British F3 Oulton Park

[Richard B]

First meeting of the 2010 British F3 season this weekend. Has anybody got a timetable? There is a timetable on Oulton Park's website, headed timetable 3-5 May, which only seems to cover Monday's racing!
http://ticket.motorsportvision.co.uk...pril%20_3_.pdf
However there is a qualifying session and a race on Saturday.......

[Valker]

Timetable for Sat & Mon: http://www.s2i.info/_OwnFiles/Timeta...ark-100326.pdf

[jondownunder]

Here's an alternative Saturday & Monday layout as previously posted at MSV before their redesign:

http://rapidshare.com/files/37090248..._3_5_April.pdf
(click "Free User", then "Download" or follow instructions to download)

I don't know what the fools are thinking only posting Monday's timetable...

[strider]

TSL have both days: http://www.tsl-timing.com/timetables/2010/101305.pdf

There's an entry list of sorts here: http://www.fota.co.uk/drivers.php

[strider]

Jean Eric Vergne had the dream start to his BF3 career by taking pole position for both races 1 and 3 this morning at Oulton Park. Report here.

The guy seems to be seriously good. Bad luck for Calado, though, but even worse for Felipe Nasr, who must have been hoping to make a different type of big impression.

[Rf1 Fan]

[strider]

Race 1 result here.

Grid for Race 2 (the topsy turvy one) here.

Grid for Race 3 (the main event) here.

[JamesRamone]

Anyone know if Roberto Moreno, Satoru Nakajima, or Damon Hill are about this weekend?

[Juntos]

Can someone stop Jean-Eric this weekend? Red Bull gave him wings.

[Toorop]

I'm curious to see how he'll handle competing in 2 different championships at the same time, specially after performing so well in the WSR tests.

Just for the record, this is one of the most bizarre championship formats i've ever seen.

[jondownunder]

Originally Posted by JamesRamone

Anyone know if Roberto Moreno, Satoru Nakajima, or Damon Hill are about this weekend?

A bit late but Moreno and Hill were indeed there. Only saw Damon once as I guess he was keeping his usual low profile, but Moreno was often in the Carlin awning with Lucas Foresti. Don't know about Nakajima. While on the subject, apparently Martin Brundle jetted back from Malaysia and was there on Monday. And did I spot Perry McCarthy there or was it just a double?

Very impressive start for Vergne, two great drives from Oli Webb too...

[strider]

Just for the record:

Race 1 results:

Pos  Driver                Team                 Car    Time/Gap
 1.  Jean-Eric Vergne      Carlin               D/V  30m21.288s
 2.  Oli Webb              Fortec               D/M    + 3.491s
 3.  Adriano Buzaid        Carlin               D/V    + 5.797s
 4.  Carlos Huertas        Raikkonen Robertson  D/M    + 9.698s
 5.  Rupert Svendsen-Cook  Carlin               D/V   + 11.164s
 6.  Daisuke Nakajima      Raikkonen Robertson  D/M   + 12.572s
 7.  Gabriel Dias          Hitech               D/V   + 15.741s
 8.  Jazeman Jaafar        Carlin               D/V   + 16.942s
 9.  Daniel McKenzie       Fortec               D/M   + 17.771s
10.  William Buller        Hitech               D/V   + 20.105s
11.  Menasheh Idafar       T-Sport              D/H   + 26.259s
12.  James Cole            T-Sport              D/H   + 33.714s
13.  Maxim Snegirev        Fortec               D/M   + 34.159s
14.  Hywel Lloyd           CF/Manor             D/M   + 34.800s
15.  Alex Brundle          T-Sport              D/V   + 35.428s
16.  Adderly Fong          Sino Vision          D/M   + 42.381s
17.  Lucas Foresti         Carlin               D/V     + 1 lap
18.  Jay Bridger           Litespeed            D/M    + 2 laps

Retirements:

     Felipe Nasr           Raikkonen Robertson  D/M  7 laps
     James Calado          Carlin               D/V  3 laps

Race 2 results:

Pos  Driver              Car                    Time
 1.  R.Svendsen-Cook     Dallara/Volkswagen     20:08.175
 2.  Daisuke Nakajima    Dallara/Mercedes       + 0.658
 3.  Carlos Huertas      Dallara/Mercedes       + 3.168
 4.  Adriano Buzaid      Dallara/Volkswagen     + 3.618
 5.  Jean-Eric Vergne    Dallara/Volkswagen     + 4.500
 6.  Jazeman Jaafar      Dallara/Volkswagen     + 7.417
 7.  Daniel McKenzie     Dallara/Mercedes       + 7.916
 8.  Oliver Webb         Dallara/Mercedes       + 8.240
 9.  William Buller      Dallara/Volkswagen     + 9.378
10.  Alex Brundle        Dallara/Volkswagen     + 10.860
11.  James Calado        Dallara/Volkswagen     + 11.006
12.  Jay Bridger         Dallara/Mercedes       + 12.355
13.  Menasheh Idafar     Dallara/Mugen-Honda    + 20.228
14.  Luiz Felipe Nasr    Dallara/Mercedes       + 23.420
15.  Lucas Foresti       Dallara/Volkswagen     + 23.975
16.  Maxim Snegirev      Dallara/Mercedes       + 27.317
17.  Adderly Fong        Dallara/Mercedes       + 1 Lap
18.  Hywel Lloyd         Dallara/Mercedes       + 3 Laps

