RejectSport wrote:Depault: "We're dreaming the impossible dream"
After scoring back-to-back wins at the Brazilian Grand Prix, Melrose Racing Team team principle Pierre Depault has stated the team believes they now have a shot at both AutoReject World Series titles in 2018. An incredible last-gasp win for Phillippe Nicolas over the faltering Jones of Diego Alvarez Torrente has put his title campaign back on track, just a few weeks after Alberto Cara scored an emphatic victory in South Africa.
The recent run of form has come on the back of a horror run for championship leader Terry Hawkin. The British rookie has failed to score points in the last three races, and now is just 2 points ahead of MRT's Cara.
"Three races ago, we knew we needed some luck to go our way to have a shot," admitted Depault. "We stuck at it however, and as we've seen in the last month, you just never know with this sport. Some said it was impossible, but we're now dreaming the impossible dream, and we're well on track to do MRT, BMW and all our sponsors proud this year. We want te no. 1 on the side of the car next year, and we'll be going absolutely flat out for it."
As the ARWS paddock moves on to the next weekend, MRT have a solid 21 point lead in the constructors' championship ahead of Fusion. Their two drivers Cara and Nicolas meanwhile still lie 2nd and 3rd behind Hawkin.
AutoFiction wrote:ARWS WRAP: Early Shower for Marko?
The pressure of driving for his career has been eating at NRE's Marko Jantscher for the last few weekends, and it finally reached a head at the Brazilian Grand Prix. After a silly incident between him and Blokkmonsta's Gregor Pascal put the Swiss driver out of the race, the ARWS stewards were quick to bench him for next weekend's Argentine Grand Prix. With NRE having been highly disappointed in the Austrian rookie's run as of late, this could be the excuse the team needs to fire him altogether.
The opening provides the perfect opportunity for the team to evaluate potential candidates for 2019 and beyond. Revolution refugee Andrej Kremnicky has been linked to the seat after missing out on a potential MRT drive, and is expected to jump in the seat for Argentina. Another potential candidate that has been thrown around is Jean-Vincent Albertini, who has been out of an ARWS drive since June's British Grand Prix. Many felt he was unfairly benched instead of the under-performing Shinobu Katayama, and brings considerable backing from his family's shipbuilding company. While he currently has a Formula E contract for next year with Matt Neal's National Academy, many feel the team is simply a waste of his time and talents, and the Monegasque driver is reportedly looking and returning to the ARWS as soon as possible.
ARWS WRAP: Sayonara Kamaha?
After another shockingly bad perforamce from Kamaha Motorsport at the Brazilian Grand Prix, it's been reported that the team has lost their works Yamaha contract for 2019 and beyond effective immediately. A representative of Yamaha has told AutoFiction that they've run out of patience with team owner Barri Mori, having found him extremely hard to work with and having repeatedly failed to deliver on promised performance improvements over the course of the year.
In its place, it's believed that Yamaha is close to buying out the customer Simpson team from Dave Simpson. The Australian squad has had a solid year, with drivers Jean-Luc Schiller and Alexey Buyvolov picking up a number of points finishes over the course of 2018. The buyout would be a huge boost for the Simpson squad as well, as they have struggled with finding sponsorship to fill the hole left by the shock defection of Renault and Dacia to upstarts Kjellerup. An announcement is expected to be made before the Japanese Grand Prix in Fuji.
ARWS WRAP: Adelaide, Phoenix, Sao Paulo heading into the Twilight Zone
As the rival Formula One series continues their recovery from the dark days of the late 00s-early 10s, the AutoReject Commission has been looking at ways to spice up the show for fans. AutoFiction were the first to report the Commission considering the long-awaited return of turbo-charged and super-charged engines to the ARWS, and we can now also reveal the Commission is also looking at night racing for 2019.
It's believed that three races have been earmarked as potential candiates for night racing next season. The promoters of the Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide are very keen on the idea, and look set to be the first to switch for 2019. Phoenix and Sao Paulo are also looking at potential night races next season, bringing the total number up to three. With the ARWS calendar for 2019 expected to be announced in the coming weeks, a clearer picture of the Commission's future path will begin to emerge.
ARWS WRAP: The Austro-Roman Empire - An unholy union?
Ever since his season-ending accident in Belgium, it has all been quiet on the Mestolio front in regards to his future. However, that may be all set to change as a flurry of announcements are expected to be made in the coming weeks. As many seats start to fill up, others have been opened, and one such seat is the second Union Saver Developments drive.
Japanese rookie Naoki Shinjo has been a revelation this year for USD. The Formula Nippon frontrunner has scored 2 points so far, and shown competitive form on a number of occasions. The second seat has been a continual bugbear for the team however, as Jari Kekkonen proved to be a waste of everyone's time for the first half of the year. After his long-overdue departure, Italian paydriver Marco Bizzarri was drafted in, and has arguably failed to be an improvement. The team has made their displeasure with the situation well-known, and with Mestolio on the market desperately looking for a new home 2019, it could be a marriage that would be of benefit to both parties.
