Am Osterwochenende geht es los

(31.03.2009) Mit einem beeindruckenden Starterfeld eröffnet der ATS Formel-3-Cup am Oster-Wochenende in der Motorsportarena Oschersleben die neue Saison. 25 Monoposti sind für die schnellste Formel-Rennserie Deutschlands gemeldet, davon fünf für die interne Klasse ATS Formel-3-Trophy. Einmal mehr kann die von der Formel-3-Vereinigung (F3V) organisierte Serie damit ihre wichtige Position im nationalen Formelsport unterstreichen.
Neue Teams treffen in diesem Jahr auf die arrivierten Mannschaften von HS Technik Motorsport, Van Amersfoort Racing oder Jo Zeller Racing. Ihre Namen: Zettl Sportsline aus dem bayrischen Weng oder ZyXEL RRT aus Moskau. Ebenfalls aus Russland kommt das Team ArtLine Racing, dass wie die finnische Truppe ADRF ihr Debüt in der ATS Formel-3-Trophy geben wird. Während man bei Swiss Racing erstmals auf den Mercedes-Motor setzt, wechselt Performance Racing ins Lager der Volkswagen-Triebwerke.
Ohnehin verspricht die Motorensituation eine gewisse Brisanz: der Großteil des Feldes setzt auf die Power der Mercedes-Treibwerke, zwei Teams treten mit den 2-Liter-Aggregaten aus Wolfsburg an und allen stehen die bewährten Qualitäten der Opel-Motoren gegenüber.
Zehn Formel-3-Neulinge sind in der Saison 2009 dabei. Ihnen bleibt die Wertung ZF-auto motor und sport-Juniorpokal vorbehalten. 10.000 Euro warten in dieser Rookie-Wertung am Jahresende auf den Punktbesten. Auch der AvD-Speedpokal ist wieder ausgeschrieben. Jede Pole-Position und jede schnellste Rennrunde werden hier belohnt.
Die bewährten Systeme im ATS Formel-3-Cup bleiben demnach alle bestehen, lediglich die Distanz im Qualifying und im Rennen wurde angepasst und einheitlich auf 30 Minuten ausgedehnt. Neun Veranstaltungen mit jeweils zwei Rennen, fast immer im neuen Veranstaltungspaket ‚ADAC Masters Weekend’, bilden den ATS Formel-3-Cup 2009.

