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The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
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The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
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Final Provisional 2010 FIA Formula 2 Championship Driver Standings:
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mail your news to editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk 2010 FIA Formula 2 Championship BEST RESULT OF SEASON NOT QUITE ENOUGH FOR SERIES TOP THREE
Heading into round 18 at the Spanish track a mere five points adrift of third place following a superb drive to the runner-up spot during Saturday’s opening encounter, the Banbury-based 22-year-old had high hopes for a final flourish in race two. His plans were largely scuppered during qualifying when his fastest lap utilising the power increase ‘boost’ facility was baulked, meaning Will would end the session an uncharacteristic 15th quickest albeit still only nine 10ths of a second away from pole position. At the start of the race he made good initial progress but before he was able to capitalise fully his car was clipped on the opening lap by Benjamin Lariche as the latter tried to avoid Nicola De Marco. The contact launched Will into the air momentarily, his car dramatically lifting onto two wheels, before thudding back down on the track remarkably undamaged. Clearly a major set-back, Will dropped to the tail of the 18 car field but fought his way back through to an eventual finish of 15th position on a track notorious for a lack of overtaking opportunities – not the way the 2009 Euroseries 3000 Champion wanted to conclude his campaign but there was little he could do about that. “We made a really good start to the weekend and to be so close to a first win in the opening race was really satisfying, it’s just a shame we couldn’t be in the fight at the front again in race two”, he said, “Qualifying down in 15th set the scene really, I got blocked on my quickest lap using the boost so that really ruined any chance of finishing in the championship top three which was the target. “In the race itself, the contact from (Benjamin) Lariche launched my car pretty dramatically into the air but I was surprised there was no real damage when it landed. There was no way back from there, I got held-up behind some slower cars as Valencia’s such a tough track to pass on.” Will added: “Overall it’s not been the season we wanted but the racing has been fantastic. I’d like to thank the sponsors who made the season possible – Whirlpool, Tangerois, Marrakech Grand Prix and especially Michelangelo Search.” Now planning to move on from F2, Will has one eye on the FIA Formula One World Championship supporting GP2 Series – having already sampled GP2 machinery over the past couple of years. He is also investigating opportunities across the other side of the Atlantic in the USA as he strives to carve out a fully professional career in single-seater racing.
DELIGHTED BRATT MAKES PODIUM RETURN AT VALENCIA
Pressuring pole-sitter Nicola De Marco hard throughout the 25-lap duration, having moved into the runner-up spot from fourth on the grid through the first couple of corners of the race, Will was the quickest driver on track and just missed out on a maiden F2 victory by a mere 1.2 seconds. Having threatened to deliver this sort of performance all season long, the 22-year-old is delighted to have achieved his best result of the campaign in such impressive style but heads into tomorrow’s final day of F2 action with his sights set on a front-row starting slot for round 18 and a race win. “I’m really happy with the result today, it’s fantastic to be back on the podium and to also set the fastest lap as well – it proves the pace we had and what might have been possible if we’d started alongside (Nicola) De Marco on the front row”, said the Michelangelo Search-backed racer. “My start wasn’t that great at all but through the first couple of corners I made good progress around the outside to take third and then second. From there, I pressured De Marco as much as I could but second is a really good result. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow now, we have a great chance to try and qualify on the front row and if we can do that I know our race pace is good.” Starting the weekend’s track sessions with the eighth fastest time during the opening free practice on Friday, Will improved to fifth quickest in the second practice – an outing affected by a brief burst of rain early on – and then posted the fourth fastest time during this morning’s round 17 qualifying session. He did have the potential for a front row starting slot but was baulked on his best lap. Although not making the best of starts, Will was able to hold position and then moved around the outside through turns one and two with some great driving to take second place and slot in behind pole-sitter De Marco. Will pressured De Marco hard and on the third tour he posted the fastest lap of 1m29.255 seconds (161.53 km/h). The pair were easily the class of the field, lapping at least a second per lap quicker than the rest, and at the finish on lap 25 they were separated by just 1.2 seconds – Will actually crossing the line a huge 16 seconds clear of third placed Armaan Ebrahim. Heading into the final day of the 2010 season tomorrow, Sunday, 19th September, Will is now back into fourth place in the championship standings, just five points behind Sergei Afanasiev and a mere two points ahead of Philipp Eng.
TOP THREE CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE GETS TOUGHER AT OSCHERSLEBEN Oschersleben 4-5 September
Following on from a hard-fought sixth place finish in wet conditions on Saturday, 4th September, the 22-year-old from Banbury had a similarly tricky encounter in round 16 on Sunday, 5th September, to end the outing seventh – just 0.6 seconds shy of the top six. Embroiled in a wheel-to-wheel dice with Mihai Marinescu for the majority of the 23-lap race, Will just couldn’t find a way past with overtaking opportunities, especially in single-seaters, seriously limited at Oschersleben. Starting the race sixth on the grid, the Michelangelo Search-supported driver aimed to bounce back strongly from grip-related problems during Saturday’s encounter but after slipping to eighth on the opening lap he spent the duration of the race largely boxed-up behind Marinescu. Gaining a place a couple of laps from the finish due to the retirement of Nicola De Marco, Will ended the outing in seventh but with Sergei Afanasiev and Kazim Vasiliauskas finishing on the podium it means the British driver has slipped from fourth to sixth in the points standings. With just two races remaining on the F2 calendar, which take place in Spain a couple of weeks from now, the fight over third place in the championship couldn’t be tighter – Afanasiev occupies third on 137 points, only 11 clear of Will in sixth. They are separated by Philipp Eng and Vasiliauskas while Benjamin Bailly is also now just two points shy of sixth. “It wasn’t the weekend we wanted at all, I’m really disappointed to have come away having lost ground in the championship and we have a lot of hard work to do a couple of weeks from now to try and take the top three points finish”, said Will, “We weren’t quick enough in qualifying again and it was difficult to try and pass in the race. Overall, it’s been a tough event and a frustrating one too.”
