Arundel joins Carlin for 2009

British Formula 3 racer Henry Arundel will race for champion team Carlin Motorsport next season.

Arundel is a former race winner in Formula BMW but had a disappointing first season in F3 with Raikkonen Robertson Racing this year, finishing 15th in the standings with a best finish of sixth.

But he's confident that he can turn things around at Carlin after testing with the team after Croft since the end of the season.

"I had a bit of a tough season," he said. "I realise I have a lot of work to do over the winter and it's going to be a challenge, but I have unfinished business in F3 and I feel I'm now in the best place to get the results I know I'm capable of."

FCD can’t find answers for Galaxy

Perez quickest in practice at Croft

Americans confident going forward

Bianchi wins shortened race two

Jules Bianchi scored his second win of the season in a shortened Formula 3 Euro Series race at Hockenheim this morning.

The Frenchman, who won from pole position in race one last time out at Le Mans, inherited pole for today's race after he finished eighth yesterday.

He had to complete just one full racing lap to confirm the victory because of three safety car periods, with the race red flagged during the third caution. But it wasn't enough to take second in the championship from Edoardo Mortara as he still finished one point behind the Italian.

"I did two mistakes yesterday at the start and the restart and lost four places, so it was good to do the start and two restarts today and not make any mistakes," Bianchi told autosport.com.

"I'm a bit disappointed to finish third in the championship, I would have like to have got second but Edoardo managed to get a point today. that's racing."

A first corner tangle between Christian Vietoris, Mika Maki and Stefano Coletti brought the safety car out straight away. Vietoris and Coletti, contesting fourth place, squeezed towards each other on the approach to the corner and Maki was trapped between them as all three made contact.

Vietoris and Coletti were both pitched into the barrier on the outside, while Maki dropped down to eighth and continued with a damaged car.

Further first-lap shunts were crammed in before the officials could scramble the safety car. Henkie Waldschmidt and Daniel Campos-Hull collided exiting Turn 1 after Waldschmidt had bounced across the kerb on the inside. Both landed in the wall on the outside and retired.

A few hundred metres later at Turn 2, Richard Philippe collided with Frederic Vervisch under braking and spun. Philippe continued, but Vervisch retired on the spot and Sam Bird was also caught up in the incident and retired in the pits a lap later.

The field was bunched behind the safety car for just two laps before the restart, but only made it to Turn 3 before the next stoppage. Maki was falling backwards with damage from the first corner incident and James Jakes got a run at him down the back straight.

Maki moved across to force Jakes further to the inside, but Jakes clipped the back of his car and speared head-on into the inside wall on the approach to the hairpin at unabated speed. He had to be extricated from the car in his seat and was taken away in an ambulance, but escaped injury.

Bianchi broke away at the restart, pulling nearly three seconds clear of Koudai Tsukakoshi in one lap while the Japanese driver was desperately trying to hold race one winner Nico Hulkenberg at bay.

Edoardo Mortara passed Erik Janis around the outside into Turn 2 in what turned out to be the deciding factor in the battle for second place in the championship. Bianchi's six points today pulled him level with Mortara on 49, but Mortara's move on Janis earned him a point for sixth place and secured the runner-up spot behind Hulkenberg.

Just one corner beyond the end of the first full racing lap, another accident stopped the race for good. Stephane Richelmi ran wide exiting Turn 1 but over-corrected as he fought to catch the slide. His car snapped sideways and he slammed head-on into the concrete wall on the outside.

It was clear that it was going to take several minutes to extract him safely from his wrecked car and the race was red flagged after three more safety car laps with just four minutes left on the clock.

Tsukakoshi had held off Hulkenberg for the remaining half a lap to hold onto second place, while Jean-Karl Vernay and Renger van der Zande followed home in fourth and fifth, ahead of Mortara.

Pos Driver Team Car Gap 1. Jules Bianchi ART D/M 28:33.459 2. Koudai Tsukakoshi Manor D/M +0.797 3. Nico Hulkenberg ART D/M +2.101 4. Jean-Karl Vernay Signature D/V +3.288 5. Renger van der Zande Prema D/M +4.118 6. Edoardo Mortara Signature D/V +4.989 7. Erik Janis Mucke D/M +6.736 8. Robert Wickens Signature D/V +7.643 9. Mika Maki Mucke D/M +8.815 10. Yann Clairay SG D/M +10.121 11. Dani Clos Prema D/M +11.651 12. Cheng Cong Fu RC D/V +12.425 13. Franck Mailleux Signature D/V +14.223 14. Brendon Hartley Carlin D/M +15.607 15. Oliver Oakes Carlin D/M +16.844 16. Jens Klingmann RC D/V +18.909 17. Basil Shaaban HBR D/M +19.938 18. Richard Philippe SG D/M +21.607 19. Kazuya Oshima Manor D/M +22.330 20. Jon Lancaster ART D/M +23.373 Retirements Stephane Richelmi Barazi-Epsilon D/M 8 laps James Jakes ART D/M 3 laps Sam Bird Manor D/M 2 laps Frederic Vervisch RC D/V 1 lap Stefano Coletti Prema D/M 0 laps Christian Vietoris Mucke D/M 0 laps Henkie Waldschmidt SG D/M 0 laps Daniel Campos-Hull HBR D/M 0 laps Fastest lap, Bianchi 1:35.683 on lap 8

Hulkenberg wins race one at Mugello

Past disappointment fuels Crew

Hulkenberg takes seventh win of year

Nico Hulkenberg scored his seventh victory out of the ten Formula 3 Euro Series Saturday races with another dominant performance from pole position at Hockenheim this morning.

The champion has taken all of his wins this season in the non-reverse grid rounds and underlined his place at the top of the championship by pulling eight seconds clear of the battle for second place.

Hulkenberg increased his lead throughout the race, pushing all the way and locking up several times at the Turn 3 hairpin.

