatch in his maiden season for Fortec Motorsport last year, Tincknell, much like his team-mate Jack Harvey, has his sights aimed much higher as he enters his second British Formula 3 season: “There hasn’t been a British champion in British Formula 3 for too many years now – my aim is to put that right. I’m really happy to be going with Carlin: it’s the sort of opportunity that no driver can refuse.” he said. 

“I’ve visited the new factory and it’s great to see Carlin’s commitment and professionalism. You have only to look at their past drivers to see that the whole team is driven to succeed in this series – I want to be another of their successful names.”

Team principle Trevor Carlin said he had every confidence in his latest signing – leaving only two more seats vacant for the outfit’s 2012 campaign:  “It’s great to have Harry on board with us as one of our five drivers for the 2012 season. Harry has impressed in all the categories in which he has competed previously and we’re looking forward to testing with him and the new car shortly. We believe Harry is capable of fighting for victories and ultimately the championship with Carlin this year.”

The 18 year-old from Lincolnshire impressed in his debut season in 2011, scoring a maiden win at the Nürburgring and claiming 4 more podiums on his way to 9th in the overall standings. Following further winter testing with Carlin, Harvey was confident in his abilities after a year still adapting to F3 cars after competing in Formula BMW in 2010, where he finished as championship runner-up.

As a result, Harvey is aiming for nothing less than the 2012 title: “I’m really looking forward to staying with Carlin for my second year in British Formula 3. My goal for the season is to win the championship; I have a great team around me at Carlin who I believe can help me to achieve this ambition.”

Trevor Carlin also has faith in his latest driver signing – his 2nd so far: “We’re delighted to have Jack back on board with us. Having made the big step up from Formula BMW, Jack really developed as a driver last year and by the middle point of the season had become a consistent front runner – the highlight of his season being a much deserved victory at the Nürburgring. With the experience of a year in F3, we expect Jack to be a championship challenger from the outset.”

Felipe Nasr (Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography)

Nine winners of 2011, and tributes to two who lost their lives aiming to join them

The twelve months of 2011 have been twelve months of contrasts, a twelve months packed with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Now, having looked back over the previous year the writers of The Checkered Flag look forward at what the 2012 racing season could bring with new driver line-ups and regulations.

Peter Allen

Intra-team battles ad Force India and Toro Rosso
The two midfield F1 squads have gone with potential over experience for their 2012 driver lineups. The stakes are potentially very high for the drivers at both teams, with Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg eyeing any seat that becomes available at Mercedes, while Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne will fight it out to become Mark Webber’s replacement at Red Bull. All four are highly-rated, and it will be fascinating to see what happens at both teams.

Toro Rosso teammates and F1 new boys Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne - one battle to watch in 2012

David Bean

Someone to match Vettel?
Sticking to F1, most fans will be looking for the emergence of a challenger to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull. Will one of the McLaren pairing, or even Fernando Alonso at Ferrari, be able to stop next season becoming as one-sided as it was in 2011? It will also be interesting to see how Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean do at Renault, and how the exciting young talent – the likes of Daniel Ricciardo, Jean-Eric Vergne and Charles Pic – manage in their first full seasons as F1 drivers.

Josh Bell

Formula One 2012
I have two, so forgive me for being greedy. The battle at Toro Rosso between their new driver line up of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne will be extremely intense, particularly as one of them may land themselves a Red Bull seat if Mark Webber departs at the end of 2012. Secondly, I am optimistic of five teams challenging for the Formula One World Championship next season. Or maybe I am just a romantic? Merry Christmas readers!

James Broomhead

NGTC comes of age
Nationally I think the BTCC is headed for another superb year. The second half of the year was the NGTC-spec cars coming out party, and in 2012 it will be interesting to see some more of the potential of the new cars when Honda roll out the new Civic. How their efforts – with Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden compare to the teams with a whole year of NGTC trouble-shooting behind them – is just another facet in a year that could bring even more manufacturers in even bigger grids.  

Andy Champness

Challengers to Team Vodafone
The V8 Supercars has again shown it’s the best touring car series in the world, so more of the same please! Team Vodafone dominated the 2011 season, but I think teams such as Stone Brothers Racing and Ford Performance Racing will up their game and close the gap in 2012. Look out for the likes of Tim Slade, David Reynolds and in particular Shane van Gisbergen who this year won his first race at his home event in New Zealand and backed it up in Darwin to finish fourth in this year’s championship. These are the sport’s new generation, young drivers who showed in 2011 that they have the talent and ability to pose a genuine threat to the more established stars.

Mark Foley

The Young(er) Blood
Formula Renault 2.0 champion Alex Lynn and the imaginatively named Carlos Sainz Jr. join the ranks of British Formula 3 for 2012, and both could be potential headaches for the more experienced British F3 runners cracking their knuckles as they eye the 2012 title. Lynn has BRDC and FIA Excellence Academy support behind him, whilst Sainz Jr. comes ominously armed with Red Bull backing, adding pressure, removing excuses and drawing plenty of keen eyes onto the youngsters tipped for future stardom.

Formula Renault UK champion Alex Lynn - one of the drivers set to make the 2012 British Formula Three Championship a year to remember

Chris Gurton

What To Look For Next Year – National racing and beyond
For me there are a number of things to look for next year. After the teething troubles of the new NGTC cars in the BTCC, a more level playing field next season and a big field should lead to an exciting championship. On the subject of touring cars, it will be interesting to see how Arena Motorsport and Special Tuning Racing cope with the step up to WTCC.

After an extremely close fought title battle in British GT, next seasons Championship will no doubt be an equally exciting and close fight. Look out for the new look Ginetta G55 GT3 and the Aston Martin V12 Vantage adding to the array of stunning cars throughout the field. For fans of endurance racing, the new World Endurance Championships should be something to look out for too.

Also, with driver moves and deals still being confirmed within Formula One, an exciting new driver to keep an eye out for is Jean Eric-Vergne. The Frenchman showed true class in the 2010 British F3 Championships on his way to the title and runner up at the end of a season in formula Renault 3.5 has shown his ability. With the backing and support of Red Bull, could he be the new Sebastian Vettel? 

Leigh O’Gorman

What To Look For In 2012 – The World Endurance Championship
The emergence of the World Endurance Championship may not just be “the thing to look for in 2012”, but rather the biggest motorsport news of the decade. Since the WEC was announced at Le Mans, manufacturers have either thrown their hat into the ring or are weighing up future participation in a series that may – realistically – have far more relevance to the automotive industry than Formula 1 could ever dream of. Also, a nod to Tony Fernandes, who continues to raise the profile of motor racing in Asia, by organising national and club championships in emerging territories.

Simon Paice

What to look for in 2012 -Ginetta Juniors
In 2012, I’m really excited for the Ginetta Junior Championship. 2011 saw the teenage racers once again produce superb racing and while Seb Morris dominated, the likes of Niall Murray, Charlie Robertson, George Gamble and Sennan Fielding emerged as top talent. With some of them returning to join the usual influx of exciting new rookies, it is sure to be a fascinating, must watch 2012 season in the G40′s.

Also something I’m really looking forward to seeing is Petter Solberg in a Ford in the WRC, taking it to the Citroens and hopefully picking up a second world title.

Vince Pettit

British Superbikes
The 2012 season in British Superbikes looks set to be another great championship battle, defending champion joined by Isle of Man record breaker Ian Hutchinson, the Swan Yamaha team will be hard to beat. Although with that said that the PBM squad have assembled a strong team with the likes of Shakey Byrne and Stuart Easton. TAS Suzuki will also feature with Alastair Seeley looking to continue his momentum in the main class after securing the National Superstock 1000 and British Supersport titles in 2009 and this season respectively.

Louis Suddaby

A New Era Begins
2012 sees the introduction of CRT (Claiming Rule Teams) in MotoGP and a glimpse into the future of the premier class of motorcycle racing. Don’t expect too much too soon but this new philosophy had to happen, if anything to give us more bikes to look at. Moto3 will replace the 125cc class and unpredictability is the only certainty while EVO rules will now effectively be standard in the British Superbike Championship, surely producing another open season. 2012 will also be a huge year for Valentino Rossi. Surely Ducati will get it right this time?

Scott Wilkes

New regulations in BTCC and MotoGP
In the BTCC, the NGTC cars that started to make a surge to the front of the pack at the end of this season should be a preview of what’s to come this season, and it should be an even better season for close racing than we have just seen.

In MotoGP, the withdrawal of Suzuki and the arrival of the CRT machines should herald the start of an interesting shakeup in the sport. With the addition of the new standardised Moto3 series replacing the 125cc Championship, I am expecting the same level of competition as we saw in the spectacular Moto2 championship this year.

As for a rider/driver to look out for, it has to be Marc Marquez. After a poor start to last season, I wasn’t expecting much more from the young Spaniard. However, as happens most times with myself, I was proved wrong, and Marquez started a brilliant resurgence which left him a position to possibly win the championship at the final race, only to be ruled out by injury.

The 19 year-old joins Brazi’s Pipo Derani and 2011 Formula Renault UK champion Alex Lynn as the third of Fortec’s entrants, with a fourth expected to be announced later in the month.

After finishing 3rd overall in a scholarship-awarded Skip Barber season in the United States, Serralles competed in the Formula Renault Eurocup category last year, also with Fortec, scoring regular top 10′s on his way to 12th in the overall standings.

After a strong showing in Fortec’s F3 winter testing late last year, Fortec team principle Mick Kouros was eager to sign the teenager up for 2012. “We gave Felix some runs in the F3 car towards the end of 2011 and he surprised us with his pace,” said Kouros. “We think he will take to the new car and be a key player in the team alongside Pipo and Alex.”

Seralles is equally excited, but also acknowledged the challenge of adapting to a different category and an entirely new chassis – the Dallara F312.  “I am very pleased to be racing again with Fortec – I know that they will be the best team for me as I progress to Formula 3 – and very excited to be among the first drivers to try the new car from Dallara. I know that it will be hard to adapt, though, and will be giving it everything.”