Brno 30-31 July BRATT RETAINS CHAMPIONSHIP POSITION WITH BATTLING TOP 10
Lining up ninth on the grid, the reigning Euroseries 3000 Champion – who is now a full member of the prestigious British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) – made a good start initially and looked set for a competitive run after an overnight gearbox change. Into the first corner though, Will was forced wide offline and picked up debris on his tyres which resulted in a lack of grip. The net result was a slip to 13th position as several cars managed to get ahead along the straight between turns three and four. Mounting a solid fightback, he grabbed 12th place on lap four from Armaan Ebrahim and then set about pressuring Mihai Marinescu. After reeling in the Romanian Will gained a further position on the 11th tour to move within one place of the points-paying top 10. As the race neared its conclusion, the 22-year-old from Banbury looked set to remain tantalisingly on the fringe of 10th place but with just a lap to go Philipp Eng was forced out of the top three with a mechanical problem meaning Will was elevated into the points. The fight over third place in the driver standings has most certainly closed up following the two Brno races this weekend with Eng in third on 122 points, Will just 10 points adrift in fourth and Sergei Afanasiev a mere two points further back in fifth position. “We did ok to grab a point from today’s race”, said Will, “I got off the line alright and held 10th place comfortably but I was pushed wide onto the marbles at Turn One so a few cars were able to pass me on the straight out of turns two and three as I hadn’t got the grip. “The car felt ok today, we ran quite a few set-up changes compared to Saturday but the problems at the first corner set the scene really. Overall our pace wasn’t bad, things felt better after the gearbox change, and we’re right in the thick of the fight for third in the championship which is good.”
BRATT CONSOLIDATES FOURTH IN STANDINGS ON BRNO DEBUT
In a largely uneventful 20-lap outing, the Banbury 22-year-old did produce a great opening lap from the fifth row of the grid to gain two positions at the expense of Ricardo Teixeira and Tom Gladdis but from that point on remained in eighth place. Never more than a few 10ths of a second behind Kelvin Snoeks for the duration of the race, and with Gladdis snapping at his heels until he had a spin four laps from the finish, Will didn’t have the chance to carve open a passing attempt. Running tight to Snoeks’ rear wing lap after lap, the pair concluded the encounter separated by just 0.6 seconds. Preparing solidly for his first ever action at Brno during Friday’s practice sessions, particularly the wet morning run where he was fourth quickest, Will did have problems with serious oversteer during round 13 qualifying and this limited him to the 10th fastest time. Determined to make headway in the race to try and get on terms with his main championship rivals, Will’s pace certainly improved but he was still losing time – especially on the straights. As a result of this, the gearbox on his Williams JPH1B is being changed overnight. “We had a lot of oversteer in qualifying so we made quite a few drastic changes to try and eliminate that but we never really got on top of things”, said Will, “In the race we had better pace but I got stuck behind (Kelvin) Snoeks and never had a chance to try and pass. Eighth obviously isn’t the sort of result we wanted today but it’s a points finish and that’s the important thing. “We’re changing the gearbox before tomorrow as the pinion is apparently wearing which is probably why we’re losing time on the straights – we’ve definitely been losing straight-line speed today. I think we’ll make a couple of changes to the handling too which will hopefully mean we’ll be closer to the front. As long as the track doesn’t change drastically overnight, I think we’ll be ok tomorrow.” pics Jakob Ebrey Photography
Brands Hatch 17-18 July CONSISTENCY THE KEY FOR FRONT-RUNNER BRATT AT BRANDS HATCH
Finishing the encounter in a highly competitive fourth place, having started sixth on the grid, the 22-year-old was promoted into third position in the final classification hours after the race when Dean Stoneman was penalised following an early-race incident involving Jolyon Palmer. With Philipp Eng taking the race win, Will has been pushed back to fourth in the driver standings but he is within just seven points of the Austrian. Furthermore, the Banbury-based driver has closed to within 79 points of the championship lead with six races remaining having been the second highest scoring of the front-runners over the course of the Brands Hatch event. “I’m pretty happy with the result”, said the Michelangelo Search supported racer, “Fourth wasn’t a bad finish and my pace was good. Obviously it’s nice to have gained extra points following Dean’s (Stoneman) penalty but it’s not the way you want to do it. I think we did a solid job though and it’s been a very good weekend on the whole – that win is still eluding us though!” Although making a decent start from the third row of the grid, Will slipped to seventh initially but quickly moved back into sixth place at the expense of Sergei Afanasiev. Then, on lap four, he moved into the top five following the aforementioned incident between Stoneman and Palmer which resulted in the latter ending his race in retirement in the gravel at Paddock Hill Bend. Five laps later, race leader Kazim Vasiliauskas ran wide at Surtees and although he rejoined Will was close behind and managed to pass the Lithuanian for fourth. For the remainder of the 24 lapper, the 2009 Euroseries 3000 Champion held onto his top four placing comfortably and finished around four seconds clear of Nicola De Marco. “We’ve definitely had good pace at Brands, right from testing last Tuesday we’ve been on it so I’m disappointed not to have been able to fight for a win”, added Will, “Qualifying is where we need to improve, testing goes well and we can always put in strong race performances but there’s still something to find in qualifying. As soon as that’s sorted, I’m sure we’ll be able to challenge for wins.”
