Rene Binder Q&A
The 2013 GP2 Series season may only be several races old, however Austrian driver Rene Binder has already surpassed the first milestone of his career in the category by picking up his first point during the sprint race in Malaysia. The 21-year-old made his debut in the Series last year at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Prior to making his debut in the GP2 Series with Venezuela GP Lazarus towards the end of last season, Rene Binder competed in the German Formula Three Series with Van Amersfoort Racing. The 21-year-old Austrian made his debut in single seater racing back in 2009 in the ADAC Formel Masters category with Team Abt Sportsline. The 21-year-old Austrian also competed in Formula 2 for his home event in 2011 at the Red Bull Ring, finishing 16th and 13th respectively in the two races.
Motorsport runs in his blood, with his father [Franz Binder] and uncle [Hans Binder] having both competed in motor racing, with the latter starting several races in Formula 1 throughout the 1970s. So far this season, Rene Binder has finished each of the four races for Venezuela GP Lazarus, a team competing in their second season in the GP2 Series. With several weeks before the next race weekend around Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, I caught up with Rene Binder to discuss his career so far in the GP2 Series.
Q: First of all Rene, many thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. You made you debut in the GP2 Series towards the end of last year at the Belgian Grand Prix replacing Giancarlo Serenelli. Did you feel any added pressure entering a new series with a new team at such a late stage in the season?
Rene Binder: It was a difficult decision as I had no idea what was going to happen in Spa. We are talking about the official feeder series of Formula 1 and I arrived from a national German F3 series, but right from the beginning I had a good feeling with the powerful car and with the Pirelli tyres.
Q: You are now in your first full season in the category and Venezuela GP Lazarus are in their second season. Although you only contested in six races together last year, have you noticed any improvements within the outfit as they become accustomed to life in the support category to Formula 1?
RB: You should not forget that Tancredi Pagiaro and his engineers have won races in GP2 before, therefore I have never questioned the competitiveness of Venezuela GP Lazarus. It is a young but very professional team and we are growing together, which is good.
Q: This season you have so far scored your first point in the GP2 Series with 8th during the Malaysian Grand Prix sprint race. Do you feel more confident this season, or are you still learning as the year progresses?
Rene Binder on his way to his first point in the GP2 Series.
RB: Of course, I am much better prepared but you never stop learning in GP2. It is a very tough challenge to prepare for a qualifying in only two/three flying laps of free practice and it is even harder if you don’t know the tracks like Sepang, Bahrain or Monte-Carlo. Anyway, I feel in good shape and I am confident that we can achieve some good results already this season.
Q: At Bahrain you were struck with a drive-thru penalty for allegedly forcing Mitch Evans off of the track. Do you think this penalty was justified, or do you think your battle with Evans was just close and exciting racing?
RB: The penalty was definitely not justified and a few hours later there was exactly the same situation between Jenson Button and Sergio Perez without any consequences.
Q: Although it has been several years since an Austrian driver competed in a Formula 1 race, the nation has remained at the top of the sport with the success of Red Bull. Has the team’s dominance of recent years sparked more interest in the sport back home in Austria?
RB: Austria is a country with a strong historical background in F1, going back to Jochen Rindt and Niki Lauda, and it’s definitely positive for the fans that we now have a team that is sporting our flags in the top class of motorsport. But, needless to say, that the fans are also hoping for an Austrian driver in Formula 1 again.
Q: Finally, how do you see the remainder of the 2013 season panning out for both yourself and Venezuela GP Lazarus? Do you think you can fight for podium finishes as the season progresses?
RB: My goals haven’t changed yet. I want to be in a position to be fighting for points as often as possible. I don’t know if I can fight for podiums later this season, we will see. It doesn’t make sense to think about results now, I prefer to focus on my set-up work together with my engineer, on my physical training and on my mental preparation. The most important thing for me was that we showed a good race pace in Bahrain with the 3rd fastest lap time in race two and the 4th fastest lap in race one. We are moving to the right direction.
Many thanks to Rene Binder and Venezuela GP Lazarus for the communication and time taken to complete this interview.
Picture(s) Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
Tom Dillmann Fastest After Opening Day Of Jerez GP2 Test
Tom Dillmann has ended the opening day of the Jerez GP2 test fastest overall, after a productive first day for newcomers Hilmer Motorsport. The Frenchman set the time in the afternoon period, whereas Britain’s Jolyon Palmer set the pace in the morning session for Carlin.