Felix Rosenqvist - Photo: Formula 3 Euro Series / Thomas Suer

Mücke Motorsport has announced they will retain Felix Rosenqvist for the Swede’s 2nd year in the F3 Euroseries championship, and will partner him with Formula 3 debutant Pascal Wehrlein in their 2012 campaign.

Rosenqvist enjoyed a solid debut Euroseries campaign in 2011, claiming 5th in the overall standings and also winning the coveted F3 Masters race in Zandvoort, becoming the first Swede to do so.

Germany’s Pascal Wehrlein meanwhile, comes fresh off the back of sealing the 2011 ADAC Formel Master championship on his second attempt, also for the Mücke outfit.

Team principal Peter Mücke said: “We want to become a factor in the title battle with Felix, while for Pascal, advancing to the Euro Series represents the logical step for him.”

As the first Euroseries team to announce their driver line-up so far, Mücke have started proceedings with a promising pair, with a third and final driver expected to be announced in January.

Nine winners of 2011, and tributes to two who lost their lives aiming to join them

Peter Allen

Huff beats Muller in Porto
Rob Huff chases down and catches Chevy teammate Yvan Muller, pulling alongside and past the Frenchman into one of the tight Portuguese street track’s chicanes. Huff attempts to turn in ahead, but there is contact. Huff goes across the inside of the chicane and keeps the lead to score his sixth win of the year. The momentum certainly seemed to be with Huff at the halfway point, but Muller would come back from this incident bigger and better to overhaul the Brit and win a third world title.

Rob Huff beat Yvan Muller in Porto (among other places) but still lost the title.

David Bean

Sky’s F1 deal
From a personal view there was the excitement of Nick Heidfeld’s car catching fire and exploding in front of us in the Hungarian Grand Prix, and the mix of exhaustion and contentment that I felt as the top three Britcar 24 Hours runners came to a stop beside me under the Silverstone podium, signalling the end of a busy 24 hours of reporting for this site. From a wider perspective, however, the moment someone from Sky Sports put their signature on a contract to show Formula 1 is one of the most significant of the year. This deal marks a radical change in how the sport is transmitted to some of its most dedicated fans, and it could have huge implications for the future of F1.

Josh Bell

Alonso’s start at Monza
There have been many in 2012, some sadly more disconcerting. The standout moment that provided me with the most emotion was Fernando Alonso‘s extraordinary start at his home Grand Prix, storming to the front of the field from fourth on the grid in the Ferrari. I was stunned in disbelief, a moment perhaps written in the storms. It was a brief, yet brilliant, high point in the race for Fernando but it was incredible nonetheless.

Jason Plato's Chevrolet Cruze before, and after, the RML run team's miraculous resurrection

James Broomhead

Moment Of The Year – RML’s Donington Rebuild
Jason Plato has just barrel rolled out of the second BTCC race at Donington Park, he physically and mentally battered by the accident at the thought of ending his weekend a race early and facing not scoring on an unhappy weekend. Cue a miraculous rebuild from the Silverline Chevrolet team in time for a superlative recovery drive almost forgotten during the rest of the season. Every possible panel on the car was replaced, a new aerial taped to the door, the entire team involved, including Plato’s father polishing the buckled roof. Enough cannot be said for the team, you wonder how many teams would even contemplate attempting the task.

Andy Champness

Moment Of The Year – Tom Boardman’s “Great” Silverstone
Moving away from Australian V8 Supercars to British Touring Cars, my moment of the year was provided by Special Tuning Racing’s Tom Boardman (and not just because I help out with their PR!) Most of you will be thinking I’m going to say the win at Knockhill, but it was actually the final two races at Silverstone. After his move on Plato at Knockhill, Tom got a bit of needless grief, so to watch him storm through to finish race two in sixth after starting from 23rd and then finishing the final race in third on his own merit was special. Tom was ecstatic afterwards, telling me: “That has to be one of the best races I’ve had all season! I know my win at Knockhill was good, but that felt great!” It was a poignant moment, knowing how hard the team had worked to get the cars fighting at the front and for Tom to show he can genuinely cut it with the best of them.

Tom Boardman took a maiden BTCC win at Knockhill, but it's his performance at the season finale that is Andy Champness' moment of the year

Mark Foley

British Formula 3 Paul Ricard, Final Corner, Final Lap
An edgy, race-long tussle between key championships contenders, Felipe Nasr and Kevin Magnussen, apparently wasn’t interesting enough for feisty Portuguese series-hopper Antonio Felix Da Costa, who made his presence felt throughout his guest appearance at the Paul Ricard weekend from the first corner to the last…Magnussen, Da Costa and Nasr ran nose-to-tail throughout, with a resilient Magnussen looking set to hold off strong opposition and claim a much needed win for his stuttering championship campaign. But, with the chequered flag in sight, an all-too-late lunge at the last corner from Da Costa saw the young Dane flicked off the circuit, allowing Nasr through to take yet another win. It not only sent pulses racing, but also managed to define each protagonist’s season in some respects – Da Costa’s wild racecraft, Nasr’s consistency and Magnussen’s awful luck.

Chris Gurton

Mark Webber’s pass at Eau Rouge
I’ve been fortunate enough to witness and be part of a number of great moments over the past year within motorsport and will have many stories to tell my grandchildren. But one moment that I couldn’t let pass without mentioning was a real breathtaking moment which sums up just what it takes to be a great racing driver. I am of course talking about Mark Webber’s stunning overtake on Fernando Alonso during the Belgian Grand Prix. Having got a better exit from La Source, Webber was gaining on the Spaniard down the hill towards Eau Rouge tucked into the slip stream. Assuming he would wait for the run up to Les Combes and the DRS Zone to make his move, remarkably we witnessed Webber pull out and pass the Ferrari round the outside and through Eau Rouge in a move which would normally end in tears. It was a remarkable manoeuvre and one that many would never even consider but was executed with skill and precision by the Aussie.

Leigh O’Gorman

Dan Wheldon’s fatal crash
Sadly, this has to go to the death of Dan Wheldon – the ramifications of which may be felt in motor racing for years to come. Since the crash, noises for better cockpit protection for single-seater’s have grown louder, while IndyCar’s days at high-banked ovals may be numbered. With IndyCar struggling for ovals, Wheldon’s death – amongst all the pointless greed and bickering of the owners and organisers – may finally be what defines the future of IndyCar. That Wheldon was about to move to a new chapter as the driver of Andretti-Autosport’s Go Daddy car makes it all the more tragic. A true superstar was lost.

Whether be the future of open-wheel oval racing, or the closed cockpit concept the death of Dan Wheldon will be felt by the Indycar fraternity and beyond for years to come

Simon Paice

Teammates get it wrong
There are two moments that stand out for me, both being incidents that stunned me into silence when team-mates got it wrong on track. First was the Honda Racing mix-up at Oulton Park in the BTCC, when Matt Neal made a last lap, final corner lunge at Gordon Shedden and resulted in putting them both through the gravel, cueing shocked faces from everyone watching.

The other was in the Formula Renault BARC opener at Croft, when the Fortec Motorsport team had a disaster. Braking for the first corner on the opening lap, contact between three of the Fortec cars resulted in its two title contenders, Josh Webster and Archie Hamilton, ending their races in the gravel, to the disbelief of those in attendance. This proved decisive in Webster narrowly missing out on the title.

Vince Pettit

Seeing Liam Doran take X Games Gold was a definite highlight of my year. I’ve been a fan of the X Games for some years and the recent addition of Rallycross has been excellent. Seeing Liam Doran work his way through the heats to face a head to head with rally legend Marcus Gronholm was amazing. Who would have thought a British driver in Downtown Los Angeles could cause such an upset on his X Games debut.

Liam Doran flew to X-Games glory, defeating Marcus Gronholm in the LA final

Louis Suddaby

Faubel and Zarco’s Dead Heat in Germany
Even now, I look at the photo finish from that day and still can’t believe what I’m seeing! The 125cc class is no stranger to close finishes but this was incredible. Never in the history of Grand Prix motorcycle racing had we seen a dead heat and the winner decided by a tiebreak. The fastest lap of the race swung it Faubel’s way. On four wheels, the Honda implosion at the final corner at Oulton Park stands out as a jaw dropping moment from the BTCC while Jenson Button’s last lap win in Canada also had me shouting at the telly!

TCF's two-wheel regular Louis Suddaby on the end of the 125cc race in Germany "I look at the photo finish from that day and still can’t believe what I’m seeing!"

Scott Wilkes

0.006s.
It’s difficult to describe just how epic the final two laps of the British Superbike Championship were. As Shane Byrne ran away with the victory in the final race at Brands Hatch, the title contenders were locked in a titanic duel for second. As the laps counted down to the penultimate tour, John Hopkins and Tommy Hill. After swapping positions at practically every corner, it came down to a sprint for the line out of the final corner. In the end, Tommy Hill walked away from Brands with the British title, and the honour of being part of two of the greatest laps of racing ever witnessed.

Nine winners of 2011, and tributes to two who lost their lives aiming to join them

 The twelve months of 2011 have been twelve months of contrasts, packed with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. As the writers of The Checkered Flag continue to look back on the year they pick their ’Race of the Year’, inlcuding a GT race decided on the final lap,  an endurance race to convert the unconvinced and a Grand Prix that became an endurance race – at least for spectators. 

Peter Allen

GP3 Nurburgring Race 1
Lewis Williamson had been set to become GP3’s first two-time winner of 2011 with his second consecutive victory after his Arden teammate Mitch Evans had received a drive-through penalty. But then the rain came down with just a few laps to go. Rio Haryanto quickly reeled Williamson in, taking the lead when the Scot ran wide at Turn 1. The lead then changed hands between the pair twice more over the following corners, before Valtteri Bottas caught and passed Williamson and chased after Haryanto. The Indonesian would hold on for a fine win, while Williamson would regain second from Bottas before the finish.

the changing weather brought Rio Haryanto to the front of the GP3 race at the Nurburgring

David Bean

Canadian Grand Prix
The Canadian Grand Prix was an epic race. It was the longest in F1 history – mainly thanks to a rain delay of over two hours in the middle of the race – but when the cars were on track there was not a dull moment. There were collisions between frontrunners, mistakes from champions, fantastic overtaking manoeuvres, an excellent drive from Regenmeister Michael Schumacher and, of course, the victory that Jenson Button described as the best of his career. Other F1 races came close to matching this one – China, Monaco and Hungary spring to mind – but nothing was quite as gripping as that June afternoon in Montreal.