ATS Formel-3-Cup 2009
Start Bewerber Nation Teamsitz Fahrzeug
Nr. Fahrer Nation Wohnort Motor
1 Jo Zeller Racing SUI Oetwil am See Dallara F307
Frey, Rahel SUI Aedermannsdorf Mercedes
2 HS Technik Motorsport AUT Guntramsdorf Dallara F307
Herndlhofer, Bernd AUT Sollenau Mercedes
3 HS Technik Motorsport AUT Guntramsdorf Dallara F307
R Steindl, Willi AUT Kirchberg Mercedes
4 HS Technik Motorsport AUT Guntramsdorf Dallara F307
Tweraser, Gerhard AUT Spielberg Mercedes
5 Van Amersfoort Racing NEL Huizen Dallara F307
Vanthoor, Laurens BEL Heusden-Zolder Volkswagen
6 Van Amersfoort Racing NEL Huizen Dallara F307
R Dusseldorp, Stef NEL Lichtenvoorde Volkswagen
8 Performance Racing SWE Gothenburg Dallara F307
Suzuki, Rafael BRA Sao Paulo Volkswagen
9 Performance Racing SWE Gothenburg Dallara F307
Fong, Adderly CHN Hong-Kong Volkswagen
11 Neuhauser Racing AUT Zell am Ziller Dallara F307
Oberhauser, Marco AUT Westendorf Mercedes
14 Swiss Racing Team SUI Inwil Dallara F307
Nilsson Max SWE Osby Mercedes
15 Swiss Racing Team SUI Inwil Dallara F307
R Maurage, Mathieu FRA La Batie-Rolland OPC-Challenge
21 Racing Experience LUX Wormeldingen Dallara F307
Hauser, David LUX Wormeldingen Mercedes
22 Racing Experience LUX Wormeldingen Dallara F307
Hauser, Gary LUX Wormeldingen Mercedes
23 Racing Experience LUX Wormeldingen Dallara F307
R Marroc, Nicolas FRA La Roche Sur Yon Mercedes
24 KFR Team F3 CZE Most Dallara F307
Swart, Dennis NEL Amsterdam OPC-Challenge
25 Rennsport Rössler GER Fulda Dallara F307
Schraml, Dominik GER Wiesau Opel
27 Zettl Sportsline GER Weng Dallara F307
R Pommer, Markus GER Erlenbach Mercedes
28 Zettl Sportsline GER Weng Dallara F307
R Monien, Nico GER Römerstein Mercedes
29 Zettl Sportsline GER Wenig Dallara F307
Van der Lof, Shirley NED Hooksbergen Mercedes
35 ZyXEL RRT RUS Moskau Dallara F307
R Semerov, Vladimir RUS Moskau Mercedes
ATS Formel-3-Trophy 2009
Start Bewerber Nation Teamsitz Fahrzeug
Nr. Fahrer Nation Wohnort Motor
55 Rhino’s Leipert Motorsport GER Wegberg Dallara F304
Iannaccone, Luca ITA Rom Opel
60 Francesco Lopez GER Kist Dallara F304
Lopez, Francesco GER Kist Opel
61 ArtLine Racing RUS Moskau Arttech F24
R Shaitar, Victor RUS Moskau Opel
62 ArtLine Racing RUS Moskau Arttech F24
R Chukanov, Sergey UKR Dneprozerzhinsk Opel
64 ADRF FIN Helsinki Fallara f304
R Vähämäki, Mika FIN Kerard Opel

www.formel3.de

2009 Australian Grand Prix Sunday

It was a mixed afternoon for the ING Renault F1 Team as Fernando Alonso finished in 6th position, while teammate Nelson Piquet retired from the race in the early stages.

In a race punctuated by a safety car period, Fernando steadily made up for ground that he had lost on the first lap. He enjoyed a combative race to emerge in the points during his final stint and benefited from the late race incidents. Having secured three points, the team now turns its attention to next week’s Malaysian Grand Prix determined to deliver a more competitive performance.

Fernando Alonso P6
First stint: 19 laps, prime tyres (hard)
Second stint: 33 laps, prime tyres (hard)
Third stint: 6 laps, option tyres

Fernando: “6th place is not the best result, but in a way we have to be happy because we started the race in a difficult position and I was pushed wide at turn 1 onto the grass and so I dropped to the back of the pack. After that, it was difficult and so it’s great to score points. With what happened during the race, the incidents and the safety car, we managed to finish 6th. In terms of the overall results and looking at our competitors, we have to be happy with the result. With the KERS I didn’t feel a big difference and I was a little bit disappointed at how it worked. We also need to work on the tyres a bit more at the next race.”

Nelson Piquet DNF
First stint: 19 laps, prime tyres (hard)

Nelson: “I was really happy because we were lucky at the beginning of the race to gain some positions. The car was good and I was having a consistent drive.  But when the safety car came out I started to have some problems with the brakes. I had a good restart and overtook Nico Rosberg, but when I touched the brakes again they were gone. I spun out and I was lucky I ended up in the gravel, so there was no damage to myself or the car. The car was not as competitive as we wanted it to be in the race but we were still running in the top 8. The Malaysian circuit should suit us better and I’m sure that we can get a good result there next week.”

Flavio Briatore, Managing Director ING Renault F1 Team
“The three points scored by Fernando are not a great consolation for what has been a disappointing weekend for us. We were just not competitive enough and our qualifying performance penalised us for the race. Fernando lost several positions at the start because of the first corner incident which he could not avoid. That said, our two drivers were consistent and tried to make the most of the situation. Nelson made a good start and his race was very promising, but a technical problem unfortunately brought his race to an end. It’s only the first Grand Prix and our intention is to work hard to fight back quickly, starting at the next Grand Prix in Malaysia.

