Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2013 Preview

Two weeks after Fernando Alonso’s superb drive to victory on home soil around Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, the Formula 1 fraternity will this weekend reconvene around the streets of Monte-Carlo for the glamorous Monaco Grand Prix. With passing always a difficulty, pole position will be fearsomely fought for during qualifying.

For decades the race around the narrow streets has been regarded as Formula 1’s crown jewel event, with many of the sports greatest teams and drivers storming to memorable victories throughout the years such as Ferrari, Lotus, Graham Hill and Ayrton Senna. Despite being renowned for its lack of overtaking possibilities, the Monte-Carlo street circuit simply oozes with prestige and history with some of the sports most iconic moments occurring around the Principality.

This year’s Monaco Grand Prix has all of the ingredients to be yet another thrilling chapter in the event’s long and colorful history, with the difference between qualifying and race pace set to cause many headaches up and down the grid. In recent races, teams such as Mercedes have been unbelievably quick during qualifying, only for tyre degradation to see them plummet through the order. With pole position as important as a victory around the narrow streets of Monaco, a Silver Arrows front-row lock-out could yield a rather different result.

After a sensational victory on home soil last time out, Fernando Alonso has thrown himself directly into the Championship hunt despite a lackluster start to his 2013 campaign. The Ferrari driver is only 17 points behind Championship leader Sebastian Vettel, with Finnish ace Kimi Raikkonen only four points behind the dominant German in 2nd. The Lotus man has finished in the points at every race weekend since the Chinese Grand Prix last year, and will naturally be striving to secure his second victory around the streets of Monte-Carlo.

Ayrton Senna secured numerous victories around the streets of Monte-Carlo.

Although the Monaco Grand Prix is strongly regarded as the toughest race weekend of the year, Ayrton Senna managed to accumulate a stunning six race victories [’87, ’89, ’90, ’91, ’92, and ’93] throughout his dominant career in the sport. Graham Hill and Michael Schumacher both managed to win five times around the streets of the Principality, with Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber with the most victories currently on the grid with two apiece.

Due largely to Ayrton Senna’s fearsome dominance around the Principality in the early ‘90s, McLaren are unsurprisingly the most successful team around the glamourous street circuit with 15 victories [’84, ’85, ’86, ’88, ’89, ’90, ’91, ’92, ’93, ’98, ’00, ’02, ’05, ’07 and ’08]. Ferrari and Lotus follow the Woking-based outfit with eight and seven victories respectively, with Red Bull surprisingly low down the order with only three race victories recorded.

For the first time this season, the FIA has decided upon a single DRS activation zone for this weekend’s race. During the first five races, two zones were put in place primarily along the start/finish and back straights. However, the only DRS zone this weekend will feature along the start/finish straight, with the tight and twisty confines of the circuit unable to safely feature two zones. The detection zone will be 80m after Turn 16, with the activation zone 18m after Turn 19.

Legendary Le Mans driver Tom Kristensen will assume the role of the Drivers’ Representative Steward for this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix. The Danish ace will steward his first race of the season, after last doing so at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix last year. Throughout his long and colorful career, Tom Kristensen stormed to a dominant eight victories for Porsche, Audi and Bentley. The 45-year-old tested for Minardi back in 1998, but failed to secure a drive in Formula 1. He will be joined in the stewardship of the Monaco Grand Prix by Lars Osterlind and Jose Abed, both of whom are highly experienced stewards.

Despite a slim possibility of thundery showers Saturday afternoon during qualifying for the race on Sunday, the remainder of the weekend is forecast to be relatively warm and dry. Qualifying on Saturday is understandably much more important around the Principality, with overtaking during the race notoriously difficult. Looking back at the recent qualifying results, Mercedes look likely to once again battle for the coveted pole position. However, with overall speed not necessarily the key to success around Monaco, expect both Red Bull, Lotus, Ferrari and possibly even the likes of McLaren or Force India to battle towards the sharp end of the order throughout the weekend.