Josh Bell

Formula Renault 3.5 at the Nurburgring
Given that the Canadian Grand Prix is probably going to be the most popular choice, I have gone for something less ingrained in the minds of the public. For me, and perhaps I am little biased given I cover the category, Race One in the Formula Renault 3.5 event at the Nurburgring was scintillating, as Robert Wickens and Daniel Ricciardo battled for victory in intermittent conditions from the very first lap. The Canadian won it by a nose and courtesy of Eurosport, here is the link to the highlights of that wonderful race:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HABa8ZC6HqU

James Broomhead

British GT, Snetterton
You cannot talk about races without mentioning the 24 Hours of Le Mans – that was pure fairy tale. However, the two hour Avon Tyres British GT race at Snetterton was the most impossibly twisting event of the year. Matt Bell and Michael Guasch won United Autosports’ first ever race by leading just the final lap and after serving two penalties. Glynn Geddie almost wins the race in the pits, Matt Griffin hit a spinning backmarker while battling for the lead, the two Porsches hit each other early on in the rain and the GT4 winner came back from the longest stop-go penalty I can ever remember – 1:11.

Matt Bell and Michael Guasch came back from two penalties to take a last gasp win at Snetterton

Andy Champness

Bathurst 1000
For me it has to be Bathurst. Call me predictable, but this race is anything but! It had everything – drama, heartache, crashes, breakdowns and even a terrifying fuel fire. But after 161 laps around this perilous mountain and almost six and a half hours of driving, it was an epic, down to the wire battle between Craig Lowndes and Garth Tander racing for everything they had. Over the final 20 laps, Lowndes stormed through from fourth carving chunks of out of Tander’s lead to just half a second going into the last lap. Tander did brilliantly to survive the onslaught and the difference between winning and losing the 2011 Bathurst 1000 came down to just 0.292 seconds!

Mark Foley

Macau GP
When open-wheel champions from all corners of the globe were set to go wheel-to-wheel for the 58^th Macau GP, it promised much, and didn’t disappoint. After a furiously paced 4-way scrap for the lead fought with slipstreaming and heavy braking – jubilant opportunist Daniel Juncadella took the win with Marco Wittmann in 3^rd (the early leader and certainly the moral victor having dropped down the order after a late safety car). With British F3 champ Felipe Nasr in 2^nd, a podium rich with young talent served as a great book-end to the Formula 3 year.

Daniel Juncadella beat pole-sitter Marco Wittmann and British F3 Champion Felipe Nasr in a terrific close to the F3 year

Chris Gurton

24 Hours of Le Mans
For me the race of the year has to be the Le Mans 24 hour. Set to be another ding dong battle between the Peugeots and Audi with their new R18 car, it didn’t disappoint. After two huge accidents involving the Audi no.3 of Allan McNish and the no.1 of Mike Rockenfeller the German marque was left with what some would say was their weaker driver line up of Marcel Fassler, Andre Lotterer and Benoit Treluyer to bring home the sole remaining Audi. Up against the 3 factory backed Peugeot 908’s and the privateer Oreca 908 they certainly showed their true ability and maturity in the face of some quite remarkable and dangerous tactics from the French team to pressure the Audi into a mistake. With seconds splitting the front running Audi and the Bourdais, Lamy and Pegenaud Peugeot in second place the finishing margin after 24 hours of racing was just 13.8s. Those who think endurance racing is boring should think again.

The Audi R18 of Andre Lotterer, Marcel Fassler and Benoit Treluyer, winners of this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, photographer Chris Gurton's race of the year

Leigh O’Gorman

Race Of The Year – Ford 400, Homestead-Miami Speedway
This is easy easy. From the moment the flag dropped, eventual champion Tony Stewart was absolutely on it and taking the challenge to Carl Edwards, with Stewart winning by a second. Thankfully, there was no nonsense, no ridiculous wrecking, no competition cautions and no TV-driven interruptions – just some of the hardest racing of the year. It was everything NASCAR could be if they just stopped screwing around with the package. The rain delays only ramped up the tension throughout. Brilliant stuff.

Simon Paice

BTCC’s first Croft Race
My race of the year has to be the opening BTCC race at Croft. Mat Jackson produced one of his trademark drives through the field in changing conditions and after passing twelve cars, narrowly missed out on the win by 0.055 seconds to Matt Neal, a race that epitomised the entertainment of the BTCC.

Neal and Jackson race towards the checkered flag - Neal would win. Just.

Another race that will also last long in my memory is the Canadian Grand Prix. The longest race in Formula One history, it had it all, safety cars, a rain delay, Michael Schumacher nearly getting his first comeback podium, a rare Sebastian Vettel mistake and a superb Jenson Button drive through the field for the most unlikely of victories.

Vince Pettit

British Superbike Finale, Brands Hatch
My race of the year has to be the final race of the British Superbike 2011 season on the GP circuit at Brands Hatch. After a season of hard racing the championship comes down to the last race and was decided by just 0.006 seconds. The race itself was amazing to watch, especially the last lap where it so easily could have been either Hill or Hopkins; neither rider wanting to roll over and accept defeat. Eventually the Brit defeated the American in a fight that will go down in BSB folklore.

The BSB finale - John Hopkins and Tommy Hill battling on track over the title - was a two-wheeled race of the year

Louis Suddaby

BSB Final Weekend: Race Three
Often, title deciders end in tears but the very last race of the British Superbike season saw Tommy Hill and John Hopkins race fair and square with everything on the line, producing the best lap of racing I’ve ever seen, bar none. The two swapped places six times on the last lap and Hill made it over the finish line six thousandths of a second ahead of Hopkins to win the championship. For sheer excitement and given what was at stake, nothing on two wheels came close this year.

Scott Wilkes

Canadian Grand Prix
This was the most difficult accolade for me to chose this year, as this years motor sport season hasn’t really pulled me in as much as previous seasons. Thinking back throughout the year however, one race stood out to me. On my way back from spectating at Silverstone for the British MotoGP, I was witnessing reports on Twitter that the Canadian Grand Prix had been red flagged for around an hour. I almost hadn’t tuned in once I’d arrived home, but how glad I was I had.

Witnessing Jenson Button‘s surge through the field was a sight to behold. Despite various contacts throughout the race with team-mate Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari‘s Fernando Alonso, Button held onto the leading pack, and in drying conditions which he loves, he was able to set some blistering laps to catch Sebastian Vettel, and force the leader into making a mistake on the penultimate lap.

Nine winners from 2011, and two who lost their lives trying to join them

The twelve months of 2011 have been twelve months of contrasts, a twelve months packed with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. In this, the first of four articles where the authors who brought these highs and lows to the pages of The Checkered Flag, look back at 2011 and pick their ‘Driver of The Year’ including a man who won two British GT races, an F3 runner-up and somebody called Vettel.

Peter Allen

Romain Grosjean
After seeing off the challenge of Jules Bianchi to win the four-race Asia Series in February/March, “Big John” was kept on his toes during the early rounds of the main series campaign. However, he found another gear mid-season as his early rivals faltered, claiming four races wins in as many race weekends before claiming the title at Spa. After never having been given a proper chance first time around, Grosjean has now earned himself a well-deserved return to Formula 1, getting the chance to go head-to-head against new teammate Kimi Raikkonen at Lotus.

GP2 champion Grosjean has earnt a well deserved second shot at F1

David Bean

Sebastian Vettel
Within Formula 1, to pick anybody other than Sebastian Vettel as Driver of the Year would be deeply unfair to the German. He may have had the best car, but it takes some skill to claim 15 pole positions, 11 race wins, and lead a ridiculously high percentage of racing laps over the course of a season. Fans of Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso can rightly claim that their drivers had good seasons, but both finished someway behind the double world champion.

The youngest ever double F1 champion - Sebastian Vettel was a popular choice for driver of the year

Josh Bell

Sebastian Vettel
It has to be Vettel. It will be a very long time before we process his extraordinary achievements from 2011. The RB7, although still the fastest car on the grid, was not as dominant as its predecessor the RB6, but Vettel’s sheer pace in the car was sol destroying for the rest of the field. If I had to choose one stand out moment, it would be his breathtaking pass on Fernando Alonso at Curva Grande; simply phenomenal, as he was all year.

James Broomhead

Kevin Magnussen
Yes, he may have finished second to Felipe Nasr in the British Formula Three Championship, but Kevin Magnussen was the fastest driver whenever he got the chance. That speed, coupled with an aggressive streak made him scintillating watching – passing Nasr twice around the outside of Riches, for example. With better luck, fewer mechanical problems and fewer instances of that aggressive streak ending in accidents, I have no doubt that the Dane would have pushed Nasr all the way for the title – at least.

Kevin Magnussen, according to James Broomhead the fastest man from British F3's class of 2011

Andy Champness

Jamie Whincup
I’m a big Craig Lowndes fan, he put in some phenomenal drives to close the gap at the top of the standings this season – three wins out of three at the Ipswich 300, finishing sixth at Sandown after starting from 27th in a race that had other drivers screaming down the radio claiming conditions were too dangerous. But there’s no doubt that the class act of 2011 has been Lowndes’ teammate, Jamie Whincup – ten race wins, nine pole positions, a third championship win in four years, and for the fifth consecutive season he’s finished inside the top two – and for that Mr consistency, Jamie Whincup gets my vote.