"Quite soon after the start there was the safety car, but I kept cool because I knew my speed was very good," he said. "The car was great after the restart and I did what I wanted to do at Le Mans and win to show who is the champion.

"I have wanted all year to at least be on the podium in both races so that is the aim from eighth tomorrow."

Behind, Christian Vietoris held second throughout, but the Mucke Motorsport driver was racing under appeal following his exclusion from qualifying when his car was found to be underweight. The team protested, claiming that it was only underweight because the sidepod had been damaged and part of it had fallen off, so his second place ahead of Renger van der Zande is provisional.

"I hope I can keep the points, it's very important because everything is still open for second place in the championship," said Vietoris.

The result as it stands brought Vietoris and van der Zande back into contention in the battle for second place in the standings, with Mika Maki also in the hunt after finishing fourth.

The current second-placed driver, Edoardo Mortara, finished the race only 14th. He ran third in the early stages but was given a drive-through penalty for going beyond the run-off at the exit of turn one. He was one of four drivers to receive the penalty in the race, along with Sam Bird, Robert Wickens and Jens Klingmann.

Jules Bianchi could also come into play in the fight for second in tomorrow's finale. The Frenchman had a lackluster race, losing places on the first lap and then running wide at Turn 2 and allowing Stefano Coletti, Jean-Karl Vernay and Koudai Tsukakoshi through.

But he still finished in seventh place so will start tomorrow's reverse grid race from the front row.

The race was broken up by a lengthy safety car period following multiple collisions at the Turn 3 hairpin on the opening lap. Brendon Hartley was pitched into a roll by Erik Janis and had to be extracted from his car by the medical crew having appeared to injure his back as his car landed awkwardly.

While on the outside of that incident, Jon Lancaster and Kazuya Oshima collided and both retired.

Pos Driver Team Car Gap 1. Nico Hülkenberg ART D/M 41:22.235 2. Christian Vietoris Mucke D/M +7.888 3. Renger van der Zande Prema D/M +8.702 4. Mika Maki Mucke D/M +14.499 5. Stefano Coletti Prema D/M +15.885 6. Jean-Karl Vernay Signature D/V +17.821 7. Koudai Tsukakoshi Manor D/M +22.904 8. Jules Bianchi ART D/M +23.614 9. Erik Janis Mucke D/M +31.436 10. Dani Clos Prema D/M +32.434 11. Henkie Waldschmidt SG D/M +36.208 12. James Jakes ART D/M +43.202 13. Edoardo Mortara Signature D/V +44.057 14. Yann Clairay SG D/M +44.786 15. Daniel Campos-Hull HBR D/M +45.500 16. Cheng Cong Fu RC D/V +51.869 17. Sam Bird Manor D/M +52.508 18. Franck Mailleux Signature D/V +58.365 19. Richard Philippe SG D/M +58.951 20. Frederic Vervisch RC D/V +1:00.368 21. Basil Shaaban HBR D/M +1:05.700 22. Stephane Richelmi Barazi-Epsilon D/M +1:13.167 23. Jens Klingmann RC D/V +1:18.078 24. Robert Wickens Signature D/V +1:21.190 Retirements Oliver Oakes Carlin D/M 8 laps Kazuya Oshima Manor D/M 0 laps Brendon Hartley Carlin D/M 0 laps Jon Lancaster ART D/M 0 laps Fastest lap, Hulkenberg 1:34.221 on lap 17

Hulkenberg takes comfortable win

Hulkenberg dominates at Nurburgring

Hulkenberg wins race one at Mugello

Hulkenberg claims pole at Hockenheim

Nico Hulkenberg claimed pole position for the first Formula 3 Euro Series round at Hockenheim this weekend in what will likely be his final F3 outing.

The champion, who is set to graduate to GP2 with ART and will miss next month's Macau Grand Prix, pipped Christian Vietoris and Edoardo Mortara to the top spot by less than a tenth of a second in the final laps of the session.

Hulkenberg went ahead early on but was pushed down to third at one point as Renger van der Zande and Vietoris each had a turn at the top following their first laps on a second set of tyres.

But Hulkenberg responded on his second set of tyres to continue his domination of the series with his sixth pole of the year.

Mortara returned to form now that the title is out of his reach and is well placed to defend his second place in the standings from Jules Bianchi and Mika Maki with third on the grid. Van der Zande ended up fourth, with Bianchi fifth and Stefano Coletti completing the top six.

Maki will have his work cut out to close the nine points between him and Mortara from eighth on the grid, behind Koudai Tsukakoshi, while Britons James Jakes and Sam Bird round out the top ten.

Series debutants Oliver Oakes and Frederic Vervisch qualified 25th and 27th respectively.

Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps 1. Nico Hulkenberg ART 1:33.218 15 2. Christian Vietoris Mucke 1:33.296 +0.078 15 3. Edoardo Mortara Signature 1:33.307 +0.089 17 4. Renger van der Zande Prema 1:33.450 +0.232 16 5. Jules Bianchi ART 1:33.483 +0.265 15 6. Stefano Coletti Prema 1:33.665 +0.447 16 7. Koudai Tsukakoshi Manor 1:33.713 +0.495 17 8. Mika Maki Mucke 1:33.824 +0.606 16 9. James Jakes ART 1:33.837 +0.619 15 10. Sam Bird Manor 1:33.844 +0.626 17 11. Dani Clos Prema 1:33.874 +0.656 16 12. Jean-Karl Vernay Signature 1:34.003 +0.785 16 13. Robert Wickens Signature 1:34.056 +0.838 15 14. Richard Philippe SG 1:34.105 +0.887 16 15. Daniel Campos-Hull HBR 1:34.174 +0.956 17 16. Erik Janis Mucke 1:34.182 +0.964 16 17. Yann Clairay SG 1:34.234 +1.016 15 18. Kazuya Oshima Manor 1:34.307 +1.089 11 19. Franck Mailleux Signature 1:34.316 +1.098 16 20. Brendon Hartley Carlin 1:34.404 +1.186 15 21. Henkie Waldschmidt SG 1:34.445 +1.227 15 22. Jon Lancaster ART 1:34.525 +1.307 15 23. Franky Cheng RC 1:34.871 +1.653 16 24. Basil Shaaban HBR 1:34.947 +1.729 15 25. Oliver Oakes Carlin 1:35.120 +1.902 16 26. Jens Klingmann RC 1:35.124 +1.906 15 27. Frederic Vervisch RC 1:35.924 +2.706 12 28. Stephane Richelmi Barazi-Epsilon 1:36.612 +3.394 14

Hulkenberg claims pole at Zandvoort

Hulkenberg wins race one at Mugello

Oakes to make Euroseries debut

British Formula 3 regular Oliver Oakes will join Brendon Hartley in Carlin Motorsport's F3 Euroseries squad at this weekend's Hockenheim finale.