F2 RACER BRATT MOVES BACK INTO CHAMPIONSHIP TOP THREE
Qualifying on the second row of the grid, Will made a good start as he sought a way through into a podium-paying position but as he approached Druids Hairpin for the first time contact from slow-starting Sergei Afanasiev resulted in the Briton’s car becoming momentarily airborne. Remarkably continuing without any damage, the 22-year-old was able to assume fifth position on the run to Graham Hill Bend – the incident giving Ivan Samarin and Tom Gladdis the opportunity to move ahead into third and fourth places respectively. Unfazed by the unexpected turn of events, Will set about regaining lost ground with absolutely nothing separating the trio in terms of lap times or track position. Nose-to-tail lap after lap, Will’s sustained pressure on Gladdis finally paid off on the 14th tour when the latter ran wide at Graham Hill which gave the current Euroseries 3000 Champion a golden opportunity to pass into Surtees. With a top three finish still in his sights, Will set about trying to force a mistake from Russian driver Samarin but he wasn’t quite able to usurp him from the final podium spot. In the end, the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star crossed the line on lap 28 just 0.2 seconds shy of the rostrum. “Overall fourth was an OK result”, said the Oxon driver, “It was disappointing to have the first lap contact at Druids as I’d made a good start and it looked like we’d made it through into third. Luckily the car was ok though and I was able to fight hard with (Tom) Gladdis and (Ivan) Samarin. I was pleased with the move I did into Surtees to re-take fourth, just a shame we couldn’t quite get third!” During the subsequent round 12 qualifying session, setting the grid for today’s encounter at the 3.7-kilometre track, Will posted the sixth quickest time of 1m16.351 seconds (174.59km/h) to secure a place on the third row alongside current championship leader Jolyon Palmer. The session was incredibly close, just half a second splitting the top 10 and less than three 10ths of a second forming the barrier between Will in sixth place and Kazim Vasiliauskas on pole position. Two red flag stoppages did interrupt the flow of the 30-minute period and although disappointed to miss out on a front row slot, Will knows he can still fight for a healthy points haul from sixth place. Pics: Jakob Ebrey Photography
Portimao 3-4 July BRATT OVERCOMES WING DAMAGE TO TAKE SIXTH AT PORTIMAO
Delivering a determined drive, the category front-runner closed-out the fifth event of the year happy to remain in the championship top five after a difficult weekend – highlighted by the damaged front-wing in race 2 and broken driveshaft which prevented a points score in round nine. Starting the race eighth on the grid, Will made a good getaway and moved into the top six on the opening lap after two cars were eliminated ahead. Passed by Philipp Eng at the end of lap two, the 22-year-old Briton immediately hit back to re-take sixth position into the first turn at the beginning of lap three. Emerging from the corner with front-wing damage, from that point on Will had to fight incredibly hard to keep Eng and the chasing pack behind. Soaking up immense pressure for the duration of the remaining 17 laps, the Michelangelo Search supported racer somehow managed to defy any attempt by Eng to pass. Just half a second split the pair lap after lap, underlining Will’s tremendous effort. “It’s certainly been a frustrating weekend, we needed two big points scores to try and close down the championship leaders but it wasn’t to be unfortunately”, said the reigning Party Poker Racing Euroseries 3000 Champion. “After the driveshaft problem in the first race, I’d really hoped we could have a straight-forward run today but as soon as I picked up the front wing damage it made things really difficult. (Philipp) Eng was all over me every lap, it was a really tough fight to keep him behind but at least I managed to do that and I made sure we took enough points away to stay in the championship top five.” Next on the FIA Formula 2 Championship calendar is the second British event of the season, rounds 11 and 12, which will take place at Brands Hatch in Kent on 17th/18th July. Undoubtedly one of the biggest race meetings of the year for Will, the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star will be aiming for a timely boost in front of the UK race fans just a fortnight from now. He added: “It’s always good to race in the UK so I’m really looking forward to Brands. We need a big weekend and it’d be great to turn the season around in front of the British fans. I’m as focused and determined as ever so we’re going to Brands aiming for the best results we can – I want to be back on that podium!”
CHAMPIONSHIP BLOW FOR BRATT WITH PORTIMAO DRIVESHAFT FAILURE
Expected to line-up on the fourth row of the grid for the ninth round of the year at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, the Banbury driver was forced to pit with the problem at the end of the formation lap leaving him an absolute mountain to climb when he rejoined the track six laps down. Maintaining excellent composure Will proved what might have been possible without the driveshaft breakage as he posted the third fastest lap time of any driver – 1m38.113 seconds. With the chance to score points taken away due to the mechanical failure, the 22-year-old now heads into Sunday’s action fifth in the championship standings. “We’ve just got to aim for the best result we possibly can tomorrow, it’ll be important to try and get inside the top three or four in qualifying to have the best chance of scoring big points”, said Will, “It was so disappointing to have the driveshaft failure on the formation lap, the mechanics did a good job to get me back out on track but we lost six laps so the race was over before it started. “It was good to post the third fastest lap, especially as we had more fuel onboard than the others at the time due to all of the laps we’d lost. I was pleased with the pace and it shows what might have been had the race gone as planned. It’s certainly not the start we wanted here in Portugal, hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.” Starting his weekend off well during the two free practice sessions on Friday, 2nd July, Will was seventh quickest during the morning before improving to fifth fastest, and within 0.189 seconds of the pace, in the afternoon. During round nine qualifying just seven 10ths of a second covered the top 10 drivers. Will concluded the session with the seventh fastest time, 1m36.172 seconds (174.17km/h), to lap within four 10ths of a second of pole position – underlining the competitiveness of Formula 2 this season.
Zolder 19-20 June STRONG ZOLDER DRIVE LIFTS BRATT BACK INTO SERIES TOP FOUR
During qualifying, the 22-year-old from Banbury posted the fourth quickest time – just 0.151 seconds shy of pole position – and aimed to put the disappointment of an enforced retirement in Saturday’s seventh round firmly behind him. Holding fourth place off the line Will remained in close contact with Jack Clarke and Jolyon Palmer but on lap six, Clarke’s robust defence of Will’s attempts to overtake unfortunately slowed him up and gave Dean Stoneman the opportunity to slip past. From that point on, with the top five drivers exchanging fastest lap times, another overtaking chance looked increasingly unlikely. In terms of lap times, there was absolutely nothing between the front-runners with Will’s best of 1m24.189 seconds just a 10th of a second outside Sergei Afanasiev’s quickest lap of all. With the top five so evenly matched, passing was at a premium and so it proved. Tight behind Clarke during the closing stages but never in a position to make a decisive move, Will ended the race in fifth just 0.6 seconds behind his fellow Briton but over five seconds clear of round seven nemesis Mihai Marinescu. “Overall it’s been a mixed weekend”, said the Oxon racer, “First qualifying didn’t go as I’d hoped on Saturday and then the outcome of the opening race was very disappointing. We hit back well in second qualifying though, our pace was good and we were only a 10th of a second away from pole. “In the race, if I had been able to get past (Jack) Clarke then I think we could have been on for the podium but (Dean) Stoneman took advantage of me being a bit held up and that was it, fifth was as much as we could hope for. I definitely wanted more from this weekend but we’re back into the championship top four so that’s positive.”