Jamie Whincup took back the V8 Supercars title, and a driver of the year nod from the TCF team

Mark Foley

Sebastian Vettel
There’s certainly been no shortage of dominant championship campaigns across many disciplines this year, but Sebastian Vettel‘s has to stand out above the rest. His record-breaking season has been and will continue to be praised in detail for years to come, so there’s little to add – so for F1 fans and even Seb himself, 2011 was simply an awe-inspiring discovery of just how much talent the young German has.

Chris Gurton

Jonny Adam
Many names spring to mind in various race series but the driver who sticks out for me is Jonny Adam. Making the switch from BTCC to British GT with a seat in the Beechdean Motorsport Aston Martin he certainly took to the series like a duck to water. Quite literally, as his performances in the wet behind the wheel of the now aging DBRS9 proved as he was challenging the newer machinery at the front and claiming victory at a wet Rockingham. Adam certainly gave the Aston Martin a fitting farewell in its final season and with the teams switch to the new V12 Vantage Aston looks set to build on his impressive debut season in British GT next year.

As part of the Beechdean Motorsport team Jonny Adam won two British GT races with superb drives in the aging Aston

Leigh O’Gorman

Sebastian Vettel
This accolade can only be for Sebastian Vettel. For all his critics who claim he has the best car or isn’t action orientated enough, the World Champion continues to drag 110% from what he drives to ensure he doesn’t have to fight in the pack – the mark of a true great. His ability to drag a large gap before the DRS kicks in deserves a mention, as does his wheel-to-wheel fight with Fernando Alonso at Monza. Vettel’s pass on Lewis Hamilton in Korea was also brilliantly done and won him the race.

Canada apart, there were few errors, just pure brilliance. What more could you ask for?

Simon Paice

Dino Zamparelli
A class apart on and off track, 2011 Protyre Formula Renault BARC Champion Dino Zamparelli is my driver of the year. Dino overcame a slow start to the year to control a competitive BARC series, a highlight being his dominate display at Thruxton, where he took pole by 0.6 seconds before winning both races, leading to a deserved championship title and finalist spot in the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award. Off track, Dino conducted himself professionally throughout the year, coping well with all the problems and pressure he faced to take the championship and restart his career.

"A class apart" - Formula Renualt BARC champion Dino Zamparelli in 2011

Vince Pettit

Jenson Button
He always seemed to be there bugging Vettel. Along with Alonso and Webber he was one of the few that actually took the fight to the defending World Champion. He stepped things up this year and made himself the lead driver for McLaren in a team that started the year in a very equal situation between himself and Lewis Hamilton.

Louis Suddaby

Marco Simoncelli
No review of 2011 would be complete without mentioning this man. Casey Stoner was the deserving champion but 2011 will always be Marco’s year. He showed front running pace all season and that maiden victory looked very close indeed. The tribute in Valencia two weeks after his tragic death will live long in the memory. In terms of who impressed me most in 2011, Maverick Vinales gets my vote for a sensational rookie season in the 125cc class. Three poles, four wins and just 52 points away from the eventual champion, all at the age of 16. You’ll hear his name a lot in the future.

Scott Wilkes

Marco Simoncelli
This isn’t just a posthumous “Honor” that I am bestowing on the fallen Italian for the sake of it. The gangly, afro haired nutter on two wheels captured my imagination a few years ago, but the way that Simoncelli exploded out of the blocks at the start of the season was a delight to watch. His, almost anarchic way, he would attack the field, going for overtakes that others branded as dangerous, made Simoncelli a fan favourite. He may have had his flaws, with many notable incidents, the most controversial of which was his coming together with Pedrosa at Le Mans, which left the tiny Spaniard with a damaged collarbone. After this incident, Simoncelli was almost treated like an outcast by many of the grid, with Lorenzo even saying he should be arrested.

This only made the fans love him more, and when Marco finished second at Phillip Island, there was a sense that a man already thought of as a legend by many, was on the verge of his maiden win. However, his untimely passing in Sepang has now left the sport with a massive hole on the grid, as riders like Simoncelli don’t come along very often.

"A joy to watch" - Marco Simoncelli

Steele sits in an F2 car during his seat fitting

Kent-based driver Aaron Steele will test at Formula Two car next week – his prize of a dominant season in the MSV F3 Cup during 2011.

Steele will take part in the series’ official winter test at the Circuit de Catalunya that starts on December 13. A seat fitting – at Bedford Autodrome last month – will ensure Steele in comfortable in the cockpit but the 22-year-old admits he faces some new challenges.

“There’s going to be a few things to quickly get on top of as the car is a bit more advanced than the F3 car I have been accustomed to racing this year. For starters I will have to left foot brake and there is a hand clutch with paddles to change gear.”

However, he adds; “This shouldn’t be too much of a challenge as I had to quickly adapt to this when I tested the A1GP car back in 2008, although it will still be a lot different to what I’m used to.”

The F2 car he will test produces 425 horsepower, rising to 500 on the car’s overboost – a feature Steele says he will enjoy, but the additional power compared to the his regular 2011 car will bring additional physical strain he has been training to cope with.

“I am preparing as hard as I can for what will sure be a very demanding drive, with the increase levels of downforce compared to the F3 car I am used to. Particularly I have been focusing on my neck and doing all I can to build that up so it will cope with the increased loads.”

Steele won 14 of the 18 races over the course of the F3 Cup season and now the opportunity to test alongside F2 regulars gives Steele the chance to impress, on the track that hosts the Spanish Grand Prix.

“After watching F1 race at Barcelona on TV for many years I’m really looking forward to actually getting the opportunity to drive it myself,” he said. “It looks to be a real good mix between tight technical corners and fast flowing ones, I can’t wait to take on the challenge and my aim is to stamp my authority during the day, to send out a clear message of Intent.”

Felipe Nasr (Photo Credit: SRO)

Felipe Nasr will take his first laps around Daytona International Speedway this week in testing for January’s 50th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Nasr comfortably won the British Formula 3 Championship – wrapping up the title with six races remaining and with it won the Sunoco Rolex 24 at Daytona Challenge, which offered a Daytona Prototype drive in the famous 24 race at the Florida speedway.

The Brazilian will test a Porsche/Riley DP run by Action Express Racing – overall winners of the race in 2010. However, ahead of the test he was given a passenger car ride with Rolex Series regular (and countryman) Ozz Negri.

The experience was enough to wept Nasr’s appetite for the challenge ahead.

“I have no words to describe,” said the 19-year-old. “It’s amazing. It’s something completely different that you can’t find in Europe or Brazil.”

“When I was a kid, I was always playing video games on this track and now I’m here. It’s a big change. Tomorrow will be my first experience here and I’m really looking forward to it.”

“I know the circuit is such a famous one. If you look around, you can see it’s definitely got some history and I’m pretty sure I’m going to enjoy [this test].”

“Felipe is probably one of the most talented up-and-coming Brazilian drivers,” said Negri, who competed in British Formula 3 in the late 80s. “To win the British Formula 3 championship, not just anyone can do that. He’s proved to be special by winning the championship. He’s going to have a great time here. It’s one of the best places to be. The DP [Daytona Prototype] car is great fun to drive. I’ll help him as much as I can so he will have the best experience here at Daytona.”

The Prema driver ran 3rd behind front-row starters Marco Wittmann and Felipe Nasr for the opening half of the prestigious event, before a safety car on lap 6 reset the field.

The regroup hit Wittmann the hardest – the pole-sitter had been dominating affairs out in front. The German resisted an opening lap challenge around the outside from Valtteri Bottas, but held the inside into Lisboa corner, before pulling out a 1.7 second gap by the end of lap 2. That had soon extended up to 2.7 seconds as the Signature driver’s pace in the twisty middle sector of the Guia circuit saw him scamper away from the chasing Juncadella.

Bottas’ run at the front was cut short when the Finn clipped the barrier exiting the treacherous Lisboa, breaking his front left suspension and promoting Nasr to 3rd.

But a lap 7 crash for Felix Rosenqvist once again at Faraways, saw Wittmann’s lead evaporate, and the restart on lap 8 left him helpless to the 3-car slipstream of Nasr, Juncadella and Yuhi Sekiguchi behind him.

As the quartet swept down towards Lisboa, a frantic 165mph reshuffle took place, with Wittmann slipping down to 4th whilst Juncadella squeezed past into the lead with the slippery Sekiguchi now in 2nd. Juncadella nearly piled into the barriers under braking, bogging himself and his pursuers, which also allowed Hannes von Asseldonk to slip past Wittmann – the German moving from 1st to 5th in 2 corners.

Juncadella quickly managed to pull a gap over Sekiguchi as the Japanese champion hindered Nasr’s progress for a few laps. Wittmann made quick work of Asseldonk then Sekiguchi in successive laps and began closing on Nasr with 2 to go.

But again, another safety car baulked his efforts after a huge crash between British F3 rivals Kevin Magnussen and William Buller on the main straight. The chasing Magnussen was reportedly launched over the top of Buller’s Fortec machine at top-speed and into the catch fencing, with Carlos Sainz Jr. and Hywel Lloyd also caught in the incident.

Both Lloyd and Magnussen were taken to the medical centre for checks, with Magnussen escaping with only a minor injury to his left knee.

With debris littering the track and an ambulance tending to Magnussen and Lloyd, the race came to a quiet end under the safety car, easing Juncadella to victory in a spectacular 2011 Macau GP.

One notable absence from the head of the field was F3Euroseries champion Roberto Merhi. The Spanish Prema runner was on the brink of stalling off the start-line and was quickly collected by Laurens Vanthoor, who then collided with innocent team-mate Daniel Abt, triggering the 1st safety car of the race. Merhi limped on with a broken rear suspension but quickly retired in the pits, adding his name to a long list of retirements that accounted for over half the field.