The 20-year-old Briton last competed for the team in the 2006 Formula BMW UK Championship and joins Carlin having taken pole at the final British F3 round for Eurotek.

Speaking about his Euroseries debut, Oakes said: "It's nice to be joining Carlin again, although I'm jumping in at the deep end; on a track I don't know and on tyres I've no experience of.

"It's going to be a great learning experience; Carlin is obviously a good team, and it will be good to gauge myself against other drivers," he added.

"I'm sure it will be quite a steep learning curve, but I have Brendon as my teammate and I'm really looking forward to driving in the same team as him, and learning as much as I can."

Team Principal Trevor Carlin added: "Oli is a good friend of the team and we are delighted to give him the chance to compete in the final round of the season.

"It will obviously be a tough weekend for him, but I believe he has the ability to help the team move forward."

Oakes to miss Monza race

Hulkenberg to miss Macau GP

Formula 3 Euro Series champion Nico Hulkenberg will not race in this year's Macau Grand Prix.

The German wrapped up the European title earlier this month, but will not return to the end-of-season event this year because it takes place in the same week as a GP2 ground test at Paul Ricard, where he will be in action for ART Grand Prix.

Hulkenberg had a luckless time at Macau last season, but would have gone into this year's 55th running of the event as the favourite after dominating the Euro Series this year.

"Macau is an amazing event, a great place and I enjoyed it a lot last year, so it's a shame not to be going back this year," he told this week's Autosport magazine. "But I need to concentrate on GP2 now for next year."

Hulkenberg's absence, as well as the strength of the Macau rookies on this year's entry list, mean there is a good chance that the race could be won by a Macau debutant for the first time since Alexandre Premat's victory in 2004.

The leading newcomers this season include British F3 champion Jaime Alguersuari and runner-up Oliver Turvey - who are joined at Carlin Motorsport by Marcus Ericsson - Euro Series front runners Jules Bianchi, Mika Maki and Jon Lancaster, and Japanese F3 runner-up Kaisuke Kunimoto.

But Alguersuari played down the chances of a Macau rookie winning the event.

"It will be hard for all of us because it's a very difficult circuit and almost always the second-year drivers do best there," he told Autosport.

Expected contenders with experience of the Macau streets include Japanese F3 champion Carlo van Dam, British F3 front runner Brendon Hartley, and Euro Series front runners Edoardo Mortara, Renger van der Zande, Sam Bird and James Jakes, and Australian F3 champion James Winslow.

Ultimate switch to Dallara chassis

Turvey not giving up on title yet

Oliver Turvey says he's not giving up hope of winning the British Formula 3 championship yet, despite qualifying 12 places behind title rival Jaime Alguersuari for this afternoon's decider at Donington Park with just a three point advantage.

Turvey came into the weekend with a 12-point lead over Alguersuari, but could only finish third in the first race earlier today while Alguersuari won the race and got an extra point for setting the fastest lap.

But Turvey will have his work cut out if he is to stay at the top of the standings after finishing only 14th in yesterday's damp qualifying session. He cannot afford to finish more than one place behind Alguersuari in the points the afternoon and will have to beat the Spaniard if they are in the top three.

"It's going to be difficult from here," conceded Turvey. "We got the strategy wrong in qualifying yesterday and didn't get the best out of the tyres when the track was at its best.

"I've got a lot to do from 14th this afternoon, but I'll give it my best shot. You never know what might happen."

Alguersuari, meanwhile, will start the race alongside polesitter Oliver Oakes on the front row. He knows he is now the strong favourite to take the title, but says he'd rather have had the chance to beat Turvey in a straight fight.

"Oliver was unlucky with qualifying and for sure him starting near the back benefits me, but I think it's a little unfair," said Alguersuari.

"It would be nice to battle each other for the championship in the last race, but the situation benefits me so I have to be happy with this."

Turvey laments qualifying error

Chivas USA struggling to finish

Alguersuari controls first race

Jaime Alguersuari closed Oliver Turvey's championship lead to three points with victory in the first race of this weekend's British Formula 3 season finale at Donington Park.

The Spaniard maintained his lead from pole position over teammate Brendon Hartley and controlled the half hour race from the front. The pair cruised away from the chasing pack to contest the victory between themselves.

Hartley pushed hard in the early laps, but his charge looked to be broken after he locked up and lost over a second at the Esses on lap 13. That was until they caught a train of five backmarkers with four laps to go and Hartley was right back on the leader's tail.

But Alguersuari soaked up the pressure to record his fourth win of the season and put himself in position to seal the title later this afternoon.

Turvey led the chasing group in third, holding a safe margin over Dean Smith, Sam Abay and Nick Tandy for the duration of the race.

Behind them, Atte Mustonen held off Marcus Ericsson for seventh and Henry Surtees fought off a late charge from Jay Bridger to secure the National Class victory on his F3 debut.