BRATT HOLDS FIFTH IN STANDINGS DESPITE ENFORCED RETIREMENT
Heading into this weekend’s action aiming to make the most of his past experience at the 2.5-mile track, the 22-year-old Euroseries 3000 Champion made a good start to today’s encounter by moving up from ninth on the grid to seventh early on. On the second lap at the Bolderberghaarspeldbocht hairpin though, contact to the rear of his car from an over-exuberant Philipp Eng resulted in Will being pitched into a spin and the subsequent excursion meant a drop down the order to 17th place. Recovering superbly well with some tremendous laps before and after a Safety Car period just prior to mid-distance, the Banbury racer climbed back into the top 10 with around four laps remaining and looked all set for further gains during the closing stages. Running in ninth place and edging ever nearer to the rear of Mihai Marinescu’s car into the last lap, Will sized up a move as the pair headed towards the Kleine Chicane but the Romanian forced him wide onto the grass and the net result was a bitterly disappointing spin into retirement. Such was Will’s pace, even though fighting through the order following the lap two contact from Eng, he was able to post the fifth fastest lap of the race with a time of 1m24.780 seconds to underline his true Zolder potential. “I’m disappointed with the way things ended today, even after the contact on lap two I was still able to fight through and eighth wouldn’t have been a bad result at all”, said Will, “In the first incident, (Philipp) Eng just over-cooked it and hit the back of my car. He’d just passed another car but over did it and the contact, even though quite light, was enough to make me spin. “It was a real shame about the spin on the last lap, I was quicker than (Mihai) Marinescu and eighth place was definitely there for the taking but he moved over on me when I was committed for the move, put me on the grass and there was nothing I could do.” SECOND PODIUM OF SEASON FOR BRATT AT MONZA
The 3.6-mile circuit, scene of Will’s Party Poker Racing Euroseries 3000 and Italian Formula 3000 title victories last year, once again proved to be a happy hunting ground for the 22-year-old during the second of this weekend’s races as he battled incredibly hard to claim a fine third place finish. Beginning the race third on the grid after a highly competitive performance during qualifying on Saturday evening – where he missed out on a maiden F2 pole position by just 0.3 seconds – Will made a good, clean getaway to pass Sergei Afanasiev on the run to the first chicane. Running close behind race leader, and pole-sitter, Jolyon Palmer early on and looking all set to mount a challenge, on lap three Will’s car started to suffer from a slipping clutch which began to compromise his lap times. Not only that, it prevented him from being able to use the ‘overboost’ facility which meant he missed out on eight opportunities to use an additional 55bhp. With that in mind, the first-year F2 racer did a tremendous job to maintain second place and to run lap times just a few 10ths of a second outside Palmer’s pace. Gradually slipping back from the leader over the course of the 18-lapper, Will fully expected to be forced to retire with the worsening issue. Five laps from the finish third placed Afanasiev closed in and although defending extremely well from the Russian, Will was realistically a sitting duck and could do little to prevent his rival from going through on the inside at the Curva Grande on the penultimate lap. Happy to have taken his second podium finish of 2010, Will was rightly disappointed to have missed out on being able to challenge for his first Formula 2 race win as he nursed his car to the finish. The points for third place though mean the talented Briton remains fourth in the championship. “It’s great to be back on the podium but I’m really disappointed to have missed out on fighting for the win”, said Will, “I definitely had the pace over (Jolyon) Palmer for the first couple of laps until the clutch problem surfaced on lap three at Ascari when I was right on his tail. He was able to pull away then as the clutch problem got worse and it also meant I couldn’t use the boost. “I really thought I wouldn’t finish the race as things got worse so although I am disappointed to have slipped to third near the end behind (Sergei) Afanasiev, it’s a bit of a result to be on the podium at all and to finish only four seconds behind Palmer. We’re at another track I know next, Zolder, so I’m looking forward to that.”
MONZA PODIUM JUST ELUDES BRATT AFTER SPARKLING DRIVE
Running inside the top 10 as part of a five car train during the opening laps at the 3.6-mile Italian circuit, the Banbury-based driver remained tight to the tail of championship leader Philipp Eng until lap seven when he got ahead of the Austrian out of the last corner, Parabolica, for eighth place. Showing great awareness only a few hundred yards later, Will avoided contact ahead between Jack Clarke and Mihai Marinescu on the start/finish straight – an incident which necessitated the use of the Safety Car . Coupled with Johan Jokinen having to serve a drive-through penalty for a start-line infringement, Will surged into the top five. At the re-start on lap 11, the 22-year-old passed Ricardo Teixeira into the Variante della Roggia chicane and although running wide over the kerbs on the exit, Will maintained position. He then posted a series of quick laps as he pulled clear of his pursuers and started to close the gap to third placed Kazim Vasiliauskas. Eating into the Lithuanian’s three second advantage during the final nine laps, Will finished the first race of the weekend just seven 10ths of a second shy of the podium – a fantastic effort and a true indication of his rostrum potential ahead of tomorrow’s sixth round. “That was a really good race, I managed to pass plenty of cars and to come through from 10th on the grid to within touching distance of the podium was great”, said the reigning Euroseries 3000 Champion, “It’s a shame we couldn’t quite take the podium as I was right on the tail of (Kazim) Vasiliauskas at the end but I’m still very pleased with the result and performance.” He added: “Today’s qualifying session was much better than Friday’s, the tow wasn’t an issue for us this time but I didn’t get the two Lesmos right and that meant the difference from potentially taking pole and being third. We can definitely fight for the win from there though, that’s the aim.”