Results - 15 laps:

Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
 1.  Daniel Juncadella       Prema Dallara-Merc         42m17.099s
 2.  Felipe Nasr             Carlin Dallara-VW            + 0.359s
 3.  Marco Wittmann          Signature Dallara-VW         + 0.662s
 4.  Yuhi Sekiguchi          Mucke Dallara-Merc           + 1.378s
 5.  Hannes van Asseldonk    Hitech Dallara-VW            + 2.128s
 6.  William Buller          Fortec Dallara-Merc          + 3.301s
 7.  Lucas Foresti           Fortec Dallara-Merc          + 3.860s
 8.  Jazeman Jaafar          Carlin Dallara-VW            + 4.062s
 9.  Richard Bradley         TOM'S Dallara-Toyota         + 4.595s
10.  Adderly Fong            Sino Vision Dallara-Merc     + 4.819s
11.  Pietro Fantin           Hitech Dallara-VW            + 5.551s
12.  Kimiya Sato             Motopark Dallara-VW          + 6.534s
13.  Carlos Huertas          Carlin Dallara-VW            + 8.336s

Retirements:

     Kevin Magnussen         Carlin Dallara-VW             13 laps
     Hideki Yamauchi         Toda Dallara-Honda            13 laps
     Hywel Lloyd             Sino Vision Dallara-Merc      13 laps
     Carlos Sainz Jr         Signature Dallara-VW          13 laps
     Alexander Sims          TOM'S Dallara-Toyota          13 laps
     Marko Asmer             Double R Dallara-Merc         13 laps
     Antonio Felix da Costa  Hitech Dallara-VW             12 laps
     Carlos Munoz            Signature Dallara-VW           9 laps
     Felix Rosenqvist        Mucke Dallara-Merc             6 laps
     Valtteri Bottas         Double R Dallara-Merc          4 laps
     Mitch Evans             Double R Dallara-Merc          4 laps
     Roberto Merhi           Prema Dallara-Merc              1 lap
     Daniel Abt              Signature Dallara-VW           0 laps
     Richie Stanaway         Van Amersfoort Dallara-VW      0 laps
     Laurens Vanthoor        Signature Dallara-VW           0 laps
     Hironobu Yasuda         Three Bond Dallara-Nissan      0 laps

After clinching pole position on Friday morning at the illustrious street circuit, Wittmann lead unchallenged off the line as fellow front-row starter Antonio Felix da Costa suffered a broken gearbox merely seconds after the green lights. With the Portuguese driver side-lined, Nasr, Valtteri Bottas and Carlos Huertas followed Wittmann into Lisboa corner before climbing into the twisting streets of downtown Macau.

Further behind, the penalised but incredibly fast Roberto Merhi immediately began carving his way through the field. The Spanish F3Euroseries champion moved up to 4th from 8th on the grid, aided by da Costa’s retirement and an unusual crash for Alexander Sims before the race even began. On the 2nd lap, Merhi slipstreamed Bottas on the long straight down to Lisboa to take 3rd place from the Finn, before setting his sights on Nasr.

Merhi soon caught up with the Brazilian, who trailed Wittmann by just over a second throughout. Despite several looks down the inside, the Spaniard struggled to find a way past. A slipstreaming opportunity for Merhi on lap 9 was also dashed as the safety car emerged a few seconds into the lap – a big shunt for Jimmy Eriksson at Faraway saw the race finish under the safety car, allowing Wittmann to calmly take the win.

Bottas finished a solid 4th ahead of Carlos Huertas and Daniel Juncadella. Laurens Vanthoor finished ahead of Signature team-mate Daniel Abt, and impressive performances from Kimiya Sato and Hannes van Asseldonk earned them 9th and 10th respectively.

Wittmann, while pleased with the result, claimed his focus was on tomorrow’s main event: ”It is always nice to win, and stand on top of a podium, but for sure we will not celebrate much because it is just a qualification race,” said Wittmann. “The race tomorrow is the most important one, and that is the one we want to win.”

Wittmann also expects to be pushed hard in Sunday’s race. ”I think for sure tomorrow will be more aggressive,” he said. “It is a race where you have to be. Everyone gets more confident with the track and conditions, but that is not only the others – for me it is the same situation. I will try to win. I want to win, and we will do all our best to do that.”

Roberto Merhi is perhaps the most confident ahead of the GP, as a successful qualification race helped him nullify his Saturday grid penalties – he will start 3rd tomorrow. “Third place is okay, because I think it is the best position for the start,” said the Prema driver. “Last year [Daniel] Abt started third and he was P1 at Lisboa, so I think it is a really good place to be.

“I think I am really quick and maybe the quickest, maybe not.” he added. “We will see tomorrow. Everything looks right, I feel comfortable and I think tomorrow will be a good day.”

The finishing order, and resultant starting grid for Sunday’s 58th Macau GP -

Results - 10 laps:

Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
 1.  Marco Wittmann          Signature Dallara-VW       25m03.719s
 2.  Felipe Nasr             Carlin Dallara-VW            + 0.867s
 3.  Roberto Merhi           Prema Dallara-Merc           + 3.483s
 4.  Valtteri Bottas         Double R Dallara-Merc        + 4.270s
 5.  Carlos Huertas          Carlin Dallara-VW            + 4.850s
 6.  Daniel Juncadella       Prema Dallara-Merc           + 5.381s
 7.  Laurens Vanthoor        Signature Dallara-VW         + 6.512s
 8.  Daniel Abt              Signature Dallara-VW         + 7.228s
 9.  Kimiya Sato             Motopark Dallara-VW          + 8.154s
10.  Hannes van Asseldonk    Hitech Dallara-VW            + 9.337s
11.  Hideki Yamauchi         Toda Dallara-Honda          + 10.200s
12.  Yuhi Sekiguchi          Mucke Dallara-Merc          + 10.789s
13.  William Buller          Fortec Dallara-Merc         + 11.086s
14.  Lucas Foresti           Fortec Dallara-Merc         + 11.517s
15.  Richie Stanaway         Van Amersfoort Dallara-VW   + 12.167s
16.  Hywel Lloyd             Sino Vision Dallara-Merc    + 12.888s
17.  Jazeman Jaafar          Carlin Dallara-VW           + 13.967s
18.  Marko Asmer             Double R Dallara-Merc       + 14.933s
19.  Kevin Magnussen         Carlin Dallara-VW           + 15.558s
20.  Carlos Sainz Jr         Signature Dallara-VW        + 16.388s
21.  Felix Rosenqvist        Mucke Dallara-Merc          + 16.924s
22.  Mitch Evans             Double R Dallara-Merc       + 18.601s

Retirements:

     Jimmy Eriksson          Motopark Dallara-VW            7 laps
     Adderly Fong            Sino Vision Dallara-Merc       6 laps
     Richard Bradley         TOM's Dallara-Toyota           5 laps
     Antonio Felix da Costa  Hitech Dallara-VW              4 laps
     Hironobu Yasuda         Three Bond Dallara-Nissan      3 laps
     Carlos Munoz            Signature Dallara-VW            1 lap
     Pietro Fantin           Hitech Dallara-VW              0 laps
     Alexander Sims          TOM'S Dallara-Toyota           0 laps

Macau Grand Prix timetable
Sun 20 Nov – 1530 (0730 GMT) Macau Grand Prix

The Signature driver battled with Merhi for supremacy throughout the 30 minute session, the pair maintaining their leading practice pace. Merhi moved ahead in the time-sheets in the final minutes with an impressive lap, but Wittmann responded with a faultless flyer on his last effort to pip the Spaniard by 0.064s.

“To do it on the last lap was really amazing,” said Wittmann. “It is a great feeling to finish first in qualifying, but still we have two long races to go. You can overtake here easily on the straight, but I think we have good pace and I am quite confident.”

Antonio Felix da Costa put in a strong effort to set the 3rd fastest time – putting the Portuguese driver on the front-row once Merhi’s Thursday penalties are applied. Valtteri Bottas‘ return from the Abu Dhabi young driver tests did little to hamper his Formula 3 abilities as the Finn qualified 4th ahead of Alexander Sims, both of whom will make up the 2nd row.

British F3 champion Felipe Nasr was intitially in the running for pole until a crash late in the session caused terminal suspension damage. Nevertheless, the Brazilian’s early efforts were enough for 6th, with British F3 rival Kevin Magnussen a tenth behind in 7th.

Felix Rosenqvist will be the first to start behind Merhi on Saturday, with Carlos Huertas and Yuhi Sekiguchi rounding out the top 10 respectively.

Merhi still remains bullish despite his grid handicap (although his additional penalty for crossing the pitlane exit line was overturned on Friday morning, meaning he drops only 7 places instead of 10), claiming that eventual victory in the Macau GP on Sunday from P8, while challenging, is still possible.

Speaking with Autosport, Merhi said: “I want to finish this race after last year [when he crashed out]. I want to make sure I get through to the final, and try to win this Macau GP.

“I think we have the potential, the team has done a good job and I think I am very competitive and very confident. In any conditions I am going to be really quick, and I am confident in myself.”

Macau Grand Prix timetable
Sat 19 Nov – 1400 (0600 GMT) Qualification Race
Sun 20 Nov – 1530 (0730 GMT) Macau Grand Prix

Early morning rain had yet to evaporate from the busy Macau streets before the skies opened again as the session got underway, prolonging a tricky day for the 30-strong field.

Handling the conditions with aplomb, Merhi demonstrated the qualifying form that helped him dominate this year’s F3Euroseries championship. The Prema Powerteam driver’s quickest time overall was a whole 1.6 seconds ahead of practice pace-setter Marco Wittmann.

Merhi’s day however, quickly began to unravel. After setting his pole-winning time, Merhi tried to make the most of Richie Stanway’s slipstream towards the heavy braking zone of Lisboa corner. Blinded by the spray, the Spaniard promptly missed his mark and careered into the rear of Felix Rosenqvist, eliminating them both.

Felipe Nasr lead the British F3 entrants with the 3rd fastest time, albeit 1.7 seconds behind Merhi. Daniel Juncadella was 4th quickest, whilst Alexander Sims was the leading British driver with the TOM’S outfit.

However, as the spray settled after the turbulent session, the first of many penalties were distributed. Merhi was 1 of 7 drivers penalised for crossing the pitlane exit line during the session, resulting in a 3-place grid drop for Saturday’s race. Fellow culprits were Laurens Vanthoor, Carlos Munoz, Carlos Sainz Jr., Marko Asmer and Felix Rosenqvist, while Hironobu Yasuda was handed a 6-place drop after committing the offence twice.