Pos Driver Team Car Gap 1. Jaime Alguersuari Carlin D/M 30:03.648 2. Brendon Hartley Carlin D/M +0.813 3. Oliver Turvey Carlin D/M +7.544 4. Dean Smith Fortec D/M +9.439 5. Sam Abay Carlin D/M +9.859 6. Nick Tandy JTR M/M +10.610 7. Atte Mustonen Double R D/M +20.509 8. Marcus Ericsson Fortec D/M +21.147 9. Henry Surtees Carlin (N) D/H +33.340 10. Jay Bridger Fluid (N) D/H +33.495 11. Henry Arundel Double R D/M +34.524 12. John Martin Double R D/M +36.083 13. Oliver Oakes Eurotek D/M +36.499 14. Adriano Buzaid Carlin (N) D/H +37.353 15. Stefan Wilson Fluid (N) D/H +50.254 16. Clemente Faria Jr Cesario D/H +1 lap 17. Steven Guerrero T-Sport (N) D/H +1 lap 18. Hywel Lloyd CF (N) D/H +1 lap 19. Callum MacLeod T-Sport (N) D/H +1 lap 20. Philip Major Fortec D/M +1 lap 21. Max Chilton Hitech D/M +2 laps 22. Jonathan Legris Litespeed (N) S/H +6 laps Not classified Sergio Perez T-Sport D/H 20 laps Walter Grubmuller Hitech D/M 1 lap Fastest lap, Alguersuari 1:01.375 on lap 11 D/M = Dallara Mercedes, M/M = Mygale Mercedes, D/H = Dallara Mugen-Honda, S/H = SLC Mugen-Honda

Penalties give Alguersuari pole

Wheldon steps out of car, onto field

Alguersuari takes title with victory

Jaime Alguersuari became the youngest ever British F3 champion when he clinched the title with a dominant victory in the second race at Donington Park this afternoon.

The 18-year-old, who is also the first Spaniard ever to win the British title, only had to outscore his Carlin Motorsport teammate Oliver Turvey by three points to seal the title, but he romped away to an emphatic victory to secure the crown.

He jumped polesitter Oliver Oakes off the line and never looked back. It took him three laps to break away from second-placed Sergio Perez and then ensuing scrap behind meant he had a huge lead just five laps later.

Alguersuari's lead was reduced in the closing laps after Nick Tandy won the battle for second and gave chase, but the result was never in doubt.

"I still can't believe I'm the new champion, it might take a few days for me to believe it," he said. "It's even more special to be the first Spanish driver and the youngest ever winner, I'm just so thankful.

"My teammates and Sergio gave such a big fight all season and made me push like hell the whole year. I think we've seen the best season in British F3 and it was so nice to be part of it.

"I didn't care too much about winning the race, I just knew that I would win the title as long as I had points. But it was nice to do it with a win."

Behind Alguersuari, Perez did his best to hang onto second but was clearly struggling with pace and smoke puffed out of his Mugen-Honda engine each time he hit the brakes for the final chicane.

Brendon Hartley was all over Perez in the early stages and tried desperately to dive ahead of the T-Sport car, but Perez just about held him at bay. Hartley then dropped out of contention when he had to pit to have a loose wheel tightened. He rejoined to set the fastest lap but retired a few laps later when the wheel worked loose again.

Tandy then forced his way past Perez with a lunge up the inside at the Esses and he set off after Alguersuari, leaving Perez heading Sam Abay, Oakes, Marcus Ericsson and Dean Smith.

Abay tried unsuccessfully to squeeze by Perez on three consecutive laps, while Smith somehow made it round the outside of both Ericsson and Oakes into the Esses.

It ended in tears on the last lap as a tangle exiting MacLeans jumbled the order. Oakes was delayed while Ericsson and Oliver Turvey - charging up from 14th on the grid - spun, with Turvey left stranded in the gravel.

Jay Bridger finished the season with a National Class victory in eighth place overall, holding a safe gap over Henry Surtees who scored his second class podium of the day.

Pos Driver Team Car Gap 1. Jaime Alguersuari Carlin D/M 30:21.986 2. Nick Tandy JTR M/M +4.171 3. Sergio Perez T-Sport D/H +12.032 4. Dean Smith Fortec D/M +12.968 5. Sam Abay Carlin D/M +13.300 6. Oliver Oakes Eurotek D/M +14.879 7. Marcus Ericsson Fortec D/M +19.973 8. Jay Bridger Fluid (N) D/H +22.909 9. Henry Surtees Carlin (N) D/H +24.984 10. Henry Arundel Double R D/M +25.567 11. Max Chilton Hitech D/M +25.933 12. John Martin Double R D/M +39.627 13. Steven Guerrero T-Sport (N) D/H +40.341 14. Adriano Buzaid Carlin (N) D/H +40.593 15. Stefan Wilson Fluid (N) D/H +41.420 16. Hywel Lloyd CF (N) D/H +45.615 17. Philip Major Fortec D/M +46.246 18. Atte Mustonen Double R D/M +53.369 19. Clemente Faria Jr Cesario D/H +1 lap 20. Walter Grubmuller Hitech D/M +3 laps 21. Jonathan Legris Litespeed (N) S/H +6 laps Not classified Oliver Turvey Carlin D/M 26 laps Brendon Hartley Carlin D/M 22 laps Callum MacLeod T-Sport (N) D/H 15 laps Fastest lap, Hartley 1:01.721 on lap 18 D/M = Dallara Mercedes, M/M = Mygale Mercedes, D/H = Dallara Mugen-Honda, S/H = SLC Mugen-Honda

Oakes takes maiden F3 pole position

Turvey laments qualifying error

Oliver Turvey admitted that his disappointing run in the second qualifying session for yesterday's season finale at Donington Park cost him the British Formula 3 title.

The Briton went into the weekend with a 12-point championship lead, but could only manage 14th on the grid in the damp qualifying session that decided the grid for the final race of the year.

He finished third in race one to keep a slender three-point lead going into race two, but couldn't make enough progress through the field to stop Jaime Alguersuari taking the championship, and retired on the last lap following contact with Marcus Ericsson.

