Now if only my Internetz' would Quit saying Server
Not Found!
Was trying to look-up who'd won the season
opening FIA Formula 2 Feature Race in Bahrain late Saturday Nite', (March 30th)
since it's another of the myriad 'O Motor Racing Series NOT Available on Thy Stateside's
Mainstream "Linear" TV; But I Digress...
As All the talk, or Hype surrounding this
year's F2 Championship seemingly revolved round Mick Schumacher, son of some
Dude known here at No Fenders as 'DER TERMINATOR, nee Michael Schumacher.
As Mick has been appointed to the Ferrari
Driver Academy this year, along with being nominated to make his Formula 1
Debut at the Post Bahrain Grand Prix test. First driving for la Scuderia, on
Tuesday, and then Alfa Romeo the following day.
Underneath the FIA F2's Big-top...
Won't bother chronicling all ten teams and
twenty drivers competing this year, for which Thars' seven rookies in the
field, with Drivers representing 14 Nations including a lone Femme Fatale. As Columbian Tatiana Calderón eschews
racing in the much Hyped Women's series.. in favour of hopefully advancing to
Formula 1 one day.
With Tatiana having subsequently been confirmed as
Alfa Romeo Racing's Test Driver again this season, for the second year in-a-row...
Two new teams join the grid, albeit rebranded
entities. With Russian Time Racing
having sold its Assets to Virtuosi
Racing, who currently ran the team and now races as UNI
Virtuosi Racing.
Sauber Junior Team by Charouz was formerly known as Charouz
Racing Systems - and appears to effectively still be managed by the Czech
Republic Flagged Squad.
Reportedly
the Sauber name is in conjunction with the current entity owning the Sauber F1;
Err Alfa Romeo Formula 1 Operation, i.e.; Sauber Motorsport AG and is not "Cough-Cough,"
Affiliated with Alfa Romeo Racing, which seems a bit Odd? Especially since
Calderon and fellow F2 competitor Juan Manuel Correa have been signed to auxiliary
roles with the Formula 1 outfit.
Thee Big Four?
As last year's Big 3, i.e.;
ART Grand Prix, Carlin and DAMS who's drivers
finished 1-2-3 Overall last season, All graduated to Formula 1.
With George Russell winning the title for ART
Grand Prix, landing at the woeful Team Willy', aka Williams as a Mercedes
Junior Driver.
Lando Norris, now racing for McLaren finished
Runner-up while helping Carling win the Teams title. And Alexander Albon, who
finished third in F2 with DAMS, now drives for Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda.
Carlin sports an all new lineup this year
with Louis Deletraz, son of former F1 racer Jean-Louis Deletraz sporting the
team's No. 1 plate. And Nobuharu
Matsushita, who'd naturally like to drive for his Home Country's engine
manufacturer Honda in Formula 1.
ART
Grand Prix features "Dutchie" Nyck de Vries from the Netherlands,
hoping to emulate fellow Niederlander' "Maximus Hothead's" (Max
Verstappen) career trajectory to Thee Pinnacle 'O Motor Racing. With Russia's Nikita
Mazepin as team-mate.
Oh
KanaDuh's Nicholas Latifi won the season opening F2 Feature Race in Bahrain for
DAMS, and is partnered by Sergio Sette Camara, who's currently also McLaren's
Development Driver.
Meanwhile,
certainly many "Eyes" will be focused squarely upon Prema Racing, who
finished a disappointing fifth last year. But have a Rookie with the Sir-name
of Schumacher competing for them. While Indonesia's Sean Gelael won't wish to toil in Mick's shadow...
Others
Yeah, I'm easily swayed, but really enjoyed
his demeanour during his brief cameo in Sky Sports Commentary Box during
Friday's (Free Practice) FP2 session Down Under in Bloody Melbourne, Mates!
Thus, Jack, Not Chet; Hya! Aitken, as I
thought up that Oh, So Clever bitamyte 'O Humour over Johnny Herbert having
trouble pronouncing his last name, bungling it round 'N making me think of him
pronouncing it a la Thee "Country Gentleman," aka Chet Atkins; Hya!
AnyHoo, Aitken's become my personal favourite
for this year's FIA F2 championship, whilst another Driver's name surprised
Mwah when reading the 2019 Formula 2 Preview.
Since I know the name Jordan King from his
racing in Indy Cars for Ed Carpenter Racing (ECR) Twisties' portion of the 2018
IndyCar calendar, nee Road Courses & Street Circuits, I was surprised that
he'd returned to F2. Although perhaps because he couldn't find his desired
Fulltime Ride in Indy Cars, Eh?
King finished P8 in the Bahrain F2 Sprint
Race, securing a point for doing so, and will also contest this year's
Indianapolis 500 for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
Hence, he'll be pulling a "Fernando,"
by foregoing his "Day Job's" weekend's Monaco Formula 2 rounds in
favour of racing at Mother Speedway.
Italy's
Luca Ghiotto, driving for UNI Virtuosi Racing won the Bahrain Round 2's Sprint Race by
pitting to change tyres, enabling him to run down the leaders who opted to not
stop during the race. And could be a Dark Horse title Contendah'.
Sauber Junior Team by Charouz has two interesting Drivers in its
cars, including Ecuadorian born American racer Juan Manuel Correa, who competes
under a United States racing license. Whilst Correa's team-mate Brit' Callum
Ilott is one of three current Ferrari Driver Academy members racing in Formula
2.
Callum Ilott and Juan Manuel Correa Headline Sauber Junior Team in Formula 2
And
lastly, since this Yarn's gone way past thou end of its Roll... Speaking 'O
Ferrari Driver Academy members, the third member of this year's trio also
sports a famous last name, as in Alesi.
Yep, Giuliano
Alesi, racing for Trident is indeed son of former Ferrari Formula 1 Pilote Jean
Alesi, who's scored four W's in GP3 before graduating to F2 this year.
As too Bad we
Won't get to See any of these Rising Stars on Stateside TV...