This weekend will see Pirelli offer the teams with the soft and super-soft tyre compounds, which is the second time both compounds will be utilized this season. Despite the treacherously narrow characteristics of the Monte-Carlo street circuit, tyre degradation is the lowest witnessed also season, therefore making it a perfect opportunity for Pirelli to offer their two softest compounds.

With the large discrepancies already witnessed this season between qualifying and race pace, this year’s Monaco Grand Prix is expected to be a thrilling spectacle. With passing notoriously difficulty, pole position will be as good as a victory for the lucky driver come the end of qualifying. Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton have been the qualifying kings so far this season, and both will be striving to replicate such pace this weekend.

Picture(s) Copyright © Pirelli & Williams F1 Team

2012 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix Preview

After the thrilling and slightly incident-filled Singapore Grand Prix, Formula 1 moves swiftly on to Suzuka for what will be the 37th running of the Japanese Grand Prix. First held unofficially back in 1963 at Suzuka, and officially in 1976 at the Fuji Speedway, the Japanese Grand Prix has become a firm favorite throughout the F1 paddock.

Due largely to Lewis Hamilton’s surprise switch from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 season, the atmosphere within the paddock throughout this weekend will undoubtedly be electrifying. With the Drivers’ Championship still amazingly wide-open, the Japanese Grand Prix will most certainly once again produce some sensational action as the season draws to a conclusion.

Damon Hill won his one and only World Championship in an epic race in 1996.

First officially held in 1976 around the Fuji Speedway, when James Hunt clinched his one and only Drivers’ Championship in the unbearably wet conditions, the Japanese Grand Prix has seen some of the most iconic moments in the history of the sport. From Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost’s controversial collisions in 1989 and 1990, to the emotional crowning of Damon Hill as the first driver to follow in his father’s footsteps and become World Champion.

The Japanese Grand Prix has been held on only two circuits throughout its long and vibrant history, with Suzuka and the Fuji Speedway unquestionably producing some of the most exhilarating racing seen in Formula 1. Fuji hosted the first official Japanese Grand Prix, however in 1978 the race was removed from the calendar until 1987 when Suzuka brought Formula 1 back to Japan. From 1987 to 2006, the Japanese Grand Prix was held solely around Suzuka, and saw the likes of Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Damon Hill and Mika Hakkinen crowned Champions.

However, in 2007 the race was moved back to the Fuji Speedway, in what turned out to be one of the wettest races in the history of the sport. Lewis Hamilton took a memorable victory for McLaren, however a year later the Briton endured copious amounts of bad luck when the Japanese Grand Prix returned once again to the Fuji Speedway. This time Fernando Alonso took victory, before Suzuka once again became the sole host of the Japanese Grand Prix in 2009.

Michael Schumacher is unquestionably the most successful driver at the Japanese Grand Prix, like with many races on the F1 calendar. The once dominant German has won six times at Japan (’95, ’97, ’00, ’01, ’02 and ’04), his first coming with Benetton which enabled him to clinch only his second World Championship. McLaren are the most successful team in Japan, having won nine times with the likes of Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen and Kimi Raikkonen behind the wheel (’77, ’88, ’91, ’93, ’98, ’99, ’05, ’07 and ’11)

The DRS zone for this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix has remained in the same location as last season, albeit shortened slightly by 20 meters. The detection zone will be situated 50m before turn 16, and if a driver is lucky enough to be within a second of the driver in front at this stage, he may open his DRS flap at the Control Line which is after turn 18. Last season saw many overtaking maneuvers into turn 1 with the assistance of DRS, and the slightly modified overtaking zone should once again produce some thrilling action throughout the race.