DELIGHTED BRATT TAKES MAIDEN F2 PODIUM IN MARRAKECH
Putting the disappointment of an enforced lap one retirement in Saturday’s race firmly behind him, the 22-year-old produced an assured performance around the 2.82-mile Moroccan circuit during this afternoon’s 17 lap encounter to take a well deserved third place finish. Lining up fourth on the grid for round four, Banbury-based Will made a good start and held position on the first lap before the race came under Safety Car conditions early on following a huge accident involving Ricardo Teixeria and Ivan Samarin. Due to the nature of the tight street circuit, recovery of the stricken cars took until lap seven but at the re-start Will remained in fourth place. As he pressed on to challenge the top three though, he ran slightly wide at the back chicane allowing Kazim Vasiliauskas to get ahead. Four laps later Will hit back to pass the Lithuanian for fourth and then, as he hunted down the top three again, he benefitted from the retirement of Johan Jokinen on lap 13 – the Danish driver making contact with the wall – to move into third place where he remained to the chequered flag. Making a big step forward this weekend, only his second in Formula 2, Will delivered superb pace in both qualifying and race trim. His best lap in round four of 1m31.322 seconds was the third fastest of all and four 10ths of a second better than the quickest managed by race winner, and championship leader, Philipp Eng. “Today was good, I’m really pleased to be on the podium and we’ve definitely shown some good pace this weekend”, commented Will, “I ran over a kerb at one of the chicanes early on which allowed Kazim (Vasiliauskas) to get by me but I was able to hit back a couple of laps later and then (Johan) Jokinen went into the wall so we moved into third. “Our pace was as good as the top two guys, so I’m pleased about that, and it’s nice to bag some good championship points, especially after the disappointment of being taken out yesterday. We’ve had a good weekend as a whole, it’s a good track and although there were some crazy incidents I’ve really enjoyed it.” Pic: James Bearne Photography
FIRST LAP DRAMA ELIMINATES BRATT FROM MOROCCAN OPENER
Producing by far his most competitive performance of the campaign to date during qualifying on Friday afternoon, the Banbury racer posted the fourth quickest time to secure a place on the second row of the grid. Disappointingly, his fastest lap was later removed from the timing sheets when it was deemed the chequered flag was displayed too late at the end of the session – thus meaning Will’s final lap was null and void through no fault of his own. Lining up seventh on the grid for today’s race, the 22-year-old made a good start and as Jack Clarke and Nicola De Marco made contact ahead into the first chicane Will looked set to gain places. Into the fourth turn though, Benjamin Bailly made an over-ambitious move to try and pass Will and as he out-braked himself he clattered into the Euroseries 3000 Champion, ruling him out on the spot. “It’s unfortunate to end the race that way on the first lap and I am pretty upset but that’s racing”, said a phlegmatic Will, “(Benjamin) Bailly out-braked himself into turn four and there was nothing I could do, it’s really disappointing but hopefully tomorrow will be a much better race for us. We’ve shown in qualifying we have good pace this weekend. ” Bouncing back strongly from the disappointment, Will delivered another excellent qualifying performance during this evening’s round four session to secure a place on the second row of the grid for tomorrow’s second encounter. Producing a best time of 1m31.013 seconds (179.77km/h) to go fourth fastest, he missed out on a front row starting position by just three 10ths of a second. Although he was unable to score championship points today due to his enforced lap one retirement, Will still remains fifth in the driver standings.
STRONG F2 DEBUT FOR BRATT AT SILVERSTONE GP
Finishing sixth during the opening 23-lap race at the Northamptonshire venue, the 2009 Party Poker Racing Euroseries 3000 Champion went on to secure an improved top five result in race two to get his F2 campaign off to a very solid start. Although both encounters were fairly uneventful for Will in terms of wheel-to-wheel action, the Banbury-based 22-year-old produced excellent pace. Impressing greatly with his speed, especially during the latter stages as tyre wear became a factor, he was within half a second of the outright pace in rounds one and two. “I’m fairly pleased with the start we’ve made to the championship, there’s still a lot more to come but two top six finishes is a decent way to kick-off the season”, said Will, “Obviously I’d have liked to have challenged for the podium but we weren’t all that far away. We hadn’t had much time in the car at all before this weekend so, all in all, I’m reasonably satisfied with the results.” During qualifying on Saturday, 17th April, Will lapped with a best time of 1m37.390 seconds (190.03km/h) in the round one session to secure sixth on the grid for the first race. In the round two period, he was within just four 10ths of a second of pole position with a lap of 1m37.439 seconds to qualify seventh quickest. Making a good start to his first ever F2 race, the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star held sixth position and moved into fifth through the fast sequence of corners at Becketts as Danish driver Johan Jokinen ran wide. Into Vale though, experienced Formula 2 driver Kazim Vasiliauskas pulled off a surprise pass to push Will back to sixth where he remained to the chequered flag on lap 23. Lapping stronger and stronger as the race progressed, posting a fastest lap of 1m39.484 seconds on lap 18, Will pressured Vasiliauskas hard during the closing laps and crossed the line just eight 10ths of a second adrift. At the start of round two the Oxon racer held on to seventh position under major pressure from Sergei Afanasiev and after fending off the attentions of the Russian, Will set about challenging sixth placed Jokinen. In the space of the next two laps though, Will moved up to fifth at the expense of Tom Gladdis and Dean Stoneman – the former spinning off and the latter retiring. Remaining in fifth to the flag, he ended round two just 0.9 seconds behind Jack Clarke and with a best lap of 1m39.353 seconds. All F2 Pics Jakob Ebrey Photography
GP2 Asia SOLID CONCLUSION TO MAIDEN GP2 CAMPAIGN FOR BRATT Bahrain Round 8