The news got worse for some soon afterwards, as Merhi’s incident with Rosenqvist saw a further 7-place drop added to his prior indiscretion. Rosenqvist was also punished again, for overtaking under yellow flags and for his incident in morning practice at the Melco hairpin. As a result the Swede drops to the last row of the grid, accompanied by Carlin’s Kevin Magnussen, who was also relegated after the Dane collided with Rosenqvist’s stricken car whilst the F3 Masters winner was still climbing out.

Talking to Autosport about his crash with Rosenqvist, Merhi said: “I was going for a slipstream with [Richie] Stanaway, but I was really far away and he went tothe right at the end of the straight.

“Rosenqvist was ahead of us and slow, and when I went to the left of Stanaway I find Rosenqvist in front. I hit the brakes and then my mechanic came on the radio and said ‘yellow flag, brake!’ I locked the tyres and hit Felix really hard.

“It was a shame. He is a really good guy and we are really good friends, so it is not nice when you crash with someone else, but especially with him. But I think it was not possible for me to do anything else, because you could not see anything as there was a lot of spray.”

With Wittmann steering clear of trouble, the German technically claims pole position for Saturday’s race with Felipe Nasr joining him on the front row. Another qualifying session awaits them tomorrow however, and with weather conditions likely to improve, their places at the top are far from assured.

Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap
 1.  Roberto Merhi           Prema Dallara-Merc         2m28.860s
 2.  Marco Wittmann          Signature Dallara-VW       2m30.535s  + 1.675s
 3.  Felipe Nasr             Carlin Dallara-VW          2m30.639s  + 1.779s
 4.  Daniel Juncadella       Prema Dallara-Merc         2m30.867s  + 2.007s
 5.  Alexander Sims          TOM'S Dallara-Toyota       2m31.306s  + 2.446s
 6.  Yuhi Sekiguchi          Mucke Dallara-Merc         2m31.634s  + 2.774s
 7.  Hannes van Asseldonk    Hitech Dallara-VW          2m31.891s  + 3.031s
 8.  Antonio Felix da Costa  Hitech Dallara-VW          2m31.901s  + 3.041s
 9.  William Buller          Fortec Dallara-Merc        2m32.295s  + 3.435s
10.  Felix Rosenqvist        Mucke Dallara-Merc         2m32.457s  + 3.597s
11.  Lucas Foresti           Fortec Dallara-Merc        2m32.551s  + 3.691s
12.  Kimiya Sato             Motopark Dallara-VW        2m32.891s  + 4.031s
13.  Richie Stanaway         Van Amersfoort Dallara-VW  2m32.996s  + 4.136s
14.  Kevin Magnussen         Carlin Dallara-VW          2m33.281s  + 4.421s
15.  Daniel Abt              Signature Dallara-VW       2m33.428s  + 4.568s
16.  Jazeman Jaafar          Carlin Dallara-VW          2m33.588s  + 4.728s
17.  Marko Asmer             Double R Dallara-Merc      2m33.866s  + 5.006s
18.  Laurens Vanthoor        Signature Dallara-VW       2m33.881s  + 5.021s
19.  Jimmy Eriksson          Motopark Dallara-VW        2m34.034s  + 5.174s
20.  Adderly Fong            Sino Vision Dallara-Merc   2m34.273s  + 5.413s
21.  Carlos Munoz            Signature Dallara-VW       2m34.278s  + 5.418s
22.  Carlos Huertas          Carlin Dallara-VW          2m34.675s  + 5.815s
23.  Hideki Yamauchi         Toda Dallara-ondaH         2m34.725s  + 5.865s
24.  Carlos Sainz Jr         Signature Dallara-VW       2m34.744s  + 5.884s
25.  Hywel Lloyd             Sino Vision Dallara-Merc   2m34.750s  + 5.890s
26.  Mitch Evans             Double R Dallara-Merc      2m35.133s  + 6.273s
27.  Valtteri Bottas         Double R Dallara-Merc      2m35.877s  + 7.017s
28.  Pietro Fantin           Hitech Dallara-VW          2m36.057s  + 7.197s
29.  Richard Bradley         TOM'S Dallara-Toyota       2m36.823s  + 7.963s
30.  Hironobu Yasuda         Three Bond Dallara-Nissan  2m42.441s  + 13.581s

Full times http://bit.ly/vXtuhA

Macau Grand Prix timetable

Fri 18 Nov – 1100 (0300 GMT) Practice / 1435 (0635 GMT) Qualifying
Sat 19 Nov – 1400 (0600 GMT) Qualification Race
Sun 20 Nov – 1530 (0730 GMT) Macau Grand Prix

Early morning rain presented the drivers with a soaking track to find their feet on, early running was tentative but incident-free, until Three Bond’s Hironobu Yasuda ran wide at the notoriously tight Melco hairpin, quickly finding himself stuck and bringing out the red flags.

The restart was also short-lived, this time Felix Rosenqvist forced the session to a halt after hitting the barrier – the Swede, unaware of a small queue of cars waiting at the Melco hairpin, was too fast on approach and ditched his Dallara into the armco.

The 2nd red flag period left only 20 minutes of the session remaining, and with rain finally abating, lap-times fell as driver confidence rose.

In the last minute alone, Wittmann’s quickest time was promptly beaten by Felipe Nasr, Roberto Merhi and Daniel Juncadella. The German responded on his final effort however, finding even more grip to set the fastest lap – over 1.8 seconds ahead of Juncadella.

2011 Japanese F3 champion Yuki Sekiguchi managed the 3rd quickest time despite his limited preparation for the event, whilst Merhi and Lucas Foresti were 4th and 5th respectively.

Kevin Magnussen pipped former British F3 rival Nasr to 6th place, with Carlin team-mate Carlos Huertas behind the pair by  3 tenths. German F3 champ Richie Stanway set the 9th quickest time, with Hannes von Asseldonk rounding out the top 10 times.

Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap
 1.  Marco Wittmann          Signature Dallara-VW       2m31.984s
 2.  Daniel Juncadella       Prema Dallara-Merc         2m33.792s  + 1.808s
 3.  Yuhi Sekiguchi          Mucke Dallara-Merc         2m34.035s  + 2.051s
 4.  Roberto Merhi           Prema Dallara-Merc         2m34.191s  + 2.207s
 5.  Lucas Foresti           Fortec Dallara-Merc        2m34.656s  + 2.672s
 6.  Kevin Magnussen         Carlin Dallara-VW          2m34.877s  + 2.893s
 7.  Felipe Nasr             Carlin Dallara-VW          2m35.372s  + 3.388s
 8.  Carlos Huertas          Carlin Dallara-VW          2m35.605s  + 3.621s
 9.  Richie Stanaway         Van Amersfoort Dallara-VW  2m36.798s  + 4.814s
10.  Hannes van Asseldonk    Hitech Dallara-VW          2m36.947s  + 4.963s

Full times: http://bit.ly/t99Ekd

With championships already sealed and high honours up for grabs, the same narrowing, winding track awaits Formula 3 contestants from across the globe to tackle the illustrious streets first raced upon in 1954.

The 6.2 kilometre Guia circuit features a combination of slow and hair-raisingly fast corners, all within the tight confines of the unerring barriers. Considered as the one of the greatest tests for open-wheel, or indeed any driver, success at the Macau GP remains such a tight-rope performance that victory is guaranteed to turn some important heads.

It’s little surprise then, that there’s a strong grid as ever – this year’s race also features no less than 7 open-wheel champions – and thanks to last-minute changes, also includes every current F3 champion from every major F3 series in the world.

German outfit Signature, front-runners in the F3Euroseries boast a quintet with impressive track records at Macau. Though 2011 runner-up Marco Wittmann takes the #1 car, experienced team-mate Laurens Vanthoor could be a more serious contender – the Belgian took a deserved 2^nd place in last year’s GP, losing out to 2010 Euroseries champ and double Macau winner, Eduardo Mortara. Daniel Abt and Carlos Munoz bump up Signature’s numbers, and many will be closely surveying Carlos Sainz Jr’s Macau F3 debut, as the young Spaniard prepares continues his preparations for a full British F3 season in 2012, starting in the deep-end somewhat. A winner of the supporting BMW Pacific race in 2010 bodes well for the 17-year old, though it’s difficult to know what to really expect.

2011 F3Euroseries champion Roberto Merhi leads Prema Powerteam’s Spanish outfit, as countryman Daniel Juncadella completes the duo. Merhi is unquestionably another favourite for victory after a crushing Euroseries campaign with 11 victories and 8 pole positions, bagging the FIA International Trophy along the way. A premature end to Juncadella’s last Macau GP in 2010 should encourage him to keep him nose clean, but regardless, his team-mate is expected to lead Prema’s charge.

Mücke Motorsport, on paper at least, should have a duo squarely at the sharp end of the field on Sunday. Swedish racer Felix Rosenqvist took a surprise F3 Masters victory at Zandvoort this year – though the removal of his rivals before T1 undoubtedly helped. Rosenqvist is well poised to advance his reputation further in Macau, but with even stronger competition surrounding him, he will have to up his game. A champion team-mate certainly won’t make things any easier. His provisional team-mate Michael Ho injured himself training for the GP, only to be replaced by none other than this year’s Japanese F3 champion Yuhi Sekiguchi. Sekiguchi faced stiff competition on his way to the 2011 crown, and will certainly be the litmus test as to how the Japanese category squares up against its European counterparts.

Moving over to British F3, Carlin will bring 4 of their 6 drivers to the Far East, including newly crowned champion Felipe Nasr and runners-up Kevin Magnussen and Carlos Huertas. Jazeman Jaafar completes the quartet, and the team will be eager to score a win on the streets – their last came in 2001 courtesy of Takuma Sato. For a team with 18 victories out of 30 this year, and every British F3 championship since 2008, the thought of a decade without success could be a bitter end to another dominant year.

