F1RMGP 2015: The Fifth (season) and the Fury

[dinizintheoven]

It has arrived. It's that time again. The time when some of the least successful drivers in F1 - and, increasingly, in other series - get together for a thrash round some old-school racetracks and attempt to claim the glory that was denied to them first time round. And now that Jacques Villeneuve has scarpered, we really can say that. 21 teams, 42 drivers, fighting it out for 26 grid slots, and in the end there can only be one winner - and now, there are 18 chances to be that winner. With new races in the Netherlands, Sweden, Austria and South Africa, it's the biggest season of F1RMGP to date. And, as ever, the wiki will tell you everything you need to know about the series itself.

And without further waffle, even a delicious waffle covered in chocolate from a Belgian bakery, we must meet the teams and their drivers.


Formula One Rejects Microprose Grand Prix Series, 2015 season
The teams and drivers - part one

GARAGE #1: VIKING RACING




DRIVER: 1. ÞORVALDUR EINARSSON (Iceland; DOB 7 October 1986)
DRIVER: 2. TOMMY RUSTAD (Norway; DOB 3 September 1968)

CHASSIS: MJØLNER-04
ENGINE: Koenigsegg 2.4l V8, twin supercharged
HOME COUNTRY: Norway
TEAM PRINCIPALS: Odin, Stefan Johansson, Ragnar The Forkbearded

Finally, they did it. Winners of the Constructors' Willi Kauhsen Cup for the third time in succession, but at last in 2014 a Viking driver claimed the Drivers' title. But whereas everyone thought it would be Jan Magnussen who would triumph, the support act upstaged the headliner, and it was Þorvaldur Einarsson who brought the Carel Godin de Beaufort Cup back to Rudskogen, and with it the right to put number 1 on the car. Magnussen's ignominious exit from the end-of-season Bathurst Enduro drove him over the edge and he's had to return with a new team from Finland. In his place, struggling all through the off-season to find a suitable Scandinavian driver, the team have drafted in Norwegian Touring Car racer Tommy Rustad for a year to drive the car with the number nobody wants, promising him handsome rewards if he can keep the Viking success train rolling while keeping a sharp eye on whoever might make a more permanent replacement for the departed Dane.

VERDICT: Expect an Icelandic challenge for the title rather than a Norwegian one, but they're unlikely to have it all their own way.



GARAGE #2: LEYTON HOUSE SUZUKI WORKS TEAM




DRIVER: 15. HIDEKI NODA (Japan; DOB 7 March 1969)
DRIVER: 16. FABRIZIO BARBAZZA (Italy; DOB 2 April 1963)

CHASSIS: LHS/CG151
ENGINE: Suzuki 2.7l V6, twin turbocharged
HOME COUNTRY: Japan
TEAM PRINCIPAL: Akira Akagi

Raving fervour from the Japanese media about creating a team around a homologated Suzuki hillclimb engine launched Leyton House onto the F1RMGP scene for 2014, and a handsome gamble it was. The engine, the most powerful in the field, didn't annihilate the competition the way the Japanese media had hoped, with some inept setup and strategy decisions from the new team throwing further spanners in the works, but they acquitted themselves enough to beat Super Aguri for the honour of top Japanese team, gave Bruno Giacomelli the career send-off he'd so richly wanted and have set themselves up as massive title contenders. This year sees another Japanese-Italian driver line-up with Hideki Noda staying on and Fabrizio Barbazza joining him from the defunct Monteverdi team – his performance in the 2014 Grand Reversal was what saw most of the top teams chase his signature. Here, after sticking out AGS' miserable debut year and three seasons in a steadily declining Monteverdi, Fab Fab now has the chance to prove himself a regular winner. He could even chase the title.

VERDICT: At the very least they'll win several races. At most they'll trounce the field. Which way it goes depends on the team not screwing up on race day.



GARAGE #3: SUPER AGURI FORMULA ONE




DRIVER: 7. SHINJI NAKANO (Japan; DOB 1 April 1971)
DRIVER: 8. YUJI IDE (Japan; DOB 21 January 1975)

CHASSIS: SA15
ENGINE: Mugen-Honda 3.6l V12, normally aspirated
HOME COUNTRY: Japan
TEAM PRINCIPAL: Aguri Suzuki

Thought to be the team most likely to knock the Vikings off their perch, it didn't quite go to plan for Super Aguri last year – they moved up a step in the Constructors' standings but were still beaten by their upstart countrymen, Leyton House taking three wins to Super Aguri's one, and beating them in the final table by one place. Aguri Suzuki will not stand for failure this year. The driver line-up is the same, as Shinji Nakano proved to be a more than able support to Yuji Ide, but the engine has sprouted two more cylinders; the new 3.6-litre V12 has been designed as a stop-gap before the all-blown regulations come in for 2016, where the team will simply chop the engine in half, add a couple of turbos and Bobbu-san wa your uncle desu. And, of course, they'll be aiming to have the number 1 adorning that new turbocharged car...

VERDICT: This year, surely, they'll do it. Won't they...?



GARAGE #4: FORMULA ONE REJECTS MOTORSPORT




DRIVER: 9. CHRIS DAGNALL (England; DOB 15 April 1986)
DRIVER: 10. ERIC VAN DE POELE (Belgium; DOB 30 September 1961)

CHASSIS: F1R-15
ENGINE: PURE 1.6l inline-4, turbocharged
HOME COUNTRY: Australia
TEAM PRINCIPALS: Jamie McGregor, Enoch Law, His Holiness HWNSNBM

Last season was a gamble, as Life's withdrawal saw F1RM run with the all-new PURE turbo engine. Whereas the Australians were able to extract the power out of the Life engine that Ernesto Vita had once promised, the same magic could not be repeated with Craig Pollock's anaemic powerplant, and despite Chris Dagnall dragging two wins out of the car in the first half of the season, the calls for F1RM to drop the PURE engine were deafening. But the team dug in, pulled themselves together and confirmed a second year of their relationship, with promises from behind the scenes that there will be no repeat of 2014's disappointment. Jean-Denis Délétraz was the fall guy of that last year, though, only three points finishes all year seeing him ousted in favour of F1RMGP debutant Eric van de Poele. The 53-year-old Belgian promises to bring many years of experience, much better results, and some fine chips for the catering stall; rumours that he was picked due to being the one driver with a F1 Rejects forum named after him who had not so far competed in this series are bound to be investigated.

VERDICT: The team has definitely improved over the winter, but so have their rivals. Daggers should have a bit more say in the proceedings than he did last year, though.



GARAGE #5: FORTI CORSE... DO BRASIL!




DRIVER: 11. PEDRO CHAVES (Portugal; DOB 27 February 1965)
DRIVER: 12. ADRIAN SUTIL (Germany; DOB 11 January 1983)

CHASSIS: FG08
ENGINE: Ford do Brasil 2.3l inline-4, supercharged, using bioethanol
HOME COUNTRY: Brazil
TEAM PRINCIPAL: Pedro Diniz

Forti were battling with F1RM for the honour of being the top team with a turbocharged straight-four in 2014; eventually that battle was decided in favour of F1RM, to the chagrin of Pedro Diniz who was convinced his team would prevail. In reality both teams were held back by the limp performances of their second drivers, and in this team it was Andrea Montermini who was shown the door. For all the Silly Season, Forti's thoughts hung over whether or not Luca Badoer would continue to drive for them or decamp to Scuderia Alitalia Andrea Coloni – eventually getting so fed up waiting for the announcement that they pinched Pedro Chaves from SAAC, also swiping him from under the noses of F1RM, who had been widely expected to secure his services. When Badoer did finally sign for the IBR empire at the eleventh hour (and 58th minute), Adrian Sutil jumped at the chance to resurrect his motorsport career with an F1RMGP drive, with a team which is expected to be competitive. Better keep him away from any stray champagne glasses, though. And on the engine side, Ford do Brasil were aware of PURE's efforts to develop their own engine – and have reacted by trading their turbocharger for a supercharger in the hope of beating them on the cheap. Time will tell if it works.