Displaying impressive performances throughout the course of the eight-race championship for the Party Poker Racing.com Scuderia Coloni team, Banbury-based Will signed-off his debut campaign well at the 6.3km Sakhir track and showed once again he has what it takes to be a GP2 regular. Lining-up 15th on the grid for today’s 20-lap Sprint Race, the British racer made a good getaway and also benefited from misfortune for pole-sitter Edoardo Piscopo who was unable to take the start when his right-rear wheel came loose on the formation lap. Moving into 13th position through the first couple of corners, Will was then pegged-back a place by Super Nova’s Josef Kral but soon gained two positions at the expense of ART’s Jules Bianchi and iSport driver Oliver Turvey. Running in the top 12, the reigning Party Poker Racing.it Euroseries 3000 Champion fought hard to keep Turvey’s faster car at bay but he had to relent on the third tour and this left Will exposed to an attack from Dani Clos. Getting his lap times down below the 2m12 second barrier on lap four with a best of 2m11.836 seconds, Will raced strongly to keep 2009 Formula 3 Euroseries runner-ip, and GP2 Asia Series race winner, Christian Vietoris behind him. At mid-distance though the German dived up the inside with a relatively clumsy late move, locking his brakes in the process, which forced Will wide on the exit and resulted in him being deposed from 15th place. During the final half of the encounter, the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star continued his battle to try and secure his fourth top 15 finish of the campaign but just missed out with a nonetheless hard-fought 16th position. Will commented: “It’s been a fantastic experience competing in GP2 for the first time during the Asia Series and I’ve certainly learned a lot. It was a big step-up for us, especially considering I’ve only been racing internationally for a couple of years, but I think we’ve done a good job and I’ve given a good account of myself without much at all in the way of testing. “I do want to express my thanks to Party Poker Racing and Scuderia Coloni for putting this prize drive in place for the Euroseries 3000 Champion, it’s been a great opportunity to compete in GP2 Asia and I’ve certainly enjoyed the experience.” While the 2009/2010 GP2 Asia Series has now reached its conclusion, the hard work continues for the 21-year-old Oxford University graduate as he aims to secure a competitive drive for the main 2010 motorsport season. Details regarding this will be announced in due course.
STRONG RACE PERFORMANCE FROM BRATT DURING BAHRAIN OPENER Bahrain Round 7
Racing in-front of the FIA Formula One World Championship team bosses during the final weekend of the current GP2 Asia campaign, the 21-year-old British racer produced a determined and assured drive this afternoon from the 11th row of the grid to claim his third top 15 result of the season. During qualifying on Friday, 12th March, Will showed good pace through the first and third sectors of the lap but lost significant time through the new, twisty middle section and ended up with a best time of 2m09.611 seconds (174.957 km/h) – an improvement of 1.3 seconds on his practice time. Although the start to the 29-lap Feature Race was fairly chaotic, Will got away well from the 11th row and did a great job threading his way through an action-packed Turn 1 unscathed. By the end of lap one he had gained three places and by the third tour was up into 16th position, a spot he held until his mandatory pit-stop at the end of lap six. Running strongly throughout a relatively sedate middle section of the race, the action sparked back into life for Will on lap 22 when Christian Vietoris made contact with the rear of Plamen Kralev’s car as the DAMS driver attempted to lap the Bulgarian. This resulted in the deployment of the Safety Car and at the re-start on lap 26, with Will holding 16th position, the Party Poker Racing.com Scuderia Coloni rookie had a great opportunity to try and work his way into the top 15. In the thick of the action, Will unfortunately slipped back a place but hit back superbly into Turn 1 on the penultimate lap by passing both Josef Kral and Max Chilton up the inside under braking to grab a richly deserved 15th position. In the end, he finished the race just a second shy of Spain’s Dani Clos. “I’m fairly pleased with today’s result, we did struggle for pace but there was some good racing which I really enjoyed”, commented Will, “My start was quite good, it was pretty chaotic as usual with cars darting around, but I was able to settle down well. “Our pit-stop was ok but after the Safety Car during the last part of the race I was able to run pretty strongly in a group of about eight or nine cars which was a lot of fun. Hopefully tomorrow we can make some more progress and push for that first top 10 finish, it would be great to end my debut campaign in GP2 Asia that way.”
Bahrain Round 6 BRATT SHUNTED OUT OF BAHRAIN RACE TWO
The talented Banbury-based driver, who lined up 16th on the grid for the 23-lap Sprint Race at Sakhir, made a customarily strong getaway and avoided any trouble during an extremely busy opening lap to gain two positions in quick succession. Soon taking 13th place, the Party Poker Racing.com Scuderia Coloni driver gained another spot at the expense of the fast-starting Alexander Rossi on lap two to move into the top 12 and looked well on course to make continued progress. Holding 12th position into lap three, Will’s hopes were then shattered when Rossi ploughed into the back of his Renault-powered Dallara into Turn 1 – the American having already made contact with Fabio Leimer under braking for the corner. Unsurprisingly disappointed with the outcome to round six, Will said: “Clearly I’m not happy with how my race ended. I’d moved up the order four positions in just the first two laps and everything was well set for a good run. The crucial thing was that I’d been careful with my rear tyres, I’d really looked after them, so we would have been very strong later in the race again. “It’s such a shame we had the contact from (Alexander) Rossi as we would have been on for a finish well inside the top 10 today, possibly as high as the top eight. For sure, we deserve some better luck for the final two rounds when we come back to Bahrain in a fortnight.” Heading into this weekend’s action, Will lay in 197th position out of the world’s top 2,000 international race and rally drivers in the prestigious Castrol Driver Rankings – a listing currently headed by 2009 Formula One World Champion Jenson Button. Although he was forced into retirement in today’s GP2 Asia encounter, Will’s performance during round five on Friday could well mean he climbs the table yet further when the updated rankings are revealed on Monday morning. Will now heads into a two week break ahead of, potentially, the biggest race meeting of his career on 13th/14th March when the GP2 Asia Series returns to Bahrain International Circuit for the season finale, supporting the opening Grand Prix of the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship.