Nasr and his team-mate have squared up against the F3Euroseries and others earlier in the year at Spa-Francorchamps. A typically changeable weekend scattered the grid, defusing any chance of an eagerly anticipated fight between Nasr and Roberto Merhi – but with the dry, humid conditions of Macau, the impressive Brazilian could finally have a chance to truly demonstrate his abilities to his global rivals.

Fortec Motorsport has brought William Buller and Lucas Foresti along – the former being a BMW Pacific race winner back in 2009. Buller has sounded confident coming into the event, and while he only has 4^th in British F3 to back up his words, the last time he was in such a bullish mood was at Spa, where he duly took a pair of wins – a potential surprise come raceday.

HiTech’s Antonio Felix da Costa will hopefully try to avoid the controversy he stirred the last time he stepped into a Formula 3 car – Magnussen will certainly want to stay well ahead. That said, there’s little denying Da Costa’s raw speed, irrespective of which open-wheeler he gets to thrash around in. Immediately competitive in British F3 at Paul Ricard (despite the sour end to the weekend), if HiTech can provide the machinery, the feisty Portuguese racer can certainly do the rest. Hannes van Asseldonk and Pietro Fantin will complete HiTech’s entries, but are likely to hover in the midfield.

SinoVision Racing prepares to compete in what is closest to their home race. Regulars Hywel Lloyd and Adderly Fong return for another year.

Last, but definitely not least, labelled Galaxy Double R Racing for the event – a pair of champions and an impressively quick youngster make Double R one of the most threatening teams on the grid, despite not including any of their regular British F3 drivers. 2007 British F3 champion Marko Asmer returns in an attempt to re-boot his stalled racing career, whilst the second ace up their sleeve is GP3 champion Valtteri Bottas. 3^rd at Macau in 2010, Bottas got his eye for F3 back in with a superb win at a soggy Donington Park, weeks after wrapping up his GP3 title. A talented all-rounder, expect the Finn to being flying near the front, with Asmer not too far behind. Kiwi Mitch Evans also makes his Macau debut – a big weekend for another youngster tipped for big things.

Japanese F3 runner Hironobu Yasuda is the only entrant for Three Bond Racing, the 2008 SuperGT champion lost the 2011 All-Japan F3 championship by merely a single point to Yuhi Sekiguchi – an in-house scrap for the final word in 2011 could certainly be on the cards.

Japanese F3 stalwarts TOM’S have also entered, though the Toyota-backed outfit has opted for the British pairing of Alexander Sims and Richard Bradley. Former British F3 runner Sims also returned to British F3 for the final Silverstone weekend with great success, scoring a win in the penultimate round of the season – his preparation should get him near the front.

German F3 also makes an appearance this weekend, fielding one driver – the 2011 champ Richie Stanway. The Kiwi dominated this year’s ATS Formel 3 series with 13 wins, and will be keen to test himself against his international rivals – the time to prove his worth as champion has come.

Macau Grand Prix timetable
Thu 17 Nov – 1055 (0255 GMT) practice / 1440 (0640 GMT) qualifying
Fri 18 Nov – 1100 (0300 GMT) practice / 1435 (0635 GMT) qualifying
Sat 19 Nov – 1400 (0600 GMT) qualification race
Sun 20 Nov – 1530 (0730 GMT) Macau Grand Prix

The Dallara F312 was announced at the F3 Masters in Zandvoort in September, before being officially unveiled in late October. Only a few weeks later, SRO’s Lisa Crampton quickly announced that British F3 will use the new chassis for 2012 season.

“The 2012 season will be a fascinating one on many levels, not least because it will see the introduction of a new Formula 3 chassis featuring many safety enhancements.” Lisa said. “We also expect to see a revitalised National class now that a greater number of older chassis is available to drivers seeking a relatively inexpensive way into Britain’s leading single-seater category.”

The National Class – this year won by T-Sport’s Kotaro Sakurai - will consequently be allowed to use the F308 chassis used by the International Class to contest the previous 4 championships.

Newly introduced FIA safety regulations called for greater driver protection in the form of higher cockpit frames and monocoque, whilst the banning of aerodynamic ‘bargeboards’ between the front wheels and the sidepods also gives the car a different look. With these new regulations in place, the raised nose on the F312 becomes the new chassis’ most notable feature.

TCF asked F3 Technical Director Jos Claes a few questions about his latest creation:

TCF: What kind of reaction have you gotten from the F3 paddock since the F312′s unveiling last month?

Jos Claes: A lot of interest, growing interest compared to the previous years. The good thing is that more drivers have been competing in the various formulae below F3 (Formula Ford, Fiat Arbarth, ADAC, Renault 2.0) compared to the previous two years and these need to be attracted to Formula 3, which is helped by having new cars.

TCF: You said you were convinced that the F312 would be faster than the F308, can you explain why?

JC: It is our duty to make winning cars. Since the regulations changed quite a bit the challenge was indeed once more in aerodynamics. We invested accordingly and managed to find an aero effeciency above out initial target. Our aero engineers have done a stunning job, it is that simple.

Surprises apart, I expect the car to be faster because we also made significant steps in the mechanicals of the car. All this under the strict condition of making an honest comparison between the current and the new car, which means cars on the same tyres, with the same engine and at the same minimum weight.

TCF: So will the new chassis present any new setup challenges for the drivers and mechanics next season?

JC: Yes and no, today most teams are very professional and won’t struggle long to find their way through a few slightly different things on the car, like the front suspension with torsion bars.

TCF: With increasingly strict FIA regulations, were you still able to make the F312 ‘personal’ in some respects?

JC: There are some extra limitations, but we should not overestimate their importance on design. If seven car manufacturers would present an F3 car they would all be significantly different, no doubt about it. There is still enough freedom to differentiate although no design is protected and if someone comes and copies you there’s nothing you can do against it. Luckily in motorsport, people have a high level of faith in themselves and will always prefer to do their thing. If you copy the Red Bull F1 you’d be lucky to get on the podium next year.

In fact, things are so relative, I struggle to see the difference between a Yamaha and a Honda in MotoGP  but that is because I don’t know enough about it.

TCF: With another 4 years before another completely new Dallara F3 car, how confident are you that the F312 could stand its ground if a potential future rival, such as Lola or Mygale, were to re-enter the sport in the near future?

JC: Let’s see and discuss it when they come, we always like to compete, one of the classic features, read qualities, of Formula 3.

Dallara’s new F312s are expected to be in the hands of their clients by mid-December, where testing will be able to begin.

The series will continue its eclectic mix of both globally revered and humble British tracks in 2012, with returns to the illustrious Spa-Francorchamps and Monza circuits also scheduled. The classic French street circuit of Pau is also set to be revisited, last seen in British F3 back in 2005.

“We are very pleased by the format of the calendar, the dates secured and the circuits British Formula 3 will visit,” said SRO General Manager Lisa Crampton. “Monza, Ricard and Spa were the highlights of the 2011 season for the teams, drivers and spectators, and we are more than pleased to be returning, and also delighted that the Grand Prix de Pau will be joining the schedule. It will be the first street race on the British Formula 3 calendar for several years and will offer a real test.”

The series will share its UK events with the Avon Tyres British GT Championship and will also face up against the F3Euroseries and other invitational entries at Spa-Francorchamps as it did in 2011.

The reversed-grid races – often the 2nd of the weekend, dubbed ‘sprint races’ as they only last for a maximum of 20 minutes – will undergo some changes concerning both the grid selection process and the points system. Maximum points will now be awarded for reversed-grid races, with 20 points up for grabs instead of 10, putting it level with races 1 and 3 of each weekend.

As for the starting grid, the pole-sitter for each race 2 will now be picked from the 8th-12th placed finishers in race 1. Whilst the top 8 from the preceding race will be randomly assigned a new grid slot as in previous years, a slower pole-sitter will potentially provide more on-track action in the morning sprint races.

Crampton also alluded to the reintroduction of pit-stop races, last trialled in 2010. “We are still considering further regulation options, and will be looking closely at the reintroduction of pitstop races,” she added.

Provisional calendar 2012 Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series

21 Mar  Silverstone GP  Championship launch & media day

06/07 Apr  Oulton Park  British F3 & GT

14/15 Apr  Monza, Italy  Blancpain Endurance Series

11-13 May  Pau, France  Grand Prix de Pau

26/27 May  Rockingham  British F3 & GT

23/24 Jun  Brands Hatch GP  British F3 & GT

29 Jun-01 Jul  Paul Ricard, France  Blancpain Endurance Series

26-28 Jul  Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium  Blancpain Endurance Series

04/05 Aug  Snetterton 300  British F3 & GT

08/09 Sep  Silverstone GP  British F3 & GT

29/30 Sep  Donington Park GP  British F3 & GT

All dates and circuits are provisional and subject to change

The 17 year-old and son of double world rally champion Carlos Sainz, enjoyed an impressive debut in single-seaters in 2011, taking 12 wins on the way to the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC title, as well as finishing runner-up in the Formula Renault 2.0 Euroseries.

“I’m really looking forward to next year, it’s going to be a challenge but I know I’m with the best team for British Formula Three.” Carlos said.

As yet another youngster on the Red Bull young driver programme, Carlos is keen to mimic the success of fellow Red Bull backed drivers and British F3 champions like Jean Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo.

“I can’t wait to take part in the series and hope to be challenging for wins like Jaime [Alguersuari],” Daniel and Jean-Eric did. I know that my first season will be difficult especially because there will be new cars next season, but I trust the team to develop the car as they have done in previous seasons and I’m sure if I work hard we will have a good year.”

Team owner Trevor Carlin, was also excited with his new signing – the team’s first concerning the 2012 season. “We’ve been watching Carlos for some time now and his natural talent and speed is clear to see. We’re very proud that once again Red Bull has chosen to put one of their Junior drivers with us in British F3 and hope that we can achieve a similar level of success with Carlos over the next 12 months.

