It’s another action-packed weekend for our Kiwis as the international motor racing scene continues to ramp-up. After a hectic Austrian Grand Prix weekend, our aspiring Formula 1 stars get to do it all over again for round two at the Red Bull Ring while Scott Dixon will be eyeing a hat-trick of wins as IndyCar hits Road America.
Marcus Armstrong
- What: FIA Formula 2 – Styrian Grand Prix
- Where: Red Bull Ring, Austria
- When: R1 SUN 2.45 am | R2 SUN 9.10 pm
- How to follow: Spark Sport
A turbulent start to his 2020 campaign saw the young Kiwi charge from outside the top 10 to second in a safety car-affected feature race. The subsequent reverse grid Sprint Race had Armstrong primed to snare a second trip to the rostrum before a power unit failure meant the Toyota Racing Series graduate came to an abrupt stop on the run into Turn 3.
Surprisingly, Armstrong’s failure was only one of a myriad of mechanical-related DNFs that punctuated the weekend. Series organisers have responded and had teams run an unofficial shakedown test today in an attempt to nail down the teething issues that affected a vast portion of the field.
Should Armstrong hook up a competitive qualifying performance and avoid any further mechanical woes, then there is every chance the 19-year-old could clinch a maiden victory over the weekend as he looks to build on his title assault.
Liam Lawson
- What: FIA Formula 3 – Styrian Grand Prix
- Where: Red Bull Ring, Austria
- When: R1 SAT 8.25 pm | R2 SUN 7.45 pm
- How to follow: Spark Sport
A sublime performance under pressure in Race 2 saw the Pukekohe racer claim his inaugural FIA F3 victory in only his second season.
A difficult qualifying session consequence of Hitech GP’s tyre struggles, Lawson demonstrated incredible race craft in the season-opening race to charge from 12th to 7th in one lap before eventually crossing the line in sixth. The result set Lawson up for a strong victory in a wild second race which was neutralised behind the safety car on three separate occasions.
Like his F2 Kiwi counterpart, qualifying woes hindered his race preparation. But with the F3 grid taking on a softer compound of tyre for the weekend, Hitech GP will be praying they can get atop of their tyre temperature issues and string together a more complete weekend.
Jaxon Evans
- What: Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup – Styrian Grand Pirx
- Where: Red Bull Ring, Austria
- When: Race SUN 10.25 pm
- How to follow: Spark Sport
Evans proved to be the class of the field in Austria last weekend. The Kiwi scored his second career pole position on Saturday before backing it up in a lights-to-flag obliteration of his rivals.
The victory sets up Evans’ 2020 title challenge and bods well for the rest of the season after teammate Dylan Pereira rounded out a BWT Lechner Racing 1-2 in the race. A repeat of last weekend will give Evans one hand on the trophy in the rapid-fire eight-race Porsche Supercup season.
However, it won’t be entirely smooth sailing for Evans. Heavy rain is forecasted to hit the Red Bull Ring on Saturday in time for qualifying and could throw a real spanner in the works for the championship leader.
Scott Dixon
- What: NTT INDYCAR series – Rev Group Grand Prix
- Where: Road America, United States
- When: Race 1 SUN 9 am | Race 2 MON 4 am
- How to follow: Sky Sport 5 | Live Timing
The Iceman recorded his best career start to an IndyCar campaign in his illustrious 18-year long tenure by clinching back-to-back victories in his opening two rounds for 2020.
But this weekend marks the first of many doubleheaders on the delayed 2020 Indycar season as well as the first round to welcome the return of spectators.
Dixon has once made it to victory lane at Road America back in 2017, and he has finished in the Top 5 in the past three occasions. The Kiwi will be aiming to keep his winning streak alive but will undoubtedly be wary of a rejuvenated Penske outfit who fell foul of reliability and pitlane issues across the opening two races and will be out to put an end to Dixon’s dominance.
Hunter McElrea
- What: Indy Pro 2000 – Rev Group Grand Prix
- Where: Road America, United States
- When: Race 1 SAT 5.15 am | Race 2 SAT 8 am
- How to follow: Live Timing
2020 is a big year for McElrea as the young Kiwi continues to pursue an IndyCar drive. This year sees McElrea debut in the Indy Pro 2000 championship, the next step up from USF2000 where the 20-year-old finished runners-up in a tense season-finale after an impressive rookie campaign.
McElrea will make his promotion to the class with Pabst Racing in what will be his first competitive laps in over four months as the COVID-19 pandemic saw the orginial season-opener at St. Petersburg cancelled after one practice session.
Of particular importance is the revamping of the 2020 champion’s scholarship. A fully paid for Indy Lights season and a test drive in a 2021 IndyCar is on offer for the overall victor of this year’s Indy Pro 2000 champion.
McElrea will have two 50-minute races this weekend as a part of the support card for round three of the NTT IndyCar series