"We got the strategy wrong in qualifying and I didn't get the best out of the tyres when the track was at its best," Turvey told autosport.com.

"Most of the guys at the top did their best times on slicks on their sixth lap of the session, I did mine on wets on my 12th lap and was only 14th."

But Turvey also pointed to an engine failure while on pole position at Spa-Francorchamps that could have been part of a four-race winning streak.

"I had some bad luck as well, the points we lost at Spa also proved costly. But at the end of the day, I led the championship for so long... I'm disappointed to lose, obviously, but it's still been a really strong season."

Hartley leads Carlin trio in qualifying

Alguersuari: Consistency key to title

Jaime Alguersuari says the secret to him winning the British Formula 3 championship this year was the consistency he showed throughout the season.

The 18-year-old became the youngest ever British F3 champion - and the first from Spain - in the final race at Donington Park on Sunday by recording his third straight victory and fifth of the year.

But his rivals in the four-way title fight won their share of races too, with Brendon Hartley winning five times and Oliver Turvey and Sergio Perez four each.

Alguersuari says the difference was that he only failed to finish outside the top six three times in 22 races while the others posted more retirements.

"It was so close with all of us, but I made no big mistakes," he told autosport.com. "I'm not one of those drivers that has to win every race. "I just have to be in the top five every race and from there, you can always win.

"My bad weekend was a fifth or a sixth place, while the other guys were much more up and down. They might win one week but the next they have a crash or are outside the top ten. That consistency is what's most important."

Alguersuari is now looking forward to the end of season Macau Grand Prix, where he will go up against the best drivers from the European and Japanese F3 championships as well as his rivals from the British series.

"It will be my first time at Macau and I will do my best, but it will be hard because it's a very difficult circuit and almost always second year drivers do the best there," he added.

Resurgent Rapids focus on consistency

Alguersuari dominates at Brands Hatch

Oakes takes maiden F3 pole position

Oliver Oakes took his first British Formula 3 pole position in a damp qualifying session at Donington Park this afternoon.

He will start tomorrow's second race from the front after setting a time on slicks early in the session that nobody could get near.

The track was greasy as the half hour session got underway, but increasing rain prevented anyone from improving their time after the first 15 minutes and the drivers were forced to pit for wets.

Jaime Alguersuari's title push received a huge boost as his best time on slicks was good enough for a place on the front row, while championship leader Oliver Turvey did not set a competitive time on dry tyres and could only manage 14th place on wets.

Alguersuari will now start both of tomorrow's races from the front row, with Turvey third and 14th with just a 12-point championship lead.

Sergio Perez qualified third this afternoon, with Nick Tandy, Marcus Ericsson, and Brendon Hartley completing the top six.

Jay Bridger again led the National Class runners in seventh with Steven Guerrero eighth. Sam Abay and debutant Dean Smith rounded out the top ten, with John Martin, Henry Surtees, and Atte Mustonen all qualifying ahead of Turvey as well.

Pos Driver Team Car Time 1. Oliver Oakes Eurotek D/M 1:09.294 2. Jaime Alguersuari Carlin D/M 1:09.931 3. Sergio Perez T-Sport D/H 1:10.063 4. Nick Tandy JTR M/M 1:10.084 5. Marcus Ericsson Fortec D/M 1:10.139 6. Brendon Hartley Carlin D/M 1:10.212 7. Jay Bridger Fluid (N) D/H 1:10.263 8. Steven Guerrero T-Sport (N) D/H 1:10.283 9. Sam Abay Carlin D/M 1:10.333 10. Dean Smith Fortec D/M 1:10.359 11. John Martin Double R D/M 1:10.507 12. Henry Surtees Carlin (N) D/H 1:10.514 13. Atte Mustonen Double R D/M 1:10.536 14. Oliver Turvey Carlin D/M 1:10.657 15. Henry Arundel Double R D/M 1:10.765 16. Walter Grubmuller Hitech D/M 1:11.120 17. Philip Major Fortec D/M 1:11.135 18. Max Chilton Hitech D/M 1:11.810 19. Stefan Wilson Fluid (N) D/H 1:12.081 20. Clemente Faria Jr Cesario D/H 1:12.140 21. Adriano Buzaid Carlin (N) D/H 1:12.426 22. Jonathan Legris Litespeed S/H 1:12.677 23. Hywel Lloyd CF (N) D/H 1:13.666 24. Callum MacLeod T-Sport (N) D/H 1:14.729

Penalties give Alguersuari pole

Penalties give Alguersuari pole

Jaime Alguersuari inherited pole position for the opening British Formula 3 race of the weekend at Donington Park after all the times set during a yellow flag period in the session were taken away.

Brendon Hartley had originally taken the pole but once all the laps set under yellow flags had been cancelled, Alguersuari was left with the quickest time.

Oliver Turvey maintained his third place, with Dean Smith moving up to fourth for his first F3 race, Sam Abay fifth, and Walter Grubmuller sixth. The biggest loser was Nick Tandy, who dropped from 4th to 13th.

The alterations also moved Jay Bridger to the top of the National Class, tenth overall, with Henry Surtees dropped to 12th and second in class.

Max Chilton's ten place grid penalty now drops him to 17th.