“Carlos has been extremely impressive in the small amount of testing he’s done so far, but he is still very young and will stand a lot of intense competition from inside and outside the team next year, in what I think will be a very competitive season.”

Sainz Jr’s next F3 race will come at this year’s prestigious Macau GP on November 20th, though he is provisionally expected to contest with F3 Euroseries’ Signature team for the weekend, with whom he competed in the series’ 2011 finale in Hockenheim.

Aaron Steele with the cheque confirming his F2 prize test.

Aaron Steele has won a test in an FIA Formula Two Championship car at the end of a highly successful season in the MSV F3 Cup.

The award comes after clinching the Sunoco Grand Am 200 Challenge, which will see Steele compete in the support race to the 24 Hours of Daytona next January.

“After a mixed Oulton Park weekend, mechanical problems prevented a usual flowing weekend, but receiving the Formula Two test was a really great moment,” said Steele.

“I had mechanical problems in race 1, so it all came down to getting a great result in race 2,” he explained. “Starting last I knew it was going to be a fun challenge. I got off to a fantastic start and by the end of the first lap was up to fourth place; on lap 4 I took the lead and never looked back, building up almost a 40 second gap between myself and the second place finisher, not bad after starting last.”

The F2 test is set to take place at either Barcelona or Jerez in December, and Steel is looking forward to the opportunity.

“During the podium presentation the announcer said ‘and the winner of the Formula Two test drive’, at which point there was a massive bigger cheer from all the crowd watching. I wasn’t expecting it to be announced at that point and it was a bit of a shock but it just added to the great win I just had and was the cherry on top of a great season,”

“I can’t wait to put the F2 car through its paces, it’s going to be much quicker than the F3 car I’m used to but I’m sure I can adapt well as I have done previously when I tested an A1GP car.”

Roberto Merhi leads Felix Rosenqvist and the rest of the field at the start of the race - Photo Credit: f3euroseries.com

Roberto Merhi ended his dominant 2011 campaign in the Formula 3 Euro Series with victory in the last race of the season at Hockenheim.

Merhi had to defend aggressively from Race 2 winner Felix Rosenqvist on the opening lap but the Swede’s challenge later came to an end when he spun out on lap nine.

Nigel Melker inherited second place, coming home just 1.5 seconds behind Merhi after the Spaniard eased off at the end. Merhi’s teammate Daniel Juncadella finished third, but fourth place was enough for Marco Wittmann to secure the runner-up spot overall ahead of Juncadella.

Euro Series newcomer Carlos Sainz Jr finished fifth, ahead of Daniel Abt, Jimmy Eriksson and Gianmarco Raimondo.

Race 3 results

Felix Rosenqvist celebrates his maiden Euro Series victory - Photo Credit: f3euroseries.com

Masters of Formula 3 winner Felix Rosenqvist finally scored his first victory in the F3 Euro Series in the penultimate race of the season at Hockenheim.

After narrowly missing out on victory in the first race of the weekend to champion Roberto Merhi, Rosenqvist started the second race from seventh on the reverse grid.

This didn’t stop him though, and it only took three laps before he had overtaken Carlos Munoz for the lead of the race. Colombian Munoz was soon handed a drive-through penalty for a jump start, handing second place to Merhi.

Rosenqvist remained in control of the race until the finish, leading Merhi across the line with an advantage of just under two seconds.

“When I was fighting with Carlos Munoz for the lead, I didn’t know that he had already been given a drive-through penalty,” said Rosenqvist.

“I only found out when I had overtaken him already. For me, the rest of the race was about controlling the race. My car has been perfect throughout the weekend and I am happy to have won my first race in the Formula 3 Euro Series.”

Daniel Abt took the final step on the podium in third place, ahead of Signature teammate Marco Wittmann and Nigel Melker of Mucke Motorsport. Daniel Juncadella finished sixth, allowing Wittmann to extend his advantage in the battle over the runner-up spot from six to eight points with just one race remaining.

Race 2 results

Roberto Merhi - Photo Credit: f3euroseries.com

2011 Formula 3 Euro Series champion Roberto Merhi scored his tenth win of the season in the first race of the final weekend at Hockenheim, after keeping Masters of F3 winner Felix Rosenqvist at bay under intense pressure.

While Merhi kept hold of the lead from pole at the start, Rosenqvist actually lost second place to Laurens Vanthoor off the line. The Swede managed to regain the place though later on the opening lap.

Rosenqvist remained on Merhi’s tail for the rest of the race but couldn’t get past to score his first Euro Series victory. Merhi’s win gave his Prema Powerteam the teams’ title.

“My start was one of the best of the year,” said Merhi. “After that, I was able to pull a slight gap until my front tyres started to wear out, which allowed Felix to close up. However, it was enough for victory.”

Rosenqvist was again gutted to have to play second fiddle. “This was already my sixth second place this year,” he said. “Slowly, it is getting a little bit frustrating. At the start, I had a problem with the handbrake and lost one place.”

Marco Wittmann finished behind Signature teammate Vanthoor in fourth, moving him closer to taking the runner-up spot overall. His nearest rival for the place, Daniel Juncadella, could only finish seventh, giving Wittmann a six point lead with two races remaining. Daniel Abt and Nigel Melker finished fifth and sixth.

Race 1 results

Merhi on his way to another two pole positions - Photo Credit: f3euroseries.com

Recently-crowned Formula 3 Euro Series champion Roberto Merhi scored a double pole position for the final round of the season at Hockenheim by again being the man to beat in qualifying.

The Spaniard set the quickest time and therefore claimed pole for the third and final race of the weekend. Masters winner Felix Rosenqvist came close to matching him, but the Swede fell 0.090 seconds short.

Rosenqvist’s second fastest time matched Merhi’s, but it was Merhi who was handed pole for the first race as he set his time first.

“It was an excellent qualifying for me, I am on top for both races,” said Merhi. “My car was great, we worked well as a team and I am feeling really well. I hope that it continues like this in the three races.”

Rosenqvist had mixed feelings, as he was disappointed to miss out on a pole position.

“Qualifying was very good for me, my car was great,” he said. “After the first set of tyres, I was only 13th, because I crossed the track limits too often in the first corner. Basically, I am happy with second place, because that isn’t a bad position to start from. However, as I have already finished second so often, this second place is also slightly frustrating. At the finale, I finally wanted to claim a pole position.”

Series debutant Carlos Sainz Jr took a mightily impressive third on the grid for both races, with his Signature teammates Daniel Abt, Laurens Vanthoor and Marco Wittmann filling positions four to six.

Nigel Melker and Daniel Juncadella will share the fourth row of the grid for both races, with Jimmy Eriksson and Carlos Munoz completing the top ten.

View Race 1 qualifying results

View Race 3 qualifying results

Alex Lynn Celebrating One Of His Many 2011 Formula Renault Wins - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Fortec Motorsport have announced that 2011 Formula Renault 2.0 UK Champion Alex Lynn will remain with the team in 2012, as he steps up to the Cooper Tires British Formula Three International Series.

After two successful years in Formula Renault, winning the Graduate Cup and Winter Series in 2010, then the main championship this year, Lynn has decided that Formula Three is the next step for him and will remain with Fortec for a third consecutive year.

Lynn has already showed his determination to do well, flying out to Monza on the same day he won the Formula Renault title to test for Fortec the next morning, finishing just three tenths behind this year’s Monza double pole sitter William Buller. 

Lynn said: “I think my decision to go with Fortec will prove to be the right one, especially as my engineer from Formula Renault, Russell Dixon is moving up with me. As long as we put in the same effort and hard work that we have this year, there’s no reason why we can’t challenge the boys at Carlin who have won the title for the past four years.”

Fortec’s Formula Three manager Mick Kouros added: “Alex has been with the Fortec family for two years now and it’s great to have him on board for a third season. He has had great preparation in Formula Renault and he will more than cope with the step up to F3.”

Following a successful test at the Monza circuit in Italy, Fortec team principal Richard Dutton was eager to sign the 18 year-old up for next season: “We’re absolutely delighted to have Pipo on board. It’s great for us to have a Brazilian driver again next year; they always show excellent race craft and we’ve had great experiences with Brazilian racers in the past.

Pipo tested very well at Monza yesterday and impressed across the board, so having him as part of our squad is a very exciting prospect. We’re very much looking forward to working with him and we’re hoping for great things next year.”

Derani enjoyed some competitive performances as a British F3 debutant in 2011, with a season best of 2nd place at a wet Donington Park with Double R Racing. 

William Buller was also present at the Fortec’s Monza test – beating Derani’s fastest time by 0.2s – though he is yet to be officially confirmed for his 3rd British F3 season.

Carlin ran 6 drivers in 2011 and occupied the top 3 places in the championship, with Brazilian Felipe Nasr earning Carlin their 7th British F3 title in 11 years.

FOTA expressed wishes to reduce all teams’ maximum entrants to 4 earlier last month, and whilst SRO approved Carlin’s provisional 6-car roster for next season, the team then revealed their newly trimmed line-up a few days after the season finale.

Carlin’s managing director Rupert Swallow claims to seek compromise with FOTA and rivals Fortec, HiTech, SinoVision, T-Sport and Double R Racing. “Clearly there has been some concern over our intention to run six cars in the 2012 British F3 International Series,” Swallow said. “Following these concerns and despite having the approval of the series organisers SRO to fulfil this demand, we will run a reduced squad of five international class cars in 2012.

“We have listened carefully to the feedback from the other teams and hope that this decision is seen as a compromise with the other FOTA members for the good of the championship. We expect strong competition from the other teams, and with the added variable of a new Formula 3 chassis next year look forward to the challenge of maintaining our winning record in the championship.”

Carlin drivers won 18 of the 30 races contested in the 2011 season, with 5 of their 6 drivers enjoying victory at least once during the season. The team has yet to announce their driver line-up, but there should be room at the front, as Rupert Svendsen-Cook eyes GP2 with Racing Engineering, Felipe Nasr analyses a number of potential options, while Carlos Huertas already bowed out of F3 with a maiden win in the final race of the 2011 season.