Doornbos fastest in testing
Robert Doornbos set the fastest time in Formula 3000 testing at Jerez today (Thursday). Driving for the championship-winning Arden team, the Dutchman outpaced fellow F3 Euroseries graduate Nico Rosberg to set the fastest time
Doornbos, who also competed in several rounds of this season's British F3 series, set a best time on 1m32.33s around the Spanish track, catching the attention of Arden team boss Christian Horner in the process.
"I was extremely impressed," said Horner. "He built up to it and then put it all together on a new set of tyres. He's potentially very good."
Arden also ran British Formula Renault driver James Rossiter, who was seventh fastest despite his lack of experience. "It was a big jump up for James coming out of Formula Renault, but he acquitted himself well," said Horner. "We'll see how he goes tomorrow."
Rosberg, who was just 0.24s slower than Doornbos, drove for the Italian Coloni team alongside Norbert Siedler, who set the fifth fastest time. Tony Schmidt was third quickest for the new Ma-Con team, ahead of Durango driver Raffaele Giammaria.
British Formula 3 ace Nelson Piquet Jr. did a few warm-up laps for Arden at the end of the day, as a precursor to a full days testing for the team tomorrow. Frenchman Nicolas Lapierre ran for Arden in a private test yesterday.
Robert Doornbos Arden 1m32.33s
Nico Rosberg Coloni 1m32.57s
Tony Schmidt Ma-Con 1m33.24s
Raffaele Giammaria Durango 1m33.75s
Norbert Siedler Coloni 1m33.97s
Toshihiro Kaneishi Ma-Con 1m34.31s
James Rossiter Arden 1m34.57s
Ferdinando Monfardini Durango 1m36.75s
F2 driver Caldwell gets one-round ban for Spa
Formula 2 driver Olli Caldwell will miss the next round of the championship after being handed a race ban for reaching 12 penalty points as a result of a track limits breach in Hungary.
F2 Hungary: Pourchaire reignites title battle with feature race victory
Theo Pourchaire clinched FIA Formula 2 feature race victory in Hungary to reignite the title battle with Felipe Drugovich.
F2 Hungary: Doohan cruises to sprint race win
Jack Doohan cruised to FIA Formula 2 victory at the Hungaroring, holding off Juri Vips to cross the line five seconds clear.
F2 Hungary: Iwasa takes maiden series pole
Ayumu Iwasa took his maiden FIA Formula 2 pole at the Hungaroring, continuing his strong form after feature race victory in France last week.
The problem sausage kerbs continue to cause
Track limits are the problem that motorsport doesn't seem to be able to rid itself of. But the use of so-called 'sausage kerbs' as a deterrent has in several instances only served to worsen the problem, and a growing number of voices want to see action taken
The on-form F1 protege carrying America's hopes on his shoulders
Two feature race wins in as many rounds have helped Logan Sargeant to emerge as the closest challenger to runaway Formula 2 points leader Felipe Drugovich. The Williams F1 junior couldn't have timed his rise better, with interest in grand prix racing on the rise in his US homeland, and he could be his country's best shot at getting a driver on the grid for the first time since 2015
What racing in Australia means for the future of F1's junior series
The announcement that FIA Formula 2 and 3 would race alongside the Australian Grand Prix from 2023 came as a surprise, not only to fans but to the series’ teams too. But with Formula 1’s boom in popularity bringing more fans to the championships, team principals are relishing the opportunity
The other Doohan charting his way to motorsport success
Heading into FIA Formula 2 this season, there was a lot of pressure on Jack Doohan. The 2021 F3 runner-up joined a new team for his next challenge, as well as signing up to the Alpine Academy. He told Autosport how he’s tackling the step up - with some help from his motorcycle legend father
The Brazilian F2 driver hoping to return his country to motorsport's top tier
With a chaotic but “pretty much perfect” FIA Formula 2 weekend in Saudi Arabia behind him, Felipe Drugovich now leads the drivers’ standings in his third crack at the series. The Brazilian driver explains how he's improved amid some difficult years, and shares his dreams of ending his nation's absence from the F1 grid
The Red Bull junior aiming to emulate Piastri in F2
Norwegian talent Dennis Hauger has a tough act to follow in Oscar Piastri’s footsteps on his graduation to F2 as the reigning F3 champion with Prema. Here’s what he makes of the task ahead of him
The other Mercedes F1 young gun facing a big 2022
With a disappointing 2021 season behind him, Frederik Vesti makes the move up to FIA Formula 2 with a reinvigorated sense of determination. Could this finally be the breakthrough year for the talented Mercedes junior?
Ranking the 10 best drivers of an F1 junior series stalwart
DAMS has been one of the most prolific teams below Formula 1 since its foundation in 1989, launching 32 drivers into grand prix racing. Following the team's sale to ex-F1 racer Charles Pic, formally closing the book on the ownership of the Driot family, Autosport picks out its 10 best drivers during their spell with the team