Round 5 Bahrain COMPETITIVE BAHRAIN RACE DEBUT FOR GP2 ROOKIE BRATT
Driving for the Party Poker Racing.com Scuderia Coloni team, the 21-year-old made an outstanding start to the 34-lap Feature Race from the 10th row of the grid. Scything his way into 15th position, gaining five places in the first few turns, he weathered a more difficult mid-race period to produce a strong final third of the race where his pace was comparable to the quickest cars on track. Getting progressively faster as round five wore on, Will posted a best lap time of 1m48.592 seconds on the 29th lap which was equal to the pace of pole-sitter Jules Bianchi and most of the other top 10 finishers at that point. Stringing together a series of laps in the 1m48 second bracket during the last 10 laps, the Banbury-based racer served notice of the potential for another strong run in Race 2. “If we can replicate the same pace from the second half of today’s race in the Sprint Race, we should be competitive but it will be so important to manage the tyres well”, said Will, “My start today was very good again, unfortunately I ran a little bit wide a couple of laps into the race but the second half was strong. We ran faster and faster and certainly made good progress with the lap times.” During the short practice session on Thursday, 25th February, Will’s first ever experience of the Sakhir circuit, he posted a best lap of 1m45.852 seconds (184.060 km/h) even though his track time was reduced to just four genuine quick laps due to an engine-related problem. With that in mind, the Euroseries 3000 and Italian Formula 3000 Champion was less than half a second shy of the top 10 but qualifying didn’t deliver the improvement expected and he ended up 20th on the grid with a lap of 1m45.320 seconds (184.990 km/h). After making a typically strong start to this morning’s race, Will lost ground on the third tour after running slightly wide at Turn 10 which then compromised his entrance to Turn 11. Slipping several positions to 18th, he pitted at the end of lap six for his mandatory tyre change and when the race order evened out Will held 19th place. Managing his tyres well, the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star set about making inroads and dispatched Vladimir Arabadzhiev, Max Chilton and Josef Kral. On lap 23, Will moved ahead of Alexander Rossi and continued to improve his times with a series of fantastically consistent sectors. Holding 16th place with two laps remaining his next target, Edoardo Piscopo, was some 3.4 seconds ahead. Will closed the gap to two seconds into the final lap and ate into the Italian’s advantage yet further over the last 6.3km to take the chequered flag just a second shy of the top 15.
Round 4 Yas Marina - Abu Dhabi 6 Feb 2010 ENFORCED RETIREMENT ROBS BRATT OF CAREER-BEST GP2 FINISH
Following on from a fine 12th place finish under the floodlights at Yas Marina yesterday evening, the 21-year-old Party Poker Racing.com Scuderia Coloni racer looked all set to secure a career-best GP2 result today as he challenged Bulgarian Vladimir Arabadzhiev on the cusp of the top 10. With Ericsson close behind the battling duo as they headed into the 18th tour of the 22-lap Sprint Race, the Swedish pilot out-braked himself and clattered into the back of Will’s Dallara-Renault. The talented Banbury driver did manage to recover to the pits but the damage to his car was too severe, leading to an immediate retirement. “I’m disappointed with the end result but it’s been quite a positive weekend”, said Will, “Taking a top 12 in race one was good and everything looked set for a top 10 finish today but it just wasn’t to be. I’m happy I put up a good fight, it’s just a shame (Marcus) Ericsson out-braked himself as I looked up the inside of (Vladimir) Arabadzhiev. Even so, we’ve again shown we’re competitive in GP2.” Although finishing round three on Friday in 12th position, Will started today’s encounter 11th on the grid after Mexican Sergio Perez was served with a post-race 25 second penalty for a yellow flag infringement – dropping him from his original placing of ninth to 12th. Making a good getaway, following an originally aborted start due to Jules Bianchi stalling his car, Will remained in 11th position on the first lap but contact between Perez and Czech racer Josef Kral caused problems for both, allowing the Party Poker Racing-backed Briton to move into ninth place. Following the collision the Safety Car was deployed for two laps and although holding station after the re-start, Will slipped behind Giedo van der Garde and Charles Pic just before mid-distance. On lap 15, Dutchman van der Garde was forced to pit with a broken front wing after contact with Arabadzhiev so this enabled Will to run back in 11th position having earlier slipped behind Bianchi. The British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star certainly had the measure of Arabadzhiev as the race edged towards its conclusion but on lap 18, Ericsson’s contact with the rear of Will’s car meant the 2009 Euroseries 3000 Champion and Italian Formula 3000 Champion had no option but to retire. Drawing praise for his performance from British Eurosport’s GP2 television commentary team, Martin Haven and Gareth Rees, Will certainly has plenty of positivity to take away with him from Abu Dhabi as he heads into a three week break before the third race meeting of the season.
Round 3 Yas Marina - Abu Dhabi 5 Feb 2010 IMPRESSIVE RACE DRIVE SECURES BRATT TOP 12 AT YAS MARINA
Racing well throughout the 33-lap Feature Race at the 5.5km Yas Marina Circuit, 21-year-old Will delivered a strong account of himself as he climbed from 22nd on the grid into the top 12 and, in doing so, finished as the highest placed of the two Scuderia Coloni drivers. Marking Will’s first experience of ‘floodlit’ racing, today’s outing underlined the British driver’s ability as he overcame a lack of track time in qualifying – following an unfortunate spin while pushing hard on his fourth lap of the session – to produce a noteworthy performance. After making a very good start from the 11th row of the grid, Will avoided chaos at the first turn to carve his way inside the top 20 and by the end of the second sector of the opening lap he was in 18th position and pushing hard to keep experienced team-mate Alberto Valerio behind. Although slipping behind Dani Clos a couple of laps later, Will matched the Spaniard on sector times and remained tight to his tail as the end of lap six approached. At this point, Clos opted to make his mandatory tyre change pit-stop so Will sensibly followed suit and managed to leap ahead of his rival after a good ‘in’ lap and some neat work by the Party Poker Racing.com Scuderia Coloni team. By mid-distance, Will had steered his Renault-powered Dallara into the top 16 and the Banbury racer then began a duel with Frenchman Charles Pic which ran to the chequered flag on lap 33. Moving up the order on laps 26 and 27 to climb into 14th position, Will continued to apply enormous pressure to Pic. Although there was no way past, two late retirements lifted the Briton into 12th place. “I’m pleased I was able to move forward in the race to finish in the top 12 and although I would have liked to have been further forward still, we’ve laid a solid foundation for tomorrow’s race with a 12th position start”, reflected the reigning Euroseries 3000 Champion. “Qualifying was a real shame but my race start was good and our pit-stop was excellent, the team did a good job turning me around to get ahead of (Dani) Clos. The aim tomorrow will be to push forward into the top 10 and, hopefully, secure my best result yet in GP2.” The 22-lap fourth round of the 2009/2010 GP2 Asia Series is scheduled to get underway at 18.00 (local time) tomorrow, Saturday, 6th February. Cable and digital satellite channel British Eurosport 2 will carry live coverage in the UK at 14.00 – please check listings for up-to-the-minute details. all GP2 pics: GP2 Series Media Service
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British
racer Will Bratt finished a mere 13 points behind the coveted top three
in the FIA Formula 2 Championship driver standings at Valencia on
Sunday, 19th September, after a supreme effort on the final weekend of
the season. 