Former F1 driver, Derek Warwick, will reprise his role as the FIA representative steward at this weekends Japanese Grand Prix, a role the Briton last carried out at the German Grand Prix earlier in the season. Warwick raced in 146 Grands Prix during career, racing for the likes of Renault and Lotus before moving to Sportscars and then the British Touring Car Championship in 1995, 1997 and 1998.

The Japanese Grand Prix has become renowned for producing some of the most exciting racing in Formula 1, and therefore is regarded by many fans and drivers alike as one of the best venues on the calendar. In this highly entertaining and still slightly unpredictable season, it’s likely that Suzuka will produce yet another exhilarating Japanese Grand Prix as this unique Formula 1 season finally draws to an epic conclusion.

Picture(s) Copyright © Pirelli & Williams F1 Team

Williams Expecting Strong Performance At Suzuka

Williams are expecting yet another strong performance at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, following on from their relative competitiveness at the Singapore Grand Prix last time out. Although both drivers failed to finish the Singapore race, the team was encouraged by their qualifying and race performances.

As the Formula 1 fraternity heads to the famous Suzuka circuit, the Grove-based outfit are targeting another strong race weekend. After Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna both retired from the Singapore Grand Prix due to mechanical issues, Williams are hopeful that those reliability issues do not return throughout the remaining races. Like many of the drivers up and down the grid, both Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna rate the Suzuka circuit as one of their favorites, and can’t wait for the track action to start.

“I’m really looking forward to getting to Japan this week.” Explained Pastor Maldonado, “I think everyone in the paddock looks forward to this race, as the fans in Japan are some of the best in the world and give us all such a warm welcome. I also enjoy the track as it’s one of the historic circuits in Formula One. There is a good combination of high speed corners and we run close to the maximum amount of downforce. It’s a great challenge as a driver.”

Bruno Senna is equally positive with regards to the Suzuka circuit, a track which saw his uncle, Ayrton Senna, carry out some of F1’s most iconic moments including two controversial collisions with arch-rival Alain Prost. Bruno Senna, however, likens the Suzuka circuit to that of Spa-Francorchamps, another legendary circuit revered by many within the paddock.

“I’m really looking forward to the Japanese Grand Prix.” Enthused Bruno Senna, “It’s one of my favorite tracks of the season and it’s very fast and flowing but quite narrow compared to some of the other circuits we visit. It is similar to Spa-Francorchamps so it’s a real drivers’ track. You can get variable weather in Japan ranging from warm and sunny to rain that stops qualifying. It’s always exciting though and we have a good potential to be strong there.”

With Pastor Maldonado still yet to score a single World Championship point since his win back in May, and Bruno Senna striving to enjoy an incident-free race weekend, Williams are most certainly aiming for further points at the Japanese Grand Prix. However, with the unforgiving characteristics of the Suzuka circuit, the Japanese Grand Prix weekend will be tough for all the drivers up and down the grid.

Picture Copyright © Williams F1 Team

Professor Sid Watkins Passes Away Aged 84

The man who unquestionably increased motorsport safety, Professor Sid Watkins, has passed away at the age of 84. A renowned neurosurgeon, Sid Watkins started working in Formula 1 in 1978 after being offered a job by Bernie Ecclestone. In his 26 years served as the FIA Medical Delegate for the Formula 1 World Championship, Watkins saved the lives of numerous F1 drivers.

Brought up in Liverpool, Professor Sid Watkins was officially appointed as the F1 Doctor back in 1978, after being offered the job by the then Chief Executive of the Formula One Constructors’ Association, Bernie Ecclestone. The first race he attended was the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix at Anderstorp, a race eventually won by the Brabham of Niki Lauda. After the death of Ronnie Peterson at the 1978 Italian Grand Prix, Sid Watkins immediately made an impact on the safety of the sport by demanding that a medical car and a medical helicopter be introduced at the races, as well as requesting improved safety equipment.