VERDICT: Should be a stronger driver line-up overall than the previous year, but will they be scuppered by an engine which is still pretty much the same as it was in the 2011 season, just with ever more forced induction with each passing year?

[dinizintheoven]

Formula One Rejects Microprose Grand Prix Series, 2015 season
The teams and drivers - part two

GARAGE #6: SCUDERIA ALITALIA ANDREA COLONI




DRIVER: 27. GABRIELE TARQUINI (Italy; DOB 2 March 1962)
DRIVER: 28. LUCA BADOER (Italy; DOB 25 January 1971)

CHASSIS: SAAC9
ENGINE: Lancia 3.0l V8, normally aspirated
HOME COUNTRY: Italy
TEAM PRINCIPALS: Alasdair Lindsay, Andrea Sassetti, Enzo Coloni

Viva la Revoluzione, as they say in Italy, and dinnae talk pish, as they say in Scotland. Scuderia Andrea Coloni saw the writing on the wall with the ancient Judd engine and, needing a new powerplant, seeing one that was available, took the plunge by going into partnership with Alasdair Lindsay's Il Barone Rampante. This meant the addition of Alitalia as a title sponsor, which has brought some extra cash to the team, and – the main benefit - the implantation of a ferociously powerful Lancia engine in the 2015 car that should send them hurtling up the grid. They've traded numbers with Forti, as well as one driver – Luca Badoer's arrival at this team has seen Pedro Chaves move the other way. Badoer knows how to win in this series, having done so with Forti twice in the last two seasons; Tarquini has so far made the podium, but never the top step; this should be the car to finally do so in. I'll bet Messrs. Sassetti and Coloni never saw these days coming in their wildest dreams – dreams that they may become more familiar with if they get "accidentally" clonked on the head by a Scotsman with an empty whisky bottle.

VERDICT: Be afraid, be absolutely terrified – and not just if you're meeting the team boss in a dark alley.



GARAGE #7: DOME ENGINEERING DESIGN




DRIVER: 5. MARCO APICELLA (Italy; DOB 7 October 1965)
DRIVER: 6. ALEX YOONG (Malaysia; DOB 20 July 1976)

CHASSIS: Do15
ENGINE: Mugen-Honda 3.0l V10, normally aspirated
HOME COUNTRY: Japan
TEAM PRINCIPAL: Minoru Hayashi

Dome were always going to be third of the three Japanese teams, but on occasions they managed to catch the "grandees" with their pants down – none more so than when Marco Apicella took second in Belgium last year, with no car from Leyton House, Super Aguri, F1RM or Forti able to make the chequered flag. Despite one embarrassing DNQ he was the star of the show, taking another couple of thirds to propel Dome to a respectable seventh in the final standings. However, the team were hindered by a misfiring Emanuele Naspetti who never shook off the rust after two seasons away from the series, barely scraping five points all year, and so he has found himself dumped again, to be replaced by Minardi refugee Alex Yoong. It's a massive roll of the dice for Dome, as Yoong has never had the chance to prove himself in this series, either with his two stints at Minardi, or with the slowly-sinking Fondmetal Team Malaysia that was the rotten meat in this particular sandwich. He'll know it's time to show what he's made of, or the Japanese reputation for giving underperforming drivers a swift elbow will soon strike. Not terribly in his favour, or Apicella's for that matter, is that Mugen are the only engine supplier not to give their customers the same spec; Dome are still using the old 3.0-litre V10 from the previous year, whereas Super Aguri have access to the new 3.6-litre V12. The pupils must not tread on the toes of the sensei, clearly...

VERDICT: What happens to them this year very much depends on whether Yoong supports Apicella better than how Naspetti did in 2014. If he succeeds, it'll be party time. If not, expect seppuku.



GARAGE #8: SIMTEK RESEARCH FORMULA ONE




DRIVER: 29. PAUL BELMONDO (France; DOB 23 April 1963)
DRIVER: 30. DOMENICO SCHIATTARELLA (Italy; DOB 17 November 1967)

CHASSIS: S151
ENGINE: Isuzu 3.5l V12, normally aspirated
HOME COUNTRY: England
TEAM PRINCIPAL: Nick Wirth

"It's hard to see them winning again," said last year's prediction. It was wrong, but even so, it was the freakiest of freaky results in Hungary that saw Marko Asmer cross the line first. He proved afterwards that that result wasn't quite as much of a fluke as he followed it up with a third place at the next race in Italy, and at that point Simtek were obviously resigned to losing his services for the next year. Onwards and upwards for the Estonian, probably downwards for Simtek as the whole team setup has remained exactly the same other than the enforced driver change. Into the gap comes one of their old drivers from the mid-1990s, the Italian with the famously unpronounceable name, Domenico Schiattarella. The team is reasonably well-funded, has an unusual paint-job that they might attempt to blind the opposition with, but if they keep losing their driving talent every time one of their drivers sticks his head above the horizon, then they'll stay in mid-table mediocrity at best. Still, with the new engine regulations in 2016, maybe they could treat this as a holding year before Isuzu get the chance to chop their engine in half, add a turbo or two and see what happens.

VERDICT: They don't have to prequalify this year, almost entirely due to the efforts of Marko Asmer. They'll need another miracle to keep this run going.




GARAGE #9: AUTOMOBILES GONFARONNAISES SPORTIVES




DRIVER: 3. PHILIPPE ALLIOT (France; DOB 27 July 1954)
DRIVER: 4. OLIVIER BERETTA (Monaco; DOB 23 November 1969)

CHASSIS: JH32
ENGINE: Citroën 3.7l V6 diesel, twin turbocharged
HOME COUNTRY: France
TEAM PRINCIPAL: A picture of the real Henri Julien, and a shady behind-the-scenes management team pretending to be him

It's safe to say that 2014 didn't quite work out for AGS. Hindered somewhat by the geriatric MGN W12 engine, and far more by the thoroughly rejectful driving of Pierre-Henri Raphanel who has slunk back off to his cushy job at Bugatti, that much-hoped-for first win never came, and instead the letters "DNQ" appeared on the scoresheet far more than they'd have wanted, bringing back terrible memories of 2011. Gabriele Tarquini, given a sniff of success in the Bathurst Enduro with SAAC, jumped ship at the first available opportunity, and the team had to find a whole new line-up. Bringing in Philippe Alliot from SPAM will be a good move, as he has experience of the PSA Le Mans diesel engine which AGS have also secured a supply of for this year, badged as a Citroën; he will be joined by Olivier Beretta, not exactly stellar at Spyker last year but competent enough and who brings their Duracell sponsorship with him. A renewed partnership with Bouygues Telecom, on the other hand, might prove to be their undoing if they fail to pay up for a second time. We all know what consequences that had in the late 1980s.

VERDICT: Far more powerful under the engine cover, but there's no telling yet if the loss of Tarquini will hurt them more than gaining the diesel engine has helped.