Banbury’s
Will Bratt made a welcome return to the FIA Formula 2 Championship
podium at Valencia in Spain this afternoon, Saturday, 18th September,
with a season-best second place finish during the penultimate race of
2010 – moving him to within just five points of the coveted series top
three. 
FIA
Formula 2 Championship front-runner Will Bratt concluded the penultimate
event of the 2010 season at Oschersleben disappointed to have slipped to
sixth in the driver standings – the result of a frustrating weekend of
racing at the 2.3-mile German circuit. 
Round
14 of the 2010 FIA Formula 2 Championship provided a stern test for Will
Bratt at Brno in the Czech Republic on Sunday, 1st August, but the
category front-runner did well to overturn a difficult opening lap to
claim the final points position with a determined 10th place finish.
British
Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star Will Bratt consolidated his top
four placing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship standings at Brno in the
Czech Republic on Saturday, 31st July, after racing to a competitive
eighth place finish on his circuit debut. 
Will
Bratt’s consistently strong weekend at Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit
received a post-race boost following the 12th round of the FIA Formula 2
Championship on Sunday, 18th July, when the British racer was credited
with his third podium of the season. 
Will
Bratt moved back into the top three of the FIA Formula 2 Championship
standings at Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit in Kent on Saturday, 17th
July, with a battling and richly deserved fourth place finish during the
11th round of the campaign. 
Banbury
racer Will Bratt produced an excellent performance during the 10th round
of the FIA Formula 2 Championship at the Autódromo Internacional do
Algarve in Portugal on Sunday, 4th July, to take a hard-fought top six
finish even though struggling with a broken front wing. 
Will
Bratt’s FIA Formula 2 Championship hopes were dealt a highly unfortunate
blow at Portimão in Portugal this afternoon, Saturday, 3rd July, when
his participation in the first of the weekend’s two races was
compromised due to a driveshaft failure.
Will
Bratt moved back into the top four of the FIA Formula 2 Championship
standings at Zolder in Belgium on Sunday, 20th June, after taking a
hard-fought fifth place finish during the eighth round of the season. 
Despite
an enforced retirement on the final lap of a robust seventh round of the
FIA Formula 2 Championship at Zolder in Belgium, Saturday, 19th June,
category front-runner Will Bratt still maintains a top five placing in
the driver standings. 
Banbury’s
Will Bratt raced to his second podium of the season during round six of
the FIA Formula 2 Championship at a scorching hot Monza on Sunday, 23rd
May, to continue his hugely successful association with the legendary
Italian track – even though hampered by clutch problems. 
Will
Bratt produced one of the strongest drives of the FIA Formula 2
Championship season so far at Monza on Saturday, 22nd May, during the
fifth round of the campaign – the highly rated Briton missing out on the
podium by just 0.7 seconds after a sterling drive from 10th on the
grid. 
Marrakech
Street Circuit proved to be a happy hunting ground for Will Bratt today,
Sunday, 2nd May, when a fantastically competitive drive resulted in his
first FIA Formula 2 Championship podium and a move up the driver
standings into the series top four. 
British
Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star Will Bratt saw his hopes of a
maiden FIA Formula 2 Championship podium finish dashed on the opening
lap of the third round of 2010 at Marrakech Street Circuit on Saturday,
1st May, after being shunted out of the first race of the weekend. 
FIA
Formula 2 Championship debutant Will Bratt delivered a highly
competitive performance during the first two rounds of the 2010 season
at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit yesterday, Sunday, 18th April, to
leave his home event fifth in the driver standings.
Will
Bratt brought the curtain down on a solid maiden campaign in FIA Formula
One World Championship support category GP2 Asia Series at Bahrain
International Circuit this morning, Sunday, 14th March, with a
competitive drive to 16th place during the final outing of the season.
Party
Poker Racing-backed GP2 Asia Series competitor Will Bratt delivered a
typically strong race performance at Bahrain International Circuit on
Saturday, 13th March, to secure a fine top 15 finish during the
penultimate encounter of the 2009/2010 season. 
British
GP2 Asia Series racer Will Bratt endured a disappointing conclusion to
his weekend’s racing in Bahrain this morning, Saturday, 27th February,
after being shunted out of the sixth round of the 2009/2010 season. 
Will
Bratt made a promising start to the third GP2 Asia Series event of the
2009/2010 season at Bahrain International Circuit on Friday, 26th
February – the British racer securing a strong top 16 finish on his race
debut at the Sakhir track during a highly competitive fifth round of the
campaign. 
GP2
Asia Series driver Will Bratt enjoyed a typically competitive run during
the fourth round of the 2009/2010 championship in Abu Dhabi on Saturday,
(6th February) although late-race contact from Swede Marcus Ericsson
forced the Briton out of the race with less than five laps remaining. 
Party
Poker Racing.com-backed GP2 Asia Series rookie Will Bratt produced an
impressive, battling drive during Friday evening’s third round of the
2009/2010 season in Abu Dhabi to secure his second top 12 result of the
campaign.