In 1981, Sid Watkins was appointed the President of the Medical Commission, an organization set up by the sports governing body FISA. Sid Watkins was on the scene only moments after Gilles Villeneuve suffered his fatal incident during qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix. He was also first on the scene when Riccardo Paletti died at the start of the 1982 Canadian Grand Prix, extinguishing the fire which engulfed the Italian’s car whilst his boots melted in the blaze.

By the mid-1980s, Sid Watkins was already becoming renowned for his superlative work towards the safety of the sport, and was presented with a silver trophy during the drivers’ briefing prior to the 1985 British Grand Prix. In 1992, Sid Watkins founded the Brain and Spine foundation and in 1994 he was appointed Chairman of the FIA Expert Advisory Safety Committee following the deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and good friend Ayrton Senna during the tragic events of the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola.

In 1995, Sid Watkins unquestionably saved the life of future double World Champion Mika Hakkinen, after the Finn crashed heavily during qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix on the Adelaide Street Circuit. The McLaren driver was declared unconscious after the incident, and upon arriving at the scene Sid Watkins restarted Hakkinen’s heart twice before carrying out a tracheotomy to clear his air passage.

In 2002, Professor Sid Watkins was made a member of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), and in 2005 he announced his official retirement from the world of motorsport. Watkins was succeeded by Gary Hartstein, who remains the FIA Medical Delegate for the Formula 1 World Championship to this day. Sid Watkins remained the President of the FIA Institute until December 8th, 2011, before he finally decided to retire for good.

Professor Sid Watkins oversaw the implementation of many safety procedures throughout his career, such as the medical car following the pack during the opening lap of the race to enable a quick response if a major incident occurred. Such procedures are now vital in the safety of the sport, and Sid Watkins will be forever remembered as the man who restructured safety in Formula 1.

Picture Copyright © LAT Photographic

Sir Frank Williams: “If I Wasn’t Still A Fan I Wouldn’t Be Here”

After a relatively tough few years in Formula 1, Williams have started 2012 in tremendous fashion with their first victory in the sport since way back in 2004. Since the glory days of the mid-90s, Williams F1 have gradually declined from World Championship contenders on a yearly basis to a team struggling amongst the midfield.

However, Williams co-founder and team principal Sir Frank Williams has remained glued to the sport which he so dearly loves. With Williams suffering a dismal seven years in Formula 1, Pastor Maldonado’s victory at this years Spanish Grand Prix brought smiles to many within the paddock. In the unpredictable world which is the 2012 season, Williams have already scored 45 points in comparison to 5 from the whole of last season.

During Williams’ dominant era through the 1990s, the Grove-based outfit had the ability to have many drivers striving for the opportunity to race for the legendary team. Drivers such as Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, Ayrton Senna, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve all raced for Williams throughout the 1990s, with many race victories and Drivers’ Championships coming in abundance for good measure. However, lately Sir Frank Williams has been accused of signing pay drivers, something which the 70-year-old disbelieves greatly.

“People who accused me of that are in the wrong business themselves.” Said Sir Frank Williams in an interview with Formula1.com. “They take money from what they do. Journalists are that way, aren’t they? In the old days the price of running in Formula 1 was probably one tenth or at most 15 percent of what it is now. It is very expensive to be in Formula 1. And it might happen that you take on a driver who brings along some money. There is no shame in that whatsoever.”

Whether or not Sir Frank Williams signed Pastor Maldonado due to his huge sponsorship from Venezuelan state-owned petroleum company PDVSA, the former GP2 Champion has undeniably showed his worth to the Williams outfit. After a relatively mundane debut season last year, the Venezuelan driver has already taken his maiden victory in 2012. Sir Frank Williams believes the change of fortune for Williams has a lot to do with Adam Parr, who left the team in March.

“Adam Parr – to his credit – played a significant role in his all too short time with the team.” Explained Sir Frank Williams, “I am very sad that he left as he is a terribly clever man who took on two or three key people, like Mike Coughlan for instance, and some key people in engineering, and that makes all the difference.”

