Carlin have announced its driver line-up for the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship.  2017 FIA Formula 3 European Champion Lando Norris and Brazilian F2 race winner Sergio Sette Camara will join the British team on its return to the Formula 1 feeder series in 2018. 

British racer Norris made his debut in single seaters with Carlin in the F4 British Championship in 2015, impressing from the outset taking eight victories on his way to the 2015 title. 

Norris went on to win the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup championship the following year, in a stunning season which also saw the Somerset born teenager claim titles in Formula Renault 2.0 NEC, the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand and race wins in BRDC British F3 for Carlin.

Norris’ potential was recognised when he became the winner of the 2016 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award, earning him a place on McLaren’s Young Driver programme.  Carlin and Norris continued their race winning relationship in 2017 in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship.

A stunning season with 20 podiums and nine race wins took Norris to rookie and overall championship honours, with Norris also becoming the youngest ever FIA Formula 3 Champion.  A second place in last weekend’s Macau Grand Prix topped off a stunning season, with Norris also becoming McLaren’s 2018 Formula 1 reserve and test driver. 

Sette Camara is already a race winner in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, taking two podiums and a race win in the Spa-Francorchamps Sprint race in his rookie season.  Previously the 19 year-old Brazilian has enjoyed success with Carlin, taking a third place in last year’s Macau Grand Prix, joining then team mate and race winner Antonio Felix da Costa on the podium. 

Sette Camara was a star again in this year’s Macau Grand Prix, leading the majority of the race before crashing out on the last corner after a dual with Carlin’s Ferdinand Habsburg, in arguably the most exciting  Macau Grand Prix of all time. 

Speaking about his 2018 programme, Norris said, “It will be my fourth year racing with Carlin. Trevor heads up a great operation at Carlin and I feel part of the ‘family’ there. It’s a friendly environment and one in which I feel very comfortable in. "

"Next year will be a steep learning curve in terms of getting used to the increased power, the Pirelli tyres and mandatory pit stops but I feel I’m in the best environment possible to get to grips with all those elements.” 

2018 team mate Sette Câmara added, “To be signing with Carlin is the best. They are a top team and I know they will be up there.  I had previous experience with Carlin in Macau in 2016 and it was amazing to finish third in such an important race with them."

"The environment within the team, with the other drivers, the mechanics, the engineers is just so happy and positive, I’m looking forward to spending the season with the team in such a big championship."

"To have such a strong team mate as Lando, who is so highly regarded is really motivating.  We will push each other to the limit to be better drivers and to get Carlin the results it deserves as a team.  Thanks to my family and my sponsors who make this possible, I’m very grateful for this opportunity.”

Trevor Carlin added, “I’m delighted that we’re able to announce a fantastic driver line-up on our return to the F1 support paddock.  With Lando and Sergio we have one of the most exciting young line-ups there is."

"We’re extremely proud to be able to continue for the fourth consecutive season our relationship with Lando.  It’s extremely rewarding to continue working with a driver up the FIA ladder."

"It will be a great benefit having Sergio’s season of experience at this level with the Pirelli tyres and we know having worked with him before his great speed and potential.  The whole team is very excited about the hard work and challenges ahead.” 

source: fiaformula2.com

Alexander Albon has been disqualified from today’s Qualifying results at the Yas Marina Circuit when the team were unable to provide the minimum fuel sample for analysis at the end of the session.

The ART Grand Prix driver will be allowed to start from the back of the grid of tomorrow’s feature race.

Oliver Rowland and Antonio Fuoco have been disqualified from this evening’s feature race at the Yas Marina Circuit following the race stewards’ review of reports from the Technical Delegate regarding anomalies found during post-race scrutineering.

Rowland, who provisionally won the race on track, finished the race with a skid block which was be below the prescribed thickness in the Technical Regulations: the penalty for this breach is disqualification from Race 1, although the Briton will be allowed to start tomorrow’s sprint race from the back of the grid.

Antonio Fuoco has also been penalised after his front tyres were below the minimum specified tyre pressure. As a result the Italian driver, who had finished third after passing teammate Charles Leclerc on the line, is also disqualified from today’s results but permitted to start tomorrow’s race from the back of the grid as well.

These disqualifications promote Artem Markelov to first place for a fifth win this season, with Leclerc now classified second ahead of Luca Ghiotto, Nyck de Vries, Nicholas Latifi, Nobuharu Matsushita, Alexander Albon, Jordan King (who will start from reverse pole tomorrow), Sergio Sette Camara and Louis Delétraz.

The result means that Markelov has 206 points in the Drivers’ Championship ahead of Rowland on 189: with 17 points on offer tomorrow Markelov is the 2017 FIA Formula 2 Vice-Champion, by dint of having more wins than Rowland.

In the battle for the Teams’ Championship crown, RUSSIAN TIME have now reclaimed the lead on 385 points, 20 ahead of PREMA Racing in second on 365 and DAMS in third on 355 points.

source: fiaformula2.com

Artem Markelov finally claimed his maiden FIA Formula 2 Championship pole at the last round of the 2017 season at the Yas Marina Circuit, making good on the potential he has shown over much of the year to dominate this evening’s qualifying session, stopping the clocks on 1:47.181 to grab the top spot by two tenths from Nyck De Vries and Antonio Fuoco.

The session got started under balmy evening conditions, with the lights blazing overhead as all of the drivers bar ART teammates Alexander Albon and Nobuharu Matsushita headed straight out on track.

The times were soon tumbling as Alex Palou, Sergio Sette Camara and Norman Nato set the early competitive times, but Markelov soon blew past them all, annexing P1 by four tenths as most of the field returned to the pits and the ART and DAMS drivers (who had returned to the pits earlier) headed out to take advantage of the alternate strategy.

With the track to themselves Matsushita grabbed P2, with Oliver Rowland (P4) and Nicholas Latifi (P6) between the Japanese driver and teammate Albon in P8: the first 3 returned to the pits but the Thai driver stayed out to improve on his time, grabbing P2 next time round but soon stopping on track in the final sector as his rivals were re-emerging, with quick work by the marshals ensuring no yellow flags needed to be shown.

Markelov led his rivals back on track, showing his eagerness to improve on his second set: with 3 minutes remaining they all hit their quick laps and the Russian improved further, with Fuoco slotting in behind him on the timesheets until De Vries crossed the line and stole P2 from the Italian but was unable to close the gap up to the front.

Rowland put in a good, late lap to slot in behind the top 3 but ahead of Nato, Charles Leclerc, Luca Ghiotto, Matsushita, Sette Camara and Albon, setting up a fight for the teams’ title that should run to the line. Tomorrow evening’s feature race promises to as bright as the lights shining down upon it.

source: fiaformula2.com