World Series by Renault

[Fenderman]

If you don't want to know who won todays race stop reading now...

Quite an interesting race today not really because of the action on track but for a titbit in the run up to the start. An engineer or team manager (missed the intro so don't know who it was) was explaining design and rule changes for next season. There are going to be aero improvements as ussual but they are also adopting the notorious DRS. The predicted gain when activated on a straight is said to be 20kph. There will also be an increase in horsepower taking the engines over the 500bhp mark and the cars will be lighter via dispensing of the batteries the cars currently use (apparently it will be the first time WSbR cars will have run withot them). Next season should be very interesting with the extra horses, lighter weight and DRS. No mention by the way as to whether the use of DRS will be restricted as it is in F1.

Click Me

Canadian, Robert Wickens won todays outing in mixed conditions with an impressive gamble to continue on slicks and equally impressive drive whilst under pressure in the latter stages from Daniel Ricciardo. Ricciado struggled in his slicks but as the track dried out he put on an impressive charge hunting down and then pressuring Wickens but not quite making the pass in the final laps.

Race two tomorrow on Eurosport 2. I think I'll watch that as well.

 

[MCLS]

Maybe you could put it under a spoiler butten Fenderman?

 

[KekeTheKing]

More comments on Race 1

Spoiler

The first race at the Nurburgring exemplified the best and worst parts of motor racing. One minute your preferred driver is lining up on the front row, and by the end of the lap he's in the wall and out of the event.

Alexander Rossi is finding himself in a similar position to Lewis Hamilton after Monaco and their respective follow-up race. Clearly one of the fastest men on track, but unable to find the smallest bit of open track to display it. Rossi's exit in Germany was initiated by the championship leader Jean-Eric Vergne, who made what was considered an "over-ambitious" move at the end of lap 1 on a damp circuit. As costly as the retirement was for Rossi, it might have been even more so for Vergne, who was on the precipice of a Renault F1 demonstration drive as an award for being the halfway point leader in the title fight. Robert Wickens looks set to snag that prize now.

The best part of this race was obviously the duel at the front between two sure-fire F1 prospects, Wickens and Ricciardo. It was a great battle in changeable conditions, and these two romped away from the rest of the field, with third place man Kevin Korjus finishing some 20+ seconds behind them.

Kudos as well to the organizers who allowed this race to start and continue in normal fashion when the rain was promising to come down at any moment. I have a feeling Charlie Whiting would have been getting out the galoshes, umbrella, and SC boards

 

[Brogan]

Personally speaking, I don't think threads discussing current series and races need spoilers, otherwise we'd have to do it for all of the race threads.

If people don't want to see the results, don't read the thread.

 

[Fenderman]

True. I was just aware of the fact that coverage of the "lower" formulae is so patchy, especially Eurosport who consistently mess with their schedules, that giving away the rseult might upset more folk's. Maybe I am being somewhat oversensitive on this occasion.

 

[KekeTheKing]

Bit of a strange result in the 2nd race at the Nurburgring. Robert Wickens was once again out front, this time with Brendon Hartley close behind. Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo were battling for P3 a couple seconds behind that. It certainly looked to be another Wickens victory, but the Safety Car came out with 20 minutes or so left in the race, with only a handful of cars having made their obligatory pit-stop.

Wickens stayed out front as the time ticked away, finally stopping for rear tires with only 4 minutes to go. Two of the men who had stopped early, Kevin Korjus and Fairuz Fauzy, went through to inherit the top two places. Wickens had the speed to track down Fauzy and take P2, but Korjus had enough of a gap to stave off Wickens as the rain began to fall on the final lap.

Once again, Alexander Rossi's race ended in tears when he (apparently) picked up a puncture in the early stages. They never showed this incident as they joined the race in progress. Its been an absolutely dreadful stretch for the American.

 

[KekeTheKing]

Danny Ricciardo didn't exactly cover himself in glory this morning at the Hungaroring. In fact, he never even made it to the grid. After qualifying fifth, the Aussie went off during the warm-up laps and couldn't start the race.