GARAGE #10: ATS RIAL RACING




DRIVER: 19. JOACHIM WINKELHOCK (Germany; DOB 24 October 1960)
DRIVER: 20. MICHAEL AMMERMÜLLER (Germany; DOB 14 February 1986)

CHASSIS: ARC-6
ENGINE: Audi 3.7l V6 diesel, turbocharged
HOME COUNTRY: Germany
TEAM PRINCIPAL: a hologrammatic Günther Schmidt

What was once F1RMGP's worst team has been steadily improving since its inception, kickstarted by a couple of fluke results at the end of the 2013 season. Becoming, effectively, the German national team last year, the 2015 line-up continues in that vein, with the same German sponsors, the same German engine – Audi's Le Mans diesel – and two German drivers. This season is known to be Smokin' Jo's swansong, with his intention to hand over to nephew Markus next season, and for this final fling, the AWOL Volker Weidler has been replaced with Michael Ammermüller, known for his particularly hard driving style. Not to worry – the Germans build their cars like tanks, so if the exuberant "Hammermüller" causes a crash, surely the other drivers will come off worst? Fans of Super Maldonado Kart should watch the number 20 car closely, and even more Teutonic fun can be had when Günther Schmidt's T-count inevitably rises with the size of the repair bills...

VERDICT: If Hammermüller keeps it on the island and stays out of trouble, there could be a huge haul of points for the Germans. If he doesn't...maybe it'll knock out all the competitors in front of Smokin' Jo.

[dinizintheoven]

Formula One Rejects Microprose Grand Prix Series, 2015 season
The teams and drivers - part three

NOTE: the teams in these garages (and those in part four) are those which will have to pre-qualify at the start of the season.

GARAGE #11: SOCIÉTÉ PROST-ARNOUX MOTORSPORT




DRIVER: 25. EMMANUEL COLLARD (France; DOB 3 April 1971)
DRIVER: 26. CHRISTOPHE BOUCHUT (France; DOB 24 September 1966)

CHASSIS: PD-13
ENGINE: Peugeot 3.7l V6 diesel, twin turbocharged
HOME COUNTRY: France
TEAM PRINCIPALS: Alain Prost, René Arnoux

Allons enfants de la patrie, le jour de gloire... n'est arrivé pas pour Alain et René. And, worst of all, the inter-diesel battle against ATS Rial, that they lost, was for tenth place in the Constructors' Championship and an escape from the dreaded pre-qualifying. Philippe Alliot tried to work some kind of heroics in last year's unwieldy chassis, but by the time he finally did it was game over as the Germans triumphed. His reward was a seemingly better drive at AGS, and with Stéphane Sarrazin shown the door after some mesmerisingly limp performances, two new French drivers had to be found. These come in the form of Emmanuel Collard and Christophe Bouchut, both of whom might have driven for Larrousse in 1995 if the wind had been blowing the right way, and the team hadn't run out of money. Painted in a patriotic blue, white and red – and somewhat reminiscent of the mid-1980s Ligiers – a second can of SPAM is being opened for this year, though nobody quite knows if it will taste good for the team principals.

VERDICT: Most important to this team is the new rivalry with AGS for honours in the PSA diesel shootout. Collard and Bouchut are unknown quantities; the AGS drivers are not.



GARAGE #12: SPYKER SQUADRON




DRIVER: 33. GREGOR FOITEK (Switzerland; DOB 27 March 1965)
DRIVER: 34. KARUN CHANDHOK (India; DOB 19 January 1984)

CHASSIS: F12-XV
ENGINE: Neotech 3.5l V12, normally aspirated
HOME COUNTRY: Netherlands
TEAM PRINCIPAL: Michiel Mol

It was certainly a baptism of fire, and I'm not talking about what was making that cloud of funny-smelling smoke at their "after race parties". Spyker scored a couple of points by the skin of their teeth at the end of last season, having threatened to do so on numerous occasions before their hideously unreliable car went bang yet again. Gregor Foitek's reward for scoring those points, though, is a second season with the team – he will be joined by Karun "opedia" Chandhok, who provides not only a wealth of useless F1 trivia but also a few squillion rupees from Pune Warriors, figuring that if Sauber and Caterham can do tie-ups in F1 with Premiership football teams, a cricketing partnership with the Indian Premier League might also work. Pune Warriors haven't put their logo on the car, though, with the orange in the Indian flag clashing with the Dutch orange of the car, so it'd look completely wrong – allowing the Dutch sponsors to take pride of place. Probably their biggest advantage this season, though, will be that they're Neotech's front-running team, after EuroBrun withdrew in the close season.

VERDICT: A better driver line-up than last year, we reckon, and also more support from Neotech. But have they got their reliability sorted?



GARAGE #13: LANCIA MINARDI RACING




DRIVER: 23. ENRICO BERTAGGIA (Italy; DOB 19 September 1964)
DRIVER: 24. ESTEBAN TUERO (Argentina; DOB 22 April 1978)

CHASSIS: PS10L
ENGINE: Lancia 3.0l V8, normally aspirated
HOME COUNTRY: Italy
TEAM PRINCIPALS: Alasdair Lindsay, Paul Stoddart, Giancarlo Minardi

And so we come to the dark side of the Il Barone Rampante empire. SAAC are expected to make all the headlines up front, but in the yellow-for-blue palette-swap that is the Minardi PS10L, Faenza's finest are hoping to get on with the job of turning round their fortunes after a desperately unsuccessful two seasons, as the precambrian Motori Moderni turbo proved to be the complete opposite of its name. Paul Stoddart and Giancarlo Minardi will still be running the team on a daily basis, but it was Alasdair Lindsay who called the shots with the driver line-up, bringing in Enrico Bertaggia from the SAAC Bathurst squad and retaining Esteban Tuero, to the surprise of all those who thought Vanina Ickx' heroics in the Women's European Cup – blitzing the championship in a reticent 2013 Minardi – would see her get the second seat, and the ultimate chance to prove herself against the men. It didn't work that way, but at least the Faenza squad might finally see some light at the end of the tunnel.

VERDICT: The chassis is good, the engine is one of the most powerful out there, so it's all down to the drivers to deliver the goods.



GARAGE #14: STEFAN GRAND PRIX




DRIVER: 31. PERRY McCARTHY (England; DOB 3 March 1961)
DRIVER: 32. MILOS PAVLOVIC (Serbia; DOB 8 October 1982)

CHASSIS: S-05
ENGINE: HKS 3.5l V12, normally aspirated
HOME COUNTRY: Serbia
TEAM PRINCIPAL: Zoran Stefanovic

They couldn't go on this way. The lowest-ranked team from F1RMGP 2014 that is still around this year, Stefan Grand Prix knew that revolution was necessary. Out went Kazuki Nakajima, Jacques "Private Paradise" Villeneuve and the Toyota hack engine, and in has come V12 power from HKS, looted from a deceased Monteverdi team, Perry McCarthy, for whom there was no room at SAAC under the new regime, and Milos Pavlovic, answering the patriotic call to race for Team Serbia. On top of that, there are even some new sponsors. But, whereas McCarthy is clearly the greatest asset to the team, who will perform far better than the predecessor drivers, you can't help wondering if Stefan will still be mired at the back. Yes, they've moved forwards; so have the competition.

VERDICT: They have to pre-qualify, remember. That'll be enough of a hurdle to overcome, even with He Who Was Once The Stig driving for them.

[dinizintheoven]

Formula One Rejects Microprose Grand Prix Series, 2015 season
The teams and drivers - part four: New Kids On The Block

GARAGE #15: HISPANIA RACING




DRIVER: 21. SAKON YAMAMOTO (Japan; DOB 9 July 1982)
DRIVER: 22. NORBERTO FONTANA (Argentina; DOB 20 January 1975)

CHASSIS: CH115
ENGINE: SEAT 3.7l V6 diesel, turbocharged
HOME COUNTRY: Spain
TEAM PRINCIPALS: Adrián Campos, José Ramón Carabante

So, it's the team everyone around the F1RMGP circus wanted to see joining the party, and as a bonus, they've got the driver they all wanted, too. Campos and Carabante realised they had unfinished business after the original Hispania Racing team in F1 was taken over by Thesan Capital and officially renamed HRT, so they thought they'd have a crack at F1RMGP, figuring they couldn't do much worse than the team they'd been forced to leave behind. They've even had a go at making their first car a lot more obviously Spanish than their F1 effort – and with PSA supplying two teams with French diesel engines, Hispania went to the paymasters at VAG and asked for a SEAT-badged version of the Audi diesel as run by ATS Rial. They got it – but needed a bit of extra cash from one of their drivers, so it's no surprise that Sakon "bad back" Yamamoto has got one of the race seats. The other one, originally thought to be going to Esteban Tuero before he stayed put at Minardi, has ended up in the hands of former Sauber mobile chicane, Norberto Fontana. The team is full of optimism (not to mention that they're already attracting attention for the excellent paella made by their catering staff), but there remains the thorny prospect of that first pre-qualifying session to clear...