The opening day of the test began in cold yet clear conditions at the Jerez circuit, as the majority of the drivers immediately took to the track to carry out their respective installation laps. Once the track temperature had improved, Venezuela GP Lazarus’s Rene Binder became the first driver to set a timed lap. The first red flag delay of the day followed, by returning Norwegian driver Pau Varhaug who spun and stopped on the track. Once the session was resumed, Tom Dillmann proceeded to set the pace before the Arden of Johnny Cecotto jr. rose to the top.
Sweden’s Marcus Ericsson set the pace for DAMS as the morning session progressed, before a second red flag delay was caused when Sergio Canamasas spun into the barrier at Turn 4. The session was quickly resumed, however, allowing the Carlin of Jolyon Palmer to assert his authority over proceedings with a 01:25.330. A third red flag delay only three minutes before the end of the session caused by reigning GP3 Champion Mitch Evans saw the morning session end under red flag conditions, thus allowing Jolyon Palmer to remain in command at the top ahead of Marcus Ericsson and Rene Binder.
After the two hour lunch break, Swiss driver Fabio Leimer set the benchmark for Racing Engineering, whilst the majority of the field elected to run race simulations. However, Monegasque driver Stephane Richelmi rose to the top for DAMS as the time at the top continued to tumble throughout the afternoon session. James Calado momentarily set the fastest time for ART Grand Prix, before Fabio Leimer returned to the top. Another red flag delay was caused by Daniel de Jong for newcomers MP Motorsport, which saw the Dutchman stop on the track at Turn 7.
With only 20 minutes remaining in the session, Tom Dillmann shot to the top with a 01:25.059, just under three tenths faster than the benchmark from the morning period set by the Carlin of Jolyon Palmer. Tom Dillmann remained fastest as the opening day drew to a close, with Fabio Leimer and Felipe Nasr rounding out the top three. The GP2 fraternity will return tomorrow for the second day of the Jerez test, with proceedings set to get underway at 9am local time.
Morning times: Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps 1. Jolyon Palmer Carlin 1m25.330s 19 2. Marcus Ericsson DAMS 1m25.426s + 0.096s 11 3. Rene Binder Lazarus 1m25.541s + 0.211s 23 4. Johnny Cecotto Arden 1m25.574s + 0.244s 20 5. Stephane Richelmi DAMS 1m25.574s + 0.244s 15 6. Jake Rosenzweig Addax 1m25.842s + 0.512s 25 7. James Calado ART 1m25.911s + 0.581s 18 8. Tom Dillmann Hilmer 1m25.922s + 0.592s 12 9. Simon Trummer Rapax 1m25.998s + 0.668s 17 10. Felipe Nasr Carlin 1m26.019s + 0.689s 22 11. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering 1m26.066s + 0.736s 8 12. Mitch Evans Arden 1m26.070s + 0.740s 14 13. Julian Leal Racing Engineering 1m26.209s + 0.879s 17 14. Kevin Giovesi Lazarus 1m26.244s + 0.914s 16 15. Rio Haryanto Addax 1m26.398s + 1.068s 20 16. Robin Frijns Trident 1m26.438s + 1.108s 17 17. Daniel de Jong MP 1m26.443s + 1.113s 9 18. Daniel Abt ART 1m26.565s + 1.235s 15 19. Nathanael Berthon Trident 1m26.732s + 1.402s 15 20. Ma Qing Hua Caterham 1m26.990s + 1.660s 11 21. Pal Varhaug Hilmer 1m27.926s + 2.596s 17 22. Sergio Canamasas Caterham 1m31.642s + 6.312s 5 23. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs MP - 1 24. Stefano Coletti Rapax - 1 Afternoon times: Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps 1. Tom Dillmann Hilmer 1m25.059 23 2. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering 1m25.248 + 0.189s 27 3. Felipe Nasr Carlin 1m25.262 + 0.203s 34 4. James Calado ART 1m25.403 + 0.344s 31 5. Rene Binder Lazarus 1m25.405 + 0.346s 16 6. Marcus Ericsson DAMS 1m25.480 + 0.421s 33 7. Daniel de Jong MP 1m25.506 + 0.447s 30 8. Stephane Richelmi DAMS 1m25.585 + 0.526s 28 9. Robin Frijns Trident 1m25.602 + 0.543s 24 10. Johnny Cecotto Arden 1m25.656 + 0.597s 29 11. Simon Trummer Rapax 1m25.718 + 0.659s 40 12. Kevin Giovesi Lazarus 1m25.819 + 0.760s 35 13. Daniel Abt ART 1m25.933 + 0.874s 34 14. Mitch Evans Arden 1m26.116 + 1.057s 32 15. Stefano Coletti Rapax 1m26.200 + 1.141s 31 16. Julian Leal Racing Engineering 1m26.222 + 1.163s 33 17. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs MP 1m26.405 + 1.346s 39 18. Sergio Canamasas Caterham 1m26.610 + 1.551s 22 19. Nathanael Berthon Trident 1m26.682 + 1.623s 25 20. Jolyon Palmer Carlin 1m27.005 + 1.946s 23 21. Pal Varhaug Hilmer 1m27.595 + 2.536s 22 22. Rio Haryanto Addax 1m27.855 + 2.796s 23 23. Ma Qing Hua Caterham 1m28.002 + 2.943s 31 24. Jake Rosenzweig Addax 1m29.492 + 4.433s 25
Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
Rene Binder Retained At Venezuela GP Lazarus For 2013 GP2 Season
Venezuela GP Lazarus have decided to retain Austrian driver Rene Binder for the 2013 GP2 season, after the 21-year-old impressed the Italian outfit during his period with the team throughout the latter half of the 2012 season. Binder replaced Giancarlo Serenelli at the team at the Belgian Grand Prix alongside Sergio Canamasas.
After a tough debut season in the Series, where Venezuela GP Lazarus only managed to score one World Championship point, the Italian outfit will be hoping Rene Binder will be able to spearhead a more competitive season in 2013. Although the Austrian driver is still relatively new to the GP2 Series, he is hopeful that his first full season will be both productive and rewarding.
“I am sure we have made the right decision to sign for Venezuela GP Lazarus so I want to thank Tancredi Pagiaro and all our partners who have made that step possible.” Explained Rene Binder, “The GP2 Series will be very competitive this year with some strong drivers arriving from other junior categories but I want to fully concentrate on my own preparations and get the maximum from the car and, of course, from the tyres. This will be my first full season and I cannot wait for the pre-season tests to get underway.”
Rene Binder will naturally endure a tough start to the season in March, when the GP2 Series visits venues such as Malaysia and Bahrain, two of many circuits which Rene Binder will have to quickly learn during free practice ahead of qualifying and the two races. It is as of yet unknown who will team-mate the Austrian driver at Venezuela GP Lazarus for the forthcoming season, however it’s clear that Rene Binder is already itching to return to the track.
Picture Copyright © Malcolm Griffiths/GP2 Series Media Service
Johnny Cecotto jr. Ends The Final GP2 Post-Season Test Fastest At Jerez
Johnny Cecotto jr. has ended the GP2 season on an extremely positive note, as the Venezuelan driver finished fastest on the second and final day of the last post-season test around Spain’s Jerez circuit. Cecotto jr. was fastest in both the morning and afternoon sessions, as he tested for Arden International.
In stark contrast to yesterday’s foggy start, the second day dawned with fabulous sunshine at the Jerez circuit. This enabled the drivers to instantly take to the track, with many varying driver changes occurring overnight. This saw Johnny Cecotto jr. move from Carlin to Arden International, Stephane Richelmi and newly-crowned GP3 Champion Mitch Evans move to DAMS, Kevin Mirocha test for iSport International, Rio Haryanto move to Lotus GP, Marcus Ericsson switch to Scuderia Coloni, Sergio Canamasas move to Trident Racing, Ramon Piniero switch to Carlin and also Fabio Leimer return to Racing Engineering.
In the opening thirty minutes of the day, Johnny Cecotto jr. immediately stormed to the top with a 01:26.457. However, Cecotto’s reign was short lived as Felipe Nasr and then Adrian Quaife-Hobbs rose to the top. The Briton’s supremacy was thwarted as the session progressed, as Johnny Cecotto jr. reasserted his authority over proceedings. Daniel Juncadella caused the first red flag of the day, as the Rapax driver spun and stopped on the track. A second red flag delay interrupted proceedings shortly after, this time featuring a spin by Caterham’s Simon Trummer who also stopped out on track.