Retirements:

    Driver              Car                       Laps
    Gabriel Dias        Dallara/Volkswagen         6
    James Cole          Dallara/Mugen-Honda        4

Race 3 results:

Pos Driver                  Team           Car           Time/Gap
 1. Jean-Eric Vergne        Carlin         D/V         39m00.158s
 2. Oliver Webb             Fortec         D/M             +1.377
 3. Rupert Svendsen-Cook    Carlin         D/V            +25.912
 4. Gabriel Dias            Hitech         D/V            +26.893
 5. Adriano Buzaid          Carlin         D/V            +27.544
 6. James Calado            Carlin         D/V            +28.131
 7. Daisuke Nakajima        Raikkonen      D/M            +31.976
 8. Jay Bridger             Litespeed      D/M            +40.341
 9. Alex Brundle            T-Sport        D/V            +42.837
10. Daniel McKenzie         Fortec         D/M            +43.024
11. William Buller          Hitech         D/V            +46.059
12. Carlos Huertas          Raikkonen      D/M            +46.428
13. Jazeman Jaafar          Carlin         D/V            +48.547
14. Maxim Snegirev          Fortec         D/M          +1:04.443
15. Lucas Foresti           Carlin         D/V          +1:16.562
16. Adderly Fong            Sino Vision    D/M          +1:28.870
17. James Cole              T-Sport        D/H             +1 lap

Not classified

    Luiz Felipe Nasr        Raikkonen      D/M            15 laps
    Menasheh Idafar         T-Sport        D/H             0 laps

Jean-Eric Verne took fastest lap in all three races, so that's what you call dominance.

I'd be interested to know from people who were there what they thought of the longer race 3. Oli Webb kept Verne honest, but the rest were miles behind and the order of the top five didn't change from the first lap to the last.

[bella]

personally i stopped watching halfway through race 3. 40 minutes is too long for a spectator when you don't have a deckchair, the sun and live timing available in front of you. it was nice to be able to go for a stroll around the circuit and see the cars from different viewpoints but yeah. even f1 cars don't have single stints that last that long. i think it's important to learn how to look after tyres though in preparation for the higher series so maybe it has its merits.

on another note, because the assembly area is in the middle of the paddock at oulton it gives the kids a chance to really get close to the cars and ask the drivers for autographs. it's probably not ideal for the drivers preparation but it feels distinctly old school and it really makes a difference to the childrens days. it's better than a pitlane walkabout in my view, but then again i'm not trying to do a job in amongst spectators!

[Gaz]

Couldn't agree more Bella, I managed to make it through 30 minutes and then enough was enough. I felt this guilty feeling, the kind of one you get when watching an F1 race. As an enthusiast, you know what to expect from a slick and wings race, paticularly one at Oulton Park. For alot of people though, that was their first visit to a race meeting and they must have been bored rigid by the third F3 race. I was stood next to such a group who were really enthusiastic for the first few laps, excited about Webb being close to Vergne. Yet after 10 minutes I heard one say, this is how it's going to finish isn't it? and off they walked, feeling let down to do something else. It's the age old problem that we debate at around this time every year though. On the one hand teams say, it's a drivers university, this isn't for the fans....whilst on the other they're moaning that they aren't able to race infront of big crowds that would help bring in more sponsorship etc, etc. Richard Dutton's comments in the press in the lead up to last weekend I think should be taken more seriously by the organisers. Clearly F3 has the same problem as F1 in terms of far too much dependency on aero, so in order to spice up 40 minutes of racing pit stops should be brought in. Even if as he says, they just stop for a certain length of time in a box and then drive out again. At least this would potentially mix the field up n would offer drivers the opportunity to deal with pit stops....I mean this is their 'university' after all, to quote a leading team principal.

On the plus side, the reverse grid did work - I mean we saw an overtake for the lead in an F3 race!

[bella]

i think the whole motorsport world has to keep a very close eye on how the low downforce race works in formula renault 3.5. it could be an interesting model to work around.

[JamesRamone]

I found Moreno thanks Jon. Got a few Indy and F1 programmes signed for the collection.

I thought race 2 was good, the reverse grid works well. Someone mentioned in the programme about possibly adding a pitstop? Just a stop and start rather than changing tyres. Not a bad idea I think.