VERDICT: So, Adrián and José, you thought this would be easier than F1, did you? The worst you could finish there was 12th...



GARAGE #16: SHEKEL RACING




DRIVER: 37. CHANOCH NISSANY (Israel; DOB 29 July 1963)
DRIVER: 38. ADRIAN SHANKAR (England; DOB 7 May 1982)

CHASSIS: Aleph
ENGINE: MGN 2.0l inline-5, turbocharged
HOME COUNTRY: Israel
TEAM PRINCIPAL: Tallulah Shekelslike

Hands up who thought only men had a mid-life crisis? You were all wrong. Tallulah Shekelslike always wanted to run her own racing team, and as she approaches her 40th birthday (with all that entails) it seems she still hasn't got a shred of that business knowledge she claims to have been born with. How else can anyone explain how she bought up the remains of the dreadful David Price team for far too much cash, and employed a couple of jokers to drive it? Chanoch Nissany, at least, was a given, seeing as he'd actually had a test with Minardi many moons ago (and been hopelessly slow), but there really are no excuses for having not been able to see through the web of yarns spun by professional faker Adrian Shankar. But see through them she couldn't, and he's about to show he has as much talent at being a racing driver as he ever had for cricket. Shekel's only salvation lies with their engine; needing to develop a new engine to replace their ancient W12 in near-silence, MGN thought they'd supply it to the team that, due to their hopeless drivers and even more hopeless management, are certain to be dead last in the standings come the mid-season point. And then... it'll be the Grand Reversal, so whoever's up the front will climb in the car and show the world what the new straight-5 turno is capable of. At least, that's the plan. For the regular season, get your needle and thread out, because your sides will split with uncontrollable mirth.

VERDICT: I'm not even going to give one, it's a complete waste of time.



GARAGE #17: ICE ONE RACING




DRIVER: 13. JAN MAGNUSSEN (Denmark; DOB 4 July 1973)
DRIVER: 14. MARKO ASMER (Estonia; DOB 30 July 1984)

CHASSIS: JÄÄ-XV
ENGINE: Koenigsegg 2.4l V8, twin supercharged
HOME COUNTRY: Finland
TEAM PRINCIPAL: Rami Räikkönen

Due to the way the garage allocation system works, allocated as they are by the order in which new teams submit their entries, Shekel – dead certs to be right at the back of the field – are in a higher-ranked garage than Ice One Racing, who are likely to be at the sharp end of the grid. The reasons why they'll be at the front are obvious: Jan Magnussen and the Koenigsegg engine. That partnership has oh-so-nearly won the Drivers' title twice with Viking Racing, before a certain hairy Icelander emerged from the shadows and swiped that title from under Magnussen's nose. So unhappy was he at that last loss that he upped sticks, got on a plane to Finland and persuaded Rami Räikkönen to revive his brother's Ice One Racing as a team with four wheels, as opposed to two. Magnussen also convinced Koenigsegg to supply engines to them as well as Viking, and then fought his old team tooth and nail for the services of unlikely Hungaroring winner Marko Asmer, who several other teams had an interest in as well. They're aiming to finally deliver Magnussen the championship he so craves, as well as causing some alarm amongst the Vikings... not to mention that the eye-gougingly wacky livery of their first car might give the spectators seizures. Such is their confidence, bordering on arrogance, that they've even offered to take the number 13 on the car and see if they can win with it...

VERDICT: Definitely time for sleepless nights at Rudskogen, and vodka parties at Ice One's base at Ahvenisto. It's now or never, Jan...



GARAGE #18: PACIFIC GRAND PRIX




DRIVER: 17. ANDREA MONTERMINI (Italy; DOB 30 May 1964)
DRIVER: 18. JEAN-DENIS DÉLÉTRAZ (Switzerland; DOB 1 October 1963)

CHASSIS: PR04
ENGINE: PURE 1.6l inline-4, turbocharged
HOME COUNTRY: England
TEAM PRINCIPAL: Keith Wiggins

This is a team that has just woken up with the biggest hangover ever seen in any motor racing series. A promising 2011 season was soon confined to history as Tony Fernandes' idea for "Lotus Team Pacific" saw the team transformed into Fondmetal Team Malaysia for a couple of pointless seasons, followed by the unmitigated disaster that was the lock-in with Dany Bahar called Genii Team Malaysia. Someone had to persuade Günther Schmidt to give up some time on the Hologram Projection Suite so that Colin Chapman's signature could be obtained to free the Lotus name from the Fernandes/Bahar debacle, and that took some doing, but it's all done and dusted; the team is back in Keith Wiggins' hands and has had to set about rebuilding its shattered foundations. Andrea Montermini has come "home" after being shoved out of Forti, likewise, Jean-Denis Délétraz found himself surplus to requirements at F1RM and has also come on board to recreate an infamous driver line-up from two F1 races in 1995. JDD's former employers have tried to give his new revived team a leg-up by offering a supply of their PURE engines, and not just their underpowered cast-offs from the 2014 season, either. So, who knows what might happen?

VERDICT: It's too early to tell if the combination of cast-off drivers and mildly suspect engine can get the team out of pre-qualifying regularly, and even get some points... or not, as the case may be.



GARAGE #19: FIRST RACING




DRIVER: 39. ELISEO SALAZAR (Chile; DOB 14 November 1954)
DRIVER: 40. JOËL CAMATHIAS (Switzerland; DOB 9 February 1981)

CHASSIS: FR2
ENGINE: Kia 1.6l inline-4, turbocharged
HOME COUNTRY: Italy
TEAM PRINCIPAL: Lamberto Leoni

So, tell us... are you Life in disguise? The red car, the famous number 39... and, of course, let us not forget that FIRST's first (cough) effort at F1 in 1989, the "interesting flowerpot", transformed into the Life L190. It seems the boot is now on the other Schumacher, as Murray Walker would say – but no, not Larry Schumacher, who had an ill-fated test for this team before their application was accepted. The chassis has been dubbed the FR2 in deference to that initial, rather miserable effort; the drivers are exactly as they were rumoured to be in the media. Eliseo Salazar brings a huge amount of experience – at 60 years old, he should do – as well as sponsorship from Saladworks, mainly due to them mishearing his name. Swiss ex-Champ Car driver Joël Camathias, though, is a completely unknown quantity. And as for the engine – the Hyundai group are, as expected, the suppliers, but they've decided to badge it with their Kia brand, for reasons which may become ever more apparent as this year's Bathurst Enduro approaches. They're short on sponsorship, questionable on talent, and most likely down on power. But they'll be ahead of the Shekels. Won't they?

VERDICT: This team will soon find that salad doesn't work. It's going to be a long, hard slog.