Pos Driver Team Car Time 1. Jaime Alguersuari Carlin D/M 1:01.387 2. Brendon Hartley Carlin D/M 1:01.462 3. Oliver Turvey Carlin D/M 1:01.540 4. Dean Smith Fortec D/M 1:01.734 5. Sam Abay Carlin D/M 1:01.764 6. Walter Grubmuller Hitech D/M 1:01.769 7. Atte Mustonen Double R D/M 1:01.967 8. Marcus Ericsson Fortec D/M 1:02.017 9. Sergio Perez T-Sport D/H 1:02.043 10. Jay Bridger Fluid (N) D/H 1:02.141 11. Oliver Oakes Eurotek D/M 1:02.159 12. Henry Surtees Carlin (N) D/H 1:02.244 13. Nick Tandy JTR M/M 1:02.302 14. Philip Major Fortec D/M 1:02.408 15. Henry Arundel Double R D/M 1:02.443 16. Adriano Buzaid Carlin (N) D/H 1:02.464 17. Max Chilton Hitech D/M 1:01.846 (ten place penalty) 18. Stefan Wilson Fluid (N) D/H 1:02.721 19. John Martin Double R D/M 1:02.737 20. Steven Guerrero T-Sport (N) D/H 1:02.759 21. Hywel Lloyd CF (N) D/H 1:02.811 22. Callum MacLeod T-Sport (N) D/H 1:02.839 23. Clemente Faria Jr Cesario D/H 1:02.957 24. Jonathan Legris Litespeed S/H 1:04.753

High stakes give SuperClasico spice

Wheldon steps out of car, onto field

Alguersuari on pole for race two

Hartley leads Carlin trio in qualifying

Brendon Hartley took pole position for tomorrow's penultimate British Formula 3 race of the season at Donington Park.

The New Zealander headed a Carlin Motorsport 1-2-3, with his title rival teammates Jaime Alguersuari and Oliver Turvey second and third.

Hartley is still in with a mathematical chance of winning the championship, but is 30 points off the top and needs Turvey and Alguersuari to slip up.

"I was always going to have my work cut out to win championship here, but I'm happy with qualifying and being on pole position is all I could do today," said Hartley.

Alguersuari starts ahead of Turvey but will need to put more cars between himself and the championship leader to significantly reduce the 12-point deficit.

Max Chilton qualified fourth for Hitech but will start race one from 14th because of the ten-place grid penalty he received for running into Sergio Perez in the last race at Bucharest. That promotes Nick Tandy to fourth place in the sole Mygale entry.

Sam Abay will start fifth, ahead of F3 debutant Dean Smith in sixth, Walter Grubmuller seventh, and Marcus Ericsson eighth.

Perez is the only driver outside of the leading trio with a chance of winning the title, but his faint hopes look to be over after he qualified ninth. Atte Mustonen completed the top ten in the first Double R car.

Henry Surtees was the quickest of the National Class cars on his F3 debut, just pipping this year's champion, Jay Bridger, to 11th place overall. Carlin's other newcomer, Adriano Buzaid, was third in class in 17th place.

Results to follow

Hartley tops testing at Donington Park

Brendon Hartley set the quickest time in yesterday's British Formula 3 testing at Donington Park, ahead of the season finale this weekend.

The New Zealander needs a miracle to take the title, going into the weekend 30 points behind championship leader Oliver Turvey with just 42 available. But he made the best possible start, posting a best lap nearly eight tenths of a second quicker than anyone else.

Turvey set the second quickest time of the day, ahead of fellow Carlin Motorsport drivers Sam Abay and Jaime Alguersuari.

Alguersuari is the only other driver with a chance of winning the championship, lying 12 points behind Turvey and was just half a tenth slower than his title rival.

Marcus Ericsson completed the top five for Fortec Motorsport with just 0.052s covering the second to fifth-placed cars.

Dean Smith was the best of the British F3 debutants, finishing ninth in the Fortec car vacated by Sebastian Hohenthal before the last round at Bucharest in August.

Formula Renault race winner Adriano Buzaid topped the National Class for Carlin on his first F3 outing in 12th place overall, with Henry Surtees 18th (fourth in class) in the second National Class Carlin car on his F3 debut.

Pos Driver Team Car Time 1. Brendon Hartley Carlin D/M 1:00.961 2. Oliver Turvey Carlin D/M 1:01.705 3. Sam Abay Carlin D/M 1:01.753 4. Jaime Alguersuari Carlin D/M 1:01.758 5. Marcus Ericsson Fortec D/M 1:01.767 6. Walter Grubmuller Hitech D/M 1:01.953 7. John Martin Double R D/M 1:02.017 8. Max Chilton Hitech D/M 1:02.060 9. Dean Smith Fortec D/M 1:02.123 10. Nick Tandy JTR M/M 1:02.203 11. Henry Arundel Double R D/M 1:02.433 12. Adriano Buzaid Carlin (N) D/H 1:02.563 13. Jay Bridger Fluid (N) D/H 1:02.533 14. Philip Major Fortec D/M 1:02.592 15. Atte Mustonen Double R D/M 1:02.661 16. Oliver Oakes Eurotek D/M 1:02.705 17. Steven Guerrero T-Sport (N) D/H 1:02.763 18. Henry Surtees Carlin (N) D/H 1:02.900 19. Hywel Lloyd CF (N) D/H 1:03.056 20. Clemente Faria Jr Eurotek D/H 1:03.299 21. Stefan Wilson Fluid (N) D/H 1:03.452 22. Salman Al-Khalifa T-Sport (N) D/H 1:03.478 23. Jonathan Legris Litespeed (N) S/H 1:04.415 D/M = Dallara Mercedes, M/M = Mygale Mercedes, D/H = Dallara Mugen-Honda, S/H = SLC Mugen-Honda

Penalties give Alguersuari pole

All-around effort puts Fire woes to bed

Oakes takes maiden F3 pole position

Barcelona tops Guadalajara in friendly

British F3 to use Cooper tyres

The British Formula 3 championship will end its 25-year association with the Avon name next season following the announcement of a new title sponsorship and tyre supply deal with Cooper.

The American-owned Cooper Tires is a parent company of Avon and the name change in Britain is part of a marketing push to expand the Cooper brand in Europe.

The tyres used next year will be the same rubber as this season, just under the Cooper name.

Cooper's European managing director Julian Baldwin said: "Avon Tyres is very well established in British and European motor racing and, as Cooper Tires grows as a brand in Europe, we want it to stand for the same standard of quality.

"Cooper's racing tyres deserve to be allied with a high-profile championship in Europe and you don't get much bigger than British F3."

