It’s a busy weekend for the Kiwis as the international motor racing scene starts to fully spring back into action. Our aspiring Formula 1 stars make their junior formulae season starts while Scott Dixon will be eyeing a second successive trip to victory lane. Here’s your guide for the weekend ahead.
Marcus Armstrong
- What: FIA Formula 2 – Austrian Grand Prix
- Where: Red Bull Ring, Austria
- When: R1 SUN 2.45 am | R2 SUN 9.10 pm
- How to follow: Spark Sport
After a successful FIA Formula 3 campaign with Prema last year, Armstrong is now only step away from a coveted F1 drive when he takes to the Red Bull Ring this weekend with storied outfit ART GP.
After months on the sidelines, the FIA revealed last month a revised eight-round European calendar to kick start the F1/F2 and F3 seasons with doubleheaders at the Austrian venue and Silverstone to headline the calendar.
Armstrong will be teamed with Renault Academy driver Christian Lundgaard at ART among a 25-strong grid which includes ex-Toyota Racing Series champion Robert Shwartzman and Mick Schumacher, son of Formula 1 legend Michael.
It will be an interesting return to racing for the Kiwi with Austria set to be struck be inclement weather, throwing another spanner in the works as the series gears up for its much-anticipated return.
Liam Lawson
- What: FIA Formula 3 – Austrian Grand Prix
- Where: Red Bull Ring, Austria
- When: R1 SAT 8.25 pm | R2 SUN 7.45 pm
- How to follow: Spark Sport
Liam Lawson will start his second F3 campaign this weekend with his new HiTech GP outfit. A 30-plus grid has been confirmed for 2020 with several future world champions buried among the pack.
Lawson returned to the UK last month after the 18-year-old was compelled to return to New Zealand following the COVID-19 outbreak.
An avid sim-racer over the break, Lawson would be hoping his virtual training has kept himself race fit as he will only have a sole 40-minute practice session this weekend to re-acclimatise to the car.
The 2020 F3 season will follow the opening eight rounds of the F1 circus, meaning there will be plenty of watchful eyes lurking over the performaces of the future generation of stars.
Jaxon Evans
- What: Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup – Austrian Grand Pirx
- Where: Red Bull Ring, Austria
- When: Race SUN 10.25 pm
- How to follow: Spark Sport
The flying kiwi proved untouchable at a recent Supercup test from the Red Bull Ring last week, heading the time sheets across both days.
The Porsche Junior will race for Lechner Racing in his second season in the single-make series. The Kiwi had a successful debut season last year with Fach Auto Tech where he concluded the season sixth in the standings with two podiums finishes from Spa and Mexico.
Evans will be a part of the Porsche Junior Programme for 2020, following on from the likes of Earl Bamber as successful New Zealand sports car racers to have gone through the development programme.
Part of Evans’ program as a Porsche Junior will see him receive funding to the value of 225,000 Euros as well as also receiving mentoring from former Porsche works driver Sascha Maassen.
Scott Dixon
- What: NTT INDYCAR series – GMR Grand Prix of Indy
- Where: Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, United States
- When: Race SUN 4 am
- How to follow: Sky Sport 5 | Live Timing
Dixon dominated the field in IndyCar’s season-opener at Texas Motor Speedway last month and comes into this weekend’s round riding high as the championship leader.
It would be bittersweet memories for Dixon arriving at his ‘home’ circuit after the Chip Ganassi racer relinquished the race lead in last year’s event in the dying stages.
Since the inauguration of the GMR Grand Prix back in 2014 only Penske duo Will Power and Simon Pagenaud have made it to victory lane, a streak Dixon would be raring to disrupt.
Dixon’s teammate Felix Rosenqvist will also be hoping for a more complete round after the Swede crashed out from a podium position a handful of laps from the chequered flag in Texas.
Earl Bamber
- What: IMSA WeatherTech 240 at Daytona
- Where: Daytona International Speedway, United States
- When: Race SUN 10 am
- How to follow: Sky Sport 5 | Live Timing
Kiwi sports car ace Earl Bamber will finally make his return to the IMSA WeatherTech championship in the first round since the Daytona 24 Hour race back in January.
Bamber and Porsche teammate Laurens Vanthoor come into Sunday’s race second in the standings but with the unfortunate news the duo will essentially be jobless at the end of 2020 with the German manufacturer announcing it will cut its GT Le Mans funding from 2021, pulling the plug on its two car IMSA outfit.
The usual jam-packed IMSA grid will be slightly more diluted this weekend with the LMP2 class not set to contest the round due to border restrictions preventing international drivers from entering the United States to take part in the event.