GARAGE #20: ARROWS GRAND PRIX




DRIVER: 35. VITANTONIO LIUZZI (Italy; DOB 6 August 1981)
DRIVER: 36. VINCENZO SOSPIRI (Italy; DOB 7 October 1966)

CHASSIS: A24
ENGINE: Neotech 3.5l V12, normally aspirated
HOME COUNTRY: England
TEAM PRINCIPAL: Derek Warwick

For what seems like aeons, Arrows have been trying to get into this series, presumably thinking it gives them the best shot they've ever had to put that ignominious winless record in F1 behind them. Well, with 21 teams in this series, they'll have to do it the hard way. It's effectively a team built from the ashes of EuroBrun after nobody wanted to drive for them, hence the automatic supply of Neotech engines – but this year, they're the customer team and Neotech aren't the largest or best funded of operations. Jackie Oliver is nowhere to be seen, and Günther Schmidt is hogging the boss' slot in the Hologram Projection Unit, so Tom Walkinshaw isn't available either. And let's not even mention Prince Malik and his devious, underhand schemes. So, enter former Arrows driver Derek Warwick, who came closest to that first Arrows win in 1989 (before Damon Hill upstaged him eight years later with an even more painful oh-so-nearly) – he "races anything, anywhere, and loves it" – so he's going to try his hand at team management to see if that measures up. Driverwise, Vitantonio Liuzzi set up a tent outside Arrows' headquarters to show how much he wanted to drive for the team that hadn't even got its place on the grid yet; he's been rewarded with the race drive, but only time will tell how much of a reward that is. Vincenzo Sospiri is back as well, for his third crack at F1RMGP, after some ever-more-barren years with Mastercard Lola and DAMS, both now confined to F1RMGP history. He'll be hoping Arrows doesn't go the same way.

VERDICT: Provided they can clear the Thursday afternoon hurdle, they might pull off a few surprises, the way EuroBrun did in 2013.



GARAGE #21: POLESTAR RACING




DRIVER: 41. KASPER ANDERSEN (Denmark; DOB 3 August 1984)
DRIVER: 42. SEBASTIAN HOHENTHAL (Sweden; DOB 5 November 1984)

CHASSIS: P1/15
ENGINE: Volvo 1.6l inline-4, turbocharged, using bioethanol
HOME COUNTRY: Sweden
TEAM PRINCIPAL: Vincent Radermecker

"Do they mean us?" said Polestar Racing's bigwigs when the name was handed around in the Silly Season as a team who might join for next year. Actually, it was Luke Knight's Plus One group which raced under the same name with a space in the middle, but in a bizarre turn of fate, Polestar Racing have found themselves on the grid – that's the Swedish Touring Car team. It seems their arms may have been twisted to join the series after that "do they mean us?" comment – look at the sponsors; all of them have formerly been seen on Viking's 2012-14 cars. Most people who have had a look at these Swedish upstarts have concluded that they're a Viking B-team intended to evaluate which of the two drivers might get the Viking seat for 2016, but others say they're a team in their own right, given the existence of Polestar in the STCC and occasionally the WTCC, and the explosion of interest in F1RMGP in those cold countries in the North that has seen a Swedish Grand Prix added to the calendar. Even so, the team has been very hastily cobbled together at the 59th minute of the eleventh hour. The car is rumoured to have been built out of bits of carbon fibre found in a skip outside Rudskogen, and the "Volvo" engine – some say it was swiped from Kia with a Volvo badge stuck on it, which will really hurt the team's performance – though they'll run it on bioethanol, the way the STCC team does, in an attempt to compensate. However, the drivers are their biggest assets – ex-Superleague Formula driver Kasper Andersen, and Formula Two refugee Sebastian Hohenthal, who has made a willing return to competitive racing; they should be able to overcome the car's obvious shortcomings. Cracking the whip is ex-BTCC Volvo driver Vincent Radermecker, drafted in after Rickard Rydell said he was too busy washing his hair, even though he hasn't got any.

VERDICT: They're not going to set the world on fire, but might cover other teams' faces in Swedish eggs on a few occasions. But then, that engine...

[RonDenisDeletraz]

I will be supporting Polestar this year

[tristan1117]

YES! Here we go again... If we are adding reject teams from the other various series on the site (Alitalia, Polestar), I think that Trueba and ARC deserve a shot. Maybe they'll finally be combined into one team like I always wanted. Forza Minardi!

[RonDenisDeletraz]

YES! Here we go again... If we are adding reject teams from the other various series on the site (Alitalia, Polestar), I think that Trueba and ARC deserve a shot. Maybe they'll finally be combined into one team like I always wanted. Forza Minardi!

Polestar is the real Sweedish team, not Pasta's team.

[dinizintheoven]

Responses coming in already? Marvellous. There's still a bit of tweaking needed before we can head off to Imola for pre-season testing, but that shouldn't take too long...

[DemocalypseNow]

YES! Here we go again... If we are adding reject teams from the other various series on the site (Alitalia, Polestar), I think that Trueba and ARC deserve a shot. Maybe they'll finally be combined into one team like I always wanted. Forza Minardi!

Polestar is the real Sweedish team, not Pasta's team.

Also, I was (willingly) roped into it, dinizintheoven wanted Lancia in F1RMGP anyway and seeing as it runs within the F1RWRS universe, that's how Alitalia ended up in F1RMGP! Trueba however is dead as a dodo, I purchased it and it would appear Jack O Melley doesn't frequent this forum anymore to resurrect it

Badoer for WDC!

[tristan1117]

YES! Here we go again... If we are adding reject teams from the other various series on the site (Alitalia, Polestar), I think that Trueba and ARC deserve a shot. Maybe they'll finally be combined into one team like I always wanted. Forza Minardi!

Polestar is the real Sweedish team, not Pasta's team.

Also, I was (willingly) roped into it, dinizintheoven wanted Lancia in F1RMGP anyway and seeing as it runs within the F1RWRS universe, that's how Alitalia ended up in F1RMGP! Trueba however is dead as a dodo, I purchased it and it would appear Jack O Melley doesn't frequent this forum anymore to resurrect it

Badoer for WDC!

I wasn't being that serious. I think Super Aguri and Leyton House will battle for the championship this year with Viking third. F1RM will disappoint again.

[dr-baker]

Will the women's championship be running alongside this again this season?

[dinizintheoven]

Will the women's championship be running alongside this again this season?

It most certainly will. Brace yourself for the introductory post of the 2015 WEC very soon - once I've done the wiki page for this season (i.e. the entrants) I'll get going on it. But I have to make everything absolutely clear in that introductory post, to make sure there are no screw-ups in the signup process, so I'll only put it up when I think it's perfect.

[Salamander]

I wasn't being that serious. I think Super Aguri and Leyton House will battle for the championship this year with Viking third. F1RM will disappoint again.

Nah, I think F1RM will have the PURE powerplant sorted now. Dagnall will be a serious title contender once again, though I think Einarsson will take it again this year. I'd put Magnussen, Barbazza, and Ide in as outsiders at the moment.

[dr-baker]

Will the women's championship be running alongside this again this season?

It most certainly will. Brace yourself for the introductory post of the 2015 WEC very soon - once I've done the wiki page for this season (i.e. the entrants) I'll get going on it. But I have to make everything absolutely clear in that introductory post, to make sure there are no screw-ups in the signup process, so I'll only put it up when I think it's perfect.

Yay.

[FMecha]

There are reports that some of former KQ F1RWRS Team's staffs were spotted working in FIRST Racing garage thanks to the Kia engines. Thoughts?

[SuperAguri]

Shock at Arrows press conference.

What seemed to be a normal everyday press conference, turned into one of the biggest shocks in F1RMGP history when Derek Warrick said he had an announcement to make, he started to tug at his face and bits started to drop off, but after a while, he pulled off a large part and revealed his true idenity. It was none other then Prince Malik! He said "Yes it is me the great Prince Malik. I said I would get Arrows into F1RMGP and I have, I had to sell the team to myself and disguise myself as Derrick Warrick, who is on an all expenses paid trip to Bognor Regis, staying at no finer place then Mrs Miggins combined B&B, butchers and knocking shop with £20 a day spending money, Mr Warrick is like a kid in a sweet shop. Still I am here and we will work hard to get Arrows to be the best of the prequalifiers.", he then left to a shocked press audience.