 

[KekeTheKing]

We've got a new Championship Leader in the World Series. By virtue of his dominating weekend at the Hungaroring, Jean-Eric Vergne (FRA) now leads Robert Wickens (CAN) by 4 points in the standings, 152-148. Kevin Korjus (EST), Alexander Rossi (USA), and Albert Costa (SPN) are currently squabbling for P3 in the table, tightly bunched at 110, 101, and 100 points respectively.

Northern Ireland's Adam Carroll returned to the cockpit last weekend after an extended layoff. He competed in just a couple Indy Car races last year, but the Brit produced 27 points in Hungary, collecting a podium finish in the second race.

The series will now take an extended Summer break and won't meet up until August 20th at Silverstone where the final stretch run will begin, with just 6 races remaining on the schedule.

 

[KekeTheKing]

So after securing his second podium of the weekend, Alexander Rossi was excluded from the results of Sunday's race at Silverstone. World Series by Renault officials judged Fortec Motorsports' wheel nuts to be illegal.

Apparently they've got some issue with the width of the thread or something.

http://www.thesportscampus.com/2011...hird-and-second-place-finishes-at-silverstone

 

[Fenderman]

Sounds a bit crazy. I suppose, looking at it from a scrutineers point of view if using wheel nuts with slightly shaved threads is intentional then maybe there's an issue. If the nuts are not so tight a fit, in theory, they are easier to put on and if that explains a second or more shaved off of a pitstop it is perhaps significant. My problem with the theory is that the nuts aren't put on by hand, they're loaded in a "wheel gun" driven by compressed air. Wouldn't have thought it would make a blind bit of difference and certainly not a couple of seconds, surely.

Nah. They wuz robbed.

 

[mjo]

Brilliant videos Keke

 

[KekeTheKing]

After this weekend's festivities at Paul Ricard, Robert Wickens' lead in the championship stands at just 2 points. He finished in second behind his title pursuer Jean Eric Vergne in the first race, but picked up a puncture while battling in the pack during race 2 and finished out of the points.

Race 2 saw Alexander Rossi return to the top step of the podium after stealing the lead from Vergne during the pit-stop phase. Rossi had been hounding Vergne for several laps and when his team appeared in the pit-lane, Carlin reacted and called Vergne in immediately. Only problem for them was that Rossi stayed out and continued to set faster laps. And after Jean Eric came out behind Daniel Ricciardo, Rossi was left to pace himself to the finish and collect an important victory as he looks to secure P3 in the championship behind only the Carlin boys.

It should be an exciting conclusion to the season when they meet again at Catalunya on October 8th.

 

[Fenderman]

Pretty good entertainment that round.

Those blue stripes are still a bit much though, aren't they? Thought I was on something after a while . I wonder how much they had to do with the off track excursions where some of the lads seemed to miss their braking points, or perhaps even their way? Some quite wild running in the run off areas, eh?

 

[KekeTheKing]

Those blue stripes are still a bit much though, aren't they?

A bit much indeed. I know they're for safety purposes, but I wonder why they can't be a similar color to the tarmac. Although as you say, we see quite a bit of the runoff area when these young guns in the midfield are going all out.

Back at the front of the field, how about that move in Race 2 that Vergne tried on Ricciardo that nearly took off the front wing? His title charge almost ended right there.

 

[Fenderman]

Scary or what?!!!

 

[KekeTheKing]

For those that may have missed it, the Formula Renault 3.5 Series wrapped up their championship a couple weekends ago. It went down to the final race where Jean-Eric Vergne needed some extraordinary circumstances to unfold in order to snatch the title away from his teammate Robert Wickens. That nearly happened as the two banged wheels twice in the first series of bends. Wickens was out on the spot while Vergne continued, albeit with a skewed alignment/toe out. He was in the 4th place he needed, but would he hold on.....