Junior Formula Racing

[Penfold]

German outfit HWA, best known for running Merc's DTM entry, is looking at entering an F2 and F3 team for 2019: https://www.autosport.com/f2/news/139443/hwa-admits-it-is-evaluating-f2-entry

Sounds like a good place for Mercedes to park some junior talent.

[Chrill]

HWA also happens to be the ones fielding Vandoorne in Formula E, is it not?

If HWA do field an F2 team, who do you reckon would race there? Russell is in F1 already. They're not going to move Ocon down to F2, are they? They merely risk having him lose out to drivers he should on paper beat. Shoemakerinho?

EDIT: I mean, HWA is leaving DTM for Formula E. In Formula E, they are fielding Vandoorne and Gary Paffett. These guys are left to join HWA in Formula 3 or Formula 2:
Paul di Resta (too old)
Daniel Juncadella (I mean, maybe, but he's 27)
Lucas Auer (I mean, yeah. He could do F2)
Edoardo Mortara (too old)

And the Mercedes junior squad has virtually noone in it now that Ocon and Russell have made it into F1. Basically, Mercedes and HWA will need to find some new talent.

[Penfold]

I figured it would be about scouring the (even more) junior series for talent to gradually bring on to F2 level; in the meantime, I guess they'll have a nosey around GP3 and F3 for a couple of placeholders.

On Shoemakerinho... I'm sure I read that he plans to stay with Prema for 2019.

[Chrill]

Horrible crash in the Macau F3 race today, Sophia Floersch somehow flying over the guardrail and smacking right into a photographer's stand next to the track. Reports say 5 injuries, among them Floersch herself and another driver, as well as two photographers and one marshal. No reports on any deaths.

Here's a video, if you feel like it. It's not a nice crash:
https://streamable.com/iau1e

Floersch made contact and damaged her car before the Lisboa bend, and she came backwards with no braking power before launching off the kerb.

[Penfold]

Fuck me... is what I just said out loud when her car came hurtling through the shot.  I know you gave warning of what happened but the speed of her car still took me by surprise.  I see Sophia has tweeted that she's fine... just has to pop into hospital tomorrow for surgery on a spinal fracture.  Hopefully the other individuals involved aren't seriously injured.

[Chrill]

The cars reach speeds of 230 km/h (140ish mph) before that bend. She tagged another car before the braking zone, which means she will have become airborne at roughly that speed.

Watching slow-motion footage of the crash reveals that the top of the car hit that gantry before falling over right side up. Her surviving is nothing short of an absolute miracle. As you said, a tweet was posted from her official Twitter account and seems to be written by Sophia herself.

Here's a news report describing injuries sustained to the others involved. All relatively minor when you consider the insane speed:
https://www.motorsport.com/f3/news/floersch-spinal-fracture-macau-injury-report/3216291/

[Matt]

It looks to me like there is damage all around the headrest in this picture: https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/9y4jrq/ot_aftermath_image_of_sofias_car/?st=jonjp1il&sh=0ff0279f

The only crash that I can remember seeing that was worse was Wheldon (plus the rest of the field) at Las Vegas. It is purely by luck that no one was killed in this crash.

[Chrill]

I believe that the fire extinguisher in the cockpit activated itself, so part of those damages could just be foam. But yes, the roll bar above her head is clearly heavily damaged. Kudos to the car's construction, Dallara saved a life.

[Chrill]

https://www.motorsport.com/f3/news/floersch-surgery-macau-gp-crash/4300277/

A seven-hour operation on her back was conducted on Monday, with doctors saying in a press conference afterwards that her vital signs are stable and limbs are active. She will remain in hospital for up to two weeks.

"Limbs are active", whatever that means. I interpret that as though she can wiggle fingers and toes, implying she is not paralyzed.

It was also confirmed that TOM?S driver Sho Tsuboi had been discharged from hospital on Sunday night, while injured photographer Hiroyuki Minami has also been released.

Chinese photographer Chan Weng Wang, who has a lacerated liver, is expected to remain in hospital for another 10 days.

Race marshal Chan Cha suffered cuts and a broken jaw but should be released in three to four days.

[Penfold]

Could've been so much worse... thank God there's no grandstand on that corner.  Anyway, was it all sparked by an errant yellow light: https://www.racefans.net/2018/11/22/fia-investigating-role-of-yellow-light-signal-in-floersch-macau-crash/


First pics of the 2019 F3 car: https://www.racefans.net/2018/11/22/fia-reveals-new-optimised-for-overtaking-2019-f3-car/

Optimized for overtaking... but still it has DRS.  We certainly don't want drivers in junior categories to rely on old-fashioned passing manoeuvres as they hone their skills.

[Chrill]

Well, it is a mini-F1 after all, with what the swept back wings and all. The thing I'll miss the most is the side air intake, but I guess it just didn't align with current F1 and F2 cars.

[Chrill]

http://f1i.com/news/326195-mick-schumacher-rumored-to-be-on-his-way-to-ferrari.html

Mick Schumacher wants to go to Ferrari like his daddy.

[Chrill]

Well, Formula W kicked off this weekend. Results?

FP1: Chadwick fastest by a lot
FP2: Chadwick fastest by a lot
Quali: Chadwick fastest (in the wet) by a whopping 2 seconds
Race: Chadwick loses the start, fighs back, wins the race

So this series should maybe be called "Jamie Chadwick & others". She has won races in British F3, she's the current champion of the MRF Challenge (Formula 4 tier racing), she has won races in British GT. I'd love to see what she could do in a proper top tier racing squad in something like F2.

[Matt]

Pato O'Ward has joined the Red Bull junior program: https://racer.com/2019/05/09/oward-joins-red-bull-junior-team/

Interested to see what Red Bull's goal is here. Is it F1? Is it a renewed presence in IndyCar? Will they force him over to F2?

As for the W Series, Chadwick may well be the best driver. I would hardly be surprised if she is. But as I responded to your Facebook comment, she also has way more experience in F3 cars than most or all of the field. It's worth watching if anyone closes the gap to her.

[Chrill]

You are right about Chadwick.

In regards to Pato, it could just be a Red Bull presence in the States. He's obviously already a household name in Mexico, and it's a region where Red Bull does not have any big names today. Remains to be seen whether he's in F2 in 2020 or if there will be some heavy Red Bull sponsorship in IndyCar soon.

"This is a great opportunity for me, naturally every racing driver has their eye on F1 and would give anything to be World Champion so to join the Red Bull Junior Team that has provided that F1 possibility to so many drivers is fantastic for me."
https://juniorteam.redbull.com/article/patricio-oward-joins-red-bull-junior-team-indycar-campaign