Leyton House pumping out more BHP
Leyton House have stated that the Suzuki engine is more powerful then last year but have the engine has done enough mileage to take it to the Sun and back. A team spokesman said, the engine will be more powerful then anything you can imagine.

Canadian Superteam to try entry next year.
The Wolff Pure superteam with the Jacque Villneuve comedy duo were disappointed not to get an entry this year but have vowed to try again for next season. With the Pure engine being used by more teams, it is hoped that by next year it will be a top five engine and that it will mean the new team will race up the timing charts.

[RonDenisDeletraz]

Shock at Arrows press conference.

What seemed to be a normal everyday press conference, turned into one of the biggest shocks in F1RMGP history when Derek Warrick said he had an announcement to make, he started to tug at his face and bits started to drop off, but after a while, he pulled off a large part and revealed his true idenity. It was none other then Prince Malik! He said "Yes it is me the great Prince Malik. I said I would get Arrows into F1RMGP and I have, I had to sell the team to myself and disguise myself as Derrick Warrick, who is on an all expenses paid trip to Bognor Regis, staying at no finer place then Mrs Miggins combined B&B, butchers and knocking shop with £20 a day spending money, Mr Warrick is like a kid in a sweet shop. Still I am here and we will work hard to get Arrows to be the best of the prequalifiers.", he then left to a shocked press audience.

Jossed, dinizintheoven said many times that Malik would not end up in F1RMGP and as a result I doubt he would be happy about this storyline.

[dinizintheoven]

Derek Warwick told: "Welcome to the real Piranha Club!"

Arrows boss and noted car dealer Derek Warwick has shown his surprise at being "revealed" as Prince Malik. "This is certainly a weird world," said Warwick. "I'm only just trying to get used to people saying 'bathplug' when something goes wrong in one of the garages, and now... where did this come from? I have no idea. I'm not sure Sir Bernie does either..." Warwick's confusion was cleared up when a press officer from Dome visited the Arrows garage to explain everything, and that because Arrows' entry had long since been hyped by a notoriously unreliable Japanese motorsport magazine, the team was going to be far more subject to all of this publications eccentricities. "Ye gods," Warwick added later. "So they've just told me everything about Julian Richer and the meat pies... I have to wonder what I've got myself into here. Even so, the people at Dome say there's always a subtle clue in the Autosport report, and I've just spotted it. Who is this Mr 'Warrick' anyway? It's not me. And the first name is spelled as 'Derek' and 'Derrick' in the same post. Plus, a quick look round the tourist attractions of Bognor Regis shows that Mrs Miggins never opened a B&B there, having concentrated fully on her pie shop which closed when she died of scrofula in 1827. English Heritage just put up one of those blue plaques on its former site, that's how I know."

Meanwhile, the spectre of Prince Malik hanging over the series yet again has given Sir Bernie a thought. "I wonder if a certain band of Scottish pirates might come in useful here...?" he wondered out loud.

And meanwhile meanwhile, the teams, Arrows included, are off to Imola for a spot of testing. I remind you all that the entries for the Women's European Cup will open the instant that the first day's times are posted.

[dr-baker]

And there I was, thinking, hoping and expecting the last post to be the testing times. I got all excited for a moment...

[dinizintheoven]

And there I was, thinking, hoping and expecting the last post to be the testing times. I got all excited for a moment...

Real-life interlude: to do the testing times I have to enter all the stats into GP2 first, which shouldn't be too much of a problem, but to get the races underway there's a bit more... programming, let us say, that has to be done. And I might make sure I can do that first, because I need to know it works.

Keep an eye on this thread, though, because those testing times are not far away.

[dr-baker]

And there I was, thinking, hoping and expecting the last post to be the testing times. I got all excited for a moment...

Real-life interlude: to do the testing times I have to enter all the stats into GP2 first, which shouldn't be too much of a problem, but to get the races underway there's a bit more... programming, let us say, that has to be done. And I might make sure I can do that first, because I need to know it works.

Keep an eye on this thread, though, because those testing times are not far away.

My real-life interlude means I have to be out of the house (and thus away from an internet connection) by 6 pm (in 1 hour 45 mins.). If you don't post the results by then, could I email you my intentions, or would that be unfair on everybody else?

[dinizintheoven]

Heh. Looks like there won't be testing times until tomorrow anyway... but the programming is going well. Sort of.

[dr-baker]

Heh. Looks like there won't be testing times until tomorrow anyway... but the programming is going well. Sort of.

Read this after posting in WEC 2015 thread. Hope that all this happens when I am not in lectures/seminars/at lunch... And my plans for my team I left on my laptop back at home... Oh well.

[TomWazzleshaw]

Heh. Looks like there won't be testing times until tomorrow anyway... but the programming is going well. Sort of.

Read this after posting in WEC 2015 thread. Hope that all this happens when I am not in lectures/seminars/at lunch... And my plans for my team I left on my laptop back at home... Oh well.

Christ, I don't think I've ever seen anyone so excited to get an entry into a virtual series before.

[dr-baker]

Heh. Looks like there won't be testing times until tomorrow anyway... but the programming is going well. Sort of.

Read this after posting in WEC 2015 thread. Hope that all this happens when I am not in lectures/seminars/at lunch... And my plans for my team I left on my laptop back at home... Oh well.

Christ, I don't think I've ever seen anyone so excited to get an entry into a virtual series before.

You ought to refer back to when the entries for the Bathurst 24 Hours opened then. Somebody, who shall remain nameless, got equally excited and keen then...

[Salamander]

Heh. Looks like there won't be testing times until tomorrow anyway... but the programming is going well. Sort of.

Read this after posting in WEC 2015 thread. Hope that all this happens when I am not in lectures/seminars/at lunch... And my plans for my team I left on my laptop back at home... Oh well.

Christ, I don't think I've ever seen anyone so excited to get an entry into a virtual series before.

Remember who this is. And what virtual series we're talking about...

[dr-baker]

Read this after posting in WEC 2015 thread. Hope that all this happens when I am not in lectures/seminars/at lunch... And my plans for my team I left on my laptop back at home... Oh well.

Christ, I don't think I've ever seen anyone so excited to get an entry into a virtual series before.

Remember who this is. And what virtual series we're talking about...

And whose comment provided the inspiration for the series in the first place...

[TomWazzleshaw]

Christ, I don't think I've ever seen anyone so excited to get an entry into a virtual series before.

Remember who this is. And what virtual series we're talking about...

And whose comment provided the inspiration for the series in the first place...

Whatever happened to that advent guy anyway?

[dr-baker]

Whatever happened to that advent guy anyway?

This is what it says on his profile stats:

Joined:27 Aug 2011, 14:24
Last visited:09 Sep 2011, 00:26

Wasn't around for long, it seems.