[cleanup]

Some interesting comments regarding Oulton F3. For sure Vergne did a brilliant job and to some extent, Webb also. A few comments relating to lack of overtaking, such a shame Calado had a technical problem at the key time of qualifying, was great to see him carve his way through in races 2 and 3. I think he passed 15 cars during these races (probabaly more than all the others put together) and if in the right starting position, would undoubtedly have made Vergne earn his wings. That aside, the race was boring. Richard Duttons idea to pit stop would be brilliant, just a stop go, great developement for drivers and interesting for spectators. The reverse grid race didnt prove to be interesting, again no racing from the front parade, why not all drivers pull a numbered ball, a complete lottery. Seeing Vergne off the back like Calado would be interesting indeed. Maybe another idea should be to award bonus points to the driver that makes the most progress from their starting position, great for the midfielders and spectators.Svenson Cook did a solid job, great to see him win, deserved it as he was one of the few to actually overtake. Still a huge fan of F3 but someone needs to rethink how to make it more challenging than just the 30 minute qualifying, top of this and essentially its a podium. Yawn!

[GroupOfOne]

Originally Posted by Gaz

On the plus side, the reverse grid did work - I mean we saw an overtake for the lead in an F3 race!

Was this Nakajima's move for the lead at Old Hall? Looked quite a robust overtake from where I was stood

Yeah 40mins did seem too long, I reckon 35mins with a compulsory stop/go pit stop would be good, as that'd add a bit of interest and dare I say it strategy.

[Gaz]

Yeh, it was Svensson-Cook taking the lead from Nakajima at Old Hall. Didn't see it myself, looking forward to the TV coverage. Any overtake around Oulton Park in an F3 car is going to have to be robust mind!

Think there's a common agreement here about the length of the feature race and how it could be spiced up. Lets hope the people in charge of the series are thinking the same thing and will perhaps react.

[Dave Brand]

Originally Posted by Gaz

Think there's a common agreement here about the length of the feature race and how it could be spiced up. Lets hope the people in charge of the series are thinking the same thing and will perhaps react.

Just reduce it to 20 minutes - that's plenty long enough - & don't introduce artificial measures to try to make it less boring.

[runshaw]

Originally Posted by strider

I'd be interested to know from people who were there what they thought of the longer race 3. Oli Webb kept Verne honest, but the rest were miles behind and the order of the top five didn't change from the first lap to the last.

Race 2 was good but race 3 was boring. I was stood at Hill top and the only interesting things were watching Webb constantly chasing Vergne, Mackenzie glued to the gearbox of Brundle and also seeing how many different racing lines Adderly Fong used through Knickerbrook, occasionally going straight on. He should be in a National Class car, then at least there would be another driver for Cole and Idafar to finish ahead of! Vergne looks mighty, thats the biggest thing to come out of this weekend.

[GroupOfOne]

Originally Posted by Gaz

Yeh, it was Svensson-Cook taking the lead from Nakajima at Old Hall. Didn't see it myself, looking forward to the TV coverage. Any overtake around Oulton Park in an F3 car is going to have to be robust mind!

Ah no I was on about the earlier one, Nakajima on Dias (I think), which resulted in a trip across the grass for the errant leader. At the time I though Nakajima had given him a shoulder barge, but on reflection I'm not sure as it certainly didn't do his car any harm!

[wdj]

Originally Posted by GroupOfOne

Ah no I was on about the earlier one, Nakajima on Dias (I think), which resulted in a trip across the grass for the errant leader. At the time I though Nakajima had given him a shoulder barge, but on reflection I'm not sure as it certainly didn't do his car any harm!

Not exactly a shoulder barge, since front Nakajima wheel hits Dias car at rear wheel, as TV will show. A shame the former F1 driver's son is driving like this. At first lap, he sent Dias to grass twice, and last season, just regarding first laps issues, Nakajima finished owing around 100 points to Riki Christodoulou .

[boyndie]

I was at Oulton on Monday and enjoyed the racing. Race 3 was a bit of a drag, I know, but had there been a bit of rain or a safety car, either of which were possible, then the race would have been completely different. It's just that on Monday, race 3 was relatively incident free. I don't think it was boring tho. Golf is boring. Very very boring.

I had expected more from Vergne in race 2 and was looking for him to get a podium. In clean air he can turn a pole into a win but seemed to get stuck in the pack in race2. It appeared to me that Calado must have had some of Vergnes Red Bull in his fuel as that RSF motor was flying through the field in both races. And overtaking on the outside of cascades on the damp line, well thats just showing off!!

From what I saw on Monday I reckon there's only a handful of proper, decent, drivers in F3, maybe 6, the rest are making up the numbers for me. That could be making it boring for some of you!!

As for qualifying, there's too much riding on that one quali session. With a bit of bad luck it could really stuff up your weekend, as calado proved.

I am looking forward to sunday, 7.30 am on channel4. Does anyone know if there's live coverage of F3 as I had thought Motorstv would be showing it live but that hasn't happened?

[Woolley]

Pit stops - NO! Take a boring race, add pit stops and you get a race that's still boring but now confusing. At least the 40 minute run was a test of driver, even if it didn't hold the interest for the full run. Just take 10 minutes off.

Would be good to give them more power and less aero, though.