The morning session ended with Johnny Cecotto jr. fastest by just under a tenth from Carlin’s Felipe Nasr, with Adrian Quaife-Hobbs a close 3rd. After the one hour lunch interval, the teams and drivers once again returned to the Jerez circuit, with Johnny Cecotto jr. once again rising to the top and setting the early pace. The session was red flagged for a third time, as Kevin Giovesi stopped out on the circuit due to mechanical issues which struck his Venezuelan GP Lazarus car.
As the afternoon session drew to a conclusion, many drivers began switching their attention to long race simulations. This saw Johnny Cecotto jr.’s time at the top remain unbeaten at the checkered flag, as the Venezuelan driver was followed home by the DAMS of Stephane Richelmi and the Venezuela GP Lazarus of Rene Binder.
The GP2 fraternity now enters the winter break, after an enthralling 2012 season which eventually saw Davide Valsecchi crowned Champion after a season-long battle with Luiz Razia. The Series will once again return in February, with pre-season testing scheduled to begin on February 26th for three days at Jerez. The Series will then move swiftly on to Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, for the second pre-season test prior to the start of the 2013 season which is scheduled to take place once again as a support for the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix around Kuala Lumpur’s picturesque Sepang circuit.
Morning session: Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Johnny Cecotto Jr Arden 1m25.694s 2. Felipe Nasr Carlin 1m25.719s + 0.025s 3. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs Arden 1m26.013s + 0.319s 4. Marcus Ericsson Coloni 1m26.118s + 0.424s 5. Kevin Giovesi Lazarus 1m26.149s + 0.455s 6. Stephane Richelmi DAMS 1m26.314s + 0.620s 7. Rio Haryanto Lotus 1m26.345s + 0.651s 8. Alexander Sims Addax 1m26.346s + 0.652s 9. Stefano Coletti Rapax 1m26.451s + 0.757s 10. Alexander Rossi Caterham 1m26.468s + 0.774s 11. Daniel Juncadella Rapax 1m26.543s + 0.849s 12. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering 1m26.569s + 0.875s 13. Julian Leal Trident 1m26.608s + 0.914s 14. Daniel Abt Lotus 1m26.816s + 1.122s 15. Daniel de Jong Coloni 1m26.857s + 1.163s 16. Mitch Evans DAMS 1m26.926s + 1.232s 17. Rene Binder Lazarus 1m26.961s + 1.267s 18. Sergio Canamasas Trident 1m27.060s + 1.366s 19. Jolyon Palmer iSport 1m27.148s + 1.454s 20. Nigel Melker Racing Engineering 1m27.165s + 1.471s 21. Kevin Mirocha iSport 1m27.465s + 1.771s 22. Simon Trummer Caterham 1m27.518s + 1.824s 23. Jake Rosenzweig Addax 1m27.992s + 2.298s 24. Ramon Pineiro Carlin 1m30.243s + 4.549s Afternoon times: Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Johnny Cecotto Jr Arden 1m26.585s 2. Stephane Richelmi DAMS 1m26.783s + 0.198s 3. Rene Binder Lazarus 1m27.135s + 0.550s 4. Stefano Coletti Rapax 1m27.215s + 0.630s 5. Jolyon Palmer iSport 1m27.274s + 0.689s 6. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering 1m27.312s + 0.727s 7. Julian Leal Trident 1m27.484s + 0.899s 8. Nigel Melker Racing Engineering 1m27.622s + 1.037s 9. Kevin Giovesi Lazarus 1m27.622s + 1.037s 10. Sergio Canamasas Trident 1m27.634s + 1.049s 11. Kevin Mirocha iSport 1m27.673s + 1.088s 12. Alexander Sims Addax 1m27.803s + 1.218s 13. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs Arden 1m27.885s + 1.300s 14. Marcus Ericsson Coloni 1m27.994s + 1.409s 15. Mitch Evans DAMS 1m27.998s + 1.413s 16. Jake Rosenzweig Addax 1m28.311s + 1.726s 17. Ramon Pineiro Carlin 1m28.630s + 2.045s 18. Simon Trummer Caterham 1m28.929s + 2.344s 19. Rio Haryanto Lotus 1m30.331s + 3.746s 20. Daniel Juncadella Rapax 1m30.668s + 4.083s 21. Alexander Rossi Caterham 1m30.986s + 4.401s 22. Daniel Abt Lotus 1m31.014s + 4.429s 23. Daniel de Jong Coloni 1m31.348s + 4.763s
Picture Copyright © Malcolm Griffiths/GP2 Series Media Service
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