[dinizintheoven]

F1RMGP 2015 pre-season test session 1
Imola, Italy - Tuesday, 10 March 2015

Morning

Code: Select all

1 –    8  Y. Ide             Super Aguri    1'27.762
2 –    1  Þ. Einarsson       Viking         1'27.930
3 –    15 H. Noda            Leyton House   1'28.081
4 –    16 F. Barbazza        Leyton House   1'28.162
5 –    27 G. Tarquini        SAAC           1'28.479
6 –    13 J. Magnussen       Ice One        1'28.508
7 –    14 M. Asmer           Ice One        1'28.597
8 –    2  T. Rustad          Viking         1'28.707
9 –    28 L. Badoer          SAAC           1'28.899
10 –   42 S. Hohenthal       Polestar       1'29.175

Code: Select all

11 –   7  S. Nakano          Super Aguri    1'29.257
12 –   10 E. van de Poele    F1RM           1'29.418
13 –   9  C. Dagnall         F1RM           1'29.496
14 –   5  M. Apicella        Dome           1'29.537
15 –   31 P. McCarthy        Stefan         1'29.842
16 –   35 V. Liuzzi          Arrows         1'29.953
17 –   23 E. Bertaggia       Minardi        1'29.956
18 –   20 M. Ammermüller     ATS Rial       1'30.155
19 –   12 A. Sutil           Forti          1'30.157
20 –   11 P. Chaves          Forti          1'30.200

Code: Select all

21 –   17 A. Montermini      Pacific        1'30.424
22 –   36 V. Sospiri         Arrows         1'30.474
23 –   41 K. Andersen        Polestar       1'30.626
24 –   26 C. Bouchut         SPAM           1'30.627
25 –   22 N. Fontana         Hispania       1'30.637
26 –   29 P. Belmondo        Simtek         1'30.752
27 –   24 E. Tuero           Minardi        1'30.824
28 –   30 D. Schiattarella   Simtek         1'30.827
29 –   39 E. Salazar         FIRST          1'30.947
30 –   34 K. Chandhok        Spyker         1'31.134

Code: Select all

31 –   21 S. Yamamoto        Hispania       1'31.454
32 –   4  O. Beretta         AGS            1'31.997
33 –   32 M. Pavlovic        Stefan         1'32.011
34 –   18 J-D. Délétraz      Pacific        1'32.161
35 –   25 E. Collard         SPAM           1'32.194
36 –   40 J. Camathias       FIRST          1'32.393
37 –   6  A. Yoong           Dome           1'32.510
38 –   33 G. Foitek          Spyker         1'33.097
39 –   19 J. Winkelhock      ATS Rial       1'33.649
40 –   3  P. Alliot          AGS            1'35.802
41 –   37 C. Nissany         Shekel         1'35.928
42 –   38 A. Shankar         Shekel         1'36.899

Afternoon

Code: Select all

1 –    1  Þ. Einarsson       Viking         1'27.769
2 –    8  Y. Ide             Super Aguri    1'27.815
3 –    13 J. Magnussen       Ice One        1'28.360
4 –    15 H. Noda            Leyton House   1'28.554
5 –    16 F. Barbazza        Leyton House   1'28.671
6 –    7  S. Nakano          Super Aguri    1'28.784
7 –    28 L. Badoer          SAAC           1'28.822
8 –    27 G. Tarquini        SAAC           1'28.828
9 –    2  T. Rustad          Viking         1'28.942
10 –   9  C. Dagnall         F1RM           1'29.244

Code: Select all

11 –   3  P. Alliot          AGS            1'29.414
12 –   23 E. Bertaggia       Minardi        1'29.613
13 –   35 V. Liuzzi          Arrows         1'29.731
14 –   20 M. Ammermüller     ATS Rial       1'29.999
15 –   14 M. Asmer           Ice One        1'30.076
16 –   11 P. Chaves          Forti          1'30.149
17 –   4  O. Beretta         AGS            1'30.167
18 –   12 A. Sutil           Forti          1'30.206
19 –   22 N. Fontana         Hispania       1'30.319
20 –   19 J. Winkelhock      ATS Rial       1'30.429

Code: Select all

21 –   42 S. Hohenthal       Polestar       1'30.429
22 –   39 E. Salazar         FIRST          1'30.430
23 –   25 E. Collard         SPAM           1'30.474
24 –   34 K. Chandhok        Spyker         1'30.501
25 –   30 D. Schiattarella   Simtek         1'30.512
26 –   36 V. Sospiri         Arrows         1'30.635
27 –   29 P. Belmondo        Simtek         1'30.638
28 –   41 K. Andersen        Polestar       1'30.672
29 –   6  A. Yoong           Dome           1'30.781
30 –   17 A. Montermini      Pacific        1'30.783

Code: Select all

31 –   10 E. van de Poele    F1RM           1'30.909
32 –   26 C. Bouchut         SPAM           1'30.989
33 –   5  M. Apicella        Dome           1'31.227
34 –   21 S. Yamamoto        Hispania       1'31.260
35 –   33 G. Foitek          Spyker         1'31.489
36 –   31 P. McCarthy        Stefan         1'31.967
37 –   18 J-D. Délétraz      Pacific        1'32.313
38 –   24 E. Tuero           Minardi        1'32.950
39 –   37 C. Nissany         Shekel         1'33.255
40 –   32 M. Pavlovic        Stefan         1'34.164
41 –   40 J. Camathias       FIRST          1'34.595
42 –   38 A. Shankar         Shekel         1'37.526

One day down, two to go, and what are we to conclude? Only two drivers broke the 1'28 barrier, and traded the top times between each other. Five teams appear to have the front of the grid to themselves – Viking, Super Aguri, SAAC, Leyton House and the new Ice One squad – F1RM will most likely be disappointed, Forti even more so, and rumours are already circulating of major concern at Spyker and Dome, and abject panic breaking out at AGS and Pacific, although Philippe Alliot gave the southern French team a little bit to smile about in the afternoon. Drivers rather higher up than they might have been include Sebastian Hohenthal at Polestar, who is already looking likely to make the pre-qualifying cut more often than not on this evidence, Eliseo Salazar for FIRST, proving that their presence might not be a complete waste of time, Vitantonio Liuzzi getting his Arrows into mid-table in both sessions, and Enrico Bertaggia showing that the second side of the Il Barone Rampante coin might be worth keeping an eye on. Also...


...the entry list for the Women's European Cup is now open!

[DemocalypseNow]

Enrico Bertraggia 12th and Esteban Tuero 38th. Man better get his sh*t straight by the time the season starts or he will be the first ever driver in F1RMGP history to be sacked mid season. 26 places between team-mates is a total disgrace...

[dinizintheoven]

Enrico Bertraggia 12th and Esteban Tuero 38th. Man better get his sh*t straight by the time the season starts or he will be the first ever driver in F1RMGP history to be sacked mid season. 26 places between team-mates is a total disgrace...

Only in this series, mind... remember what SuperAguri was like as a team boss in the first WEC?

Bear in mind also, Kazuki Nakajima almost got the chop midway through the 2011 season, but ended up being reprieved until the end.

[DemocalypseNow]

Enrico Bertraggia 12th and Esteban Tuero 38th. Man better get his sh*t straight by the time the season starts or he will be the first ever driver in F1RMGP history to be sacked mid season. 26 places between team-mates is a total disgrace...

Only in this series, mind... remember what SuperAguri was like as a team boss in the first WEC?

Bear in mind also, Kazuki Nakajima almost got the chop midway through the 2011 season, but ended up being reprieved until the end.

But in all seriousness, if it gets to the halfway point of the season and Enrico has 30 points and Esteban has none, I can sack him and replace him right?

[dinizintheoven]

There was a rule before that all drivers were locked in for the season... but that's mainly because changing a name on GP1 would have had no effect whatsoever. With GP2 I can tweak the stats, so I suppose it no longer applies... though you'd have to get your choice of a replacement right, obviously!

[DemocalypseNow]

There <I>was</I> a rule before that all drivers were locked in for the season... but that's mainly because changing a name on GP1 would have had no effect whatsoever. With GP2 I can tweak the stats, so I suppose it no longer applies... though you'd have to get your choice of a replacement right, obviously!

I think at this point the only logial replacements would be Bruno Giacomelli or persuading you to allow Ickx to run a dual-campaign.