With Formula 1 set to introduce some stark changes to the regulations in years to come, including the possibility of yet more additions to the already bulging calendar, Sir Frank Williams amazingly seems unbothered with the future of the sport. He believes that with Bernie Ecclestone at the helm, all should remain fine.

“I am not one of these people who sit back and dream about what Formula 1 should be.” Continued the 70-year-old, “We have Bernie to do that, God bless him. I hope it will be the same speed, the same noise – and so far I see that model going on. I love speed, I love noise, I love competition and if I wasn’t still a fan I wouldn’t be here.”

With Sir Frank Williams blatantly still in love with the sport 33 years after Clay Regazzoni won his teams first ever Grand Prix at Silverstone in 1979, it seems as though the Williams name will remain strong in Formula 1 for years to come. With Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna currently carrying the hopes and dreams of the Grove-based team, the 2012 season will always be one to remember for Williams F1.

Picture Copyright © Williams F1 Team

Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2012 Preview

With the 2012 Formula 1 season now fully renowned for its unpredictability after the first five races, all eyes and attention now turns to what is undeniably the crown-jewel of not only Formula 1, but also motor sport in general…the Monaco Grand Prix. Famous for its glamour and prestige, the Monte-Carlo street circuit has seen some of the most iconic moments in F1’s history.

First held in 1929, the Monaco Grand Prix has been held every year since 1955. The race is one of only four to have been on the inaugural calendar in 1950, and to still be on the 2012 calendar alongside Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps and Monza. In the track’s long and colorful history, some of the sports most legendary figures have been victorious on the street circuit, including the likes of Fangio, Moss, Hill, Stewart, Villeneuve, Prost, Senna and Schumacher.

The most successful driver around the Monte-Carlo street circuit was the legendary Ayrton Senna, who won the Monaco Grand Prix an unbelievable six times (’87, ’89, ’90, ’91, ’92 and ’93). The Brazilian driver won five of those races with McLaren, who are the most successful Constructor around the Monte-Carlo street circuit, having won the race 15 times (’84, ’85, ’86, ’88, ’89, ’90, ’91, ’92, ’93, ’98, ’00, ’02, ’05, ’07 and ’08). As much as this stat will give confidence to their two drivers’ Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, McLaren haven’t won the race in three years, with rivals Red Bull having done so for the last two consecutive seasons.

The first two practice sessions for the Formula 1 weekend will take place on the Thursday, instead of traditionally taking place on the Friday throughout the rest of the season at other venues. On the Friday, a frenetic morning of support races is planned, with GP3 Qualifying and Race 1 alongside the GP2 feature race.

There has been several minor alterations to the circuit since the 2011 race, most notably where the track has been resurfaced in several areas to try and remove bumps in the track. The TecPro barriers which proved highly effective when Sergio Perez crashed in qualifying last year have been implemented at turns 1 and 14, replacing tyre walls. And also, stemming from Perez’s incident last year, a crane has been removed from the end of the barrier at the turn 10 and 11 chicane. This has subsequently created nearly 15 meters more run-off space.

The DRS zone has remained the same from 2011, with the overtaking device also banned from use in the tunnel. This ban was in use last year, after drivers campaigned against DRS as they believed it would be unsafe if deployed within the tunnel. This therefore means that DRS can only be deployed down the start/finish straight during the race. Former British Formula 1 World Champion Nigel Mansell will be the drivers’ steward for this weekend, a role which has been carried out by Johnny Herbert, Emanuele Pirro and Tom Kristensen throughout 2012.

With five different winners in five races throughout 2012 so far, the unpredictability is expected to continue when the cars finally take to the Monte-Carlo street circuit this weekend. With drivers’ such as Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen yet to win in 2012, the possibility of a sixth different winner is exceedingly high!