Hoops struggling to regain form

Highly motivated Hoops break out

Magnussen Jr eyes F3 campaign

Wickens wins shortened Le Mans race

Robert Wickens took his maiden Formula 3 victory in a rain-interrupted second F3 Euro Series race at Le Mans this morning.

The Canadian driver - who only joined the series mid-season to combine it with his Formula Renault 3.5 campaign - took the lead at the start from Brendon Hartley and was never headed.

The race was red flagged for more than 20 minutes when a few spots of rain led to several accidents after just six laps, and by the time the restart order was organised, there were just five minutes remaining.

Wickens made a commanding restart after a lap behind the safety car, while Hartley fell back into the clutches of Dani Clos and eventually spun.

The Spanish driver didn't have time to do anything about Wickens, though, as only three racing laps took place before the chequered flag.

Jean-Karl Vernay looked aggressive from the start and eventually took third thanks to Hartley's spin, while behind him Koudai Tsukakoshi took fourth, despite having rear-ended Jon Lancaster before the red flag.

James Jakes came through the carnage to take fifth from 13th on the grid, while Rodolfo Gonzalez scored the first point of the season for Carlin Motorsport with sixth.

That will only be half a point however, as only 11 laps were completed so full points cannot be awarded.

Further down the order, newly-crowned champion Nico Hulkenberg had been charging through the field as they all struggled in the rain before the stoppage.

The German was up to 10th from 24th in just six laps, but his progress was stopped once he got up to eighth, and couldn't find a way past Daniel Campos-Hull.

Pos Driver Team Car Gap 1. Robert Wickens Signature D/V 40:23.064 2. Dani Clos Prema D/M +0.791 3. Jean-Karl Vernay Signature D/V +2.111 4. Koudai Tsukakoshi Manor D/M +2.778 5. James Jakes ART D/M +3.705 6. Rodolfo Gonzalez Carlin D/M +6.537 7. Daniel Campos-Hull HBR D/M +7.635 8. Nico Hulkenberg ART D/M +8.021 9. Stefano Coletti Prema D/M +9.061 10. Christian Vietoris Mucke D/M +9.448 11. Sam Bird Manor D/M +9.764 12. Kazuya Oshima Manor D/M +10.096 13. Erik Janis Mucke D/M +11.175 14. Edoardo Mortara Signature D/V +11.769 15. Jens Klingmann RC D/V +12.273 16. Yann Clairay SG D/M +14.572 17. Jules Bianchi ART D/M +15.936 18. Nelson Panciatici RC D/V +17.516 19. Basil Shaaban HBR D/M +19.749 20. Mika Maki Mucke D/M +20.300 21. Franck Mailleux Signature D/V +42.597 22. Brendon Hartley Carlin D/M +43.223 23. Stephane Richelmi Barazi Epsilon D/M +44.291 24. Cheng Cong Fu RC D/V +1 lap 25. Renger van der Zande Prema D/M +1 lap Retirements Jon Lancaster ART D/M 4 laps Richard Philippe SG D/M 1 lap D/M = Dallara Mercedes, D/V = Dallara Volkswagen

Mailleux penalised for cutting chicane

Quakes encouraged by road ahead

Hulkenberg champion as Bianchi wins

Jules Bianchi took a dominant victory in the first F3 Euro Series race of the weekend at Le Mans, as Nico Hulkenberg became the F3 Euroseries champion despite finishing a lap down in 24th.

The German, a test driver for the Williams Formula One team, claimed the title by dint of the fact that his championship rival Edoardo Mortara failed to score.

Bianchi was never challenged throughout the race, as he romped away to a victory margin of nearly 18 seconds over Sam Bird.

The British driver, who started fourth, made up one place when Hulkenberg stalled at the start and lost a lap, and he inherited second when surprise front-row starter Stefano Coletti spun on lap three.

Bird then cemented his position by gradually easing away from Mika Maki, who was falling into the clutches of Koudai Tsukakoshi in the closing stages.

Their battle had been a three-way scrap during the middle of the race, until fifth place man Chrtistian Vietoris broke down six laps from home.

That handed a top five finish to Jean Karl Vernay, who sustained pressure for a long period of time from an on-form Dani Clos.

The Spanish driver had started ahead of Vernay in eighth position on the grid, but a slow start cost him ground. However, he made short work of Robert Wickens and Franck Mailleux, and then pushed Vernay all the way to the flag.

Behind them, Mailleux slipped into the clutches of Wickens and Brendon Hartley in the second half of the race, but despite several attempts, nobody could pass the Signature driver.

Their battle was occasionally joined by Mortara, who made his way up to 10th after starting 17th.

Pos Driver Team Car Time 1. Jules Bianchi ART D/M 41:22.149 2. Sam Bird Manor D/M +17.964 3. Mika Maki Mucke D/M +20.392 4. Koudai Tsukakoshi Manor D/M +20.976 5. Jean-Karl Vernay Signature D/V +28.681 6. Dani Clos Prema D/M +29.554 7. Franck Mailleux Signature D/V +42.219 8. Robert Wickens Signature D/V +42.737 9. Brendon Hartley Carlin D/M +43.131 10. Edoardo Mortara Signature D/V +44.687 11. Daniel Campos-Hull HBR D/M +48.704 12. Richard Philippe SG D/M +49.417 13. Jon Lancaster ART D/M +49.836 14. James Jakes ART D/M +51.840 15. Erik Janis Mucke D/M +52.753 16. Nelson Panciatici RC D/V +59.118 17. Cong Fu Cheng RC D/V +1:00.537 18. Rodolfo Gonzalez Carlin D/M +1:01.088 19. Renger van der Zande Prema D/M +1:06.078 20. Stefano Coletti Prema D/M +1:06.388 21. Henkie Waldschmidt SG D/M +1:06.760 22. Kazuya Oshima Manor D/M +1:07.830 23. Yann Clairay SG D/M +1:08.317 24. Nico Hulkenberg ART D/M + 1 lap 25. Stephane Richelmi Barazi Epsilon D/M + 1 lap 26. Basil Shaaban HBR D/M + 1 lap 27. Jens Klingmann RC D/V + 1 lap Not classified Driver Team Car Laps Christian Vietoris Mucke D/M 20

Mailleux wins Brands reverse grid race

Quakes encouraged by road ahead

Hulkenberg needs time to enjoy title

Nico Hulkenberg has admitted that he is frustrated with the way he sealed the F3 Euro Series title at Le Mans on Saturday.