[dinizintheoven]

Bruno won't be coming back - he retired on a high after that season with Leyton House. Emanuele Naspetti would be available but after that nightmare season with Dome, would he be a particularly good choice?

Vanina will, of course, be free for the last three races of the season when the WEC is done.

[dinizintheoven]

F1RMGP 2015 pre-season test session 2
Imola, Italy - Thursday, 12 March 2015

Morning

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1 –    8  Y. Ide             Super Aguri    1'27.697
2 –    9  C. Dagnall         F1RM           1'28.430
3 –    28 L. Badoer          SAAC           1'28.787
4 –    1  Þ. Einarsson       Viking         1'28.823
5 –    2  T. Rustad          Viking         1'28.902
6 –    13 J. Magnussen       Ice One        1'28.938
7 –    16 F. Barbazza        Leyton House   1'28.990
8 –    7  S. Nakano          Super Aguri    1'29.025
9 –    15 H. Noda            Leyton House   1'29.146
10 –   41 K. Andersen        Polestar       1'29.215

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11 –   27 G. Tarquini        SAAC           1'29.371
12 –   36 V. Sospiri         Arrows         1'29.576
13 –   12 A. Sutil           Forti          1'29.606
14 –   23 E. Bertaggia       Minardi        1'29.765
15 –   14 M. Asmer           Ice One        1'29.808
16 –   25 E. Collard         SPAM           1'29.893
17 –   11 P. Chaves          Forti          1'30.006
18 –   26 C. Bouchut         SPAM           1'30.210
19 –   31 P. McCarthy        Stefan         1'30.308
20 –   10 E. van de Poele    F1RM           1'30.472

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21 –   29 P. Belmondo        Simtek         1'30.511
22 –   42 S. Hohenthal       Polestar       1'30.520
23 –   17 A. Montermini      Pacific        1'30.753
24 –   30 D. Schiattarella   Simtek         1'30.982
25 –   3  P. Alliot          AGS            1'31.059
26 –   6  A. Yoong           Dome           1'31.135
27 –   5  M. Apicella        Dome           1'31.136
28 –   35 V. Liuzzi          Arrows         1'31.253
29 –   21 S. Yamamoto        Hispania       1'31.307
30 –   4  O. Beretta         AGS            1'31.573

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31 –   39 E. Salazar         FIRST          1'31.969
32 –   22 N. Fontana         Hispania       1'32.121
33 –   34 K. Chandhok        Spyker         1'32.123
34 –   33 G. Foitek          Spyker         1'32.197
35 –   20 M. Ammermüller     ATS Rial       1'32.242
36 –   18 J-D. Délétraz      Pacific        1'32.245
37 –   24 E. Tuero           Minardi        1'32.713
38 –   40 J. Camathias       FIRST          1'32.739
39 –   19 J. Winkelhock      ATS Rial       1'33.211
40 –   32 M. Pavlovic        Stefan         1'34.439
41 –   38 A. Shankar         Shekel         1'34.474
42 –   37 C. Nissany         Shekel         1'35.684

Afternoon

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1 –    8  Y. Ide             Super Aguri    1'28.307
2 –    15 H. Noda            Leyton House   1'28.357
3 –    27 G. Tarquini        SAAC           1'28.475
4 –    13 J. Magnussen       Ice One        1'28.550
5 –    23 E. Bertaggia       Minardi        1'28.669
6 –    1  Þ. Einarsson       Viking         1'28.868
7 –    7  S. Nakano          Super Aguri    1'29.211
8 –    9  C. Dagnall         F1RM           1'29.262
9 –    28 L. Badoer          SAAC           1'29.418
10 –   36 V. Sospiri         Arrows         1'29.721

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11 –   12 A. Sutil           Forti          1'29.728
12 –   5  M. Apicella        Dome           1'29.769
13 –   16 F. Barbazza        Leyton House   1'29.836
14 –   14 M. Asmer           Ice One        1'29.849
15 –   10 E. van de Poele    F1RM           1'29.963
16 –   31 P. McCarthy        Stefan         1'29.970
17 –   11 P. Chaves          Forti          1'30.203
18 –   42 S. Hohenthal       Polestar       1'30.237
19 –   41 K. Andersen        Polestar       1'30.477
20 –   17 A. Montermini      Pacific        1'30.479

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21 –   30 D. Schiattarella   Simtek         1'30.598
22 –   19 J. Winkelhock      ATS Rial       1'30.668
23 –   34 K. Chandhok        Spyker         1'30.751
24 –   2  T. Rustad          Viking         1'30.789
25 –   3  P. Alliot          AGS            1'30.831
26 –   26 C. Bouchut         SPAM           1'30.865
27 –   29 P. Belmondo        Simtek         1'30.985
28 –   4  O. Beretta         AGS            1'31.300
29 –   35 V. Liuzzi          Arrows         1'31.405
30 –   39 E. Salazar         FIRST          1'31.533

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31 –   25 E. Collard         SPAM           1'31.653
32 –   18 J-D. Délétraz      Pacific        1'31.813
33 –   33 G. Foitek          Spyker         1'31.836
34 –   20 M. Ammermüller     ATS Rial       1'32.120
35 –   22 N. Fontana         Hispania       1'32.160
36 –   6  A. Yoong           Dome           1'32.709
37 –   24 E. Tuero           Minardi        1'32.857
38 –   37 C. Nissany         Shekel         1'32.904
39 –   21 S. Yamamoto        Hispania       1'32.983
40 –   38 A. Shankar         Shekel         1'34.036
41 –   40 J. Camathias       FIRST          1'34.513
42 –   32 M. Pavlovic        Stefan         1'34.588

Day two of testing pretty much tells us Yuji Ide has both eyes on the prize this year, setting the only time to go under 1'28 all day. Chris Dagnall is still showing what he can do, Tommy Rustad either wasn't trying in the afternoon or had a serious problem, Ice One might be trying some high fuel runs, anything Sebastian Hohenthal can do, Kasper Andersen can do as well, and both JDD and Esteban Tuero should be bricking it already. Vinnie Sospiri has done a decent job for Arrows today, ATS Rial have had a day to forget, there is still hope for Spyker and Stefan, and even Adrian Shankar managed to not be last in both sessions, so there'll be red faces amongst Joël Camathias' and Milos Pavlovic's garages.

Also, as it stands, Enrico Bertaggia has posted a faster time over the four sessions than Tommy Rustad, Shinji Nakano and Luca Badoer...

Anyone want to make any further predictions for the upcoming season?

[Salamander]

Yuji Ide has to be fancying his chances - this is his big opportunity to show his name deserves to be mentioned alongside the likes of Dagnall, Magnussen, and Einarsson. He's not really been in a close championship fight before, however, so if it starts coming down to him and at least one of Dagnall/Magnussen/Einarsson (most likely Einarsson, IMO), he could buckle under pressure. He has been consistently right at the top of the timesheets so far though, so I'd expect him to try and hit the ground running and build up an early lead, because it already looks like this championship could go right down to the last lap. I wouldn't dare pick out anyone as a favourite now, for either title, though I do think Tommy Rustad is going to be a severe handicap for Viking Racing.

[dinizintheoven]

Yuji Ide has to be fancying his chances - this is his big opportunity to show his name deserves to be mentioned alongside the likes of Dagnall, Magnussen, and Einarsson.

There's one name you missed from that list. Was it because he's too good? He might be back next year as well, if an idea I've had recently goes through.

[Salamander]

Yuji Ide has to be fancying his chances - this is his big opportunity to show his name deserves to be mentioned alongside the likes of Dagnall, Magnussen, and Einarsson.

There's one name you missed from that list. Was it because he's too good? He might be back next year as well, if an idea I've had recently goes through.

Indeed it was. But an HWNSNBM comeback, hmmmm, that gives me an idea for a silly season article...