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
“Nelson’s accident appears to have been caused by a problem with the brake system, although as yet we don’t know what that might be. It’s a shame because he was in a reasonable position. We are clearly not as competitive as we need to be and there is a lot of work to be done to get to the front.”

Remi Taffin, Head of Engine Operations
“A mixed result this afternoon with the retirement of Nelson and we will need to look into why he couldn’t finish. We would have been able to do something good with Nelson who had a great start to the race. I think he could have been on the podium, so it’s a shame. We finished 6th with Fernando and when you consider the level of competitiveness that we have shown this weekend, it’s not a bad result. We know that we have to do better and so we will take these points and work hard to try and get a strong result at the next race.”

www.ing-renaultf1.com

Melbourne (AUS). Das BMW Sauber F1 Team erlebte einen enttäuschenden Start in die Saison 2009 – beide F1.09 waren in Unfälle verwickelt. Für Nick Heidfeld war das Rennen schon in der ersten Kurve gelaufen, nachdem ein Konkurrent in ihn reingeschoben worden war. Heidfeld brachte sein beschädigtes Auto als Elfter ins Ziel. Für seinen Teamkollegen Robert Kubica verlief der Große Preis von Australien noch weit dramatischer. Drei Runden vor Schluss griff er im Kampf um Platz zwei Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) an. Beide Autos berührten sich und fielen nach dem Unfall aus.
Nick Heidfeld: 11.
BMW Sauber F1.09-04 / BMW P86/9 (KERS)
Schnellste Runde: 1.28,283 min in Rd. 48 (fünftschnellste insgesamt)
„Das Ergebnis heute ist extrem enttäuschend für mich. Ich hatte so einen guten Start, konnte gleich ein paar Positionen gutmachen, und auch meine Rennstrategie war viel versprechend. In der Anbremszone vor der ersten Kurve habe ich mich eigentlich recht sicher gefühlt. Ich sah weder rechts noch links ein Auto direkt neben mir und habe mich mittig auf der Fahrbahn gehalten. Aber dann hat es plötzlich ‘Bumm’ gemacht. Ich habe an der Box neue Reifen und einen neuen Frontflügel geholt, aber der Schaden war erheblich größer und das Auto nachher kaum noch zu fahren. Ich denke, das KERS hat mir wenigstens etwas geholfen, mit dem langsamen Auto meine Position zu verteidigen. Aber am Ende ist das nicht viel wert, wen interessiert es schon, ob man Elfter oder 13. wird.“
Robert Kubica: Unfall
BMW Sauber F1.09-03 / BMW P86/9
Schnellste Runde: 1.27,988 min in Rd. 36 (zweitschnellste insgesamt)
„Was für eine Enttäuschung! Ich hätte eine gute Chance gehabt, dieses Rennen zu gewinnen, denn Jenson Button und Sebastian Vettel fuhren auf der weicheren Gummimischung und hatten Probleme, während ich mit den harten Reifen viel schneller war. Sebastian fuhr in Kurve eins eine weite Linie und bremste anschließend früh. Ich war schon vorne, doch er wollte mich nicht vorbei lassen. Dann hatte er Untersteuern und berührte mich. Mein Frontflügel rutschte unters Auto, weshalb ich in Kurve fünf abflog. Ich denke, dass Sebastian ein wenig zu optimistisch war. Wäre das in der letzten Kurve geschehen, okay, aber es waren noch drei Runden zu fahren, und er hatte keine realistische Chance, seine Position zu verteidigen, weil ich viel schneller war. Wir beide hatten ein gutes Wochenende bis zu diesem Moment, und nun stehen wir mit leeren Händen da. Das ist wirklich schade! Mein Auto war sehr gut, vor allem im zweiten Stint, als ich die schnellsten Runden fuhr. So ist Racing!“
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Direktor):
„Es war wie schon so oft in Melbourne ein sehr ereignisreiches Rennen. Nick wurde bereits in der ersten Kurve um alle Chancen gebracht. Nach einer unverschuldeten Kollision hatte er nicht nur großen Rückstand, sondern auch eine beschädigte Aerodynamik, die ein Aufholen unmöglich machte. Robert hat ein exzellentes Rennen gezeigt und sich kurz vor Schluss in Schlagdistanz zur Spitze gebracht. Er war am Ende des Rennens auf harten Reifen unterwegs und hatte beste Chancen, die beiden vor ihm fahrenden Autos noch abzufangen und das Rennen zu gewinnen. Die Kollision kurz vor Schluss hat sowohl ihn als auch Sebastian Vettel um einen Podiumsplatz und beide Teams um wertvolle Punkte gebracht. Sehr positiv ist anzumerken, dass wir mit harten Reifen heute sehr schnell unterwegs waren.“
Willy Rampf (Head of Engineering):
„Das war ein turbulenter Saisonauftakt, insbesondere für uns. Nick fiel bereits unmittelbar nach dem Start nach einer unverschuldeten Kollision chancenlos zurück. Noch mehr Pech hatte Robert. Zunächst arbeitete er sich stetig nach vorn, bis er wenige Runden vor Schluss die beiden Führenden attackieren konnte. Aufgrund unserer Reifenwahl war Robert im letzten Stint mit harten Reifen unterwegs, die Konkurrenz vor uns hingegen mit weichen. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt hatten wir dadurch ein weitaus schnelleres Auto als die beiden Führenden. Bei dem Überholmanöver mit Sebastian Vettel lag Robert bereits vorn, als Sebastian in ihn reinrutschte. Das hat uns Platz zwei und womöglich sogar einen Sieg gekostet.“