Picture Copyright © Williams F1 Team

Williams Prepared For Monaco Despite Fire

Williams are fully prepared for this weekends Monaco Grand Prix, even though a freak fire tore through their garage after the Spanish Grand Prix last time out. This incident occurred whilst the majority of the team were celebrating after Pastor Maldonado had won Williams’ first victory since 2004.

As the garage was quickly evacuated, many team personnel from up and down the grid rushed to the scene to tackle the flames, with 31 team personnel in total being taken to the Circuit de Catalunya’s medical facilities after the incident. With lots of equipment damaged during the blaze, Williams were set with a mighty task to be prepared for the Monaco Grand Prix. 

“On the back of Pastor’s excellent win in Barcelona both drivers are eager to get back on track, aiming to bring both cars home in the points on Sunday afternoon.” Said the teams Chief Operations Engineer, Mark Gillan. “The team’s preparations for Monaco have been somewhat hampered by last Sunday’s garage fire, but the impact of the fire has been mitigated by what can only be described as a Herculean effort by the factory and our suppliers to restock both the damaged equipment and car parts. We would also like to thank the generous offers of help from the other teams, highlighting once more the excellent sportsmanship that exists in Formula One and high levels of camaraderie throughout the pit lane.”

Both Williams drivers’ are looking forward to this weekends Monaco Grand Prix, with both Senna and Maldonado rating the Monte-Carlo street circuit as one of their favorite tracks on the calendar. Bruno’s uncle Ayrton is the most successful driver around the track, winning six times in his career. With both Bruno Senna and Pastor Maldonado having won around the streets of Monaco throughout their GP2 careers, they will undeniably be eager to replicate such success in Formula 1, in a car which has already been victorious in 2012.

Picture Copyright © Williams F1 Team

Michael Schumacher Blames “Idiot” Bruno Senna For Incident

Undeniably the most accomplished driver in the sport, Michael Schumacher, has had an atrocious run of luck this season, in comparison to team-mate Nico Rosberg who has already notched up one race victory in 2012. The lack of luck continued to plague Schumacher during Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix, after a collision with Bruno Senna.

Only moments after the Mercedes ground to a halt after slamming into the rear of Senna’s Williams, Michael Schumacher was heard calling the Brazilian an “idiot” over the team radio, before throwing his steering wheel out of the car in disgust with the situation. With the two coming together once before in their career, at last year’s Brazilian Grand Prix, it seems there is still no love loss between the pair as they both blame each other for the incident.

“I just took a minute to watch the video and if you look at the overhead shot you can see that he moves right to defend his inside position, but in the braking phase he moves back left right in front of me,” explained Michael Schumacher shortly after the incident. “Then I tried to avoid to the inside again, but too late. Then it’s done because that’s in the braking phase. Very frustrating. Very much annoyed about that. We’ve had already a strange maneuver from him in Brazil last year and a lap before he had a get together with Grosjean, I don’t know what exactly happened there.”

However, with Schumacher firmly placing the blame on Senna’s shoulders, the Brazilian driver sees otherwise, and believes it was simply Schumacher’s fault for the incident.

“Of course he’s not going to say it’s his own fault, but at the end of the day he had much newer tyres than me, I was on very old rubber by then, so I guess our braking points were uneven for Turn 1,” explained Bruno Senna, whose team-mate went on to win the race. 

This incident is reminiscent of 1992, when a much younger Michael Schumacher slammed into the rear of Ayrton Senna, Bruno’s uncle, at Magny-Cours in France. Michael Schumacher and Bruno Senna, however, will be eager to carry on from this unfortunate coming together look ahead to the Monaco Grand Prix.

Picture Copyright © Mercedes AMG Petronas

Bruno Senna: “Barcelona Is One Of My Favorite Tracks”

After completing the Mugello test alongside team-mates’ Pastor Maldonado and Valtteri Bottas, Bruno Senna is looking forward to this weekends Spanish Grand Prix. Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya is one of the Brazilian’s favorites, all the more reason as to why he is looking forward to racing there.

