Formula Three

Nelson Piquet Jnr returns to F3

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  • #319498

    It may be hard to top this for most surprising news story of the week – Nelson Piquet Jnr is returning to Formula Three this weekend. He will compete in the Pau Grand Prix for Carlin, 12 years after winning the British championship.

    Since then Piquet went on to race in F1, scoring a podium at the 2008 German Grand Prix but becoming far more widely known for his role in Crashgate. He now races in Formula E, where he was champion last year, and made his World Endurance Championship debut earlier this year.

    Here’s the team’s announcement:

    Nelson Piquet Jr will join Carlin for the Formula 3 Pau Grand Prix this weekend. The reigning FIA Formula E champion will race Carlin’s fourth car around Pau in one of racing’s most iconic street races, in the third round of the 2016 FIA Formula 3 European Championship.

    Carlin invited Piquet Jr to race with the team this weekend to offer an experienced hand for the squad’s young Formula 3 drivers. The Brazilian racer proved to be the perfect stand-in for Max Chilton during last season’s Indy Lights championship, taking pole position around the streets of Toronto, despite no previous experience of the track or car.

    Piquet will line-up alongside Carlin’s regular FIA F3 drivers Ryan Tveter, Alessio Lorandi and Peter Li, offering valuable feedback and guidance to the team’s young squad. The overall aim is that should schedules permit and an entry be accepted, the team will also field Piquet in this year’s Macau Grand Prix.

    Speaking ahead of his first visit to Pau, Piquet said, “I’m really excited to get back behind the wheel of a Formula 3 car, which holds so many great memories for me. I had a great time working with Carlin in the Indy Lights car in Toronto last year, and I’m happy to help the team again this weekend in Pau. Any experience gained on street circuits is beneficial for my Formula E campaign and I relish the challenge of adapting to another category this season.”

    Trevor Carlin said, “Nelson is a real racer. He’s unafraid of competition at any level and is reminiscent of the era of drivers like Jim Clark who would take part in races from various categories, just for the love of racing.

    “Nelson really impressed the team last season when he jumped into an unfamiliar Indy Lights car and put the car on pole on a track he had never visited before. His championship winning credentials in Formula E perfectly reflect his talent on street circuits. We believe he will be a great asset to the team and our young drivers this weekend and we look forward to working with him in Pau and hopefully again in Macau later this year.”

    #319557

    Not so fast – the FIA has refused to grant him permission to enter on the grounds he is too experienced:

    The FIA has gone to great lengths in the last 12 months to establish the championship as one of the main developmental categories on the way to Formula One, introducing measures such as a maximum number of seasons in the championship (three) for any driver, as well as not allowing an existing champion to defend their title.

    Under Article 4.7 of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship Sporting Regulations, “any driver application to participate in the Championship will be studied by the FIA and accepted or rejected at its absolute discretion”.

    With the above strategic direction in mind, believed it would contravene the spirit of the championship for the FIA to approve the application to field such a highly-credentialed and experienced driver as Nelson Piquet Jnr – the reigning FIA Formula E champion, LMP1 driver in the FIA World Endurance Championship, as well as 28 races in Formula One.

    The FIA’s Single Seater Commission President, Stefano Domenicali said:

    “We cannot deny that we were pleased that a driver with the talent and the achievements of Nelson Piquet Jr has expressed a desire to race in a round of the FIA F3 European Championship at a prestigious circuit such as Pau.

    “However, we must keep in mind the spirit of the Championship – as one of the primary steps on the ladder to F1.

    “Therefore, we decided that we could not accept the application presented by Carlin.

    “This season the FIA introduced new eligibility criteria with the specific intent to define the characteristics of the FIA F3 European Championship more precisely. Today’s decision is a logical consequence of these measures.”

    #319719
    Girts
    Participant

    I support the FIA’s decision. I also cannot go back to the high school that I graduated from in 2002 and start attending lessons and taking exams there again. Of course, the motorsport ladder is a bit different from conventional education systems but this still does not feel right.

    Moreover, I have never been a fan of one-off appearances like these even if they are good for ‘the show’. I do not want to see Grosjean at a NASCAR race either. I believe that it kind of degrades the series if some guy arrives there with no intention to stay and score as many points as possible. ‘I felt kinda bored so I thought I’d just come here and burn some rubber, ya know…’ Do it properly, do at least one full season or do not do it at all.

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