www.bmw-sauber-f1.com

Bridgestone Potenza slick tyres made their grand prix return in the Australian Grand Prix where Jenson Button made the perfect debut for the Brawn GP team by using a medium-medium-super soft tyre strategy to win the first race of the season run to Formula One’s exciting new regulations.
Button took his race win leading team-mate Rubens Barrichello and Panasonic Toyota Racing driver Jarno Trulli across the line, however Trulli was later penalised for passing whilst behind the safety car, and fourth across the line Lewis Hamilton (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) was awarded third. Barrichello used the same strategy as Button, whilst Hamilton started on the super soft tyre and twice changed to the medium. The latest specification cars and Bridgestone’s slick tyres meant an exciting and challenging 58 laps in Albert Park with the different performance of Bridgestone’s two compounds one of the talking points of the event.
Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima – Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
How was the first race of 2009 from Bridgestone’s perspective?
“Firstly, congratulations to Jenson Button and the Brawn GP team for winning and Rubens Barrichello for coming second in an exceptionally exciting race. Congratulations too, to the FIA for the new regulations and the teams for developing such exciting and quick new cars. This was a significant race as it shows that the changes for 2009 have made a big difference for Formula One.
Bridgestone’s slick tyres and our new allocation philosophy gave competitors a lot to think about and some managed better than others. Tyre strategy was crucial to making up places, and the key to getting a good result here was having a good setup with the super soft tyre as the performance of this tyre dropped off very quickly. The medium tyre was very robust and allowed good strategy and setup options for teams.”
What did you think of the different tyre strategies used?
“This was the first race for teams with our new tyres so there were many different approaches over the weekend. From Saturday’s data we knew that the super soft tyre was around 1.2 seconds faster than the medium over its first flying lap so those who started on the super soft had a good advantage at the beginning. However, those who used the super soft for their last stint benefitted from the improved track surface due to rubber laid during the race. We predicted that the super soft tyre would be around 5-6 seconds slower if it was used from the start of the race until half distance, which is why we did not see many long stints on this tyre.”
Stats of the Day

Bridgestone Potenza Driver Tyre Strategies
Rd.1 – Australian Grand Prix
In 2009, the tyre regulations stipulate that the two dry tyre specifications must be visibly
distinguishable from each other. At the Australian Grand Prix, the super soft compound Bridgestone Potenza tyres were marked with green bands on the sidewalls. The wet weather tyre was also marked with a green line in a groove.

