IndyCar and Supercars may have fallen victim to recent spikes in Covid-19, forcing event postponements; but this weekend is still set to be a busy one for our International hopefuls. Formula E returned today and is set to continue over the coming days while Nick Cassidy will be aiming to go back-to-back as Super GT returns to Fuji and of course F1 tackles Silverstone again which means our list of support class stars will be back on circuit.
Mitch Evans
- What: FIA ABB Formula E – Berlin E-Prix
- Where: Berlin Tempelhof Airport, Germany
- When: Race 7 FRI 4.30 am | Race 8 SUN 4.30 am
- How to follow: TVNZ Duke
Mitch Evans and Panasonic Jaguar team boss James Barclay said before the start of the six-race Berlin finale that the Kiwi star is in the best position of his Formula E career to clinch a maiden championship. But after a disappointing opening round at the German capital and just five races to go Evans sits a distant 41-points adrift of championship leader Antonio Felix da Costa.
Nonetheless, the 2019/20 season of the all-electric formula has proven how quickly one’s race can unravel with Evans still in a strong position to overcome his points deficit. His pace in the Berlin opener also suggested Jaguar are well within touch of the dominant DS Techeeta outfit.
Tomorrow morning’s race will again be staged on the reverse circuit configuration before race officials take a two-day hiatus to return the track back to its original anti-clockwise layout for the next pair of races.
Marcus Armstrong
- What: FIA Formula 2 – 70th Anniversary Grand Prix
- Where: Silverstone, UK
- When: R1 SUN 2.45 am | R2 SUN 9.10 pm
- How to follow: Spark Sport
Two difficult races at Silverstone last weekend saw Armstrong’s title assault dealt a serious blow. The ART pilot struggled to make the hard compound tyres work in either of the sprint or feature race and was left dicing with rivals towards the back of the field and out of the points-paying positions.
A switch of tyre compounds for this weekend’s fifth round of the junior formula category should hopefully be the catalyst for a U-Turn in performance for the Kiwi after such a promising start to the season which has included two podium finishes.
A positive note has seen ART seemingly grapple their reliability woes with neither Armstrong nor his teammate Christian Lundgaard experiencing any repeats of the teething issues that led to retirements in the early stages of the year. Lundgaard was exceptionally quick in the opening leg of the Silverstone doubleheader suggesting their is plenty of potential left for Armstrong to unpick from himself and the car across this weekend’s event.
Liam Lawson
- What: FIA Formula 3 – 70th Anniversary Grand Prix
- Where: Silverstone, UK
- When: R1 SAT 8.25 pm | R2 SUN 7.45 pm
- How to follow: Spark Sport
It may have not been heard by any fans but the New Zealand national anthem at last was sounded out across the airy Silverstone backdrop after Lawson become only the second repeat F3 winner in 2020.
The young Kiwi’s drive in the opening sprint race, highlighted by a deft move around the outside of pole-sitter Logan Sargeant at Stowe for the lead without DRS assistance set the tone for a strong weekend in which Lawson’s points tally received a healthy boost.
Undoubtedly, Lawson was fortunate that two separate Safety Cars across the final six laps ensured his lead never came under threat from a hard-charging Oscar Piastri, but nonetheless after three successive DNFs a victory was the perfect way to redirect his season and stamp his authority on the championship.
The Red Bull junior will once again be targeting qualifying as a key area of the weekend and with a 30-strong grid to contend with avoiding a profusion of traffic on your hotlap is paramount to a strong starting position.
Jaxon Evans
- What: Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup – 70th Anniversary Grand Pirx
- Where: Silverstone, UK
- When: Race SUN 10.25 pm
- How to follow: Spark Sport
Another podium finish for Evans has aided the Kiwi in clawing back the points deficit caused by his crash at Hungary. The Lechner Racing pilot looked strong all race, potentially having the speed to challenge runaway race winner Larry Ten Voorde, but instead became stuck behind an ailing Max Van Splunteren.
Last weekend’s event re-emphasised the same issue that has problematised this year’s Supercup championship – drivers having difficulty overtaking once get becalmed behind another.
Thus, Evans will be identifying qualifying as a critical segment of the weekend so as to keep his championship hunt buoyant.
Nick Cassidy
- What: Super GT Round 2
- Where: Fuji International Speedway, Japan
- When: Race SUN 6.00 pm
- How to follow: YouTube live stream
An imperious victory be Cassidy in the season-opening Super GT round at Fuji last month unquestionably puts the Kiwi in the prime spot for the rest of the season. Confidence levels will be sky high especially after the all-new Toyota GR Supra shocked the paddock with three cars inside the top five positions last time out.
Cassidy and co-driver Ryo Hirakawa did little wrong in the commanding season-opener and a reprise of their performance this weekend will be the duo’s sole target.