The Brazilian driver, the nephew of the great Ayrton Senna, has only raced at Barcelona once in his Formula 1 career, back in 2010 during his debut year for HRT. However, back in 2007 during his first year in GP2, Senna won the feature race for Arden International. Bruno’s uncle Ayrton never won around the Circuit de Catalunya, however he did win the Spanish Grand Prix when it was held at Jerez.

“Barcelona is one of my favorite tracks and I get a lot of support there so I am really looking forward to the race.” Explained Bruno Senna, “It is a very tough circuit physically and mentality, with plenty of high speed corners and a technical last sector which separates the drivers. Lots of cars will come to Barcelona with new parts so it will be interesting to see who has progressed.”

With a frenetic three days of testing at Mugello, it’s expected many teams will bring new updates to their car this weekend at the Spanish Grand Prix. Williams will be hoping to maintain their competitive form in the mid-field throughout the weekend, alongside the likes of Toro Rosso and Force India.

Picture Copyright © Williams F1 Team 

Felipe Nasr Q&A

After the opening six races of the 2012 GP2 Series, Brazilian rookie Felipe Nasr has already scored 28 points and currently lies 8th in the Drivers’ Championship. As a former British Formula Three Champion, he undoubtably has his eyes set on a future F1 drive.

Managed by the same organization as former Formula 1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen, and having already raced in the Daytona 24 Hours Endurance Race, the 19-year-old Brazilian has already had a highly colorful and competitive racing career.

With Felipe Massa and Bruno Senna currently the only Brazilian drivers’ racing in Formula 1, Felipe Nasr explains his career ambitions as he strives to become Brazil’s 31st F1 driver.

Q: After your first four races in GP2, how do you feel you have settled in to the Series? You have made quite a competitive start!
Felipe Nasr: It is a steep learning curve, new team, new car, new tyres. Such an amount of new things and so little time to test it all! But DAMS was great in transmitting me all the enormous experience they have and making me feel at home to speed up this blending period. This is one of the reasons I was able to be quite competitive from the word go.

Q: With your team-mate Davide Valsecchi making a very successful start to the season, do you feel you will be able to match him throughout 2012?

FN: Davide is in his 5^th year in the Series and a very good driver. He worked for that and deserves the success he is having. I can only have him as an example to follow closely, and if I can one day or another match or beat him means that I am also working and progressing in the right direction.

Q: Racing at this years’ Rolex 24 at Daytona, how much of a learning curve was this for you? How different was it in comparison to open-wheel racing such as British Formula Three or GP2?

FN: The Rolex 24 at Daytona was both my first experience driving a car which I could not see where the front wheels where pointing to and my first endurance race. It is all about falling on a different performance groove and it served to see how good my physical and mental preparation was. I want to do it again next year for sure. Although it is so different from F3 and GP2 it is a racing car that has to be driven gently as fast as possible.

Q: How special does it feel to be classed as a British Formula Three Champion, along with fellow countrymen Ayrton Senna and Rubens Barrichello?

FN: And so many other names Brazilian or not. I will always be proud of having my name in the British F3 Hall of Fame, if you can call it that.

Q: The three British Formula Three Champions’ before you (Vergne, Ricciardo and Alguersuari) all drover for Carlin and eventually became Formula 1 drivers’. Do you see this as a good omen, and do you one day see yourself as a Formula 1 driver?

FN: Isn’t it part of the package? Win F3 get F1? Haha! Just joking, hope it is more than a good omen and it turns into a prophecy.

Q: Many Brazilian drivers’ have raced in America’s IndyCar Series. Would you one day consider racing in the U.S. yourself?

FN: I am a professional racing driver, all doors must be open and all opportunities have to be analyzed when the time comes. Now I am concentrated on my DAMS GP2 era and my eventual future in F1. 

Many thanks to DAMS and Felipe Nasr for the communication and time taken to complete this interview.

Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service