www.bridgestonemotorsport.com

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Saturday Update

Bridgestone’s super soft tyre provided Jenson Button with the grip he needed to get pole position for
the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne as the Brawn GP team made its grand prix qualifying debut in
perfect fashion.
Button took pole with a lap of 1min 26.202secs in hot weather at Albert Park, edging out team-mate
Rubens Barrichello by just over three hundredths of a second. Track conditions were improved from
Friday, with more rubber down, but teams and drivers still struggled to find the best compromises
with the exciting new cars and Bridgestone’s slick tyres.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima – Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“Today was very significant for Formula One as Brawn GP have achieved pole position with Jenson
Button in their first grand prix, so congratulations to them. The past two days have been very difficult
for teams and drivers as they are learning about their new cars and our new tyres on the variable
track surface of Albert Park. We have seen many different tyre wear characteristics, even from the
same cars, which highlights the many different setups being tried. The performance life of the super
soft was improved today, however it was mainly used with low fuel so we would expect better
performance in any case. The medium continues to look like a strong race tyre.”

How difficult will strategy be with the new allocation philosophy?
“Tyre strategy should be very difficult and this is the desired outcome. We have heard drivers say that
the super soft is too soft for here and the medium is too hard, and that is by design. In conjunction
with the desires of the FIA to enhance overtaking opportunities, we are not bringing optimum tyres
here in terms of their performance, instead we are bringing tyres which make the teams and drivers
think hard before they use them. When to use the medium or the super soft tyres in the race is not
the only consideration, as the setup of the car has to be a compromise in the race to allow it to work
with both tyres. It will be a lot of work for the engineers and drivers, but should provide a lot of
entertainment for the spectators and viewers.”

www.bridgestonemotorsport.com

For the first time in twelve seasons, Bridgestone Potenza slick racing tyres graced a Formula One car at a grand prix as the 2009 season got underway in Melbourne, Australia for the ING Australian Grand Prix. AT&T Williams driver Nico Rosberg was the fastest man in both of the two Friday practice sessions at Albert Park, for round one of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship. Rosberg set a 1min 26.687secs using the medium compound in the first session with team-mate Kazuki Nakajima the second fastest, also using the medium, and Kimi Raikkonen (Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro) the third quickest, using the super soft. In the later session Rosberg set a 1min 26.053secs, with Rubens Barrichello (Brawn GP) second quickest and Jarno Trulli (Panasonic Toyota Racing) third quickest, all top three drivers using the super soft. Outlining the close competition in prospect for the season ahead, just over two seconds covered the entire field in this second practice session. Both sessions were held later in the day than previously at this event, due to the race start time change to 17:00 hrs on Sunday. The first session started at 12:30 hrs, and the second started at 16:30 hrs. The notoriously fickle Melbourne weather provided pleasant temperatures, but some way off the heat of last year. Track conditions were as expected early in the race meeting, with the lower levels of grip provided by the surface due to it only being used once a year for motor racing activity.   Hirohide Hamashima – Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, said: “Today was very exciting as, for the first time, we saw all the 2009 specification cars on track at a grand prix weekend, and it was also a very nostalgic day as we saw slick tyres in Melbourne. The first day of the season is always difficult for drivers, and the Albert Park circuit was quite dirty and slippery, as we expected. The super soft tyre will provide the big challenge for the weekend, and it performed largely as wanted, with an absolute lap time around a second faster than the medium, and quite rapid progression towards increasing lap times as it deteriorates. The dirty track did mean more graining than we predicted, but this will improve with a cleaner track and more rubber laid. The medium compound was very robust and will certainly be the main race tyre. As far as track conditions are concerned we expect more grip tomorrow and on Sunday.”

Stats of the Day Total amount of laps completed by all drivers: 1041 laps Average number of laps per driver: 52 laps Most laps by a driver: 83 – Glock (Toyota) Compounds used: Medium / Super Soft Fastest super soft compound time 1min 26.053secs (Rosberg – FP2) Fastest medium compound time 1min 26.142secs (Rosberg – FP2)

www.bridgestonemotorsport.com