The ART driver won the title despite stalling on the grid and finishing one lap down in 24th place, as his closest rival Edoardo Mortara was also out of the points.

"It wasn't easy to smile after the race," Hulkenberg told autosport.com. "Being champion is the most important thing, but it's a bit frustrating.

"On the one side I am happy, but on the other I'm disappointed about my mistake. To stall on the grid is never nice."

The German added that it would take time for the title to sink in, and he believes that his form through the season makes him a deserving champion.

"Of course, you don't want to be champion like this, but we have had a great season," he added. "There were some ups and downs, but finally we have done it.

"We had lots of good results this year, we won five Saturday races in a row which shows how strong and consistent we were. I think I just need some time to realise that and to get happy."

ART appeal Hulkenberg’s exclusion

Hulkenberg thrown out of race one

Mailleux penalised for cutting chicane

Franck Mailleux has been penalised for cutting a chicane during the first F3 Euro Series race at Le Mans, which hands pole position for race two to Brendon Hartley.

Mailleux finished seventh in Saturday's race, holding off Robert Wickens and Hartley for the majority of the second half of the event. However, he was penalised for gaining an advantage from cutting the first chicane at the start.

"It's true, I cut the chicane," said the French driver. "But it wasn't possible to let all the drivers back through before the next corner."

The initial result meant the Signature driver and his teammate Wickens would start from the front row together in the reverse-grid race, but Mailleux's 30-second penalty promotes Wickens up a place in the results, which ironically costs him pole position for race two.

The penalty drops Mailleux from seventh to 14th in the results of race one.

Tireless effort gives Wizards key victory

Hulkenberg champion as Bianchi wins

Bianchi takes Le Mans pole

Jules Bianchi has taken pole position on home soil for the first F3 Euro Series race of the weekend at Le Mans.

The French driver grabbed the top spot in the final minute of the session, robbing Stefano Coletti of what would have been a surprise pole position for the Prema Powerteam driver.

The Monegasque driver did improve his time marginally, but it was not enough to make any impression on Bianchi's stunning lap.

Championship leader Nico Hulkenberg will start Saturday's race from third on the grid, and his hopes of wrapping up the title sooner rather than later were boosted by Edoardo Mortara struggling down in 19th position.

Behind Hulkenberg, Sam Bird's impressive recent form appears to have carried into this weekend, as the British driver lines up fourth for Manor Motorsport.

After starting the session well, British F3 front-runner Brendon Hartley was bumped down the order, but his final lap of the session was good enough to vault him back up to the fifth position he held at the halfway stage.

However, the Carlin driver was one of several to have his best lap taken away after the session, as a flurry of times were set at the end while there were yellow flags out after James Jakes spun off.

That meant that Hartley dropped to 11th, promoting Koudai Tsukakoshi to fifth. Christian Vietoris had a spin at the end of his first run, but he recovered to take sixth on the grid.

Mika Maki, Dani Clos and Jean Karl Vernay complete the top 10, while Renger van der Zande was another to lose out due to the yellow flags, and he was moved back to 14th place having originally qualified ninth.

Pos Driver Car Time 1. Jules Bianchi Dallara/Mercedes 1:31.328 2. Stefano Coletti Dallara/Mercedes 1:31.809 + 0.481 3. Nico Hülkenberg Dallara/Mercedes 1:31.915 + 0.587 4. Sam Bird Dallara/Mercedes 1:32.023 + 0.695 5. K.Tsukakoshi Dallara/Mercedes 1:32.068 + 0.740 6. C.Vietoris Dallara/Mercedes 1:32.107 + 0.779 7. Erik Janis Dallara/Mercedes 1:32.146 + 0.818 8. Mika Mäki Dallara/Mercedes 1:32.283 + 0.955 9. Daniel Clos Dallara/Mercedes 1:32.331 + 1.003 10. Jean-Karl Vernay Dallara/Volkswagen 1:32.365 + 1.037 11. Brendon Hartley Dallara/Volkswagen 1:32.370 + 1.042 12. Robert Wickens Dallara/Volkswagen 1:32.457 + 1.129 13. Jon Lancaster Dallara/Mercedes 1:32.653 + 1.325 14. R.van der Zande Dallara/Mercedes 1:32.764 + 1.436 15. Richard Philippe Dallara/Mercedes 1:32.792 + 1.464 16. Daniel Campos Dallara/Mercedes 1:32.807 + 1.479 17. Franck Mailleux Dallara/Volkswagen 1:32.814 + 1.486 18. H.Waldschmidt Dallara/Mercedes 1:32.830 + 1.502 19. Edoardo Mortara Dallara/Volkswagen 1:32.879 + 1.551 20. Jens Klingmann Dallara/Volkswagen 1:32.887 + 1.559 21. Yann Clairay Dallara/Mercedes 1:32.907 + 1.579 22. Kazuya Oshima Dallara/Mercedes 1:32.910 + 1.582 23. Cheng Cong Fu Dallara/Volkswagen 1:32.989 + 1.661 24. James Jakes Dallara/Mercedes 1:33.130 + 1.802 25. N.Panciatici Dallara/Volkswagen 1:33.209 + 1.881 26. Rodolfo Gonzalez Dallara/Mercedes 1:33.212 + 1.884 27. Basil Shaaban Dallara/Mercedes 1:33.506 + 2.178 28. S.Richelmi Dallara/Mercedes 1:34.919 + 3.591

Hulkenberg inherits Brands win